Books like 'Playing Defense'

Readers who enjoyed Playing Defense by Lyssa Lemire also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.

contemporary  sports  new adult

  • Funkenstille by Kyra Groh

    Funkenstille by Kyra Groh

    Rated: 5.00 of 5 stars
    · 3 ratings
    Funkenstille ist SPIEGEL-Bestseller! Sie will sich nicht verlieben. Bis er um sie kämpft. Amelie hat keine Zeit für Ablenkung. Sie opfert alles, um ihrer kleinen Schwester die Kindheit zu ermöglichen, die ihr selbst verwehrt geblieben ist – sogar ihre große Liebe. Sechs Jahre ist es her, dass Joscha ohne sie nach England gegangen ist, um seine Fußballkarriere voranzutreiben...
  • 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...
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  • Lucky Baller by Kaylee Ryan

    Lucky Baller by Kaylee Ryan

    Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    Tessa. When my best friend Autumn asked me to tag along to an event with her, I never could have imagined that it would be the day that my life changed forever. He's arrogant and demanding and doesn't take a hint. Landon Barker, the quarterback for the Los Angeles Cougars, is a player on and off the field. He's got his sights set on me as his next play, but I see right through him...
  • Bring It Home by Toni Aleo

    Bring It Home by Toni Aleo

    Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars
    · 20 ratings
    Boon Hoenes only has three goals in life. To make Posey Adler his wife, to win the Stanley Cup for the second year in a row, and for Shea Adler to like him. The first, he’s got on lock. The second, he’s well on his way. And the third…. Well, two out of three ain’t bad.
  • 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...
  • Off-Campus Series: The Complete Collection by Elle Kennedy

    Off-Campus Series: The Complete Collection by Elle Kennedy

    Rated: 4.78 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 5 of 5
    Explicit and plentiful [?] · 9 ratings
    New York Times bestselling author Elle Kennedy brings her signature angst, humor, and spice to the icy-hot Off Campus books. The series follows a house of hockey-playing college roommates and the women who knock them off their pedestals, teaching them that love is worth more than any game-scoring goal. The Deal...
  • Wicked Love Special Edition by Willow Aster

    Wicked Love Special Edition by Willow Aster

    Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars
    · 18 ratings
    A sexy, small town, grumpy sunshine, single dad, sports romance from USA Today Bestselling Author Willow Aster. I fell in love with his little girl first. From the moment nine-year-old Becca Fox and I hugged, it was like we'd known each other forever. Precocious, sweet, and kind, I just knew this little girl was exceptional. Her dad, though? Not so much...
  • 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  contemporary  hockey  m-f  audiobook
  • Adrenaline by Kelly Elliott

    Adrenaline by Kelly Elliott

    Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    Malcolm Wallace lived for the adrenaline rush. If he wasn’t living life on the edge, he wasn’t living. He had no time for relationships, let alone love. When one event changes Malcolm’s entire future, he must turn to the one person who makes him doubt his entire philosophy on life. Paislie Pruitt. She’s beautiful. She’s strong. She’s the one rush Malcolm never saw coming.
  • My Bad Decisions by Carrie Ann Ryan

    My Bad Decisions by Carrie Ann Ryan

    Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    The first time he kissed me, we kept it a secret. Tanner and I have been at each other’s throats ever since. The second time he kissed me, I told myself not to fall. I should have known something burned beneath the surface and I couldn’t resist him. The third time led to something more and now one positive test later, neither one of us can walk away...
  • 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...
  • Cocky Love: Emma Cocker by Faleena Hopkins

    Cocky Love: Emma Cocker by Faleena Hopkins

    Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    This client wants to call me names? I've got a couple for him! EMMA COCKER. My condescending female boss has thrown me a big money client. I will earn her respect, maybe get out of debt. The commission would be huge on a mansion like this. But Tanner Hamilton is the biggest snob...
  • 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  humor  contemporary  length-medium  m-f
  • His First Crush by M.J. Fields

    His First Crush by M.J. Fields

    Rated: 4.49 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    FROM USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR MJ FIELDS COMES A STORY OF LOVES HEALING POWERS IN THE MIDST OF CHAOS. One tragedy nearly took her away from him. After Logan saved London from a random club shooting, he thought nothing could ever change the course of his future with the girl he had always loved. One kiss threatened to prove him wrong...
  • 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...
  • Sexiled by Mickey Miller

