Books like 'Hail Mary'
Readers who enjoyed Hail Mary by Nicole Dykes also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary romance small town enemies-to-lovers sports lgbtq mlm high-school grumpy-mc grumpy-sunshine
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The Resurrection of Wildflowers by Micalea Smeltzer
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIt took me a while to learn that sometimes no matter how much, or how hard you love someone, or something, you have to let them go. You can’t save a sinking ship.Sometimes, you have someone else you have to be strong for, who needs you more.You make a choice.A devastating one.And you hope, maybe one day, they’ll come back to you... -
If It Makes You Happy by Julie Olivia
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsMy new next-door neighbor seems to have everything figured out. Small town golden boy? Check. Single dad extraordinaire? Check. Hot baker forearms? I didn’t notice them, I swear.I, on the other hand, don’t–at all–have anything figured out.Trust me, I didn’t think taking over my mom’s dream bed and breakfast in Copper Run Vermont was going to be easy... -
Starting Over Scottish: A Grumpy Sunshine Holiday Romance by Tricia O'Malley
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratings...Categorized as:
cheerful-mc forced-proximity found-family grumpy-mc grumpy-sunshine adult book contemporary -
Southern Hotshot: An Enemies to Lovers Romance by Jessica Peterson
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsLusting after the woman trying to steal my job is stupid. Sexting with her? That’s a game-changing fumble.Emma Crawford became enemy number one the second she stepped foot on Blue Mountain Farm. She might think I’m just a dumb jock, but I know she’s a stuck-up wine snob who believes she’d be a better exec than me.She can take my position over my dead body...Categorized as:
cheerful-mc enemies-to-lovers friends-to-lovers grumpy-mc grumpy-sunshine slow-burn sports adult -
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Hand Picked by May Archer
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsOnce upon a time, I moved to Vermont… and wound up accidentally sort of married.Webb Sunday is the straight single dad next door.He’s lumberjack-gorgeous,Strong and steady as the trees in his family orchard,A grumpy fairytale prince...And entirely off-limits.Or so I thought.Until the drunken night the two of us walked into a bar…And landed ourselves in the middle of small-town history...Categorized as:
cheerful-mc enemies-to-lovers found-family friends-to-lovers grumpy-mc grumpy-sunshine lgbtq mlm -
Promise Me This by Karla Sorensen
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsImagine this: an author with a raging case of writer’s block finds an unexpected source of inspiration in her grumpy, gorgeous new roommate. Sounds amazing, right? Except that new roommate is my childhood best friend. And Ian Wilder has been off-limits since I was five... -
Love Notes & Lifelines by Avery Maxwell
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe job was simple. Always answer the phone—no exceptions—then solve the caller’s catastrophe as efficiently as possible.The rules were simpler. They contact you, not the other way around. Never give them your real name, number, or any personal information not required to help a newly single dad keep his head above water.And never, ever get involved with a caller... -
Strike Zone by Ginger Walls
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWYATT:All my friends are under the impression I’m only at Newhouse to chase women and play baseball. Those are two of my favorite pastimes.The truth is, Newhouse is my chance to save my family’s farm. If I don’t get drafted, we’ll lose everything we’ve been working hard to keep.Then I hear her sing and she’s all I can think about. It’s messing up my game and putting my future in jeopardy... -
Lilah by Ashlyn Montgomery
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsHe'd never met someone with such a bubbly personality. Not to mention the wildness and odd phrases she'd say every five minutes. He hates it. He hates how he can't stay away from it. He hates what she does to him; it's not like him to chase after some girl. She gets under his skin like no other.She'd never met someone with such a bad attitude. He's ill-mannered and menacing... -
Don't Go Away Mad by Lacey Black
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsJasperThe kitchen: it’s my domain, where I create the best burgers in the Midwest. I’m the man behind the grill at Burgers and Brew, the restaurant and bar I co-own with my best friends. Every night, we’re packed, the demand has never been this high. It’s the only way I want it, thriving and pushing myself to be the very best.Then she started her new business across the street from mine... -
