X’s and O’s Series by Allie Lasky

Sam is the life of every party at her sorority house, but now she’s just one failed class away from losing her softball scholarship and being forced to drop out of school.Enter Miles, the massive brute of a linebacker with a secret talent for math. As she learns more about him, Sam is drawn to the reclusive giant and his unexpected sweetness.Miles is convinced that Sam is just another girl who sees him as a big, dumb jock... moreSam is the life of every party at her sorority house, but now she’s just one failed class away from losing her softball scholarship and being forced to drop out of school.Enter Miles, the massive brute of a linebacker with a secret talent for math. As she learns more about him, Sam is drawn to the reclusive giant and his unexpected sweetness.Miles is convinced that Sam is just another girl who sees him as a big, dumb jock. But when Sam talks him into helping her for the good of their respective athletic teams, they both have to contend with the consequences of their actions.What starts out as an innocent friendship soon turns into more. A relationship is the last thing either of them wants. So why does it feel so right? less

Forgiveness is brutal. It's worse when the hurt hits you on your blind side. And it's impossible when the heartbreak comes the night before you leave for college, thinking you’re on the same page with the love of your life when it comes to being hundreds of miles apart for the next four years. Tucker carries the hurt of Mason walking away, and it keeps him stuck – unable and unwilling to move on. When she transfers to Tucker's school for their final year, it's a hit he isn’t ready for... moreForgiveness is brutal. It's worse when the hurt hits you on your blind side. And it's impossible when the heartbreak comes the night before you leave for college, thinking you’re on the same page with the love of your life when it comes to being hundreds of miles apart for the next four years. Tucker carries the hurt of Mason walking away, and it keeps him stuck – unable and unwilling to move on. When she transfers to Tucker's school for their final year, it's a hit he isn’t ready for.Mason has one, no, two, no, three things on her mind: run her best track season yet, get into grad school, and convince the love of her life to give her another shot. Things don’t necessarily go in that order – or to plan – as they work through the history of their heartbreak, and it doesn’t help that their years apart dealt blows that caused even more pain.Tucker is the defensive tackle usually running the blitzes. But this one he won’t see coming. less

Barrett knows Diana has her own reasons for transferring to his school, but he’s torn between elation at finally getting to spend time with his best friend again, and dread at the idea of so much time with the woman he’s in love with and doesn’t reciprocate his feelings.Diana’s got a lot going on; between her dad’s terminal cancer, the mean girls on her new soccer team, and the looming deadlines of graduate school applications… She’s done. She doesn’t have anything more to give... moreBarrett knows Diana has her own reasons for transferring to his school, but he’s torn between elation at finally getting to spend time with his best friend again, and dread at the idea of so much time with the woman he’s in love with and doesn’t reciprocate his feelings.Diana’s got a lot going on; between her dad’s terminal cancer, the mean girls on her new soccer team, and the looming deadlines of graduate school applications… She’s done. She doesn’t have anything more to give.She thought it would be good to be around her best friend again, but after spending the bulk of their college years on separate sides of the country, she’s unprepared for the day to day reality of the man her childhood friend has grown into.Everything is different, and everything is changing, and she can barely hold on. When he changes the parameters of their friendship, she’s left scrambling for steady ground.Barrett’s not playing chess. He’s waiting for Diana to realize what he’s known all along; she’s his End Game.END GAME is a best friends to lovers, slow burn, college football romance. less

Mackenzie is my best friend's little sister. Off-limits in more ways than one. But I spent my football career bending the rules... and she's too tempting to resist. I should know better than to fall for Mackenzie Cavanaugh... moreMackenzie is my best friend's little sister. Off-limits in more ways than one. But I spent my football career bending the rules... and she's too tempting to resist. I should know better than to fall for Mackenzie Cavanaugh. She’s the one who got me hooked on romance novels in the first place, and it should have been clear when my favorite stories revolved around the “best friend’s little sister” and "dating in secret" plot lines… But I’ve read enough of these stories to know it doesn’t usually turn out so well. Mackenzie isn’t just Miles’s sister, though; she’s my friend in her own right, and her overprotective brother’s objections shouldn’t be enough to keep us apart. No mater how much he tries. My football career is over, so now the rest of my life can begin. My focus has pivoted from surviving every day to thriving in real life. At the end of this school year, I’m going to pick up and move across the country for grad school—where I’ll end up, I’m not sure, I just know that it probably won’t be here. FUMBLE is a college sports romance best friend's sister romance featuring a secret relationship, two introverted bookworms, a virgin heroine, and a celibate-by-choice football player. less

It sounds too good to be true: your ex is caught cheating with someone else, so you hook up with their ex to make your ex and her ex feel like the clowns they are… and it turns out, your new fake girlfriend is actually pretty awesome, and you would die before letting anything happen to this incredibly strong, confident woman whose heart is a little bit bruised... moreIt sounds too good to be true: your ex is caught cheating with someone else, so you hook up with their ex to make your ex and her ex feel like the clowns they are… and it turns out, your new fake girlfriend is actually pretty awesome, and you would die before letting anything happen to this incredibly strong, confident woman whose heart is a little bit bruised.Sounds convoluted? Wouldn’t it be easier to say, I’m fake dating the woman whose ex cheated on her with my ex, in a petty attempt to get revenge on the losers who tried to break our spirits. There. Not so complicated, is it?Except Deisy and I are supposed to be in a platonic arrangement. We’re both on the rebound, and consciously doing this together in a way that lets our hearts recover while our heads wrap around the trauma they caused. It’s not supposed to get physical…Until it does.PUMP FAKE is a fake dating relationship, college sports romance featuring a class-clown youngest-child football player, and a swimmer who can withstand anything… except the tidal wave of emotion trying to bring her down.TW: emotional neglect, emotional abuse, off-page SA, and light kink play less