Books like 'Worth the Wait'
Readers who enjoyed Worth the Wait by Evey Lyon also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary romance small town sports forced-proximity second-chances
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Pretty It Up: The Donovans by Cee Bowerman
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsDescriptionSometimes love just isn’t enough, or is it?Lana Gold, one of the Donovan triplets, found her one true love in college but lost him when the life he’d dreamed of became reality. Being an outsider looking in and so far away from her family and hometown took its toll on Lana and her marriage until she’d finally had enough and left it all behind...Categorized as:
sports second-chances romance contemporary family small-town friends-to-lovers marriage -
When Alec Met Evie by Jenny Proctor
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsEvie told herself not to fall for her pro-hockey crush. But when she sees him holding her baby girl, all bets are off. When Evie moves South to the same mountain town where her childhood crush plays pro-hockey, she arms herself with all the reasons why she can’t fall for him again.Number one: Alec is her best friend’s much older brother...Categorized as:
sports forced-proximity romance contemporary friends-to-lovers fiction small-town age-gap -
Touchdown by Lisa Suzanne
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAs much as I’ve coached the pro football quarterback to believe he always has a choice, this time I’m the one backed into a corner.My biggest fears have come true. I’m an adult living with my parents as I contemplate my future. I’ve given up everything to make the ultimate sacrifice, but at some point I need to put what happened behind me... -
Spare Me by Tara Sivec
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsRyan Hutton has spent his entire life being the shy, nerdy, rule-following nice guy on Summersweet Island. He’s the high school bowling coach and algebra teacher, who’s always predictable, and he’s always been fine with that. At least until a sexy nutjob gives him the best kiss of his life in his favorite pizza place. Suddenly, he doesn’t like being the quiet, obedient nice guy anymore... -
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Reunited in Good Hope by Cindy Kirk
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsHe remembers the heat. She remembers the heartbreak. Twenty years later do they still have a shot at love? When an injury puts NFL star Krew Slattery’s future in question, he returns to his hometown of Good Hope. He plans to lay low, until he runs into Cassie Lohmeier. Krew has never forgotten the one amazing night they shared, and unfortunately for him, Cassie hasn’t either.. -
Mixed Up with a Marine by Kait Nolan
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsCan a Marine turned baker and a jaded contractor find their way to a second chance?Braxton Whitmore needs a change. After leaving the Marines, he’s free to build a new life. But is he gonna be a baker? Really? When his buddy inherits a decrepit bar and proposes they partner up to turn it into a bakery, Brax figures why not? Until his ex comes walking in...Categorized as:
forced-proximity second-chances action-adventure adult audiobook book contemporary crime -
In The Weeds by B.K. Borison
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsEvelyn St. James isn’t the kind of woman you forget.Beckett Porter certainly hasn’t. One incredible weekend in Maine, and he’s officially a man distracted. He’s not unfamiliar with hot and heavy flings. He knows how it goes. But Evie wove some sort of magic over him during their tumble in the sheets. He can’t stop thinking about her laugh. Her hand pressed flat against his chest... -
The Deeper I Fall by Erika Kelly
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHe's a rough and rugged hockey player. She's a posh British princess. To win an enormous inheritance, they’re forced to live together.This is not going to go well.When his former hockey coach passes away, Declan Cadell is shocked to learn the man left him a cattle ranch. Well, not exactly. He’s got one little hurdle to jump first... -
The Path to Loving Him by Meghan Quinn
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFrom New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Meghan Quinn comes a new forced proximity, single dad romantic comedy. This steamy, laugh out loud, enemies-to-lovers, small town standalone romance delivers the perfect happily ever after. What does one do when they completely blow an interview?If you're me, you pick up a one-night stand with the most gorgeous man you've ever seen.Categorized as:
sports forced-proximity romance audiobook contemporary small-town enemies-to-lovers workplace -
Leave Me Breathless: A small town brother's best friend romance by Carrie Elks
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsShe’s his best friend’s little sister. Completely off-limits. And now she’s moving in with him…When Gabe Winter’s best friend calls with an unusual request – give his broken-hearted little sister a roof over her head for a few months – he readily accepts.But he doesn’t expect Nicole to be quite so enticing. Or for her to bring out all the feelings in him... -
On Thin Ice (Bedroom Games) by Piper Rayne
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe Winter Games have begun… I’m the life of the party. A little loud and some buzz kills might say obnoxious, but if you’re around me I guarantee you’ll have a good time. Unless your name is Demi Harrison. If that’s the case, you’d act like I’m the devil incarnate and go out of your way to avoid me. Which makes zero sense because at the last Olympic Games I rocked her world...Categorized as:
