Books like 'Playing For Keeps'
Readers who enjoyed Playing For Keeps by Janet Gurtler also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary romance athlete male-mc high-school sports coming-of-age
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Remember Us This Way by Sheridan Anne
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsNoah Ryan was my whole life. From start to end, it was always him.He taught me pain, patience, forgiveness, and the impact of the footprints I will leave in the sands of time. But most of all, he taught me what it meant to truly give my heart to another. It was short-lived and intense—a soul-shattering type of love—but it was mine, and I clung to it right until the end.Noah Ryan was my salvation... -
Claiming 10 by Chloe Walsh
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsBook four in the Boys of Tommen series.Release date subject to change.Blurb coming soon.Based in Ireland, the Boys of Tommen series is bound to captivate and lure you into the world of rugby, love, and teenage heartbreak.* Warning *Some scenes in this book may be extremely upsetting for some readers... -
Pepped Up & Wilder by Ali Dean
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsPepper: The best part of a happy ending... finding out it's actually just the beginning. Having someone promise to be by your side, to chase dreams with, whisper troubles to, it's more than I could have imagined. But after three seasons of Jace playing pro ball in Ohio, three long seasons, with him on the road, and me training all over the world, I’m questioning if we can really have it all... -
Losing an Edge by Catherine Gayle
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIn any other family, Levi “501” Babcock would have been the golden boy. Instead, he’s lived his entire life in the shadow of his almost-perfect older brother. They both play for the NHL’s Portland Storm, but Levi is tired of being the second-best Babcock brother. He’s determined to find at least one thing he can do better... -
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151 Days by John Goode
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWith just 151 days left until the school year ends, Kyle Stilleno is running out of time to fulfill the promise he made and change Foster, Texas, for the better. But Kyle and his boyfriend, Brad Graymark, have more than just intolerance to deal with. Life, college, love, and sex have a way of distracting them, and they’re realizing Foster is a bigger place than they thought... -
Fighting For You by Gianna Gabriela, Lauren Dawes
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratings"Once I started this book I couldn’t put it down. Jesse and Zoe’s story is beautifully written, thank you Gianna Gabriela. It’s a must read." Jesse Falcon has dedicated his life to one cause: to fight against that which has taken so much from him. He’s learned the hard way that if you want something to be done, you have to do it yourself. No more waiting for others to make a difference... -
One Timer by Toni Aleo
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsYou’ve known Harper Allen and Jakob Titov since you met them in Taking Shots. You know their story already, right? Ha! You only think you do. In One-Timer, they’ll tell it for themselves. Harper has been hurt so many times, and she has no interest in anything more than a one-time thing, but Jakob Titov has other ideas. He is looking for his forever... -
Fourth and Inches by Kata Čuić
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsRob’s life is spiraling out of control. All his carefully made plans have been laid to waste. His friends aren’t speaking to him; he’s estranged from his family. Drafted to the worst team in the NFL, everything he’s worked so hard for seems to be slipping away. The only thing he’s still sure of is that he needs Evie. Evie is lost...Categorized as:
athlete coming-of-age sports book contemporary female-author fiction friends-to-lovers -
Nate by Kat Mizera
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsTo win, you have to play the game... Rising hockey star Nate Calloway has overcome a lot to get where he is. Playing professional hockey for the Las Vegas Sidewinders, he plans to keep his head down and do the one thing he’s good at: hockey. Everything is going according to plan until a gorgeous, spunky journalist falls into his lap... -
Deflected by Jami Davenport
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAlexander “Rush” Markov has been given an ultimatum by his team—shape up or ship out. Alex is celebrating his biggest season in professional hockey, and he’s enjoying every minute of it—perhaps a little too much. He’s been non-stop partying like a rockstar since his team won it all, and management isn’t pleased... -
Missed Notes by L.A. Cotton
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFrom USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author L A Cotton, comes an emotional brother's best friend romance. Angst... drama... friendship... and football. Will you survive senior year?Sofia Bennet has always imagined a bright future ahead of her.But sometimes, life has other plans, and suddenly, you’re walking a different path.Cole Kandon has always sacrificed his dreams for others... -
The Wolfe Brothers Trilogy by Jami Davenport
