Books like 'Beyond the Stroke'
Readers who enjoyed Beyond the Stroke by Erin Hawkins also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
funny marriage of convenience athletes sports found-family forced proximity
-
Quitting the Quarterback by Lisa Suzanne
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsA steamy Pro Football, Single Mom, Forbidden Doctor/Patient Romance from Amazon Top Ten Bestselling author Lisa Suzanne.I went to Vegas to celebrate my divorce, and the pro football star was there celebrating his new contract. I heard someone call his name, and I wasn't about to miss my chance to get with the man my ex had idolized... -
The Legend by Shey Stahl
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsIn a lifestyle of speed, adrenaline and desire, one racer has sacrificed everything for the sport he loved. In turn, he will fight for his name, his family and now his life to be the legend he’s been portrayed to be. You can be everything you set out to be if you want it bad enough. You can be that record breaker you said you’d be. You can be that hero you always thought you would be... -
Now's The Time by Harlow James
Rated: 4.61 of 5 stars · 12 ratings“Let me experience all of you tonight, Penelope…since this is all that we get.”That was the agreement between me and Maddox Taylor, the NFL’s most notorious playboy and mega-talented quarterback who happened to be out in California for one night—one night in which I broke all of my rules and gave in to the undeniable attraction I felt for the man... -
Just One Look by Rosalind James
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsLuka Darkovic has some tackling skills. He hadn’t planned on using them to bring down a runaway dog the size of a Shetland pony, though, especially not when his neck is already buggered. At 33, a rugby forward protects his vertebrae.. He’s even less happy when the dog’s incompetent owner turns up in his hospital cubicle the next day with a plan to fix those vertebrae... -
-
Finding Peace by Emilia Finn
Til death do they part Tina Cooper is a young mom running from a dangerous past. With fresh scars, broken bones, and only the clothes on their backs, she and her daughter escape from a man who’d rather kill them than let them go... -
The Curveball by Emily Childs
He's the charmer of the infield. I'm the uptight, jaded author who won't give him a chance...now we're roommates? Griffin Marks can charm the socks off anyone he meets. Except me. To me he's a beautiful pest who will do just about anything to make me like him. I wish him luck... -
Hot Heir by Pippa Grant
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsIf I had to pick a bride of convenience, my first choice would NOT be Peach Maloney.My fiftieth choice would NOT be Peach.Top spot on my list of occupational hazards? Yes. Royal pain in the crumpets? Yes.A bride of convenience? No.But I’ve unexpectedly gone from royal bodyguard to monarch, having inherited a crown that was stolen from my family long before my birth... -
Finding Redemption by Emilia Finn
Not even Hell is as bad as the home Jon Hart grew up in For the first fifteen years of his life, Jon sat in the fire of Hades in a bid to protect his baby sister from experiencing even a little of what he lived through. As soon as they were old enough to escape, Jon swore his poisonous bloodline would die out with him. There’s no chick on this planet awful enough to deserve his kind of poison... -
A Wonderland Wish on Ever After Street by Jaimie Admans
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA picture-perfect town, a place where dreams come true. Welcome to Ever After Street...There's always time for tea... unless you've lost your teapot…Cleo Jordan has only ever wished for one thing – to open her own teashop in memory of her lovely gran...Categorized as:
found-family forced proximity grumpy sunshine small town contemporary humor length-medium -
Hail Marry by Martha Keyes
His ‘hail marry’ proposal to a stranger might be the wildest play of his entire career.LUCAOne enormous detail stands between me and my dream of being drafted to the NFL: a valid visa. With my student visa expiring and a past, unfortunate run-in with the law disqualifying me from the one I need, I’ve run out of options.Then fate hands me a wild card: saving a stranger from a speeding truck...Categorized as:
sports marriage of convenience contemporary humor football length-medium glimpses-kisses -
Things I Remember by Kelsey Humphreys
It shouldn’t be a surprise that my marriage is ending, since it was secretly a business arrangement to begin with. It’s time to let it go. I have accepted that.Apparently, my almost-ex-husband has not.Susan Canton loves her family and their business. Typical first-born, she’s an achiever, a leader... -
It's Always Sonny by Kate Watson
Sunshine always melts ice eventually. And I’m starting to feel the burn.People may call me an “overachieving ice queen,” but I would do anything for the people I love.So when my friends ask me to host an event at their famous farm, I’m more than happy to help…until I discover I’ve been set up.The “event” is actually a reunion for my ex’s family...Categorized as:
forced proximity sports found-family contemporary grumpy sunshine m-f football humor -
Miles Bailey Gets Down On One Knee by Jen Atkinson
