Most Read Sports Romance Books

Hannah Wells has worked hard to leave a painful past behind and build a steady life at Briar University. She has good grades, a plan, and a hopeless crush on a boy who barely notices her. What she does not have is any idea how to get his attention—until she winds up tangled with the last person she would ever choose. Garrett Graham is the star of the college hockey team, a golden boy whose future depends on keeping his grades up. When he fails a midterm badly enough to threaten his spot on the roster, he needs a tutor, and Hannah is the only one who can save him. She refuses, so he proposes a deal: she coaches him through the class, and in return he pretends to date her to make her crush jealous. What starts as a transaction turns into something neither planned. As fake dates blur into real feelings, Hannah has to decide whether to trust Garrett with the parts of herself she has kept hidden. The first book in the Off-Campus series, The Deal is a warm, funny new-adult sports romance about two people who agree not to fall for each other and fail spectacularly.

• fake dating

Rhett Eaton lives for three things: riding bulls, raising hell, and doing exactly as he pleases. When a viral outburst threatens to derail his rodeo career, his team hires a professional fixer to keep him in line — enter Summer Hamilton, a polished PR rep with zero patience for cowboys, rodeos, or babysitting an overgrown troublemaker. The problem is that they’re now stuck with each other for the entire season. He thinks rules are made to be broken; she practically wrote the rulebook. But somewhere between forced road trips, staged smiles, and late-night honesty, the line between can’t-stand-you and can’t-stop-thinking-about-you starts to blur. The first Chestnut Springs novel kicks off the series with a grumpy-sunshine, opposites-attract romance set in the world of the Eaton family ranch.

• grumpy sunshine
• forced proximity

Evan Zanders is the NHL's most notorious playboy, known for burning through one-night stands and clashing with authority. Stevie Shay takes a job as flight attendant for his team hoping for a fresh start, and instead finds herself sparring with Zanders on every flight. A team fraternization policy puts her job on the line if anything develops between them, but the friction between the two slowly gives way to something neither expected as the season wears on.

• enemies to lovers
• forbidden love
• slow burn
• multiple povs

Rival hockey captains Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov have spent years as the faces of the sport's fiercest rivalry — and years hiding the relationship they carry on in private. A slow-burning, explicit enemies-to-lovers romance, second in Rachel Reid's Game Changers series.

• enemies to lovers
• rivals
• forbidden love
• slow burn

John Logan has always been the dependable one—the Briar University hockey player who holds his team together and quietly holds up a family falling apart at home. He is not looking for anything serious the night he meets Grace Ivers, and their first encounter goes about as badly as a one-night stand can. But he cannot stop thinking about her, and when he decides he wants a real chance, he discovers that a first impression this bad is not easy to undo. Grace has spent her freshman year finding her footing and has no interest in being anyone's second choice, least of all a cocky athlete who already blew it. As Logan sets out to prove he has changed, he is also wrestling with pressures he hides from everyone: a struggling father, an uncertain future, and feelings for his best friend's girl that complicate everything. The second book in Elle Kennedy's Off-Campus series, The Mistake is a steamy, emotional new-adult sports romance about second chances, growing up, and earning back the trust you carelessly threw away.

• second chance

Shy, bullied Shannon Lynch transfers to Tommen College hiding bruises from her father — and is noticed by rugby prodigy Johnny Kavanagh. Book one of Chloe Walsh's Boys of Tommen: a 600-page slow-burn Irish sports romance about abuse, safety and found family.

• slow burn
• friends to lovers
• found family
• multiple povs

NBA star Ryan Shay needs to convince his team's GM he has a work-life balance, and who better to help than his sister's best friend, Indy Ivers, who just moved in? They strike a deal to fake a relationship, but with Indy living under his roof and sharing his bed, the lines between real and pretend quickly blur. Ryan finds himself drawn to Indy's warmth, while Indy is navigating her own complicated feelings, especially with her ex-boyfriend attending an upcoming wedding.

• fake dating
• forced proximity
• grumpy sunshine

Scarlett Vandermeer is a junior platform diver at Stanford, still working her way back from an injury that nearly ended her career, with a therapist and a strict recovery plan standing between her and her next competition. Romance is the last thing on her list — until a secret arrangement with swim captain Lukas Blomqvist gives her exactly what she didn't know she needed. Lukas has a reputation for being disciplined to the point of unapproachable, but behind closed doors he and Scarlett explore a dynamic built on trust and control that neither of them expected to want. As qualification pressure builds toward the Olympic trials, what starts as a private, no-strings arrangement becomes harder for either of them to keep casual. Ali Hazelwood pairs her usual banter-heavy voice with an explicit, consent-forward BDSM storyline, set against the specific world of competitive collegiate diving and swimming.

