Books like 'The Wallflower and the Running Back'

Readers who enjoyed The Wallflower and the Running Back by Ginger Scott also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.

contemporary  sports  new adult  football  college  m-f  fake relationship  competent heroine  sweet heroine  teacher-heroine 

  • Forever Paired by Kathleen Brooks

    Forever Paired by Kathleen Brooks

    Rated: 4.77 of 5 stars
    · 19 ratings
    Landon Davies had worked hard to start his own restaurant. It was a very different path than most of his family had taken. He was one of the few family members that were not military or law enforcement. But his hard work had given him a restaurant that was beginning to take off when a woman’s scream in the alley outside his kitchen changed everything...
    Categorized as:
    sports  suspense  m-f  contemporary  humor  audiobook
  • Always You by Emilia Finn

    Always You by Emilia Finn

    Rated: 4.48 of 5 stars
    · 23 ratings
    What does any self respecting socialite do when she finds her husband screwing his secretary on HER dining room table? She gets petty revenge a'la Louisville Slugger, then she runs home and pretends her whole life isn’t in tatters...
  • Sponsored links / Remove ads
  • Ashes by Chelle Bliss

    Ashes by Chelle Bliss

    Rated: 4.70 of 5 stars
    · 19 ratings
    Dylan Walsh left his small town behind and vowed to never return. But when his brother needs help, Dylan steps back into the memories he tried so hard to forget. He thought there was nothing there for him anymore until a woman he knew as a little girl catches more than Dylan’s eye. Rosie Gallo is known for her kind spirit, good-girl vibes, and her loyalty to the ones she loves...
  • Stay Real by Kaylee Ryan

    Stay Real by Kaylee Ryan

    Rated: 4.54 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 3 of 5
    Open door [?] · 26 ratings
    Courtney. Maybe blurting out my imaginary relationship status to my nagging mother wasn’t the best idea. Declaring that I’m dating my boss’s brother-in-law, well, that was just wishful thinking and a lot of panic. To my embarrassment, they both overheard me. But Merrick not only offers to be my plus one, he agrees to fake date me for the next couple of months leading up to my sister’s wedding...
  • Take A Chance On Me by Emilia Finn

    Take A Chance On Me by Emilia Finn

    Rated: 4.62 of 5 stars
    · 21 ratings
    Oh Sh*t. This is part 2 of the Marc and Meg Duet. It cannot be read as a standalone. Due to spoilers, the above is all the blurb you will get. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️The conclusion to the Meg and Marc duet is phenomenal. It’s been a long time since I’ve found a writer that makes me laugh, scream, and cry in the same sitting. This is an epic story - epic love, epic friendship, epic woman finding her way. ..
  • Power Play by Toni Aleo

    Power Play by Toni Aleo

    Rated: 4.48 of 5 stars
    · 23 ratings
    Posey Adler is coming home. After a devastating journey for what she mistakenly thought was true love, she is saying to hell with men and love forever. As the Nashville Assassins’s new assistant coach for special teams, Posey is ready to focus on her job and have the attention on her for a change...
  • Checkmate by Emilia Finn

    Checkmate by Emilia Finn

    Rated: 4.49 of 5 stars
    · 22 ratings
    Bishop men are nothing but a plague on this planet, a disease that needs eradication before it spreads. They’re murderers. Liars. Thieves. The day I met Colum Bishop, I thought my life was finally turning around. I was led to believe he would be our saviour. He was supposed to be our hero, a long awaited reprieve from the hardships life insisted on throwing at my mom and me...
  • Hart to Heart by M.E. Carter, Jacob Morgan

    Hart to Heart by M.E. Carter, Jacob Morgan

    Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars
    · 22 ratings
    Listening Length: 5 hours, 6 minutes. We’re the Harts. Between an engagement, a wedding and an adoption, we’ve had the best year of our lives. Things have never looked better for any of us. But just because you say “I do” doesn’t mean you get a happily ever after. And sometimes, you get tackled more in life than you ever did on the football field...
  • Follow the Play by Kaylee Ryan

    Follow the Play by Kaylee Ryan

    Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 1 of 5
    Glimpses and kisses [?] · 22 ratings
    NYT and USA Today Bestselling author Kaylee Ryan brings you a new standalone series surrounding the Nashville Rampage football team. Follow the Play is a single dad, nanny, friends-to-lovers, forced proximity sports romance. Baker. Being a single dad was never part of the playbook, but one look at my son and everything changed...
  • Smolder by Helen Hardt