forced-proximity second-chances sports adult alpha-mc book contemporary enemies-to-lovers -
Wild and Wicked by Mari Carr
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThere are worse things than getting trapped in a cabin during a blizzard with her best friend’s big brother, hockey star, Elio!Gianna, queen of to-do lists, clean freak, organizer extraordinaire, has her future all figured out. Dream job at twenty-four, engaged at twenty-six, married at twenty-eight, first baby at thirty. And she’s on her way to achieving that…sort of... -
Ever Mine by Laura Pavlov
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsHe’s hockey’s golden boy, my new client, and the man I’ve avoided for the last nine years. I was hired to fix him—but he’s not the only one who’s broken.Hawk Madden was my first love.I thought he would be my forever.But life wasn’t always fair.And grief could be a cruel beast.Fight or flight?I’d always run.But now he’s back in my life after all these years.With one look.One touch.One kiss...Categorized as:
forced-proximity second-chances sports adult athlete book coming-of-age contemporary -
Mister Baller by Cassie-Ann L. Miller
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMy college rival. My ex-husband's best friend.My new roommate? Oh, boy.The last thing I want is to rent my spare bedroom to my ex-husband's best friend.His six-foot-three, dimple-faced, alphahole best friend.His injured-professional-football-player best friend.But desperate times, desperate measures, y'know?I can't afford to hold grudges. These heaping bills of mine won't pay themselves... -
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Silent Chaos by Nikki Ash
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsBraxtonOur senior year, I promised my girl forever. Forever, as it turned out, wasn't enough. She told me so in her actions. When she took a match to my life, burning it to ash. I headed to LA with my band—Raging Chaos—like we always planned, while Kaylee went to college, taking my damaged heart with her. This was where our story was supposed to end. Only six years later, our lives collide again...Categorized as:
forced-proximity second-chances adult angst book contemporary enemies-to-lovers family -
The Problem with Players by Brittainy C. Cherry
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAs a female coach, I’ve always lived by a simple mantra: throw hard, swing for the fences, and never, ever look back--especially when it comes to past flames.So when my ex-boyfriend somehow manages to land the job as my new assistant coach, my life is flipped upside down. The game I thought I'd mastered is now being played with a whole new set of rules.My ex is baseball's all-star Nathan Pierce... -
California Dreaming by Bella Andre, Nicky Arden
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMeet the Davenport family! Six brothers and sisters who call picturesque Carmel-by-the-Sea home. Successful, brilliant, and passionate, the only thing they all still need is the perfect partner in love and life. Hotshot movie star Archer Davenport has never met a stunt he couldn’t ace, a challenge he couldn’t overcome, or a woman he couldn’t have... -
Seaside Hearts by Melissa Foster
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsJenna Ward is vivacious, spontaneous, and confident—except when she’s around the man who stole her heart years earlier, strikingly handsome, quiet, and reliable Pete Lacroux. After years of trying to get his attention and overwhelmed from dealing with her mother’s new cougar lifestyle, Jenna’s giving up on Peter—and is ready to explore other men... -
Turnover by Lisa Suzanne
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsI’m in love with a man who is marrying somebody else. At least that’s what was supposed to happen when I was kicked out of the wedding last night by the bride’s father. I find myself without a job, without a home, and without the pro football quarterback I’ve fallen for... -
Just One Kiss: A Second Chance Holiday Standalone by J. Saman
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe heart wants what it wants and mine has never stopped wanting her.London Canterbury and I were never meant to be. Her family was rich. She was cheer captain. The most popular girl in our school while I was the opposite. Poor, nerdy, and invisible. Eight years ago, I kissed the hell out of her, knowing I was never going to see her again. Or so I thought...Categorized as:
forced-proximity second-chances adult anthologies contemporary fiction holidays humor -
Off the Market at Christmas by Chelle Sloan
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe saying goes that nice guys finish last. The more accurate statement is that nice guys and nerds finish last. We don’t get the girl. We don’t get the happily ever after. Even if it is the one thing we’ve asked for from Santa Claus this Christmas. So when Presley Dawson comes back into my life after twenty years, I don’t even try... -
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:
second-chances sports anthologies contemporary fiction high-school new-adult small-town -
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... -
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... -
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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... -
Love is Coming to Town by Alexa Rivers, Claire Wilder
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWhat’s a small town Christmas without a little romance?Fake relationships, second chances, friends to lovers, and sexy brother’s best friends.Mix in some small town gossip, meddling matchmakers, and Christmas magic and you have a perfect holiday escape. Finding His Cheer by Claire WilderHe loved and lost. She’s just lost... -