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThree sports. Three broken brothers. Torn apart by tragedy and forever bound by traumatic pasts. Thrust together once again when their paths cross in Seattle. MELTING ICE Brimming with attitude and broken beyond repair, Isaac "Ice" Wolfe has a heart as cold as his nickname, and he likes it that way--until he meets his neighbor Avery Maxwell... -
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... -
Out of Ruins by Michele G. Miller
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratings“Guilt. A painful, lonely feeling. It seeps into your pores slowly as you go through life day by day. Like a disease, it blackens your heart with thoughts and memories of what you did, or in my case, what you didn’t do.” Surviving the storm was only the beginning for Jules. Surviving the guilt? That is something only love can help her overcome... -
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Penalty Play by Jami Davenport
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSingle dad and star defenseman Matt LaRue lives for his kids and hockey. He's had one failed marriage and doesn't have any interest in going through that hell again. As conservative as they come, he can't comprehend his unexplainable attraction to a free-spirited female who changes hair color more often than his boys create new excuses to avoid doing their homework... -
These Dark Hearts by L.A. Cotton
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsHarleigh Wren Maguire has loved Phoenix Wilder for as long as she can remember.He's everything she isn't.Brave.Reckless.One-hundred percent unapologetic.But it's Halloween... the perfect excuse to dress up and be someone you're not. To step out of your comfort zone and do things you wouldn't usually do.And Harleigh is determined to make her best friend notice her for once.There's only one problem... -
Waiting Game by Chloe Walsh
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsDaryl King I lived my life by the three-never rules. 1. Never back down. 2. Never break down. 3. Never look back. The past was behind us for a reason. As for my past? Well, most of it felt like a dream – more like a horrible nightmare – and for years, I allowed myself to believe just that. Denial was my friend because my memories couldn't be trusted... -
Heller Brothers Hockey - A Five Book Hockey Romance Collection by Kelly Jamieson
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAn amazing opportunity to own all 5 Heller Brothers Hockey romances In One Limited Edition Digital Boxed Set... -
Coen by Sawyer Bennett
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsCoen Highsmith was a league star, but he lost more than his team the day the Pittsburgh Titans’ plane crashed... -
When Fall Breaks by Julie Solano, Tracy Justice
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsKaitlyn Woodley is a beautiful, determined, high school senior who embraces her small-town roots and country life. She’s studious, musically gifted, and headed for a successful career in swimming. Her dreams are well within her reach. That is until she becomes tangled up with the handsome rodeo cowboy, Pistol Black... -
Playmaker: A Seattle Sockeyes Puck Brothers Novel by Jami Davenport
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsKADEN: My teammates think she's married. I think it's more than that.Other than her name, I don't know anything about her, but I can't get enough of her. She's my obsession, my world, my everything. If only she would let me in, tell me why she's terrified, why she stays in the shadows, why she can't be seen in public.Then, as quickly as she came into my life, she disappears... -
Halftime Husband by Erin McCarthy
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsRunning into a man once is an accident. Twice is a coincidence. Three times makes it fate... right? Unless he is now your grumpy boss who holds the future of your fading dance career in his hands. And you hooked up with him when he was just a mysterious stranger rescuing you…My life is a hot mess... -
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... -
Rookie by Eddie Cleveland
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratings* Although part of a series, you will enjoy it as a standalone as well! Rookie is everything you love in an MM first time gay romance. A journey of self-discovery, the undeniable sparks with the man who makes him question everything, the moment of realization, the secret relationship, and coming out... -
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Love Emerged by Michelle Lynn
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsDylan Bea Zanders’s interest penetrated me. I tried to ignore her unwavering eyes and lasting touches. But my willpower failed me. Our one-night affair was mutual. No expectations, no exchanging of phone numbers, nothing. The next morning, she sauntered out of my life as fast as she had entered it. Bea I claimed Dylan McCain as soon as I saw him... -
Love & Other Inconveniences by Catherine Cloud
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsMorgan Boyle wants two things in life: to play hockey and to be left alone. Noah Andersson is loud, outgoing and probably hasn’t stopped talking since he learned how to say words. When Morgan ends up on a team with Noah at the Olympics, they get closer than either of them expected, and even when they’ve returned home Morgan still finds himself drawn to Noah... -