Anti-Valentine by T. Ashleigh, Ashlyn Drewek
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThis Valentine’s Day…the bad boys come out to play…Get ready for an anti-Valentine to remember in this limited release M/M romance anthology. Sixteen authors have come together to bring you a collection of brand-new short stories with a combination of dark, enemies to lovers, and bully themes...Categorized as:
mlm lgbtq sports enemies-to-lovers forced-proximity high-school friends-to-lovers grumpy-sunshine -
Defender by Nicole Dykes
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsTravis WyattAll I’ve ever wanted was to go to college and get out of Kensley. That small town is all I’ve ever known. I want to be free to be myself, not stifled by small minds in the football-loving town where I grew up.And then I blew my one and only chance.So now, I’m just stuck. Stuck in small-town life, with the same small-town people I’ve always known. Stuck where I don’t want to be... -
Awaken My Heart by Kat Baxter
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAbraham:I already had my happy ending. Childhood sweethearts, my late wife and I made four beautiful kids together who are now grown and married off themselves. I’m content to be their old dad, tending to my ranch and my tomato plants. Until Emily Carson and her tempting curvy body and her smiles that she hands out like candy, crashes into my life making me want things I have no business wanting...Categorized as:
grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc grumpy-mc found-family forced-proximity romance age-gap insta-love -
Forsaken Oath by Penelope Black
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsBeau Carter: kingpin, blue-eyed playboy from across town, and the only man I’ve ever shared my secrets with.And now, my fiercest competition.I never planned on racing in the Gauntlet, but with my sisters depending on me, winning this tournament is the only way to keep our heads above water. I work for a crew that trades in secrets, and Beau runs the underground races that keep this town alive... -
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Christmas on Firefly Hill by Garrett Leigh
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe single dad and the rootless vagabond. Expect: a shy, hunky firefighter and an ethereal dancer down on his luck. A sizzling contemporary MM age-gap holiday romance. Mild hurt-comfort, found family, and friends-to-lovers galore. Firefighter Logan Halliwell doesn’t have much time for romance. A relentless work-life-balance and an expensive divorce have sucked the festive cheer from his days...Categorized as:
cheerful-mc forced-proximity found-family friends-to-lovers grumpy-mc grumpy-sunshine lgbtq mlm -
The One I Hate by Chelle Sloan
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsI hate Simon Banks.I also hate tequila. The first makes my blood boil with his devilish smirk and giant…ego. The second makes me do questionable things. Specifically, with Simon. Fine. Whatever. It’s a blip on my radar. Even though I can’t stop thinking about memories of our night…or his hands…and that mouth... -
Rough Country by Kelly Fox
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsGood fences do NOT make good neighbors, especially when that neighbor is a city boy with more dollars than sense.Emery McAvoy is a walking disaster who should never be allowed to step foot on another ladder. Heck, I’d bet my favorite Golden Girls T-shirt that he rearranged his entire life because his ten-year-old daughter likes ponies...Categorized as:
mlm lgbtq grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc grumpy-mc enemies-to-lovers found-family forced-proximity -
Lot 62 by Nordika Night
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsEvery fairytale had a villain, and this way of life was ours. Coming from nothing and gaining something is a lot to handle. Can they hang on to it? A year after moving in together on Lot 62, Devon and Maddox have a whole new dynamic to adjust to—cohabitation. Merging their personalities and energies into one tiny trailer is a lot to handle, but so is their relationship...Categorized as:
mlm sports lgbtq enemies-to-lovers found-family forced-proximity grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc -
Stay by Willow Aster
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsA scorching hot small town, age gap, single father/nanny romance by USA Today bestselling author Willow Aster... -
Just Like That by Lena Hendrix