All The Little Things by Rachel Leigh
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFrom USA Today bestselling author Rachel Leigh comes an angsty brother's best friend, standalone romance. Four years ago my life was forever changed.One kiss.One moment.Five words."Enjoy all the little things."That's what Ryker said the night before he vanished from our lives for good.So that's what I did. I lived each day like it was the last-embracing all life had to offer... -
The Gate to Everything by Ava Miles
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMillions of readers have fallen in love with Ava’s bestselling Dare series…come join the family. USA Today Bestselling Author Ava Miles presents a heartwarming and romantic second-chance story about love and family. Quarterback Jordan Dean thought he had everything until his long-time girlfriend broke up with him. His football rock star life had become too burdensome to her... -
Mine to Take by Natasha Madison
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWhen two worlds crossover. From the This Is Series and The Southern Series. Things are supposed to go smoothly on your wedding day. Aren't they? Sofia Barnes I’ve always loved to play dress-up.Creating fake weddings was my childhood pastime.Now it is my dream come true.I’ve finally been handed my first client.But nothing could prepare me for who greeted me when I walked in...Categorized as:
sports forced-proximity romance contemporary small-town enemies-to-lovers slow-burn steamy -
All I Want for Christmas is You by Erika Kelly
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsHer children are grown, her ex betrayed her in the worst way, and it's her first Christmas alone. What better way to spend it than with the hottest man she's ever seen? She deserves a little fun after losing everything she's worked so hard for.Margot Rhodes is glad to wake up in her hotel room to an empty bed... -
Dirty Talker by Mira Lyn Kelly
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsHis mouth is hot enough to melt the ice.Ten days. That’s all I’m asking for. But not one of my NHL teammates is willing to cough up a sister, cousin, or trusted friend to play my fake girlfriend for this wedding.Pucking BS. Yeah, my mouth has been known to get me into places I don’t belong. But this Class Five panty melter is on lockdown because the last thing I need is another complication...Categorized as:
forced-proximity sports adult audiobook book celebrity contemporary fake-relationship -
The Buy-In by Emma St. Clair
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratings"You can't Schitt's Creek a town, Tank.""And you can't verb a noun, son."When a family of former pro football players buy a small Texas town, they didn't intend to start a war with its residents ... or to fall in love. Ever since his career-ending injury, Pat has bounced from job to job, idea to idea, short-lived relationship to short-lived relationship...Categorized as:
second-chances sports adult book contemporary enemies-to-lovers fake-relationship fiction -
The One I Left Behind by Piper Rayne
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIt’s the classic story—boy goes off into the world to fulfill his dreams and leaves the girl behind.Not every boy returns home, and I wish Ben Noughton wouldn’t have come back to our small ranching town at all after he retired from playing professional football.I figure it’s a quick layover for him. He always wanted out of this town and off his family’s ranch...Categorized as:
sports second-chances forced-proximity romance contemporary family audiobook western -
Fire by Abby Brooks
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsHe was my first and I thought he’d be my last. Now he’s asking for a second chance.Micah Hutton is charming. Sweet. Confident. And his page in the shirtless fireman calendar for charity? Trust me, November has never been hotter. But like Grandma says: it’s never the angels who look like sin.Micah promised he’d love me forever... -
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Never in My Wildest Dreams by Erika Kelly
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA blizzard strands two strangers in a cabin on Christmas Eve, and there's only one bed. Neither of them expects the surprise that comes nine months later.Lorelei Calloway was on top of the world. A world-famous pop star, she relied on her inner circle to keep her grounded— until she found out the truth. They’d been betraying her all along...Categorized as:
sports forced-proximity second-chances romance contemporary small-town family children -
Valentine Veto by Claire Wilder
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsI left Sycamore Mountain a broken man—one of the Malone boys, a family never spoken about without a sneer. But I didn’t just leave my past behind—I left Callie McIntyre, the good girl I was never good enough for.Now Callie’s mayor of our town, and I’m back too, a European-trained chocolatier with a proposal for a new facility I need her approval on... -
Forever For You by D.E. Haggerty
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsI am NOT Rowan’s little sister. And I will do everything in my power to prove otherwise. But I swear breaking my ankle, so I could live with him while I recover was not part of the plan. Honestly. I have loved Rowan since I was sixteen and he rushed in like my knight in shining football pads to save me from a bully... -
Best Match by Pippa Green
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratings...Categorized as:
sports forced-proximity contemporary steamy friendship friends-to-lovers family small-town -
Where We Found Our Passion by Natasha Bishop