Seattle Sockeyes Hockey Boxed Set: Games 1-3 by Jami Davenport
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsGet a front row seat as the Seattle Sockeyes hockey team plays their inaugural season in Seattle. Watch these hot hockey players fall in love and win the biggest games of their lives in this Game On in Seattle sports romance bundle by USA Today bestselling author Jami Davenport... -
Dear McKinnon by Danielle Keil
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsEveryone knows what it means to have a teal envelope taped to their locker on the first day of the month. Everyone except new girl McKinnon Gregory.The envelope is the start of a monthly tradition called the Secret Admirers, and something McKinnon never thought she'd see. To her surprise-- and everyone else's-- the teal envelope is taped to her locker on March first... -
Away Games by Misha Horne
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsOne step forward… and then what?When you live your whole life just wishing for things to be good enough, suddenly having everything you ever dreamed about is pretty unsettling. Safety, security, love… not the senior year I expected.Coach T calling me into his office, talking about untapped potential, didn’t see that coming either... -
Bodychecking: Seattle Sockeyes Hockey by Jami Davenport
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAs the wild child of the family, Bellani Maxwell isn’t interested in settling down. Between a fledgling party crashing business, teaching self-defense at a martial arts studio, and hitting the bar every night, she has her hands full. She doesn’t need the added responsibility or commitment of a relationship... -
My Second Chance by Natasha L. Black
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSecrets always have a way of coming back to bite you,And I’m about to get bit big time…Graham was the star pitcher of our high school team,I was the theater nerd I never thought he’d notice.Until one day he did, and it changed my life forever.Fast forward five years and he sees me in the stands,He gives me one hot night and a heck of a secret to keep... -
The Book of David by Anonymous
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA told B, and B told C, I'll meet you at the top of the coconut treeIn this lively alphabet rhyme, all the letters of the alphabet race each other up the coconut tree. Will there be enough room? Oh, no -- Chicka Chicka Boom Boom!The well-known authors of Barn Dance and Knots on a Counting Rope have created a rhythmic alphabet chant that rolls along on waves of fun... -
Body Check by Lisa B. Kamps
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsBaltimore Banners defenseman Randy Michaels has a reputation for hard-hitting, on and off the ice. But he's getting older, and his agent has warned that there are younger, less-expensive players who are eager to take his place on the team... -
Extra Innings by Michelle Lynn
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsI’m the crazy fun one. Pedal to the floor, balls to the wall, party all weekend guy. The guy everybody calls for laughs and a good time. And I always deliver. So, when Ainsley Winslow and I made a pact for a summer fling, I was all in. What hot-blooded college male doesn’t jump at the chance for a no strings attached relationship? Not this one... -
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The Slope Rules by Melanie Hooyenga
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFifteen-year old Cally accepted her fate as one of the guys, so when she meets Blake, a hot snowboarder who sees her for more than her aerials on the slopes, she falls fast and hard. But their romance can only last as long as vacation. Or so she thinks... -
The Blake Legacy by Rhonda Laurel
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsTwo lovers. Two dreams. One hell of a hard decision… NFL quarterback Seth Blake is having an unbelievable hot streak—he’s won his third Super Bowl title the same day his wife Morgan gave birth to their son. Life couldn’t be better for the new father and MVP... -
Show Time: A Bad Boy Sports Romance by KB Winters
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsI can melt the snow with one look and make Mother Nature wish she could change her panties. Carson I’ve been sitting on the bench for longer than I care to admit. A fluke accident throws me into the playoff game as starting quarterback in the biggest blizzard of the year. The weight of the team going to the Super bowl falls on my shoulders... -
Dare You to Chase the Soccer Player by Lacy Andersen
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA little dare never hurt anybody...It seems like all a girl needs these days is a little mascara and concealer blended over her acne scars to make her mark on the world – especially if she wants to become a famous makeup artist. I’m only a junior in high school, but I’ve got major goals... -
Penalty Box by Casey Hagen, Echo Grayce
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratings**Penalty Box is the prequel to the Straight No Chaser series**I’m the bad boy who will stain his soul to keep her safe.She’s a runner.Always has been...at least, she’s always run from me.Our history repeats relentlessly.Longing.Secret trysts.Pounding hearts.Fiery stolen kisses.Her retreating back.Now she’s home, hunted by someone sinister... -