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsHe’s my sister’s ex, a stubborn jerk, and completely off-limits.Getting a man to give up custody of a son he didn’t know existed should have been easy. Trouble is, nothing with JP King is ever easy.Suave, grumpy billionaires aren’t supposed to have strong hands or filthy mouths, and I never expected our snippy banter to be so much fun... -
Wild Card by Maggie C. Gates
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIt’s crazy how three seconds can change your life.For Steve Pelham, those three seconds happened in a doctor’s office. His wife—the girl he had been madly in love with since elementary school—was given a terminal diagnosis. Years of being dragged through an endless cycle of betting on science and miracles to save the love of his life? Useless... -
Hide and Peak by Victoria Wilder
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAlluring. Sexy. Liar. The newest stranger in Strutt's Peak has a mouth as loud and captivating as the bright tattoos drawn all over her body. But she's no stranger to me. Because I’ve met her.I’ve kissed her lips.And I'm the only one who knows her secret.She’s supposed to be dead.Now, I hide the truth and keep her safe. Pretend we never met. Try to forget I ever touched her... -
Upping the Ante by Emma St. Clair
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHe's been the grumpiest boss a woman could ask for--or he WAS until I quit. But former football star Deacon Clark doesn't seem to be getting the memo. Instead, he tags along with me to Sheet Cake, Texas, where I'm hoping to start a new business.Deacon's only hope is to hire me back as his assistant. At least, that's what I thought. Until ... the very clear lines we've always kept start to blur... -
Burned & Bound by A. Winchester
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIt was one kiss and a promise of tomorrow…WESTLoving Jackson Myles almost cost me my life. I ran, going wherever the wind took me. I did things I’m not proud of to survive. When I inherit my half of Double Arrow Ranch, I mean to sell. I want nothing to do with Jackson or that place. But my dad’s will requires I work the ranch for one year or I’ll forfeit the sale...Categorized as:
mlm slow-burn friends-to-lovers lgbtq enemies-to-lovers grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc grumpy-mc -
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Resting Beach Face by D.J. Jamison
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHe's the only man who doesn't want me...and the only one I really need.Cash and Declan's story is coming soon in Resting Beach Face! This will be Book 4 of Swallow Cove, which follows a tight-knit group of friends in a quirky lake town...Categorized as:
mlm lgbtq friends-to-lovers found-family grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc grumpy-mc slow-burn -
Drama! by A.J. Truman
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMy arch nemesis is now my fake boyfriend. Can you say drama? Uptight drama teacher Everett and cocky jock Raleigh must pretend to be boyfriends at an upcoming wedding in order for Everett to save face in front of his mega-famous ex...Categorized as:
cheerful-mc enemies-to-lovers found-family grumpy-mc grumpy-sunshine lgbtq mlm slow-burn -
One Last Play by Annah Conwell
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsShe could be the one. I’ve spent twelve years caring for my niece Maddie who I adopted after my sister died. Having a daughter has made me picky when it comes to the women I spend time with. Not to mention dealing with the pressure of being a college football coach. But when I spot MJ at a mutual friend’s wedding, something draws me toward her...Categorized as:
sports grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc grumpy-mc friends-to-lovers forced-proximity slow-burn romance -
Homebound by Meredith Trapp
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsShe’s Texas's toughest bull rider, and he’s determined to win her heart.Dakota and Wyatt. Storm and sunshine. Growing up, they were as inseparable as a pair of cowboy boots. The best of friends—or so Dakota thought... -
Let Your Hearts Be Light by Fae Quin
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsA stranger is just someone you haven’t been forced to spend Christmas with yet.Baxter: As a 42-year-old single father the last thing I expected before Christmas was for my daughter to sign me up for a community matchmaking event...Categorized as:
mlm lgbtq grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc grumpy-mc enemies-to-lovers forced-proximity slow-burn -
A Lifetime Kissing You by Riley Hart
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsCharlesI have a great family, a successful career, and never struggle to find the company of a man when I want it, and I do—often. The loss of my brother years ago is the one dark spot in an otherwise perfect life. But at forty-three, my world suddenly feels emptier than it should. Something’s missing... -
