Books like 'Play On'
Readers who enjoyed Play On by Michelle Smith also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary romance small town sports high-school realistic lgbtq male-mc grief
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Mason by Tijan
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsMason Kade is not known to be nice. He is ruthless, manipulative, and unforgiving. Most will say that he is a jerk and he is to those that cross him or cross his loved ones. However, he does not want to be who he is. He does not enjoy hurting others, but there is no limit to the lengths he will go to protect himself and his brother... -
Difficult by R.L. Mathewson
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSurviving high school was going to be hard enough, but surviving telling the one girl that he couldn’t live without how he felt was going to be one of the most difficult things that Sebastian Bradford was ever going to do.From New York Times and USA Today’s bestselling author R.L...Categorized as:
high-school sports romance young-adult humor contemporary friends-to-lovers small-town -
The Saturday Morning Park Run: A gloriously uplifting and page-turning book that will make you feel happy! by Jules Wake
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThis is the story of two women.One old, one young.One looking for new adventures. One looking for a purpose.Both needing a friend.And this is how, along with two little girls in need of a family, a gorgeous stranger, and a scruffy dog, they bring the whole community together every Saturday morning for love, laughter and a little bit of running…(well, power walking)... -
Color of Danger by Alexa Verde
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFormer runaway Mari Del Lobo works hard to save her struggling restaurant and to trust people again. Dallas surgeon Dr. Luke Goodman turns her world upside down with terrifying news. A recent murder has her late brother's - aka the Smiling Killer - signature and MO. When attacks on her escalate, Mari fights her growing attraction to the good doctor as fiercely as she fights for her life... -
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Falling For Who by Erica Lee
Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsMarjorie Madden has it all. She’s been out since middle school, is the most popular person in her grade, and according to her friends could get any girl she wants (even the straight ones).Marjorie isn’t interested in dating, though. All of her focus is on becoming a starter on the varsity basketball team and leading her team to victory... -
Wicked Needs by L.A. Cotton
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe edgy, angsty, addictive YA/NA crossover series from L. A. Cotton continues... It’s a fine line between love and hate. Bitch ... Ice Queen ... Frigid. Macey Prince is no stranger to a nickname or two. The words once hurt, now they’re her armor. Being a Prince might be a life sentence she can never escape but Macey isn’t willing for her heart to be collateral again... -
Lucky Kiss by Melanie Shawn
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsLucas “Lucky” Dorsey was at the top of his game in the world of MMA, and his nickname…well, let’s just say the ladies couldn’t get enough of the tattooed bad boy. But then…he met her… As the first female firefighter in the Hope Falls Fire Department, Deanna Bishop was focused on making a fresh start in her new town... -
Defining Us by Karen Deen
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsHe's my brother's best friend.No one can know he visits my dreams each night.In the naughtiest of ways. But they are just fantasies.They'll never be anything else. Until that accidental kiss, changes everything.His eyes now roam my body.I can't ignore the heat he arouses in me.I'm just longing for his touch. But he's about to leave, and I need to stay...Categorized as:
sports high-school romance contemporary small-town cheating domestic-drama university -
The Beautiful Mess by Aimee Nicole Walker
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA heroic, sworn bachelor risks his neck to save lives, but his heart needs a daring rescue.Kerry likes his beer cold, his coffee hot, and sex without strings. Running an emergency response crew takes up most of his time, and he reserves the rest for his family. Besides, he’s experienced enough heartache for two lifetimes and isn’t looking for more misery... -
A Little Too Close (Madigan Mountain) by Rebecca Yarros
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsFrom USA Today bestselling author Rebecca Yarros comes a small town, single parent romance.Nine years ago, Weston Madigan saved me. I came to Colorado penniless, heartbroken, and pregnant, searching for a fresh start. Weston gave me a job at his family’s resort, then left the next day and never returned, not even to visit... -
Perfect Someday by Lauren Runow
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsI knew, someday, I’d have the life of my dreams.I just wasn’t prepared to lose him in return.Growing up in small-town Mason Creek, it's hard for a girl to dream big. Since my mom was barely making ends meet, I knew moving away for college wasn’t in the cards. What I didn’t know was how singing a Miranda Lambert song while unpacking a box would change my life forever ..Categorized as:
high-school sports anthologies contemporary fiction new-adult second-chances small-town -
The Bird Catcher by Michael Robert
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHappily married, Seattle furniture designer, Ben, comes home early from work on his thirtieth birthday. After finding his husband of twelve years already celebrating in the shower with the party planner, Ben decides he needs a fresh start.Logan, a twenty-five-year-old residing in Idaho, is trying to escape from an emotionally abusive relationship... -
