Books like 'Penalty to the Heart'
Readers who enjoyed Penalty to the Heart by Ivy Fox also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary young adult sports age difference slow burn office angst hockey
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Check, Please! by Ngozi Ukazu
I'm a junior on the Samwell men's hockey team now, and not only do I have new teammates and new responsibilities and new pies to bake... I've got a new beau. ( Remember me ) Believe me: Dating a professional hockey player wasn't anything I expected to do in college. My parents don't know; my teammates have no clue...And Jack and I aren't sure that we want to keep it a secret... -
![Five Ways to Fall by K.A. Tucker]()
Five Ways to Fall by K.A. Tucker
Purple-haired, sharp-tongued Reese MacKay knows all about making the wrong choice; she’s made plenty of them in her twenty-odd-years. So when her impulsive, short-lived marriage ends in heartbreak, she decides it’s time for a change... -
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![Crush by Svetlana Chmakova]()
Crush by Svetlana Chmakova
Rated: 4.48 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsFollowing the overwhelming success of AWKWARD and BRAVE, Svetlana Chmakova's award winning Berrybrook Middle School series continues with its next installment - CRUSH!Jorge seems to have it all together. He's big enough that nobody really messes with him, but he's also a genuinely sweet guy with a solid, reliable group of friends... -
![Hirano and Kagiura, Vol. 3 by Shou Harusono]()
Hirano and Kagiura, Vol. 3 by Shou Harusono
Rated: 4.51 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsIt just might work out if I try hard enough...At least, that’s what Kagiura keeps telling himself as he works himself to the bone studying for his final exams. After all, that’s the only way to protect his dorm life with his dear upperclassman. But although Hirano agreed to another year of their roomshare, does he really understand what it means to live with the person who’s crushing on him.. -
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![Interference by Zoe Reed]()
Interference by Zoe Reed
The last thing Jordan Marshall wants is a relationship, especially with someone like Taylor Becks, the star player from a rival roller hockey team. Taylor doesn’t talk – to anyone. When Jordan’s curiosity about the athlete overpowers her predisposition to being guarded, the two strike up an unlikely romance... -
![Check, Please!: Year Four by Ngozi Ukazu]()
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![That Summer by Jillian Dodd]()
That Summer by Jillian Dodd
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsDevaney Diamond’s summer break was shaping up to be the best one ever. Her longtime crush was finally interested in her, and by the time school rolled around in the fall, she knew he’d be her boyfriend...Categorized as:
angst sports contemporary young adult friends to lovers high-school length-medium m-f -
![Hana-Kimi: For You in Full Blossom, Vol. 5 by Hisaya Nakajo]()
Hana-Kimi: For You in Full Blossom, Vol. 5 by Hisaya Nakajo
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsDRAG RACEIt's the final day of the Osaka High School Festival, and two big competitions are still up in the air: the relay race and the cross-dressing pageant! You'd think Mizuki, an actual XX-chromosome girl disguised as a boy at an all-guy high school, would be a better cross-dresser than her classmates, but things are never so easy--and what if winning the contest blows her cover? That might... -
![Living-Room Matsunaga-san, Vol. 8 by Keiko Iwashita]()
Living-Room Matsunaga-san, Vol. 8 by Keiko Iwashita
"I love you as a woman..."Volume 8 of this boarding-house opens at Christmas, a time of love for the whole cast! Meeko is still in love with Matsunaga-san, but at their holiday part, she spots his old flame Konatsu telling him that her old love is still there! Shocked, Meeko storms out of the house -- only to have Ryo catch her, claiming that he'll "never make you cry..Categorized as:
age difference slow burn contemporary young adult length-short glimpses-kisses m-f love triangle -
![Fence #10 by C.S. Pacat, Johanna the Mad]()
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![68 Days And Counting by Nikki20038]()
68 Days And Counting by Nikki20038
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 21 ratings~Sequel to The Bad Boy And The Tomboy~Macy Anderson and Sam Cahill are together in Manchester, England living the new university life. Their relationship is striving as they meet new people and experience different things and strengthen their beautiful relationship. But then again there's soccer, the Cahill family and girls because where there's Sam Cahill there will also be many girls... -