    Smolder by Helen Hardt

    Rated: 4.69 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    Are you missing the Steel Brothers? Are you yearning for more? Welcome to the next generation! Join the grown children of Jonah, Talon, Ryan, and Marjorie for new adventures, mysteries, and heart-pounding passion. The action, drama, and secrecy continue with Smolder, coming June 28, 2022!
  • Path To Resolution by TheFeveredBookaholic

    Path To Resolution by TheFeveredBookaholic

    Rated: 4.61 of 5 stars
    · 15 ratings
    Wolfe Emerson is notorious for two things: being an absolute beast in a boxing ring and being a voluntary mute. His story remains unspoken and he prefers to live his life in silence. That is, until, his world is turned upside down when he meets someone who is louder than life...
  • Endeared by J.S. Scott

    Endeared by J.S. Scott

    Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars
    · 27 ratings
    After finishing a hard-won medical residency, Owen Sinclair now lives his dream as a family physician. The windfall that brought him newfound wealth has also made handsome Dr. Sinclair the town’s most eligible bachelor...
  • REGRET by Emilia Finn

    REGRET by Emilia Finn

    Rated: 4.72 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    Preston Danes was born and raised on the streets. Unloved. Unwanted. And quickly discarded. Now he’s a man on the verge of a new career when the infamous Checkmate Security offers him a job. They want to shut down a mafia family, and they need the assistance of a skilled hacker to get the job done. Preston knows code like others know their left hands. He’s perfect for the job...
  • Sea of Love by Melissa Foster

    Sea of Love by Melissa Foster

    Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars
    · 22 ratings
    You fell in love with Lacy Snow in Sisters in White (Snow Sisters, Book Three). Follow her on her path to her forever love in Sea of Love. Lacy Snow hadn’t been looking for love when she met strikingly handsome and seductive Dane Braden...
  • Ice Cold Rival by Nikki Hall

    Ice Cold Rival by Nikki Hall

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 12 ratings
    One night, one chance, one hundred percent a lie…. Reece. Hookups are my jam, but I’ve never had a girl shuddering with one breath then running away the next. And I can’t stop thinking about her. Probably for the best I’m trading in party games for extra practices. I can lead us back to the Frozen Four, but I need a sign of my dedication to persuade Coach...
  • Sacrifice The Knight by Emilia Finn

    Sacrifice The Knight by Emilia Finn

    Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars
    · 17 ratings
    Sacrifices are never ideal, but to win the game, sometimes the knight must fall. Katrina Blair is a single mom to a daredevil teen, which means she has no time for fruitless endeavours such as dating. Why? Because men are all the same: liars, thieves, and unreliable a**holes...
  • Kade by Tijan

    Kade by Tijan

    Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars
    · 17 ratings
    I have fought. I have bled. I have wreaked havoc for my family. Anyone who threatened us, tried to break us, I broke them instead. Then, there was peace. Marriage. Children. Life was good. Life was great. Until my phone rang one night. Retired, I was no longer in the NFL. We'd recently moved back to Fallen Crest. So I should’ve known. I should’ve remembered. There is no peace in Fallen Crest...
  • Changing Lines by Toni Aleo

    Changing Lines by Toni Aleo

    Rated: 4.48 of 5 stars
    · 15 ratings
    Claire and Jude Sinclair have been living the perfect life for the last ten years. Blissfully in love, professionally successful, happily married… They have everything they want—except a baby to make their family complete...
    Categorized as:
    sports  new adult  m-f  contemporary  hockey  audiobook
  • Cooper Bailey Is A Cinnamon Roll by Jen Atkinson

    Cooper Bailey Is A Cinnamon Roll by Jen Atkinson

    Rated: 4.54 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 1 of 5
    Glimpses and kisses [?] · 13 ratings
    I’ve hated Cooper Bailey since high school. So why would a few years, a set of swoon-worthy forearms, and one shiny new law degree change anything? Leah Bradford’s never been a fan of the spotlight—not years ago at her high school prom and definitely not now with the drama her ex-boyfriend is causing. Running her cinnamon roll shop is all she needs, thank you very much...
  • Path To Realization by TheFeveredBookaholic