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsKaiHow long do you have to be apart from someone before you can say you don’t know them anymore?How long does someone have to be out of your life before your every waking thought doesn’t revolve around them?Olivia Harding bulldozed her way into my life at twelve years old. She broke my heart at nineteen and I haven’t seen her once in the thirteen years since.She chose her career over me...Categorized as:
sports forced-proximity romance contemporary fiction friends-to-lovers steamy small-town -
My Favorite Mistake by Claudia Y. Burgoa
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsUSA TODAY BestsellingAuthor Claudia Burgoa brings us a brand new hockey romance about missed opportunities, accidental weddings, and found family. What happens in Vegas might go viral!The first time I met Caspian Spearman, we had the perfect night.The second time, I was on the arm of his biggest rival.The third night… was a string of mistakes...Categorized as:
sports forced-proximity second-chances romance contemporary fake-relationship steamy billionaire -
The Great British Bachelor Chase by Lila Monroe
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFall for a new exes-to-lovers, grumpy/sunshine rom-com from USA Today bestselling author, Lila Monroe! Perfect for fans of Tessa Bailey, Ali Hazelwood, and Emily Henry.Fraser MacKenzie is handsome, Scottish… and the first man to ever break my heart. We had a whirlwind romance during my study-abroad in England, until it ended in an epic ghosting (his), and untold misery (mine)...Categorized as:
forced-proximity second-chances romance contemporary humor enemies-to-lovers small-town steamy -
The Truth Never Spoken by Ambar Cordova, .
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIn this spicy Second Chance Romance, a woman returns to her small town and finds herself falling in love again with the boy whom she left ten years ago—the first book in the Baker Oaks series.She was the one who got away.Allie Zabana has been in love with Jake Clarke for over a decade. He was her best friend and soulmate, but ten years ago, she walked away from it all and never told him why... -
Unravel Me by Jenn Plummer
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSawyerI was ruined for anyone else from the moment Ivy walked into my life. Six years of loving eachother and then she was gone, taking my heart with her. It’s been ten years since she left and noamount of time apart could change the way I feel about her. The control she still has over me is aconstant reminder of the hollow space she left in my chest when she ran away... -
The Fouls We Make by Brooke O'Brien
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA close proximity, friends-to-lovers sports romance by Brooke O'Brien about a woman who has sworn off dating football players and an all-star running back determined to win her heart and break her rules.I've sworn off dating football players. After my last relationship ended disastrously, I've given up on love entirely...Categorized as:
sports forced-proximity romance university friends-to-lovers small-town insta-love contemporary -
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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... -
Come As You Are: A Gen X Romance by Jess K. Hardy
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsHe’ll win her heart one mixtape at a time.Ashley Cooke will do just about anything to save her struggling ski hill. When she hires the men from a local sober living home for the season to cut costs, even she thinks she’s gone too far... -
Reckless Impulse by L.A. Shaw
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAs kids, we had an unexplainable bond. One I don’t think we even understood back then.Over time, the pull between us developed into something we could no longer ignore.We were reckless, we were impulsive, we were… everything.Until it all came shattering down...Categorized as:
sports forced-proximity romance contemporary friends-to-lovers small-town family mlm -
Hometown Hottie by Weston Parker
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsI thought my best friend’s little sister was hot then.Now? Wicked hot.It’s hard to stay away. But she’s hands off.We had our love affair years ago.She’d made our small town feel like it was the whole world.When I left for the glory of my NFL career, I realized that wasn’t true.I’ve lived a lot of life while I’ve been gone.But now I’m back home to stay.And some things haven’t changed...Categorized as:
sports second-chances small-town contemporary friends-to-lovers romance suspense fiction -
Man Spread by Vanessa Vale
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsI'm a famous TV star—how hard can it be to pretend that real love is fake?To women around the world, I’m Dr. Dark and Dangerous, sexiest bachelor alive.I meet the only one who has no idea who I am. To single mom Aspen, I’m just the guy who rocked her world one night. Nothing more.With the tabloids out to destroy my career and a movie deal on the line, I need help...Categorized as:
forced-proximity second-chances romance contemporary humor small-town fake-relationship secrets -
Mr. Savior: A Roommate Hero Romance (Small Town Protectors) by Piper Sullivan
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsShe's beautiful, perfect, and most importantly, she's mine. She just doesn’t know it yet. Nina I need to stay away from the town’s hot golden boy. He’s waaaay out my league. That doesn’t mean I can’t have my dirty fantasies though, right? I know I can’t have him. But we're forced to work on the town's charity calendar, and we end up roommates. Unable to escape each other...Categorized as:
forced-proximity sports adult anthologies cheating contemporary domestic-drama female-mc
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