• forbidden love
• slow burn

A Nashville baseball star whose wife has asked for a divorce is let in on a secret: some of the city's most powerful men run a clandestine book club, they read romance novels, and they are willing to coach him — chapter by chapter — through winning her back.

• second chance
• redemption arc
• multiple povs
• fish out of water

Hallie Hart thought she'd left her first love and first heartbreak, hockey player Rio DeLuca, firmly in the past. But when her dream interior design internship lands her in Chicago, she's shocked to discover her new neighbor is Rio himself. To make matters worse, her big project is renovating his house. Forced to work together, they must confront their painful history and the feelings they both tried to forget.

• second chance
• forced proximity

Arianna has always believed first loves last forever, with her whole future built around the boy she's loved for years, until that certainty collapses. Then Noah Riley, the magnetic golden boy of Avix University's football world, refuses to let her hide from what she feels. The steamy first book in Meagan Brandy's Boys of Avix new-adult college romance series.

• friends to lovers

Ten years Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov have been together, keeping their relationship a secret from everyone, including their hockey league. Shane fears that going public could jeopardize his career, while Ilya is tired of hiding and longs for their relationship to be open. They must now decide what is more important: their love or their careers.

• forbidden love

Rugby prodigy Johnny Kavanagh and anxious, traumatized Shannon Lynch fight to hold on to the fragile safety they've found together, as an injury threatens Johnny's future and Shannon's dangerous home life closes in. The emotional, slow-burn second novel in Chloe Walsh's Boys of Tommen series.

On the eve of her wedding, Sloane Winthrop discovers her fiance's betrayal and runs to her lifelong best friend, NHL goalie Jasper Gervais, who has quietly loved her for years. Stuck together on an impulsive getaway, the safe distance of friendship gets harder to hold. Book three of Chestnut Springs.

• friends to lovers
• slow burn

Hockey player and unrepentant playboy Dean strikes a no-strings deal with Allie, a theater major nursing a breakup—only to find there's a real person under his reputation, and that letting her see it is the scariest thing he's done. Book three of the Off-Campus series: a funny, steamy new-adult sports romance.

• forced proximity
• redemption arc

Bull rider and unrepentant charmer Theo Silva has one reckless night with Winter "Winnie" Hamilton, a woman clawing free of a toxic marriage and estranged from her sister. When the fallout has lasting consequences and Theo goes quiet, Winnie assumes he's gone for good, until an injury drops him right back into Chestnut Springs. Book four in the Chestnut Springs series.

• second chance

After a wild night in Vegas, athletic trainer Kennedy Kay wakes up married to Isaiah Rhodes, her baseball team's charming shortstop. To save her job from her sexist boss, they agree to pretend their marriage is real for one season. But while Kennedy is just trying to protect her career, Isaiah is determined to prove their accidental marriage is the real deal.

• marriage of convenience
• forced proximity
• grumpy sunshine
• workplace romance

The first book in Kennedy Ryan's HOOPS series, an emotionally intense sports romance about survival and second chances. Iris and August feel an instant pull when they meet — but she's already with basketball's golden boy, his oldest rival, and he's bound for the NBA. Years and heartbreak later, their paths bend back together, but first Iris must find the strength to break free of a controlling, abusive partner and reclaim herself. Handles domestic violence with unusual care.

• second chance
• forbidden love
• slow burn

Scott Hunter is the captain and star center of the New York Admirals — famous, wealthy, and stuck in the worst slump of his career. When he wanders into a Manhattan smoothie shop, the grad student behind the counter, Kip Grady, makes him a drink and a little conversation, and something clicks. Scott starts coming back, ostensibly for the smoothies, and the two fall into an easy, electric connection. The problem is that Scott isn't out, and professional hockey is not a forgiving place for a gay superstar. As his feelings for Kip deepen, Scott has to weigh a career built on a carefully guarded image against the first relationship that has ever made him want to stop hiding. The first book in Rachel Reid's Game Changers series, Game Changer is a warm, low-angst M/M sports romance about visibility, self-acceptance, and the quiet courage it takes to be seen.

• slow burn
• forbidden love

Kai Rhodes, a dedicated single dad and star pitcher, is struggling to balance his son's needs with his demanding baseball career. His coach's solution? Hiring his daughter, Miller Montgomery, as the new nanny. Miller, a talented pastry chef facing her own career crisis, is only supposed to be in Chicago for the summer. But as she and Kai begin to connect, and his son thrives under her care, the lines between a temporary arrangement and a potential future start to blur, forcing them both to confront what they truly want.