The Little Things by Jessica Prince
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsI’ll admit, I made more than my fair share of stupid decisions, but all it took was an accidental felony and a teensy kitchen fire to turn my life upside down.When my parents cut me off, selling my swanky Los Angeles apartment and shipping me off to some ranch in the middle of nowhere to teach me a lesson, I thought it was the worst thing that could happen to me... -
Just Don't Fall by Emma St. Clair
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsBefore Logan Barnes was hockey’s hottest bad boy, he was my brother’s best friend … and my first crush. Oh, yeah--and the guy who ghosted me and broke my teenage heart.Now Logan is back in Harvest Hollow, but not willingly. Recovering from an injury (and some bad press), he’s stuck playing for our minor league team. Which means I’ll be working with him almost daily...Categorized as:
sports friends-to-lovers grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc grumpy-mc forced-proximity slow-burn romance -
One Night by Lena Hendrix
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsDuke Sullivan is the oldest brother of my family’s hated rival. He also happens to be my good morning text and the man I have no right to have a secret crush on. Duke is strictly forbidden.After months of keeping our friendship hidden, the stars align, sparks ignite, and we finally give into temptation... -
A Gift-Wrapped Holiday by Amy Aislin
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsMal's first priority is giving his six-year-old son the best Christmas ever, a goal made trickier by a recent move to New England after losing his job. As a single dad, he's not looking for romance—especially not with a blond California boy ten years his junior...Categorized as:
cheerful-mc found-family friends-to-lovers grumpy-mc grumpy-sunshine lgbtq mlm slow-burn -
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Shortbread & the Scotsman by Lana Dash
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAINSLIEThere is nothing like Christmas in the Highlands of Scotland. Our village is known for many festivals, but nothing compares to the Christmas Matchmaking Festival. People visit from all over the Highlands, but there is only one Scotsman that I wish to be matched with this Christmas. But after a kiss and a misunderstanding over the summer, he's given me the cold shoulder... -
Like I Pretended by Charlie Novak
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsPretending to be in love never felt so real. Henry Lu hates being a superstar. Action movies have left a sour taste in his mouth and filming a queer period drama on the Yorkshire coast sounds like the perfect antidote. Meeting grumpy coffee shop owner, Alex, is the cherry on top... -
Meant To Be: A Prequel Daddy Novella by Sammi Cee
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsPJ couldn't be more surprised that he needs a Daddy in the bedroom...Joel and PJ met as pre-teens at Takoda Outreach Center. They’ve shared every secret, first as best friends, then roommates. But now that they’ve graduated from college, adulting presents circumstances and unforeseen problems that they never saw coming... -
Jaxon by Ruby Raynes
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratings***Jaxon - Love in Ink - Book 2***AlexMy life is going fine. Okay, it was going fine until I found myself both homeless—my trusty car Trixie on her last leg—and in need of a fake fiancé. What I don't expect is for Jaxon, my long-time crush and the owner of Ink Me, to come swooping in like a knight in shining armor...Categorized as:
mlm friends-to-lovers lgbtq found-family forced-proximity romance contemporary age-gap -
Ryder by Charlotte Mallory
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratings"I'd say I could show you what being choked out feels like, but not sure we'd be talking about the same thing," he effortlessly adds... -
Golden Hour: A Porch Bitches Novel by Chelsie Hart
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThey say to mind your own biscuits and life will be gravy. If only.June McCawley has been the golden girl of Maple Creek, Illinois since she was old enough to walk. The people in her town have always been in her corner, active participants in her successes. But after she experiences a professional tragedy, June loses faith in herself and the girl everyone always said was perfect. Enter Grady Nash... -
The Reno by Maggie Grant
