Books like 'The Third Best Thing'

Readers who enjoyed The Third Best Thing by Maya Hughes also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.

contemporary  romance  university  sports  friends-to-lovers  steamy  multi-pov  slow-burn  fake-relationship  athlete 

  • Tight Hold by Lisa Suzanne

    Tight Hold by Lisa Suzanne

    Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    The pro football player I’m faking a relationship with has the perfect solution to my career woes. He’s encouraging me to lean into the pseudo-celebrity life I was born into instead of trying to outrun it, and for the first time in my life, someone sees me for me.I feel like he’s falling for me, too.And then my ex shows up...
  • Blocker by Samantha Whiskey

    Blocker by Samantha Whiskey

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    I’m the Seattle Sharks’ number one goalie. The blocker. The wall. The opposition’s worst nightmare. I’m driven, committed to my team, and have zero time for distractions—on or off the ice. My focus is on my new contract—one that will secure my position and take care of my family. So, naturally, when Coach’s daughter moves back to town, he asks me to watch out for her...
  • Chosen by Love by Toni Aleo

    Chosen by Love by Toni Aleo

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 10 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...
  • The Virgin Game Plan by Lauren Blakely

    The Virgin Game Plan by Lauren Blakely

    Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    A sexy standalone forbidden sports romance from #1 NYT Bestseller Lauren Blakely! The woman I want is as off-limits as they come.I had an excuse two years ago when I met her on campus. She interviewed me for a story on major league baseball's rising stars, and we shared a hot, passionate night that ended far too soon, and without a mention of who her father was...
  • Made For Me by Natasha Madison

    Made For Me by Natasha Madison

    Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    From Wall Street Journal and USA TODAY bestselling author Natasha Madison comes a brand new stand-alone friends to lovers sports romance. A spin-off from the Only One seriesChaseEveryone expected me to play hockey.I was good at it, but I was better at being a doctor.So I hung up the skates and joined Doctors without BordersBut there is no place like home, so now I’m back...
  • Player by Natalie Rios

    Player by Natalie Rios

    Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    Cocky. Player. A**hole. Without a doubt, Theo Montgomery is the university's most promising student athlete – and it’s biggest player. Confident, charming, and handsome as sin, there isn’t a single girl at Carlton University who’s immune to this quarterback. Except Allie. ​ Smart. Driven. Sassy. Make no mistake, Allie Perez can’t stand jocks...
  • The Strike Out by Meghan Quinn

    The Strike Out by Meghan Quinn

    Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars
    · 18 ratings
    It started with one night out with the boys.She was the hot diner waitress putting herself through school.I was the rich, arrogant player everyone misjudges.On paper we didn’t match.Yet all it took was one day. One single day to change her mind.She wasn’t planning to spend her day off with me.She wasn’t supposed to fall for my charm...
  • Making His Play by Mari Carr

    Making His Play by Mari Carr

    Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Alex has a big name in hockey, famous for his stick skills—on and off the ice. But he’s also got a freckle-faced female problem. He took his sister’s tomboy best friend, Charley, to a Vegas wedding to cheer her up after a bad breakup.Too much champagne later and he’s waking up with Charley in his bed and his ring on her finger. And the crazy part is…Mrs. Alex Stone has a nice ring to it...
  • Forgetting the Rules: A Second-Chance-Romance Sports Standalone by Mariah Dietz

    Forgetting the Rules: A Second-Chance-Romance Sports Standalone by Mariah Dietz

    Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    A standalone sports romance. Book 6 in The Dating Playbook Series...
  • Seth by Carly Marie

    Seth by Carly Marie

    Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Be yourself because everyone else is taken. But what if that risks everything you know? Seth Johnson has worked his entire career to be remembered more for his skill than as an openly gay NHL player. Finding a boyfriend has been pushed to the back burner. As for exposing his softer side, the side that loves lace and lingerie? It’s not happening...
  • Wild Card by Maggie Rawdon