I am Delaney Jones, courageous enough to defy my mother, fearless enough to leave my successful rock band, and daring enough to propose to a perfect stranger.Delaney:Miles wasn’t planned.Which kind of made him perfect.Sure, I’d just said no—to a load of handsome men on a reality show designed to find me a husband, but I didn’t want any of them.I don’t want Miles either—at least, I think I don’t... -
The Wild Card by Cassie-Ann L. Miller
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIt was supposed to be harmless. One fake date with a football player.Except Harry Westbrook is the exact opposite of harmless. My first mistake? Underestimating that boyish smile, those playful eyes, the charming words on those perfect lips. He claims to have a crush on me. But, as hot as he is, I'd bet he's scheduling booty calls like a dentist booking teeth cleanings... -
-
Hors Piste by Aimée Lou
Quand l’interdit devient le moteur le plus puissant !Beau, le benjamin des frères Reynolds, vit pour l’adrénaline des courses, qu’elles soient légales ou clandestines. Lorsqu’il est renvoyé de son écurie de Formule 3 et se retrouve à l’université de Los Angeles, il fait la rencontre d’un nouveau professeur, Franklin. La tension entre eux est évidente, mais les risques sont grands... -
Breakaway (The Rule Book Collection) by A.M. Johnson
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAs Tampa Bay's star center, Mark Carmelo's life was hockey, and after a bitter and public break up, all he wanted to do was focus on the game. Until he saw her. The one that got away. The one he thought he'd never see again. For thirteen years, Stevie West drowned in her lackluster life. Recently divorced from her “roommate” with passionless benefits, she was ready to start over... -
Pining For You by Marika Ray
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsI’ve been in love with my best friend since the day I met her freshman year of high school. She was a halo of sunshine on a rainy day, pulling me out of the shadows and making me feel like life was one big roller-coaster ride of excitement. Until the day we graduated and she left on the back of a Harley with some guy who didn’t deserve her, middle fingers in the air...Categorized as:
marriage of convenience forced proximity friends to lovers contemporary humor length-short m-f -
Britta & the Beach Boy by Brittany Larsen
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsNo flirting. No kissing. And absolutely, positively, NO falling in love.Those are Britta’s top three conditions (there are a few dozen more) when she agrees to marry Liam “Dex” Dexter, aka the top surfer in the world.He needs American citizenship to achieve his goal of surfing in the Olympics... -
Ella Gets the D by Tanvier Peart
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe end of my marriage was the beginning of my happily ever after. What happens when you hear your husband putting dents in your mattress with another woman?Leave and never look back!Easier said than done when you're a stay-at-home mom, share two kids with the no-good cheater, and have a savings account that laughs in your face on the daily...Categorized as:
found-family sports forced proximity age difference single-mother contemporary black-mc humor -
Bram Baxter Marries the Wrong Sister by Latisha Sexton
First comes a lifelong crush, then comes . . . a marriage of convenience to her sister?Marrying Lois Jones was the only future Bram Baxter ever planned for. Until she returns home from Europe with another man’s ring on her finger. Devastated, Bram struggles to envision a different future for himself... -
So Flocked by Sarah Estep
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsAfter the wedding, they’ll go their separate ways and no one will ever know what happened in the lighthouse.Jordy Taylor is a disaster. Over the hill by professional football standards, the veteran quarterback isn’t ready to hang up his pads just yet, but his team might have other plans... -
The Penalty Shot by Maren Moore
The one and only rule: Nothing affects our roommate agreement.Being a single mom, my life revolves around rules.But…some rules are meant to be broken.And my new roommate is the temptation I can’t afford.Asher Hart, the handsome, tattooed hockey player who’s doing everything he can to penetrate the walls around my heart.I should have known that he would be trouble..Categorized as:
forced proximity sports athletes friends to lovers contemporary new adult humor single-mother -
The Friend Face Off by Grace Worthington
Getting involved with your brother’s best friend is risky enough. But when he's a hockey player? It's a whole new level of bad idea.As a ravenous reader, I’ve got a I’m obsessed with hockey romances.But let me tell you, real life hockey players are nothing like my book boyfriends.So I threw down the gauntlet on BookTok. I challenged any single guy out there to prove me wrong... -
-
Forecasting the Forward by Jennifer J. Williams
The forecast didn’t call for a hockey player with an affection for guinea pigs…I’m not your typical meteorologist. Sure, I might look extroverted on television, but inside, I’m an anxious thirty-something woman who’d love to be anywhere except a public setting... -
Trivial Pursuits by Aven Ellis
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsLandon Holder is exactly the kind of man Livy Adams should stay far away from. The flashy, flirty star defenseman for the Chicago Buffaloes is known for hooking up with women all over Chicago. Livy finds herself attracted to Landy, but his sexy good looks and charm are irrelevant... -
Going All In by Ali Parker, Weston Parker