    Path To Realization by TheFeveredBookaholic

    Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars
    · 15 ratings
    Asher Pryce hides behind a wall of secrets he's spent most of his life building up. How else is the adopted child whose birth parents run a drug cartel supposed to fit in? He's notorious for his overconfident swagger and total lack of patience for bullshit - a master of masks. The one thing in his life he can't fake? His feelings for his best friend's twin sister...
  • Repairing the Wreckage by Autumn Jones Lake

    Repairing the Wreckage by Autumn Jones Lake

    Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    From day one, I’ve been fighting to survive. I should have known better. Nothing in life comes easy. In the end I might leave a champion. But victory has a price. And losing Molly is more than I’m willing to pay.
  • The Champion by Shey Stahl

    The Champion by Shey Stahl

    Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars
    · 21 ratings
    A powerful love story of tragedy, love, and commitment. The fourth book in the Racing on the Edge series submerges you in the lifestyle of a champion of a sport that dominates America. Through smoke and methanol, you learn the good, the bad, and the secrets no one wants you to know...
  • Infinity. by Layne Harper

    Infinity. by Layne Harper

    Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars
    · 25 ratings
    Colin McKinney has wanted three things since he met Caroline “Charlie” Collins when he was a junior at Texas A&M University: to make her his wife, play professional football, and have a family. In the first three books of the Infinity Series, Colin and Charlie met, fell in love, broke apart, reunited eight years later, and got married...
  • Castling The Rook by Emilia Finn

    Castling The Rook by Emilia Finn

    Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    Die a hero. Forever remain a hero. Junior, baby-faced, rookie – Riley Cruz has heard it all. The youngest police recruit in town, Riley is thirty-one years old, but is constantly overlooked because of his youthful features and habit to keep his mouth shut when everyone else is loud. But not everything is as it seems. Not everyone is as innocent as they appear...
  • Every Kiss You Steal by J.E. Parker

    Every Kiss You Steal by J.E. Parker

    Rated: 4.55 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 11 ratings
    Her past is plagued with darkness. .. He's determined to make her future brighter. -Ashley-. My life was once a nightmare. Because of my past, the walls I've constructed are mighty. But those walls begin to waver the day I meet him. .. Chase Jacobs, star quarterback, and the cutest boy I've ever seen. With his easy smile and sweet words, he's perfect. Problem is, I'm not...
  • Ice by Fiona Davenport

    Ice by Fiona Davenport

    Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars
    · 15 ratings
    Ice found his place with the Iron Rogues MC after his professional hockey career ended, but he never expected that being a part of the club would also bring the woman he was meant to claim into his life.
    Categorized as:
    suspense  new adult  m-f  contemporary
  • Hart to Heart by ME Carter, Murphy Rae

    Hart to Heart by ME Carter, Murphy Rae

    Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars
    · 18 ratings
    We’re the Harts. Between an engagement, a wedding and an adoption, we’ve had the best year of our lives. Things have never looked better for Jaxon, Addison and myself. But just because you say “I do” doesn’t mean you get a happily ever after. And sometimes, you get tackled more in life than you ever did on the football field...
  • Cocky Senator’s Daughter: Hannah by Faleena Hopkins

    Cocky Senator’s Daughter: Hannah by Faleena Hopkins

    Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars
    · 21 ratings
    HANNAH COCKER. Every man I've dated in this city has either bored me or hurt me. When Sofia Sol, my crazy cousin, offers a ride on the back of her Harley with no destination in mind besides out-of-Atlanta, what do you think my answer is? I'll give you one guess. TOBIAS KYRKOS. Life doesn't ever hand you what you want. You have to take it...
    Categorized as:
    new adult  sports  m-f  humor  contemporary  length-medium
  • Home Run by Jordan Marie, Robin Harper

    Home Run by Jordan Marie, Robin Harper

    Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars
    · 24 ratings
    Green Lucas doesn't know what's about to hit him. Complete Standalone Romance. Wanted. A woman with grit and fire who will help me get my son’s head out of his ass. You must be self-sufficient and not looking for a gravy train. Common sense is a plus, book smarts are optional. Cannot have red hair, as my son seems to go for that type and he needs something to shake him up...
  • Writing the Rules by Mariah Dietz

    Writing the Rules by Mariah Dietz

    Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars
    · 15 ratings
    Poppy Anderson was nailing her sophomore year at Brighton University. She liked her classes, had the greatest best friend, and was finally ready to start dating again. Or she was … until her ex, Mike, transferred to Brighton and started exchanging long stares and inside jokes that Poppy thought he’d forgotten. Paxton Lawson was long ago labeled ‘The Golden Boy...
  • Always Yours by Kennedy Fox