![Living-Room Matsunaga-san, Vol. 7 by Keiko Iwashita]()
Living-Room Matsunaga-san, Vol. 7 by Keiko Iwashita
If she doesn't tell him, he'll never know...! High schooler Meeko continues to pine for her housemate Matsunaga-san. When she discovers that Matsunaga-san's ex "Konatsu" is actually her homeroom teacher, Kobayashi-sensei, her world gets even more complicated. Meanwhile, her housemate Ryo-kun lends an ear to her romantic troubles while harboring a secret interest in Meeko himself...Categorized as:
age difference slow burn contemporary young adult length-short m-f love triangle christmas -
![Daytime Shooting Star, Vol. 5 by Mika Yamamori, やまもり三香]()
Daytime Shooting Star, Vol. 5 by Mika Yamamori, やまもり三香
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsOptimistic high schooler Suzume moves to Tokyo and finds her heart caught between two men!After arriving in Tokyo to live with her uncle, Suzume collapses in a nearby park where she had once seen a shooting star during the day. A handsome stranger brings her to her new home and tells her they’ll meet again... -
![Waiting for Spring 12 by Anashin]()
Waiting for Spring 12 by Anashin
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWaiting for Spring manga volume 12 features story and art by Anashin. Mizuki is a shy girl who’s about to enter high school, and vows to open herself up to new friendships. Of course, the four stars of the boys’ basketball team weren’t exactly the friends she had in mind! Yet the five quickly hit it off... -
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![Hana-Kimi: For You in Full Blossom, Vol. 3 by Hisaya Nakajo]()
Hana-Kimi: For You in Full Blossom, Vol. 3 by Hisaya Nakajo
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsMEN AT WORKIzumi, his friend Nakatsu and our crossdressing heroine Mizuki are hired to work at a beach chalet run by the family of weird school nurse Dr... -
![Daytime Shooting Star, Vol. 11 by Mika Yamamori, やまもり三香]()
Daytime Shooting Star, Vol. 11 by Mika Yamamori, やまもり三香
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsSuzume has moved to Tokyo and is living with her uncle. Mr. Shishio once again declares his love to Suzume, but this time around she can’t find it in her heart to trust his words. Instead she chooses to focus on strengthening her relationship with Mamura. But when Mr... -
![High School Debut, Vol. 03 by Kazune Kawahara]()
High School Debut, Vol. 03 by Kazune Kawahara
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsHopeless Haruna needs help finding a boyfriend! After failing to win the eye of any guy in high school, Haruna enlists the help of cute upperclassman Yoh to coach her on how to make herself more appealing to the male species... -
![Living-Room Matsunaga-san, Vol. 6 by Keiko Iwashita]()
Living-Room Matsunaga-san, Vol. 6 by Keiko Iwashita
If only she never had to say goodbye. High schooler Meeko continues to pine for Matsunaga-san, the scary-but-kind designer whose room is across from hers. Not only do they spend a day at Kitneyland with each other, they unexpectedly spend a night at a…special…place as well...Categorized as:
age difference slow burn contemporary young adult length-short glimpses-kisses m-f love triangle -
![Living-Room Matsunaga-san Vol. 9 by Keiko Iwashita]()
Living-Room Matsunaga-san Vol. 9 by Keiko Iwashita
A romantic manga starring a high school girl who learns to live on her own, win at high school, and experience first love - all in a boarding house whose living room is home to the odd (but handsome) Matsunaga-san.After her parents leave to care for her ailing grandmother, high schooler Miko "Meeko" Sonoda moves into her uncle's boarding house...Categorized as:
age difference slow burn contemporary young adult length-short m-f found-family japan -
![Waiting for Spring, Vol. 13 by Anashin]()
Waiting for Spring, Vol. 13 by Anashin
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsTowa and Mitsuki are finally a couple, but Mitsuki feels like she needs to step up her game to make his heart race. She goes to the ever-composed Kyōsuke for help, and he suggests a surprise birthday party for Towa... -
![Man o' War by Cory McCarthy]()
Man o' War by Cory McCarthy
Rated: 4.51 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAn achingly honest and frequently hilarious coming-of-age novel about an Arab American trans swimmer fighting to keep their head above water in a landlocked Midwestern town.River McIntyre has grown up down the street from Sea Planet, an infamous marine life theme park slowly going out of business in small-town Ohio... -