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsBeing the nice guy leaves me open to being a rebound romance.Which I’m not interested in. I’ve got better things to do.Like taking my spot on the NBA draft picks. It’s all that matters to me.Love has never been on the radar. I’m too focused for all that fluff.Then life slows me down. Way down.An injury at the end of the spring semester has me working my way back to full health all summer long... -
Mr. Fake Husband by Lindsey Hart
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIf the devil wears a suit...Has a permanent frown...Wet panties left and right..Expect perfection from everyone...Well then, that's my boss.And today is not my day.It's never your day when you get called to his office.But an even worse day when he broodingly asks you to marry him.And apparently, no is not an answer he will take... -
Wallflower in Bloom by Elise Kennedy
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsPainfully shy plant mom Violet Parker is about to experience the thrill of a lifetime when her TV crush lands on her doorstep.Desperate to rehab his public image after a PR disaster, actor / playboy Jack Grant needs a wholesome fake girlfriend for the summer. Violet, meanwhile, needs help stepping out of her comfort zone so her fledgling flower and plant shop, Bloom, will thrive...Categorized as:
forced proximity found-family curvy heroine humor contemporary length-medium fake relationship -
Christmas in Paradise by Brittany Larsen
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsCould an innocent fling turn into the real thing?I only want two things out of life: a career as a wedding planner extraordinaire and for Mom to stop treating me like a kid. Is that too much to ask? Probably.That is, until I get the chance to plan a televised, Christmas-themed wedding a thousand miles away from Mom in Paradise, Idaho. It seems like all my dreams might be coming true... -
Darlin' by E.L. Lewis
Sons of Anarchy meets Hart of Dixie in this Fun and Flirty Romantic ComedyWhen Savannah Kingsley’s runaway little brother joins the infamous Sons of Sorrow Motorcycle Club, she is hellbent on dragging him back home—kicking and screaming if she has to...Categorized as:
forced proximity found-family from hate to love mafia siblings-bff humor length-medium -
The Suit by Lulu Moore
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHave you ever met someone who makes your blood boil simply by existing? Or turn your notorious, ice-cool demeanor volcanic in a nanosecond? Perhaps smother your usual air of indifference with a lightning-charged thundercloud, threatening to strike at any moment?Because that’s what she does.It’s been seven peaceful years since I last saw Beulah Holmes... -
Faked and Fumbled by Gina Azzi
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsKnoxville Coyotes football heartthrob Cohen Campbell is my brother’s best friend. Now, he’s the man posing as my fake boyfriend. Simple, right? Wrong.I thought my luck couldn’t get worse than when my long-term boyfriend publicly dumped me. Wrong again. Now, my ex is dating my cousin, and our friend group is embarking on an annual ski trip.Desperate to save face, I beg Cohen to pretend to like me...Categorized as:
sports athletes forced proximity football humor contemporary friends to lovers siblings-bff -
The Baseball Card Boyfriend by Krista Sandor
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHe’s Major League Baseball’s former power hitter, and now he’s making a play for her heart.Maggie doesn’t know why she’s in the small mountain town of Starrycard Creek. After a blow to the head leaves her with amnesia, all she has left is her name stitched onto an apron.And then there’s him...the man who saved her life... -
-
Get Me to the Starting Line by Sara Clement
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 4 ratingsYou’ve heard of a meet-cute, but what about a meet-crash?Leah Harrison hates the idea of running. She hates letting her little sister down even more. But when the celebration of her sister’s engagement is a race, running becomes inevitable... -
Reckless Goals by Katie Rae
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsRhysDespite being in my mid thirties and one of the world’s best soccer players, I had never reached my main goals in life—to be a husband and a father.But after being left heartbroken and alone on the night I planned to propose to my girlfriend, I realized how reckless that goal was. Love, in general, was reckless…...Categorized as:
sports forced proximity athletes age difference dual-pov contemporary humor new adult -
A Wedding Mismatch by Kaylee Baldwin
Let’s play a Two truths and a lie.1. I am a self-help influencer who is a hot mess.2. If I don’t get some quiet time between planning my sister’s wedding to finish my book, Happily Single, I’m in hot water with my publisher.3. I’m blackmailing the hot grump next-door into letting me live with him until this book is done...Categorized as:
forced proximity found-family contemporary grumpy sunshine humor glimpses-kisses length-medium -
Make My Heart Malt by Gia Stevens
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsA sizzling hate to lovers, unrequited crush, standalone sports romance by romantic comedy author Gia Stevens… Dessa should have been mine... until my brother kissed her first. Ten years is a long time to be infatuated with your former best friend, especially when she’s dating your brother... -
Changing Lanes by Katie Graykowski