    Always Yours by Kennedy Fox

    Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    Rehearsals, leotards, and textbooks—that was my life. Dancing is all I’ve ever known, but when Liam’s problems turn everything upside down, I’m thrust into a world I know nothing about. Secrets and betrayal changed the man I’ve fallen for and he isn’t who I thought he was. Regardless, Liam is all I’ve ever wanted and though I’m struggling with my emotions, deep down I’d do anything for him...
  • A Single Touch by W. Winters

    A Single Touch by W. Winters

    Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars
    · 17 ratings
    A Single Touch is Book 3 and the FINAL book of the Irresistible Attraction series. A Single Glance must be read first.
  • Chess Not Checkers by Annah Conwell

    Chess Not Checkers by Annah Conwell

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 1 of 5
    Glimpses and kisses [?] · 15 ratings
    She thinks he’s an arrogant jerk. All Jasmine Chamberlain wants is to make her family proud. She owes them everything and intends to pay them back by being the best student, cheerleader, and chess player the university has ever seen. Unfortunately for her, on her first day of chess club, she gets paired with an arrogant, flirty, hotshot quarterback with an affinity for pushing her buttons...
  • Finding Infinity by Layne Harper

    Finding Infinity by Layne Harper

    Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars
    · 29 ratings
    "Finding Infinity" as described by Colin. .. "Fine Charlie. ” Colin says dropping his hands in defeat. “Here's what I want. I want everybody to back off and let me play football. I want you to go back to practicing medicine because I’m ready for you to be happy again - not this forced shit that you keep trying to sell me...
  • Chosen by Love by Toni Aleo

    Chosen by Love by Toni Aleo

    Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    Cameron White is the most famous student influencer on the Bellevue campus. Not only that, she is one hell of a gymnast, ready to stick every landing her senior year. It’s time to go out with a bang...
  • Griz by E. Cleveland

    Griz by E. Cleveland

    Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 40 ratings
    This fake relationship romance has it all! Funny, awkward moments. The “will they or won’t they”? And so much tension and steam it'll make you sweat! One thousand dollars. I wasn’t supposed to bid at Westbury’s Bachelor Auction. In fact, I was hosting the event when I decided to lean into the microphone and yell out that ridiculous amount. I blame Bridezilla's stupid text (oops, I mean my sister)...
  • Clear Shot by Kat Mizera

    Clear Shot by Kat Mizera

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    The deal was simple: marry my teammate’s sister, fake the fairy tale, get her a green card, and part ways like it never happened. No feelings. No strings. No complications. Yeah, well… that didn’t go according to plan. We caught feelings. Big ones. Now she’s pregnant, with my baby. And just when I’m ready to admit this might be more than just a deal, she drops a bombshell: she’s leaving...
    Categorized as:
    sports  m-f  fake relationship  contemporary
  • Landon by Cora Brent

    Landon by Cora Brent

    Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    LANDON. My former student. My new roommate. My greatest weakness…. Autumn:. It’s not that I’m hiding out in this hard luck little town. But I’m twenty-six years old, I’ve had one boyfriend and he ditched me for my sister. So I might be a little cynical. Then again, perhaps a high school math teacher shouldn’t expect romance...
  • My Next Play by Carrie Ann Ryan

    My Next Play by Carrie Ann Ryan

    Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    What happens when you fall for your best friend, but they fall in love with someone else? Nothing is what it seems in this unrequited love, new adult romance. Miles knew Nessa never had eyes for him.  Only when someone new tries to hurt her, he knows he can’t stand back any longer. It’s time she finds out the man he is behind the glasses and beneath the shell he wrapped himself in...
  • Bliss by Kaylee Ryan

    Bliss by Kaylee Ryan

    Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 19 ratings
    Cooper. Reese Latham was about to make the biggest mistake of her life. At eight-years-old, we vowed to be best friends for the rest of our lives, thinking nothing could ever change that. We were both wrong— we made mistakes, and grew apart. Until I realized living without her wasn’t an option. I was almost too late. .. but I wouldn’t stand by and watch her walk down the aisle to another man...
  • Golden Boy and the Two Bears by Nash Summers