![How The Heart Breaks by Stacey Marie Brown]()
How The Heart Breaks by Stacey Marie Brown
He was her secret, her sin, the heart she couldn’t love.Emery Robert’s life is everything she wanted. Married to the love of her life, with a good job, and plans for a family in the future. But when Emery’s husband dies tragically, she is the one who stops living.Three years later, at the age of 30, she’s still struggling to move on...Categorized as:
age difference angst contemporary death high-school insta-love young adult explicit-open-door -
![放学等我 Wait For Me After School by Jiang Zi Bei]()
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![Fence #11 by C.S. Pacat, Johanna the Mad]()
Fence #11 by C.S. Pacat, Johanna the Mad
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsIt all comes down to this—the final match that will determine who makes the team, and who gets left behind... -
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![Amour Amour by Krista Ritchie, Ava Erickson]()
Amour Amour by Krista Ritchie, Ava Erickson
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsListening time 13 hours 21 minutesLove is a circus"Every day,” he says lowly, “I hold a person’s life in my hands. The circus is based one-hundred percent off trust. I give it all to someone, and they give it all to me.”The best aerial technique won’t land 21-year-old Thora James her dream role in Amour—a sexy new acrobatic show on the Vegas strip... -
![Living-Room Matsunaga-san Vol. 5 by Keiko Iwashita]()
Living-Room Matsunaga-san Vol. 5 by Keiko Iwashita
It seems no amount of secret ardor can get Matsunaga-san to return Meeko's feelings, but the summer brings with it a fresh wave of shocking developments. An unfortunate coincidence convinces Matsunaga-san that Meeko is dating Ryo-kun, but luckily, Meeko manages to resolve the misunderstanding with Ryo-kun's help...Categorized as:
age difference slow burn contemporary young adult length-short humor m-f love triangle -
![Waiting for Spring, Vol. 11 by Anashin]()
Waiting for Spring, Vol. 11 by Anashin
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsTHE NEW TEAM TOURNAMENT It’s time for the New Team Tournament, and the stakes are high. If Seiryo wins, the basketball team’s ban on dating will be lifted, and if Mitsuki agrees, she and Towa can finally be an official couple... -
![A Business Proposal, Vol. 4 by Haehwa, Narak]()
A Business Proposal, Vol. 4 by Haehwa, Narak
A crucial misunderstanding causes Hari to doubt Taemu’s intentions, but before she can mope about where it all went wrong, disaster strikes-her parents are hospitalized following an accident at the restaurant. Hari is in a state of panic, but thankfully, Taemu is an expert at dealing with crisis! The incident also brings Yeongsuh and Sunghoon together for the first time since their falling out... -
![Tsubaki-chou Lonely Planet Vol. 5 by Mika Yamamori, やまもり三香]()
Tsubaki-chou Lonely Planet Vol. 5 by Mika Yamamori, やまもり三香
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsAkatsuki Kibikino may be a celebrated novelist, but putting his feelings into words has always been a struggle. Kaneishi’s blatant advances toward Fumi put Akatsuki in the foulest mood—that much is obvious... -
![Living-Room Matsunaga-san, Vol. 4 by Keiko Iwashita]()
Living-Room Matsunaga-san, Vol. 4 by Keiko Iwashita
For Meeko, boarding house life has finally become second nature, and her feelings for Matsunaga-san, a professional designer and the eldest at the boarding house, grow stronger with each passing day...Categorized as:
age difference slow burn contemporary young adult length-short glimpses-kisses japan humor -
![Bittersweet Always by Ella Fields]()
Bittersweet Always by Ella Fields
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFrom bestselling author Ella Fields comes an all new standalone. An emotional new adult romance that proves love is worth fighting your demons for. Toby Hawthorne was an enigma. One I didn't factor into my college plans. I wasn't looking for love. I wasn't not looking for it either. And in that state of in-between, he found me. Unaware of the battle he fought everyday, I fell fast... -
![Taking A Shot by Catherine Gayle]()
Taking A Shot by Catherine Gayle
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsKatie Weber has lost her health due to leukemia, and now her chemotherapy treatments have taken her hair. She’s not about to show up to her senior prom bald and let her classmates steal her dignity, too... -
![Living-Room Matsunaga-san Vol. 3 by Keiko Iwashita]()