    Wild Card by Maggie Rawdon

    Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    The infamous playboy and star wide receiver for the Seattle Phantom is the last person on earth I would ever expect to come to my rescue. Tobias Westfield and I can’t see eye-to-eye on anything. But when my date goes to hell and I end up stranded in the pouring rain on my birthday, he’s there—holding my hand and playing the adoring boyfriend. I might have had him all wrong...
  • Waiting Game by G.A. Mazurke, Serena Akeroyd

    Waiting Game by G.A. Mazurke, Serena Akeroyd

    Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    No-strings-attached hook-ups are my jam. After a hockey player hires me to improve his skating skills, sparks fly and a second-night stand sounds like a damn good time. I have zero regrets……till he ghosts me. Now that I’ve lost my summer gig, I get on with my life, picking up an old side hustle to keep myself afloat...
  • Second-Rate Superstar by Siena Trap

    Second-Rate Superstar by Siena Trap

    Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Ever heard of imposter syndrome?Well, if you look it up in the dictionary, you’ll find my picture beside the definition.I’ve been living in my older brother’s shadow since the day I was born.Anyone would struggle to live up to the legacy of the great Jaxon Slate, hockey superstar and face of the league. But it’s worse for me. Everyone expects me to be Jaxon 2...
  • Hat Trick by Toni Aleo

    Hat Trick by Toni Aleo

    Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Good things happen in threes. D’Artagnan Miklas is a lucky dude. He’s the leading scorer of hat tricks for the Carolina IceCats, he’s got a solid group of loyal friends, and he has a cute little sister he adores.But his friends are all coupling up, and Dart is tired of being the odd man out...
    Categorized as:
    sports  multi-pov  athlete  humor  romance  contemporary  fiction  book
  • Cooper by Lulu Moore

    Cooper by Lulu Moore

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    Thirteen years ago I fell for the wrong person and swore I’d never let another woman into my heart. Ever since, I’ve lived on a diet of bunnies and casual sex. That was until Francesca Danvers walked into my life. The sister of my team Captain’s fiancée, her Maid of Honor to my Best Man. She’s my match in every stubborn way. Boiling my blood during the day, lighting me on fire at night...
  • Lucky Bastard by Kaylee Ryan

    Lucky Bastard by Kaylee Ryan

    Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    Emma When my best friend Aubrey 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 Hermosa Beach Trojans, is a player on and off of the field. He’s got his sights set on me as his next play, but I see right through him...
  • Just Playin': Romantic Sports Comedy by Shandi Boyes

    Just Playin': Romantic Sports Comedy by Shandi Boyes

    Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    Presley “Elvis” Carlton was at the top of his game. Number one draft pick, engaged to an up-and-coming model, and voted best player of the decade his first year on the field. Things were golden. . . until an accident saw everything important torn from his grasp...
  • Writing the Rules by Mariah Dietz

    Writing the Rules by Mariah Dietz

    Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars
    · 14 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...
  • Off Camera by Chelsea Curto

    Off Camera by Chelsea Curto

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    Avery Sinclair is good at her job as the social media manager for the Baltimore Thunderhawks. She’s one of the best in the NFL, in fact. The only thing stopping her from being the account of the year? The DC Titans, run by the mystery man she’s been feuding with for years.Reid Duncan isn’t the world’s biggest sports fan, but he loves his job...
  • Off Limits by Chelle Sloan

    Off Limits by Chelle Sloan

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Professional football has an actual rulebook, but it’s the unwritten rules that come with the harshest consequences.The biggest one of all: don’t date your teammate’s sister. And if you do, don’t you dare fall in love with her.I never meant to fall, but when it comes to Brenna Donald, I never stood a chance. She’s everything I’m not--a light-hearted wild child who shines brighter than the sun...
  • Counting the Stars by Tracy McJames

    Counting the Stars by Tracy McJames

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Sometimes love comes when you least expect it.AlexI fell in love from the first moment I met her—seriously.And yeah, I realize that may sound ridiculous, but I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life.Gabby is one of my best friends. She gets me and accepts me for who I am; unlike my stuffy family. But we’ve been stuck in the friend zone for more than a year and I’m getting restless...
  • Off the Mark by Kathryn Nolan