    Golden Boy and the Two Bears by Nash Summers

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Asher Williams is obsessed with love. His column is thriving, fellow students trust him with their relationship woes, and he’s on his A-game when it comes to matchmaking. At least, matchmaking other than his own. After a heartfelt letter written to his column, Asher is set on aiding the two love-struck heroes who desperately need his help...
  • Inked Devotion by Carrie Ann Ryan

    Inked Devotion by Carrie Ann Ryan

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    The Montgomery Ink saga from NYT Bestselling Author Carrie Ann Ryan continues with a road trip romance between two friends running from their past. Brenna Garrett watched her best friend fall in love with another woman all the while keeping his darkest secrets from her. Now she’ll have to figure out who she is without him while not letting the rest of the Montgomerys see her break...
  • Hard to Break by Piper Lawson

    Hard to Break by Piper Lawson

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 3 of 5
    Open door [?] · 13 ratings
    Hard to Break is book 3 in the Denver Kodiaks spicy sports romance series. Miles and Brooke's story begins in Hard to Fake and concludes in Hard to Break. Full description to come! TROPESteammate’s little sisterbrother’s best friendfake datingpro athlete herocinnamon roll herohe’d do anything for hersassy heroinecollege crushonly one bed.
  • All the Sauce by Toni Aleo

    All the Sauce by Toni Aleo

    Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars
    · 21 ratings
    Owen Adler has spent his whole life being half of a matched set. But when his twin brother Evan leaves hockey—and him—behind on the Carolina IceCats, Owen finds he has to skate a new path on his own. Angie Paxton knows a lot about being on her own. She pushed Nashville, and the trauma she experienced there, to the back of her mind and started over in South Carolina...
  • QUIVER by Jacob Chance

    QUIVER by Jacob Chance

    Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    They met under the most unusual circumstances and fell deeply in love. Their relationship thrived, despite all the secrets Kyle kept from Janny. When the sordid details of his betrayal were revealed in the worst way possible, he had to fight to win her back. Now Kyle’s in the battle of his life and the obstacle in their path might be impossible to overcome...
  • Outta My League by Ali Parker, Weston Parker

    Outta My League by Ali Parker, Weston Parker

    Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    The way she looks, smells, laughs is killing me. I fell in love with my sister’s best friend. To top it all off, she’s brilliant. And I’m failing Chemistry. Of course, when I get her help, she’s laidback about it. Charming and helpful as always, like she doesn’t know how much I want her. I’ve got to play it cool and let her see a different side of me...
  • A Callahan Wedding by Monica Murphy

    A Callahan Wedding by Monica Murphy

    Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    The sweet and sexy conclusion to New York Times bestselling author, Monica Murphy’s standalone Callahan series, bringing readers along for the ride as fan favorites, Jake and Hannah get married! Hannah Walsh. Gorgeous. Intelligent. My first love. My high school sweetheart. My everything. And now my fiancée...
  • The Hail Mary by Ginger Scott

    The Hail Mary by Ginger Scott

    Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    Sixteen years is a long time. In a marriage, it’s a milestone. On the gridiron, it’s a miracle. Reed Johnson wants more time for everything, but time is funny that way. It can be cruel. With a body that can’t quite take the hits it used to and a heart tired of being torn in two different directions, Reed is faced with a reality he’s not quite ready for—life without the game...
  • Ever Found by L.E. Bross

    Ever Found by L.E. Bross

    Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars
    · 18 ratings
    I just keep making mistakes. It was supposed to be an easy job. Steal a timepiece from Hook and in exchange, find out where my little sister is. But the hero isn't always the hero and sometimes the bad guy is the person you least expect...
  • Infatuation by Jane Henry

    Infatuation by Jane Henry

    Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    I'm in love with Timeo Montavio. If only it were that simple. He's my best friend. Practically my brother-in-law. .. And a cold-blooded killer. I mourned his loss when he vanished from my life six months ago. But now he's back, and he's no longer the boy I once knew. There's a darkness in his eyes that chills me to the bone...
Fantastic book recommendations by romance book lovers for romance book lovers.
Find out more about romance.io.


Get recommendations by genres & tropes

Use the romance book finder to mix and match over 100 content keywords to find the books that match your preferences

romance book finder

Looking for more inspiration? Enter another book title to get more suggestions on what to read next.


Or - use our amazing romance book finder to get recommendations based on your favorite content tropes and themes. Mix and match at will.