• forced proximity
• grumpy sunshine
• found family
• multiple povs

Maya Alatorre has just graduated and decides to spend the Formula 1 season traveling with her brother Santiago, a rising star on the grid. What she doesn't plan for is Noah Slade — the son of an F1 legend, a ruthless champion, and her brother's fiercest rival. Grumpy, guarded, and shaped by a toxic upbringing, Noah is exactly the kind of man Maya should stay away from. Their chemistry is immediate and inconvenient. What begins as a secret, no-strings arrangement steadily deepens into feelings neither of them is prepared to handle, complicated by Noah's playboy reputation, the pressures of the championship, and Maya's loyalty to her brother. When the danger of the sport catches up with them, both are forced to decide what they're willing to risk. Throttled is Lauren Asher's debut and the first book in the Dirty Air series, a steamy contemporary sports romance set against the glamour and speed of the Formula 1 circuit.

• forbidden love
• rivals
• grumpy sunshine

Figure skater Jasmine Santos is partnerless and nearly out of time when her lifelong rival, champion Ivan Lukov, offers to skate with her for one season. Grinding through brutal training alongside the man she's always loathed, Jasmine finds the line between enemy and something more starting to blur. A slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers sports romance.

• enemies to lovers
• slow burn
• rivals
• forced proximity

Book one of Nora Sakavic's All for the Game. Neil Josten has spent his life on the run — but the invented sport of Exy is the one thing he can't give up. When Coach Wymack recruits him to the Palmetto State Foxes, a scholarship team of misfits and survivors, Neil is pulled in by the game and its dangerous teammates. A dark, fast, character-driven sports thriller.

• found family
• secret identity
• morally grey

This contemporary romance by Liz Tomforde explores a relationship set against a sports backdrop, likely involving a workplace dynamic. Readers can expect a story filled with romantic tension and engaging characters.

• workplace romance
• slow burn
• forced proximity
• found family

Driven pre-law student Sabrina has no room in her plans for a hockey player—until one night with kind-hearted Tucker leaves her facing an unplanned pregnancy. As they navigate family baggage and clashing futures, they weigh whether an accident can become something real. Book four of the Off-Campus series.

Star striker Asher Donovan isn't supposed to want Scarlett DuBois—she's the sister of his rival-turned-teammate, and every reason to stay away only pulls him closer. A forbidden, high-heat sports romance; the first of Ana Huang's Premier League-set Gods of the Game series.

• forbidden love

After her ex shatters her music dreams, a woman takes a job as a live-in assistant for a hotshot NHL goalie. The only problem is he's the grumpy, intimidating guy she had a crush on in high school, and he seems to hate her. As she gets to know the surprisingly protective man behind the surly exterior, she starts writing songs again and falling hard. But risking her heart with a man who could easily break it might be too much to handle.

• grumpy sunshine
• forced proximity
• workplace romance
• fake dating

Troy Barrett, a hockey player traded to a struggling team, just wants to be left alone after a breakup and scandal. His plans for solitude are disrupted by the team's energetic social media manager, Harris Drover, who is determined to help Troy improve his public image. Despite Troy's initial resistance, Harris sees a spark of vulnerability beneath his grumpy exterior, leading to an unexpected connection. As their attraction grows, Troy must confront his fears about public relationships to embrace his true self and a potential future with Harris.

• grumpy sunshine

Pro hockey star Ryan Price may be an enforcer, but off the ice he struggles with anxiety. Recently traded to the Toronto Guardians, he’s determined to make a fresh start in the city’s dynamic LGBTQ Village. The last thing he expects to stumble upon in his new neighborhood is a blast from his past in the fabulous form of Fabian Salah. Aspiring musician Fabian loathes hockey. But that doesn’t stop him from being attracted to a certain burly, ginger-bearded defenseman. He hasn’t forgotten the kiss they almost shared back in high school, and it’s clear the chemistry between them has only intensified. Fabian is more than happy to be Ryan’s guide to the gay scene in Toronto. Between dance clubs and art exhibits—and the most amazing sex—Ryan’s starting to feel something he hasn’t experienced in a long time: joy. But playing the role of the heavy on the ice has taken its toll on his body and mind, and a future with Fabian may mean hanging up his skates for good.

• grumpy sunshine

Jamie Canning can't shake the memory of his closest friend, Ryan Wesley, who inexplicably cut him off four years ago after a strange night at hockey camp. Now, with their college teams set to clash, Ryan hopes to apologize, but one look at Jamie reignites a long-held crush. As they unexpectedly reunite to coach together for a summer, Jamie seeks answers about their past, while both men confront their feelings and what one night of passion truly meant for their friendship.

• friends to lovers
• second chance
• grumpy sunshine