    Sexiled by Mickey Miller

    Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    Morgan Kennedy:. Campus Legend. Ruggedly handsome superstar athlete turned hedge fund manager. My one night stand mistake. And now my boss at my internship. Every staff meeting, I’m taken back to the night I was filled with a need I never knew was possible. Sparks fly between us in the office...
  • Wish You Were Mine by Judy Corry

    Wish You Were Mine by Judy Corry

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    𝐊𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐡𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐮𝐛? Bold. 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐫? Mortifying. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭? Just perfect...
  • Block Shot Bonus Epilogue by Kennedy Ryan

    Block Shot Bonus Epilogue by Kennedy Ryan

    Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    Categorized as:
    sports  new adult  contemporary  found-family
  • Wicked Forever by L.A. Cotton

    Wicked Forever by L.A. Cotton

    Rated: 4.71 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    From bestselling author, L A Cotton, comes the much-anticipated conclusion to the Wicked Bay series . .. will Lo and Maverick get their happily ever after or will some sacrifices be too hard to make?
    Categorized as:
    new adult  sports  contemporary  length-short
  • Dare to Embrace by S.B. Alexander

    Dare to Embrace by S.B. Alexander

    Rated: 4.71 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    I have a decision to make—family or my career. The problem is I want both, and I don’t know how to choose. Lacey. I promised Kade we would start a family when my baseball contract is up. But now a Triple-A ball club is interested in me. If I sign with them, getting pregnant is not an option. The last thing I want to do is disappoint my husband, but moving up in the major leagues is vital to me...
  • 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...
  • Hopelessly Devoted to Violet: Hopelessly Devoted Novella by Terri Anne Browning

    Hopelessly Devoted to Violet: Hopelessly Devoted Novella by Terri Anne Browning

    Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Every time someone mentions planning their wedding, Violet finds a reason why they should wait. Luca is her soulmate and Love Bug’s favorite person. They are already a family, but they need to make it official. Luca is getting tired of calling her his fiancée and not his wife. But Vi is torn. Saying “I do” to Luca will mean releasing the last hold Remington had on her heart...
    Categorized as:
    new adult  sports  contemporary  alpha male  angst
  • The Ivy Years Collection by Sarina Bowen

    The Ivy Years Collection by Sarina Bowen

    Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    Life at the elite Harkness College is brought to you in four tales, each one sexier and more heartbreaking than the last. Contains: hockey hotties, snarky T-shirts, a slow-burn love affair, a liar (with reasons,) a virgin (with reasons,) and one adorkable basketball player. Book 1: The Year We Fell Down. The sport she loves is out of reach. The boy she loves has someone else...
    Categorized as:
    sports  new adult  contemporary  length-epic
  • Player's Kiss by Sienna Blake

    Player's Kiss by Sienna Blake

    Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    I'm his new favorite game. It was supposed to be my big break—landing the coveted spot as the All Ireland Rugby team's new PR assistant. Instead I've become a glorified babysitter, lumped with the heinous job of keeping their star winger out of trouble and out of the papers. Eoin O'Sullivan. Cocky. Charming. Outrageous. Destined to drive me feckin crazy. Party boy. Ladies man...
  • Brazen Girl by Ali Dean

    Brazen Girl by Ali Dean

    Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    It only takes a second for her world to come crashing down. Jordan’s crash is a wake-up call for everyone. Recovering from a head injury brings new challenges no one is expecting or prepared to handle. Jordan begins to doubt that she has what it takes to make it as a pro skateboarder...
  • 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...
  • Ruin Series Boxed Set by Rachel Van Dyken

    Ruin Series Boxed Set by Rachel Van Dyken

    Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    For a limited time get the first two books+the bonus epilogue in the NYT bestselling stand alone Ruin series. Special price only until the third book in the series releases October 6. RUIN. I'm not your typical girl. I've been running away from the memories that haunt me for so long that depression has become my only comfort. I was content in the darkness. .
    Categorized as:
    sports  new adult  contemporary  length-epic
  • Jonah by Brenda Rothert