Side by Side by Nicole Pyland
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSports Series Book #6. This series is related by a sports theme, not by characters.As teenagers, Belle Elrod and Chandler Wolfe had been chosen to be part of Team USA figure skating’s elite training program. But when something happened, and Belle left the program, they were both left wondering what might have been... -
Saving the Halfback by Aly Westman
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsTraumatic past, dark secrets, found family.I spent most of high school as a ghost. Avoiding, blending, disappearing. It wasn’t until my ex slipped into a coma after a freak accident that something inside me shifted. I was able to breathe again, find myself. I even joined the football team, something my ex never would’ve allowed...Categorized as:
high-school sports romance reverse-harem contemporary friends-to-lovers young-adult slow-burn -
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Relief Pitcher by Lee Blair
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsI thought I was helping him get his groove back. Turns out he’s helping me fall in love.TylerI have one rule when it comes to matters of my one and done. Consensually, of course. Fun with no complicated romantic feelings. Not that I’m built to experience those, anyway.After my car breaks down on a remote road, I follow a lumbersnack back to his creepy cabin for the cell service... -
Oyster by Fearne Hill
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsLow tides threw up all kinds of unexpected and random treasures. Wedding bands, hauls of driftwood, old bones worn smooth. Jaded oyster fisherman, Nico La Forge, had seen them all. Or so he believed. Until cold, bedraggled, beautiful Éti Salvador washed up on the shore. Nico had never been in love. Wasn’t even looking for love... -
Stencil: Sugar and Spice, Ink by Evan Grace
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsOur arrangement was simple—just physical and definitely no falling in love. That seemed easy enough until a positive pregnancy test changed everything. He’s loud, crude, sexy, and can cook and he’s bound and determined to make me his, but I’ve been burned before and if I let him in, and things don’t work out for us, well, it’s more than just my heart on the line... -
Good Behavior by Kelly Fox
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFrom USA Today Best-Selling Author Kelly Fox comes a spicy forbidden romance between an ex-con and his prison therapist.There’s not much I miss about prison, save for the buttoned-up therapist who doled out subtle commands and generous praise in equal measure... -
Frat Bro by Raleigh Ruebins
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThis fall, I have one simple rule: don't fall in love with my fake boyfriend.I’m awful at following the rules.One minute I was a nobody in a small Colorado town, getting by on contract work, home renovations, and a dumpster fire of a dating life—and then suddenly, my life was on TV... -
Cruel Devious Heir: Part One by Caitlyn Dare
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA brand new dark bully romance series from bestselling author Caitlyn Dare.Full blurb coming soon...Cruel Devious Heir: part one is a dark high school bully romance... -
Home Game by Ginger Scott
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFootball has been my life. Not that I ever had a choice in the matter. When your dad is a retired, future Hall-of-Fame quarterback, the gridiron tends to weave its way into your DNA.I always loved the game, but I could do without the spotlight that comes with being Peyton Johnson, the great Reed Johnson’s daughter...Categorized as:
sports high-school romance young-adult contemporary family small-town enemies-to-lovers -
Brutal Callous Heir: Part One by Caitlyn Dare
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsBestselling author Cailtyn Dare brings you a new dark high school romance in the Heirs of All Hallows' series.Cruel Devious Heir: part two is a dark high school bully romance...Categorized as:
sports high-school male-mc romance new-adult contemporary enemies-to-lovers cruel-mc -
The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsDill has had to wrestle with vipers his whole life—at home, as the only son of a Pentecostal minister who urges him to handle poisonous rattlesnakes, and at school, where he faces down bullies who target him for his father’s extreme faith and very public fall from grace.The only antidote to all this venom is his friendship with fellow outcasts Travis and Lydia... -
On the Ropes by Kathryn Nolan
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSummer in the city heats up when the girl who got away moves in next door.Dean “The Machine” is a South Philly legend. Much to the dismay of fans who still hound him, the broody former fighter walked away from his boxing career right before clinching another championship belt... -
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Hotshot by Lane Hayes
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe rookie superstar, the cowboy, and the proposition… DennyI’m the rookie hot shot, the new guy who scores at will, and conjures plays out of thin air. But I’m a PR nightmare. Seriously. Ask my agent.The my anxiety is off the charts. I can’t talk to the press without breaking into a cold sweat and I’m the one they want a piece of. I just need to get through the season and regroup at home... -
Thin Ice by Lane Hayes