Living-Room Matsunaga-san Vol. 3 by Keiko Iwashita
For Meeko, boarding house life has finally become second nature—or, it would be, if not for one thing: her housemate Matsunaga-san...Categorized as:
age difference slow burn contemporary young adult length-short glimpses-kisses m-f japan -
![Waiting for Spring, Vol. 1 by Anashin, あなしん]()
Waiting for Spring, Vol. 1 by Anashin, あなしん
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsA sweet romantic story of a soft-spoken high school freshman and her quest to make friends, Waiting for Spring will delight fans of earnest, fun, and dramatic shojo like Kimi ni Todoke and Say I Love You.Mizuki is a shy girl who's about to enter high school, and vows to open herself up to new friendships... -
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![August by trickology]()
August by trickology
Rated: 4.52 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsNyctophilia(n.) Love of darkness or night. Finding comfort in darkness.August Villin was a name people feared.Cruel and powerful, his anger was a storm that never went away.He was the monster that lurked in all of your worst nightmares, waiting for you to cross onto his dangerous path. But the gates of hell swing open and all hell breaks loose,When they cross paths... -
![The Final Move by Victoria Denault]()
The Final Move by Victoria Denault
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsHockey legend Devin Garrison thought he blew his shot. But his relationship with Callie Caplan just went into overtime.Sexy, rich, and one of the biggest stars in the NHL, Devin Garrison has always been the one who had it all. That is until his marriage falls apart and he realizes he has to start over. If he's honest, there has only been one woman who ever really excited him-Callie Caplan...Categorized as:
sports hockey new adult contemporary friends to lovers athletes young adult length-medium -
![The Summer Island Festival by Rachel Burton]()
The Summer Island Festival by Rachel Burton
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsWhen Willow walks out on her own wedding, there's only one place she can go: Seaview village, on the island she once called home. But she's not the only islander back for the summer...Twelve years ago, Willow ran away to the mainland after her childhood sweetheart, Luc, betrayed her... -
![Off Limits by Sawyer Bennett]()
Off Limits by Sawyer Bennett
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 37 ratings“There is a vulnerability there, hovering just below the surface. And I want to pick at it until I expose it. Then I want to kiss it." Two years ago, Emily Burnham had an epiphany about the shallowness of her life. And she made it her mission to become a different person…a better woman. Out from under the controlling thumb of her mother, Emily is tasting the real world for the first time... -
![Living-Room Matsunaga-san, Vol. 11 by Keiko Iwashita]()
Living-Room Matsunaga-san, Vol. 11 by Keiko Iwashita
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsMeeko, a high schooler living in a boarding house, is finally in a full relationship with Matsunaga, an older designer. But then Matsunaga leaves the house after taking on a big job... and Ken and Asako, now a couple themselves, follow soon behind. As the atmosphere around the house changes, Matsunaga seems ever-more-distant to Meeko -- he even cancels a birthday date with her last-minute...Categorized as:
age difference slow burn contemporary young adult length-short m-f love triangle japan -
![Tyson by Sheridan Anne]()
Tyson by Sheridan Anne
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsBrylee - It was supposed to be a one-time thing which quickly turned into two, and then three. Don’t ask me how, but now I can't seem count the times on one hand, let alone two. I'm in trouble. I never intended for this to be something more, but he has the ability to keep drawing me back in. He's coming for me. He's always wanted more, but this time, I don't think he's going to let me go... -
![That Wedding by Jillian Dodd]()
That Wedding by Jillian Dodd
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsMarry the boy next door in this sweet contemporary romance by USA Today Best Selling Author, Jillian Dodd.The gorgeous engagement ring on my finger mimics my happiness. I feel so sparkly, glittery, and full of promise, because I absolutely know he's that boy. The boy I want to marry. My prince. My happily ever after.But then our pastor starts asking lots of questions... -
![Living-Room Matsunaga-San, Vol. 10 by Keiko Iwashita]()
Living-Room Matsunaga-San, Vol. 10 by Keiko Iwashita