    Jonah by Brenda Rothert

    Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    Reyna. I don’t do relationships. A federal agent whose life revolves around rescuing kidnapped children, I’ve got no interest in catching any man who’s not a criminal. So when my new assignment in Chicago requires me to get closer to a VIP Chicago Blaze fan, Blaze goalie Jonah West is the perfect cover. Like me, he’s too focused on his career to make time for love, dates or even hookups. Jonah...
    Categorized as:
    new adult  sports  contemporary  hockey
  • Red Rocket by Raine Miller, Brit DeMille

    Red Rocket by Raine Miller, Brit DeMille

    Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    "Public Relations" is about to take on a whole new meaning for a standout Russian enforcer with a bad reputation and the feisty redhead from the PR department who just might be the one person who can help him shine up his tarnished image in this grumpy/sunshine hockey love story. "They call me 'The Mad Russian' for a reason. ". —Viktor Demoskev, VEGAS CRUSH...
  • Grappling for Position by Melynda Price

    Grappling for Position by Melynda Price

    Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 5 of 5
    Explicit and plentiful [?] · 10 ratings
    This battle of wills is about to go below the belt…. Willow Scott is sweet, innocent, and 100% untouchable. She’s the epitome of everything MMA fighter Regan “Rapscallion” Matthews has always wanted, but will never have. A woman like her deserves more than a scrapper from the wrong side of the tracks—the Scott’s charity case...
  • Brazen Steele by Ali Dean

    Brazen Steele by Ali Dean

    Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    Beckett Steele knows what he wants and he’s finally going after it. But there’s one thing that might complicate his mission. It was easy to sign the legally-binding contract prohibiting a public relationship when he had no intention of falling in love...
  • Bad Beginnings : A Redemption Beach Prequel by Vivian Wood

    Bad Beginnings : A Redemption Beach Prequel by Vivian Wood

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    From Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestseller Vivian Wood. One minute, everything is normal. The next, it’s all f*cked up. I’m left to pick up the pieces, alone. Life turns out to be a series of these moments. Make it or break it, use it or lose it. Everything is changed forever now. There’s no going back. But I may be able to go forward. There is a light at the end of the tunnel...
  • Backing You Up by Weston Parker

    Backing You Up by Weston Parker

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    They think I’m too wild to run my father’s company. Maybe they’re right. Graduating college should have given me some relief, but not when my father was waiting in the wings to hand over his railroad company. The world thought he’d gone mad. A tycoon handing off a man’s man type of business to his daughter! To a GIRL! Especially when he has a son...
  • Brazen Tricks by Ali Dean

    Brazen Tricks by Ali Dean

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Her new path is all about split second decisions. One of them will change her life forever. Jordan’s ready to embrace her identity as a pro skateboarder but wants to do it on her own terms. With her boyfriend the most popular skateboarder in the world, it’s not easy being seen and treated as just the girlfriend...
  • Devil in Disguise by Rosalind James

    Devil in Disguise by Rosalind James

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    The devil doesn’t come with pointy horns and a tail. He comes as everything you’ve ever wished for. When discipline is your life, structure’s a good thing, and Owen Johnson’s got plenty of both. An All-Pro NFL center who’s also a cattle rancher? Yeah, that’s structure. His marriage didn’t work out, but then, he picked the wrong woman. A Wyoming ranch doesn’t look nearly as romantic up close...
  • Single Girl Rules #ThreeHeadedMonster by Ivy Smoak

    Single Girl Rules #ThreeHeadedMonster by Ivy Smoak

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    I’m the ultimate single girl. But I’m also the best girlfriend in the world. So when my lesser half invites me to Harvard to help him get into the most exclusive club on campus, I’m happy to help. In fact, I’m willing to do anything to get him into this club. Even if it means taking my top off during a scavenger hunt...
  • Single Daddy Say What? by Sheridan Anne

    Single Daddy Say What? by Sheridan Anne

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Gigi. Not gonna lie, I never pictured myself wanting to be with a man who has more baggage than an airport, but here we are. Sean Waters came storming into my ER with his little girl, limp in his arms, and the rest was history . . . kind of. You know that baggage I mentioned? Yeah, that baggage is a real bitch...
  • Let You Love Me by Gracie Graham