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe Reno is a grumpy-sunshine romcom for fans of Tessa Bailey and Talia Hibbert, with the quirky characters of Gilmore Girls. Love wasn’t in the plan…When self-proclaimed flop Kat Williams moves miles north to Everly Heath to refurbish her late father’s childhood home, she thinks it will be a quick fixer-upper... -
Lovers Heights by Annie Dyer
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe deal was simple… Pretend to be in a relationship without falling for each other. Only I’m not sure I can hold my end of the bargain. I’m the sensible one out of my brothers. The reliable one. The one who doesn’t make hasty decisions. Or at least that was me until Ruby Murray turned up in my small town with her long legs and red lips, and a secret she needed me to help keep... -
Banger by Kiki Clark
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIf there was one thing Kevin knew, it was that his BFF’s ex was bad news.Hank is arrogant, a sloppy drunk, and a complete flirt. And he didn't treat Kevin’s friend the way he deserved.Enough said.It doesn’t matter that everyone else has forgiven and forgotten what happened between Hank and Kevin’s bestie. He won’t let himself fall for the older man’s sweet words or endearments... -
Sweet as Pie by Beth Bolden
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsLuca Moretti is grumpy—and he wouldn't have it any other way.Wrangling six—Italian—siblings and the family's restaurants would make anyone cranky. But when his mother requests that he save his aunt’s struggling Italian deli in charming, picturesque Indigo Bay, he has no idea that he's about to get an overdose of sweetness... -
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Falling Embers by Romeo Alexander
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsOne freak accident is all it takes to rip open the closet doors and threaten the peace I’ve fought my entire life to gain.Isaiah Bently is everything I’m not. Rich and charismatic, with a smoking hot body earned through years of hauling people out of burning buildings, he’s the kind of guy everyone either wants to be or wants to be with...Categorized as:
mlm lgbtq friends-to-lovers forced-proximity grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc grumpy-mc found-family -
Second Time's the Charm by Stephanie Rose
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe only woman I’ve ever loved is the one I can’t have.Going from uncle to father overnight meant me moving back to my hometown after two decades away. Now, I’m trying to pick up the pieces and do right by a little girl who just wants her mom.When my twentieth high school reunion rolls around, I come face-to-face with Emily, the ex whose heart I broke before she could break mine...Categorized as:
sports slow-burn friends-to-lovers found-family romance contemporary fiction small-town -
Package Makes Perfect by Lauren Connolly
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWhen a man cheats, don’t go postal. Date a postman.Robin Dunn is used to dealing with egotistical men. After years in the military and working in the male-dominated field of aviation mechanics, Robin thought she could tell the good guys from the bad. She even moved to the small town of Green Valley for a man she planned to build a life with... -
Below Grade by Elle Keaton
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA serious health scare forces Martin Purdy to rethink his life. He quits his job, sells his house, and buys a set of fixer-upper cabins on the coast. There’s just one teensy problem. Along with the property comes a very angry man. Nicholas Waugh had his own scare, bad enough that he slunk back to the crappy town he grew up in...Categorized as:
mlm slow-burn lgbtq forced-proximity grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc grumpy-mc enemies-to-lovers -
Knockin' Boats by D.J. Jamison
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSawyerThere was a time Ash and I were unseparable.When I moved high schools, we went from friends to rivals. I could deal with that. But when my girlfriend dropped me for him? We became enemies overnight.The Ozarks is a big lake, but somehow he's always in my way. First at a flashy rival boat company, where we're always knockin' boats on booze cruises. Sometimes literally...Categorized as:
enemies-to-lovers mlm friends-to-lovers lgbtq found-family romance contemporary small-town -
Landing Levi by Jaclyn Quinn
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSage Rafferty I've wanted Levi ever since my friend Cole introduced us. When Levi moved to my hometown of Coral Pointe Inlet, I thought I finally had a chance to land the sexy, misunderstood man. After months of trying, though, it's clear he doesn't want me the way I want him. Putting some space between us is the only way to reclaim some of my dignity...
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