    Off the Mark by Kathryn Nolan

    Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Fake dating my hottest friend was not my smartest move… The cocky ex-baseball player—and flirty playboy—is the one man I’d never fall for. Which is why I stupidly thought he’d make the perfect fake boyfriend. As the reigning queen of the dirt bike racing circuit, my only goal is to win this next championship race. Except I’ve got a bit of a…reputation problem...
  • The Final Play by Amie Knight

    The Final Play by Amie Knight

    Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    The Final Play isn’t always the end. Sometimes, it’s the beginning of something far more beautiful. As a professional linebacker, I lived and breathed football. The only thing I loved as much as the game was my twin brother, Max, who kept me almost as busy cleaning up his messes. The most recent of which landed him behind bars...
  • The Virgin Replay by Lauren Blakely

    The Virgin Replay by Lauren Blakely

    Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    A virgin, an athlete, a fake romance...and only one bed in the hotel room. Following rules shot me to the top of my game as an all-star baseball player, and the golden rule is this -- don’t hookup with your teammate’s sister. But ask her to be your fake date when you desperately need one for a family wedding? Nothing in the guy code against that...
  • Ice Prince by Nichole Rose

    Ice Prince by Nichole Rose

    Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    When life spins wildly out of control, a bossy hockey star and a curvy maid will find forever…or be forever ruined. Theo Kline I know everything there is to know about hockey.Right now, I'd give everything just to understand her.Charlotte Mabry is a curvy little goddess with the sweetest smile.She's also my mother's boyfriend's favorite niece...
    Categorized as:
    humor  multi-pov  slow-burn  sports  steamy  university  adult  age-gap
  • DIRTY REBOUND: A Slayers Hockey Novel by Mira Lyn Kelly

    DIRTY REBOUND: A Slayers Hockey Novel by Mira Lyn Kelly

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    I care too much about Cammy Wesley to marry her…Yeah, I know what you’re thinking. But hear me out. Cammy’s my best friend. The one person I can’t live without. The girl with the sunshine smile, the loaded fridge, and the most awesome kid I’ve ever met. She’s also the hot AF single mom I’ve made it my mission to protect from guys like me...
  • Something like Lust by Piper Rayne, Aiden Snow

    Something like Lust by Piper Rayne, Aiden Snow

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    Do it.Don’t do it.Never in my life did I think I’d wager in my head whether to sleep with Chicago Grizzlies wide receiver, Damon Siska.He’s the perfect package—hot body, killer smile, and flirts like he earned a doctorate in it. But anyone who reads gossip blogs knows he is looking for one amazing night and nothing more.I’m not the usual type of woman he beds...
  • Kiss Hard by Nalini Singh

    Kiss Hard by Nalini Singh

    Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh brings you a sinfully playful contemporary romance between two sworn enemies turned partners in crime . . . Daniel Esera is a young god on the rugby field, a sexy and charming man who's got the world at his feet. There's just one problem: his sudden potent attraction to his number one nemesis--Catie River. No. Just no. Not happening...
  • Secret Puck by Rebecca Jenshak

    Secret Puck by Rebecca Jenshak

    Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    Secretly hooking up with the team captain's sister was a bad idea. In my defense, the first time I saw her I didn't know who she was.Kind, gorgeous, a little naïve. Ginny brightened my world from day one.I knew I was no good for her. She was just out of a relationship and I had a reputation for having a new girl in my bed every weekend. I tried to do the right thing. Honest...
  • Extra Credit by Sarina Bowen

    Extra Credit by Sarina Bowen

    Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    Three novellas, including all new Ivy Years fun! BLONDE DATE: A nervous sorority girl, a mean fraternity prank and an adorkable basketball player with a heart of gold. Blonde Date follows Katie and Andy’s first blind date… STUDLY PERIOD: One hunky hockey player with a language barrier. Plus one awkward English tutor with a big crush...
  • Iced by Jacob Chance

    Iced by Jacob Chance

    Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    Oliver Ice, one of Boston University’s notorious hockey players, has been on my radar since I slammed into his rock-hard body during my first week of college, three years ago. He helped me to my feet, muttered an apology, and ran off after his girlfriend, dashing my hopes of a happily ever after. Now, he’s the bartender where I work, and this time, very much single...
  • Dirty Player by Mira Lyn Kelly