    Let You Love Me by Gracie Graham

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Will Teagan finally get his love story? Find out in book 5 of the Boys of Riverside.
  • Matters of the Hart by M.E. Carter

    Matters of the Hart by M.E. Carter

    Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    In an instant he became her hero. Then he became her lover and friend. My name is Jaxon Hart. You watched me grow up. You watched me fight for my life. Now, I’m fighting for hers. From the second I laid eyes on Annika, I wanted to help her. Protect her. Vindicate her. But she’s got baggage to get through. Hell, we both do...
  • Forgetting the Rules by Mariah Dietz

    Forgetting the Rules by Mariah Dietz

    Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    A standalone sports romance. Book 6 in The Dating Playbook Series.
  • Burn by Ginger Scott

    Burn by Ginger Scott

    Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    **Burn is the third and final book in the brother’s-best-friend, friends-to-lovers Fuel Series by Ginger Scott. This second-chance romance completes this angsty, steamy, new adult trilogy. Dustin Bridge’s world is about speed. About the edge. His life has been carved by cutting corners and making moves, following impulsive decisions while weighing the facts at hand...
  • #Fam: A Ten Years Later Novella by Cambria Hebert

    #Fam: A Ten Years Later Novella by Cambria Hebert

    Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    It’s been a decade since a jock fell in love with a #nerd, and even after all this time, their epic love story continues. The Hashtag crew is back with all their antics and good times, giving an inside look at what life is like with each other after ten years of football, kids, and family...
  • The Bridge to a Better Life by Ava Miles

    The Bridge to a Better Life by Ava Miles

    Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    From USA Today Bestselling Author Ava Miles of the #1 National Bestseller NORA ROBERTS LAND comes a humorous and emotional romance about the power of love and second chances—perfect for fans of Debbie Macomber and Susan Mallery. "Ava's story is witty and charming. " Barbara Freethy #1 NYT bestselling author on Nora Roberts Land...
  • Beneath the Ice: An Emotional and Angsty Hockey Romance by L A Cotton

    Beneath the Ice: An Emotional and Angsty Hockey Romance by L A Cotton

    Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    An emotional and angsty hockey romance from USA Today and WSJ bestselling author L A Cotton. Are you ready to fall in love with a Laker? When Connor Morgan wants something, he goes after it and doesn’t stop until he gets it. Enter Ella Henshaw. She’s the love of his life. Beautiful. Loyal. He has their future all mapped out...
  • Single Mom's Christmas Wish: A Contemporary Reverse Harem Romance by Kai Lesy

    Single Mom's Christmas Wish: A Contemporary Reverse Harem Romance by Kai Lesy

    Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 12 ratings
    I swore off men after my ex-husband left me and my daughter. But now, I’m caught between three irresistible single dads——and an impossible Christmas deadline. Three devastatingly handsome triplets. Three sets of broad shoulders, piercing eyes, and smiles that could melt the iciest of hearts. And they all want me...
  • Fight by Molly McLain, Sara Eirew

    Fight by Molly McLain, Sara Eirew

    Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    **This is not a standalone. Check out FLY (Velocity, #1) first.  amzn. to/2dPfsgW :) **. The story continues. .. I trusted Colton with every bit of myself. I believed him when he promised he'd never hurt me. But he broke me. .. and now I watch him give another woman everything I thought would be mine. I never saw this coming...
  • Rendezvous by Skye Jordan, Joan Swan

    Rendezvous by Skye Jordan, Joan Swan

    Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    Keaton Holt knows all about the badass throwdown—on the movie set and in the bedroom. As the only sixth-degree black belt stuntman for Renegades, he’s made a career of translating those fighting skills to the big screen. He’s sown his oats and is ready for hometown and apple pie...
  • The Trouble with Gravity by K.K. Allen

    The Trouble with Gravity by K.K. Allen

    Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    Kai’s life is a series of choreographed steps, each one shielding her from her tragic past. Audition, dance, get paid, repeat. It’s a broken record, but it’s what keeps her world spinning. When a dangerously handsome man with trouble written all over his face rides into her life, his entrance makes a disastrous splash...
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