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe hunky hockey dad, the bad boy coach, and a new start... Bryson Elmwood isn’t good for my love life. Sorry. I’m a positive person and I have nothing but wonderful things to say about small town life, but I haven’t had a date, let alone a boyfriend in years. That’s fine. My son is and always has been my number one focus. Except now he’s grown and is rarely home. And it’s lonely... -
Off Balance: Painted Bay #1 by Jay Hogan
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhen JUDAH MADDEN flees his tiny suffocating home-town in New Zealand, for the dream of international ballet stardom, he never intends coming back. Not to Painted Bay. Not to his family’s struggling mussel farm. Not to his jerk of a brother. Not with his entire life plan in shreds... -
Long Way Home by Katie McGarry
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsSeventeen-year-old Violet has always been expected to sit back and let the boys do all the saving.It’s the code her father, a member of the Reign of Terror motorcycle club, raised her to live by. Yet when her dad is killed carrying out Terror business, Violet knows it’s up to her to do the saving... -
The Vincent Brothers by Abbi Glines
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsHot romance is the cure for heartbreak in this sequel to The Vincent Boys.Getting a boy to fall head-over-heels in love with you isn’t easy. Especially when he’s been in love with your cousin for as long as you can remember. Lana has lived her life in her cousin’s shadow. Ashton always made perfect grades, had tons of friends, and looks model-perfect... -
Wicked Chemistry by R.L. Kenderson
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsI didn’t know I’d risk everything to be with him.I thought he was the assistant football coach.I thought I would protect my teaching career from anything.I thought I could stay away from him.I thought wrong.Wicked Chemistry deals with a student-teacher relationship. All individuals are over eighteen and consenting adults... -
Webber by J.D. Light
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsKeller Peters lives to piss off his uppity mother. What could the woman expect who judges people by their careers instead of their heart? It's one thing for her to criticize his career as a life couch to those trying to get off drugs and be productive citizens in the world. He could handle her...Categorized as:
lgbtq male-mc mlm friends-to-lovers fiction contemporary fake-relationship small-town -
You Drive Me Crazy by Juliana Stone
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsComing home to Crystal Lake should be a walk in the park for famous race car driver, Wyatt Blackwell. He’ll collect an honor, see some family, and get back to his fast paced life before anyone notices he’s gone. But when a fender-bender lands him in the local ER, the doc who treats him is none other than the prickly, straight laced, student president he screwed over at prom... -
Cold As Ice (Bedroom Games) by Piper Rayne
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIt may be Winter Games, but the bedroom games are about to begin… Competing in South Korea on the world stage is hard enough. Having to spend the entire press tour beforehand with a woman who hates me? Karma really is a bitch. While she’s spent the last four years loathing me, I’ve spent them ignoring the guilt that gnaws at my stomach... -
A Shot in The Dark by Lou Stock
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsLife had never been simple for Miki Quinten. Her mom had died when she was eight, and in the aftermath of their loss, her father turned his grief into alcoholism, inadvertently converting their home into a melting pot of debauchery. Unwilling to be put into the foster system, Miki takes control of her own life and becomes invisible to almost everyone but her best friend and godmother...Categorized as:
high-school sports book contemporary enemies-to-lovers family fiction forbidden-love -
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Reigniting Chase by Jeanne St. James
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAn unexpected collaboration between two authors that’s hot enough to spark a fire... ChaseAfter an excruciating loss, I’m desperate for a fresh start.Away from the painful memories.Away from everyone I know and anyone who knows my story.That’s how I end up in Eagle’s Landing, Pennsylvania... -
Jordan by J.D. Light
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsJordan Fox From one abusive life to another, I've had more bruised skin than I've had healthy. When My dad found out I was gay in an extremely humiliating way, I wasn't surprised when he nearly killed me. He'd been beating me for as long as I can remember. I wasn't even surprised to find myself in a conversion camp the next day being beat by men I didn’t even know... -
Bear's Best Friend by Raleigh Ruebins
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsHe’s a ray of sunshine. I’m a loner lumberjack. We don’t make sense……But my straight best friend keeps ending up in my bed.Sawyer Hendricks is the best friend I’ve ever had—the Goose to my Moose, and the shoulder I’ve cried on even though I’m not the crying type. The difference between us? Sawyer brightens any room in an instant, and I’m the gruff guy wearing flannel who’d rather be alone... -
Attractive Forces by Jax Calder
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsLoganEveryone looks at me and thinks I rule Heath Valley High School. All they see is the captain of the champion rugby team, the guy who has got everything.They don’t see my secret, one I’ll do anything to keep.I’m so used to keeping my sexuality buried I’ve never stopped to think about what it’s costing me.Until I need a chemistry tutor, and Jake Stenton waltzes into my life... -