"Right now, I have family, I have friends, I got someone who loves me. But..."Meeko's finally discovered that her feelings for her designer housemate Matsunaga are mutual! They won't officially become a couple until after her high school graduation, but knowing Matsunaga cares for her puts Meeko's mind at ease...Categorized as:
age difference slow burn contemporary young adult length-short m-f japan glimpses-kisses -
![Living-Room Matsunaga-san Vol. 2 by Keiko Iwashita]()
Living-Room Matsunaga-san Vol. 2 by Keiko Iwashita
With the help of her housemates, high schooler Meeko begins to adjust to her new life away from her parents. Even the initially frightening Matsunaga-san helps her out—and between one kind act and another, Meeko finds herself falling for him...Categorized as:
age difference slow burn contemporary young adult length-short glimpses-kisses humor japan -
![Off the Record by Sawyer Bennett]()
Off the Record by Sawyer Bennett
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsEver Montgomery suffered the ultimate betrayal by the one man who she should have been able to count on for anything. It has left her hurt, jaded and incapable of forming relationships, but it also means that she can spot a liar a mile away... -
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![Forever Golden by Rachel Jonas, Nikki Thorne]()
Forever Golden by Rachel Jonas, Nikki Thorne
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 44 ratingsWest Golden—Fierce protector. The one.The cocky jock I once wanted to kill with my bare hands is now the only one I trust with my heart.In a city full of corruption and dark secrets, knowing who’s on your side gets harder to determine every day. Especially now that Vin’s on the warpath, passing out threats he fully intends to see through to the end...Categorized as:
sports angst new adult young adult suspense from hate to love contemporary poor heroine -
![Ravished By Her by Chelsea M. Cameron]()
Ravished By Her by Chelsea M. Cameron
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsEvery day I look forward to waking up in my beautiful apartment and going to my job in marketing at a real estate agency. Then life turns upside down when the company goes under and I can’t find another job that will pay enough for me to keep my apartment...Categorized as:
office age difference f-f friends to lovers queer contemporary young adult length-short -
![Power Play Rivals by Ivy Fox]()
Power Play Rivals by Ivy Fox
Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsNever fall in love with a client.Just one of the many guidelines you must follow when you represent the best athletes in the game.The rule never bothered me.A pretty smile from a cocky player couldn’t do it for me anyway.As a no-nonsense sports agent, I've seen it all in this cutthroat world of athletic negotiations and powerplays.And say what you will about me, I know how to handle business...Categorized as:
sports hockey age difference office angst from hate to love young adult contemporary -
![The Complete Fire on Ice Series by Brenda Rothert]()
The Complete Fire on Ice Series by Brenda Rothert
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThis series has five full-length novels about hot hockey stars and the women who steal their hearts. Bound College senior Kate Camden has learned to adapt - to her last year of school, to the promise of motherhood, to the fact that she’s doing it all alone. But just when she’s learned to adjust, heartache threatens to break her apart... -
![The Crash Trilogy: Includes Crash, Clash and Crush by Nicole Williams]()
The Crash Trilogy: Includes Crash, Clash and Crush by Nicole Williams
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsLucy Larson lives for wearing the satin down on her ballet shoes, and has her sights firmly set on a place at Juilliard. She's on her way to the top and has so far been careful to keep trouble out of her life. Well, up until now…Jude Ryder is the quintessential bad boy and everything a girl like Lucy needs to stay away from, especially if she wants to hold onto her dream future... -
![Portland Storm: The First Period by Catherine Gayle]()
Portland Storm: The First Period by Catherine Gayle
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsBREAKAWAY She’s reaching for a breakaway pass. Dana Campbell has spent the past seven years in self-imposed isolation for a crime she didn’t commit. The danger is well in the past, but her panic attacks make it impossible to have a normal, healthy relationship with a man. Even her counselor has given up on her...
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