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsProfessional Football Player, Devon Harding found his soul mate at the age of seventeen. Trouble is, he can’t remember her last name. For the last fourteen years, he’s been waiting for The Universe to send her back to him. When that day comes, he nearly falls all over himself to get to her. But he plays it cool and waits for her to come to him. And she walks right past him... -
The Wedding Winger by Delancey Stewart
Sly Remington has a plan. And it does not involve falling in love with his high school crush, the literal girl next door. But sometimes, fate makes plans of its own...Pro hockey has always been my destiny. And now that I’m right wing for the Wilcox Wombats? It’s my past and present… but I’m not so sure if it’s my future...Categorized as:
sports forced proximity athletes found-family contemporary humor single-mother friends to lovers -
Ice Contact by Ellie K. Drake
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsOlivia Brooks, the talented national anthem singer for the Milwaukee Steel Riders hockey team, feels like she's nothing more than background music in her own life. Stuck in a miserable relationship, she craves something more. One night, after being abandoned at a bar by her neglectful boyfriend, Olivia shares an unforgettable moment with a striking stranger, convinced she'll never see him again... -
Perfectly Wedded by Grace Worthington
Who gets married out of convenience? Apparently, I do. My best friend was only supposed to be my fake date to a high-stakes Vegas event. But when my ex showed up with another woman on his arm, my friend suggested the ultimate pretending we were engaged... -
For Butter or for Worse by Dana LeCheminant
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsIn the quaint coastal town of Willow Cove, Georgie Carpenter returns to take over a bakery, only to discover that the sweet deal comes with an unexpected twist—a husband.Royal “King” Kingston, overwhelmed with balancing surf lessons and the responsibility of his late uncle’s struggling bakery, is shocked by Georgie’s return from the big city to his little town...Categorized as:
marriage of convenience found-family contemporary from hate to love m-f humor length-short -
His Fake Wife by Alina Parker
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsHow NOT to screw yourself1. NEVER go for a fake marriage with your childhood enemy2. DON’T sleep with him.. EVER3. Absolutely do NOT get pregnant with his baby!When my father died, he sold his company and just about everything else to his best friend.I would have been cool with that if he hadn’t made another deal―Marry his best friend’s son, Adam Thorne... -
-
Breakout by Aven Ellis
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWhile Texas is known for loving football, Lexi Stewart has always been drawn to the ice. Hockey is her passion, and she wants nothing more than to pursue a career in video editing for the home network of the Dallas Demons hockey team. Lexi has an editing job for a corporate account, but it’s not fulfilling... -
The Gate to Everything by Ava Miles
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsMillions of readers have fallen in love with Ava’s bestselling Dare series…come join the family. USA Today Bestselling Author Ava Miles presents a heartwarming and romantic second-chance story about love and family. Quarterback Jordan Dean thought he had everything until his long-time girlfriend broke up with him. His football rock star life had become too burdensome to her... -
Johnny Deeper: A Sports Romance by Tabatha Kiss
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsHow deep can he go? All the way. ROSE John Kirby. Just another big, dumb jock with a real big… you know . I swore I’d never get involved with another man like him again. He’s crude and loud. Vulgar and unsophisticated. But he knows exactly what he’s doing when he touches me. I can’t let this happen. I’m a TA at our university and there are rules about this kind of thing... -
Giving It All by Christi Barth
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsChristi Barth’s smoking-hot contemporary romance series continues as the five best friends who survived a tragedy as teenagers take to their Naked Men podcast to open up about women. In Giving It All, the group’s globe-trotting hunk discovers that you need to go home to find love. Logan Marsh never stays in one place for long... -
One Time Player by R.C. Stephens
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsI could have any woman I want…Except Patty Sanders.She is off-limits, not only because she is my hockey team’s new assistant physical therapist. She is also the coach’s daughter.Getting in between the sheets with her, could cost me my career on the ice.So, I’ll settle for being in the friend zone, if it means I get to be around her... -
The Art of Falling in Love with Your Fake Fiancé by Anne Kemp
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAll’s fair in love and war…until you agree to be your best friend’s fake fiancé.Levi: Life as an NFL player has always been fast-paced, but nothing prepared me for becoming the guardian of my godson, Duncan. With his grandmother contesting custody, I need to prove that I’m a steadfast influence who’s not going anywhere and there’s one sure-fire way to show that: get engaged...
Fantastic book recommendations by romance book lovers for romance book lovers.
Find out more about romance.io.
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

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