    Dirty Player by Mira Lyn Kelly

    Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    This NHL star isn’t afraid to play dirty to get his girl It started as a joke… A throw away promise between friends. A dare for a single kiss at our reunion and nothing more. But that kiss… That kiss was no joking matter. It was hot and wet. A hands-everywhere, breathless kind of insanity that left us both teetering on the brink...
  • Wylde by Sawyer Bennett

    Wylde by Sawyer Bennett

    Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    There’s a reason they call me Wylde and it’s not just because it’s my last name. I might be one of the newest players on the Arizona Vengeance team, but I’m no stranger to the celebrity that goes along with being a professional hockey player. Whether it’s a fan seeking an autograph or a puck bunny looking for more, I’ve grown used to the attention...
    Categorized as:
    athlete  humor  multi-pov  slow-burn  sports  steamy  adult  audiobook
  • One Week Wingman by Lila Monroe

    One Week Wingman by Lila Monroe

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Fake date. Real trouble. Fall for a new trope-tactic, fake dating rom-com read from USA Today bestselling author, Lila Monroe! Sebastian Wainwright is handsome, British, and charming… and the last man you can rely on. Bartending at Mavericks, I’ve seen his love-em-and-leave-em routine up close, and I know better than to become another notch on his king-sized bedpost...
  • Riff by Julie Kriss

    Riff by Julie Kriss

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    I confess: I hooked up with the Road Kings’ bassist after a show thirteen years ago. It was supposed to be just one night - then I’d never see Neal Watts again.But life likes to throw curveballs, and we ended up with a daughter. We could do this, right? We could stay friends for our daughter’s sake, even though we weren’t a couple.Thirteen years of friendship...
  • Ballsy by Elise Faber

    Ballsy by Elise Faber

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Kailey Henderson dealt in code.Well, code, social anxiety, and online gaming.What she didn’t deal in was sexy hockey players.And she certainly didn’t deal in sexy hockey players like Connor Smith. He was brass. He was loud. He was funny and charming and…ballsy.Kailey was about the furthest thing from ballsy someone could find.Connor didn’t seem to care...
  • On Ice by Stella Stevenson

    On Ice by Stella Stevenson

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    The last thing Quinn Cooper needs is romance. Between her job and her dad’s diagnosis, she doesn’t have any extra time or need any added stress. She doesn’t have time for a hockey game either, but a favor finds her sitting in the stands as The Arctic takes the ice. Of course she’d end up sitting next to a man she can’t ignore, even if he’s cheering for the wrong team...
    Categorized as:
    sports  steamy  slow-burn  humor  romance  contemporary  fiction  book
  • Iced by Cala Riley

    Iced by Cala Riley

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    ClaytonBeing the star player on the Walker Wolves has been everything I was working towards.That is, until my grades slip, threatening to take it all from me.I have to do something drastic to keep my dreams alive, so I hire a tutor.That’s when I met her.Grace Myers.She is the complete opposite of me. Shy, innocent, kind...
  • Breaking Away by Sookh Kaur

    Breaking Away by Sookh Kaur

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Dmitri Lokhov is the rival team’s hot, tattooed, grumpy defenseman. When he loses his calm, knocking my fiancé out on the ice, I’m shocked. Until I learn that he lost his cool over a nasty comment about me… made by my fiancé! I break my wedding off, but the best way to get revenge? Fake date the grumpy rival...
  • Shootout Steam by London Casey

    Shootout Steam by London Casey

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Guess who got drunk, made out with a hockey player, and ended up all over social media? Oh, did I forget to mention that said hockey hottie proposed to me and I said yes?* * *The easiest decision would be to just call the whole thing off. Live up to my mistake - or the vodka’s mistake - and move on with my life...
  • The C Agreement by R.L. Kenderson