Love the Way You Lie by Gracie Graham
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsTorn between my best friend and the boy who makes my heart beat again, learning the truth might break me…My entire life changed in an instant.One violent moment took my mother and destroyed me.And I can’t even remember it.All I know is…it was my fault.Now I’m entering senior year after hiding away from the world as long as I could...Categorized as:
sports high-school romance new-adult contemporary young-adult love-triangle enemies-to-lovers -
Straight Dad by Raleigh Ruebins
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsStraight dads don’t get crushes on 22-year-old star quarterbacks. Right? Kace Tomlin is the nation’s hottest, youngest pro quarterback at age 22, and he’s out and proud. When Kace hired my little construction company to work on his multi-million dollar mansion, it was the quickest hell yes of my life. Usually I’m in Dad Mode, 24/7—boring, predictable, and dependable... -
Holding by Alexandria House
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsChildhood neighbors, enemies, best friends, lovers, enemies, Sires lineman Terrence Ford and his ex-wife, Krystle, have meant all these things to each other.Once believing their union was indestructible, they find themselves unhappily apart.Maybe what they see as an ending is really the beginning of a stronger bond and a deeper understanding of what love really is... -
Starless Nights by Kathryn Andrews
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsBeau Hale She said that she was my best friend and then one day she wasn’t. Every day I live with the visible scars, but it’s the invisible ones that hurt the most. They are a constant reminder of everything I’ve lost as well as all the things that I’ll never have. I should be over this by now, it’s been years, but I can’t escape the memories that haunt me... -
Dating Trouble by Anna Katmore
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsTrouble has never looked so hot… Sue wants Ethan, and Chris wants Sue. Drawn to Ethan and intrigued by Chris, Susan Miller finds herself caught between identical twin brothers at her school. When both of them start wooing her at the same time, she only has to take her pick. Right? Wrong! Ethan is reluctant to kiss her, and Chris wants her for the completely wrong reasons...Categorized as:
high-school realistic sports audiobook book contemporary enemies-to-lovers female-mc -
Making Her Mine by Monica Murphy
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsBeck Callahan.Star defensive Lineman.Most popular boy on campus.One of my best friends.He’s always been off limits because I know a relationship with him could never work. Like, ever. He’s too perfect, too sweet, too good looking. Taking what we have a step further has the potential to ruin everything, and his friendship is too important to me...Categorized as:
high-school sports book coming-of-age contemporary fiction friends-to-lovers multi-pov -
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Unexpected Forever by Eliza Peake
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsOne stolen night with my best friend’s older brother and I have a new name…Mommy.When I meet baseball star, Nate Gentry, our chemistry is out of the park. And for one night, he shows me more pleasure than I thought possible. But two months later, life throws us a curveball in the form of two pink lines.I don’t fool myself that it could ever work. We’re from different worlds...Categorized as:
sports realistic romance contemporary womens-fiction age-gap small-town forced-proximity -
If There's No Tomorrow by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsLena Wise is always looking forward to tomorrow, especially at the start of her senior year. She's ready to pack in as much friend time as possible, to finish college applications and to maybe let her childhood best friend Sebastian know how she really feels about him. For Lena, the upcoming year is going to be epic—one of opportunities and chances... -
Wellston by J.D. Light
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWellston is in love with his father's best friend, but to save his heart, he tries to avoid the man who only sees him as the kid he used to know. Wilder came back home after eight years to find that the kid he used to know was gone and in his place was a gorgeous man with no sign of the shy child he remembered... -
Farris by J.D. Light
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFarris When I first saw Banner, two thoughts occurred to me. I was going to marry him some day, and his face was way too smooth, He needed to laugh more. And then I proceeded to all the things that made him frown and glare. Banner When I first saw Farris, two thoughts occurred to me... -
Hopelessly Devoted by Piper Sheldon
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSkip has one goal: retrieve his romantically reckless best friend from Green Valley, Tennessee and get back to their normal life. Then Skip meets Jack. The handsome and caring stranger is just another distraction from his careful plans. Jack has dealt with more than his fair share of troubled men and is done with letting his guard down... -
The Alpha's Lifeguard- Kissed Omega by Lorelei M. Hart
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsMM Non-Shifter Mpreg Romance. I never learned how to swim. Fear had ruled over most of my life from fear of the water to my choice of alpha. Now that I’d left him, it was time to face all the facets of life. What I hadn’t expected was that my swimming teacher, the lifeguard at a local kids’ club would not only be the teacher I needed, but more...
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