Going All the Way by Megan Ryder
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHe’s looking for redemption. After destroying his reputation, Jason Friar is desperate to make a comeback in Major League Baseball. The only team who will have him is the perennial cellar dwellers, the Georgia Knights, who are looking for a leader for their struggling team. With the contract comes a leash, held by a sexy image consultant with whom he had a hot fling.. -
The Rebound by Colleen Charles
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe first time I saw her, I stopped dead in my tracks. From her long blonde hair to her piercing gaze that can see straight through to my soul, she slayed me. My sweet, innocent Hannah. When I’m with her, I feel unstoppable. She’s my angel. I have to have her and I always get what I want. Even if it means putting my budding NHL career on the line... -
You Walked In by Tia Louise
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAn opposites-attract, sports-romance novella Daisy’s just trying to finish high school. Scout’s just trying to escape. Neither is looking for love, until… (The TWIST OF FATE Prequel story readers demanded..Categorized as:
male-mc high-school sports contemporary friends-to-lovers small-town new-adult fiction -
Caged by Elise Faber
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsShy.God, she was so painfully, awkwardly shy.Blurting out the wrong thing at the wrong time? Check.Puking in front of the class when she’d needed to give a speech? Double check.Critically, embarrassingly unable to summon any semblance of a rational thought when in the presence of an attractive man? Triple check.And she was surrounded by gorgeous, sexy men on a daily basis... -
Shoot The Gap by Jordan Ford
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe final book in a young adult romance series about a small town football team and the girls who win their hearts. Tyler Schumann has always been known as Nelson High’s goofy clown, the guy with the big mouth...Categorized as:
high-school sports coming-of-age romance young-adult contemporary friends-to-lovers fiction -
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Dare You to Resist the Bull Rider by Lacy Andersen
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA little dare never hurt anybody...My sophomore year at Rock Valley High was a total downer. Joining the wrong crowd and nearly getting drowned aren’t exactly things I want to write about on my college admission essays.But my best friend, Hunter, is moving back home from spending a year on his grandpa’s ranch...Categorized as:
sports high-school coming-of-age romance young-adult western friends-to-lovers contemporary -
The Impact Zone by Jordan Ford
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA nomad. A wallflower. A riptide of romance…Savannah enjoys living in the shelter of her best friend’s shadow. But when a mysterious accident sends her BFF into a coma, Savannah is left adrift...Categorized as:
sports athlete male-mc coming-of-age romance young-adult season-summer action-adventure -
Zambonis and Mistletoe by Melody Heck Gatto, Kat McCarthy
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratings**** COMING DECEMBER 2015 **** This is a cute holiday story about Rylee Davis. Rylee has sad things in her life that she needed to overcome, she's put it off for too many years. Holding on to a past love and missing her Grandfather was making the holidays harder than she expected. The enchanted spirit of Christmas plays a part in helping her find what she needs to finally move on... -
Fumbled Past by Lauren Runow
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsTwenty years have passed, yet not one thing in my hometown has changed … even the man I left behind.I was the girl no one could touch because they all feared my father. He was a legend, the head football coach who had created this town’s Friday night lights. Only two football players dared to win my heart—the boy next door and the new guy in town...Categorized as:
sports high-school coming-of-age athlete romance young-adult love-triangle friends-to-lovers -
Don't Taunt Me by Kai Juniper
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsBrook saved me.Tamed the monster within me.But my past brought it back.It knocked on my door and everything fell apart.I thought I was stronger than that.But I'm not. Not yet. Not even with Brook's love.My past taunts me.It fuels my rage.If I can't get control of it, I'll lose it all.Everything I've worked for.I won't let that happen.I've come too far to go back... -
Dear Kerri by Danielle Keil
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsEveryone at Ryder High knows what it means to have a teal envelope taped to their locker on the first day of the month.But for Kerri Thomas, it’s not quite the moment she was waiting for.Busy with school, friends, and volleyball, she doesn’t know if she has time to play along and figure out who her Secret Admirer is...Categorized as:
coming-of-age sports romance young-adult contemporary friends-to-lovers fiction book
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