    The C Agreement by R.L. Kenderson

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    All she wanted was to improve her skills when it came to the C.I was the girl next door…with a few extra pounds. My job was demanding and kept me on my toes, but when I was deep in a case, it left me little time for relationships. And because of that, I had some complaints in the bedroom.What I wanted was for someone to teach me to be a better lover...
  • The Rule Maker by Gina Azzi

    The Rule Maker by Gina Azzi

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    NHL Boston Hawks captain Austin Merrick used to be my boy-next-door. Now, he’s the man on my mind. Our paths haven’t crossed in over a decade when I find myself back in Boston, desperate to save face in front of my ex-fiancé. With a devilish smirk and wicked blue eyes, Austin steps back into my life to be my plus one for a summer filled with weddings and events...
  • Infamous Park Avenue Prince by Ella Frank, Brooke Blaine

    Infamous Park Avenue Prince by Ella Frank, Brooke Blaine

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Who are we? Like you even need to ask. We’re the seven richer-than-sin legacies causing debauchery at the prestigious Astor University in Manhattan.Some call us spoiled.Some call us trouble.But everyone calls us the Park Avenue Princes.Weston LaRue“The Playboy”I’m never one to turn down a bet. Especially not when it comes to retaliating against the dean for pulling a dick move before summer break...
  • Hard Pass: An Enemies to Lovers Romance by K.G. Reuss

    Hard Pass: An Enemies to Lovers Romance by K.G. Reuss

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Two childhood rivals. A weekend in Vegas. And a challenge that changes everything.LexyTravis Owens has been a pain since he tugged my ponytail and challenged me to our first dare when we were eight years old. Time hasn’t changed a thing in regards to the hotter-than-fire football hero, except the game we play with one another now has higher stakes...
  • Defending the Rush by Jamie Bennett

    Defending the Rush by Jamie Bennett

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Jory Morin is a little…weird.And Meredith Roberts is not. She likes her life and everything in it to be clean, neat, and orderly. And it was, until her father took the position as head coach of the Woodsmen football team, uprooted their small family, and moved them to Michigan. Now she's living in a place where she has no job, no college, and no friends. Awesome...
  • Huck by Lulu Moore

    Huck by Lulu Moore

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    You don’t date the Coach’s daughter. It’s the first thing you learn in Hockey 101.Except whoever made that rule had never met Nora Campbell.She came into my life like the blondest ray of sunshine, and I thought all my dreams had come true.Then I found out who she was...
  • Faking It with the Forward by Angel Lawson

    Faking It with the Forward by Angel Lawson

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    What happens when the captain of the hockey team kisses you in front of his ex? Things get awkward.What happens when he asks you to be his fake girlfriend?Things get complicated.In the high-pressure world of varsity hockey at Wittmore U, being the team intern means more than overseeing grueling workouts and injuries. It's the colossal egos of the players that truly test my patience...
  • Hard to Fake by Piper Lawson

    Hard to Fake by Piper Lawson

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    To my brother’s teammates, I’m off-limits. But when my sorority sister announces she’s bringing my ex to reunion weekend, I need a hot date…and fast.It’s not every day you ask your brother's teammate to be your fake boyfriend. But desperate times call for gorgeous, heart-stoppingly impulsive measures...
  • Blindsided by Shey Stahl

    Blindsided by Shey Stahl

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    Landon Slade. Highest paid quarterback in the NFL. Demi-god. Certifiable ladies’ man. It’s no secret my ego is boosted. Being light on my feet and good with my hands, I control the plays and my stamina is legendary. And on and off the field, I make the decisions, the rules. Do I do complicated? Hell, no. I take what I want, tackle life my way. But then there’s her. My hotter than sin assistant...
  • Off Limits: A brother's best friend sports romance by Jerica MacMillan

    Off Limits: A brother's best friend sports romance by Jerica MacMillan

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    She’s my best friend’s little sister …That alone should be enough to make me keep my hands to myself. Knowing her brother’s extra protective should seal the deal.But after Ellie turns up on our doorstep while her brother’s not home and falls asleep on the couch after a misunderstanding with her roommate, I can’t seem to stay away...
The Third Best Thing by Maya Hughes
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