I’m not just a fan girl of romance books, but I’m also a fan girl of sports. Our TV is on ALL DAY LONG on Sundays during football season to cheer on our beloved Steelers. In the spring I head to Fenway Park to catch a glimpse of my home team, the Boston Red Sox. My favorite sport to watch live and in person though is hockey – to hear the slap of the puck and bodies slammed against the boards.
Unfortunately, there is no baseball or hockey playoffs to watch right now and who knows what will come of the football season. Even so, I can get my sports fix with romance books!
When it comes to sports romance, I’m a lover of all sports. Give me a romance book featuring football, baseball or hockey and I’ll read it. But give me one about boxing, basketball, soccer, wrestling, even water polo and rugby and I’m fangirling just as hard.
If you’re new to sports romance, here are five titles to get you started.
Baseball Romance – The Dugout by Meghan Quinn
It’s honestly hard to pick just one of Meghan Quinn’s baseball romance books to highlight because they are all incredible. The Dugout features Carson Stone, a baseball player entering his senior year in college after having recovered from an injury that cost him his junior season and a chance to enter the MLB draft. He’s back but struggling with his baseball swing.
He literally runs into Milly Potter, a fellow student and baseball lover, who probably knows more about the game than him. She begins working with Carson to change the mechanics of his swing, saving his career and capturing his heart in the process.
I love how this baseball romance not only featured a dedicated athlete but also a heroine who was equally involved with the sport. The Dugout is one of my all-time favorite romance books for it’s amazing characters, original story and signature Quinn humor.
Soccer Romance –Challenge by Amy Daws
The entire time I read this book I was hearing Camden Harris speak with his sexy British accent. Yeah, I have a thing for accents, especially from hot soccer players like Camden and his athletic brothers in Amy Daws’ Harris Brothers series.
Camden Harris is one of four Harris brothers who play soccer (or football in world soccer terms) but the whole family lives and breathes the sport.
Camden is at the top of his game but finds himself needing a possible career ending (or saving) surgery on his knee. Indie is the hot ticket doctor assigned to his case and he’s instantly smitten. A fling with a soccer player let alone a patient should be a no-go but her heart is telling her something different.
I liked how Challenge gives us a look into an entire family who loves sports but also looks at the psychological aspect of suffering an injury when your sport is your entire life. You’ll love Challenge so much that you’ll be hooked on the Harris brothers and devour the entire series.
Rugby Romance – The Player and the Pixie by L.H. Cosway and Penny Reid
Did you know there was a romance book about a rugby player? Even an entire series about rugby players? One of my favorite writing duos, L.H. Cosway and Penny Reid penned The Player and the Pixie and it is one of my most favorite romance books.
Sean Cassidy is a famous rugby player in Ireland where he’s not a favorite amongst his teammates, especially Ronan Fitzpatrick. He has a reputation for being quite the ladies man given his good looks which should steer Lucy Fitzpatrick away – not to mention that he’s her brother’s teammate. But Lucy throws caution to the wind for just one night and finds out his reputation doesn’t translate to anything good in the bedroom.
I loved how this book turned a stereotypical relationship on its head. In this story, the sexy lady’s man is the one who needs advice and tutoring on his skills in the bedroom and the heroine is the one willing to provide it. There’s the anticipated animosity between teammates that comes out when the relationship is exposed which added to this must-read sports romance.
Hockey Romance – Pucked by Helena Hunting
Helena Hunting sure knows how to write hockey romances and Pucked is one of my favorites. Alex Waters is a famous hockey player known for his skill with his stick but who also has a thoughtful brain underneath his helmet. Violet is all-too familiar with hockey athletes and wants nothing to do with them. And yet when she travels to her step-brother’s away game, she connects with Alex, his very sexy teammate and they end up having a one-night stand.
Maybe there is some code among teammates that you don’t bang a teammate’s sister but Alex doesn’t abide by that unspoken rule. I loved seeing the impact his relationship with Violet had with Buck and his team. Plus, I liked Alex’s persistence in wooing Violet. This was a loveable hockey romance with many laugh out loud moments.
Football Romance – The Game Plan by Kristen Callihan
This book has so much more going for it besides being a fantastic football romance. Any relationship that kicks off with a dare is a fun read in my book, especially when it involves a shy, quiet footballer. We don’t get just any ball player, however, but an NFL center who’s rumored to be a virgin.
Ethan Dexter has set his sights on his best friend’s sister-in-law who never really saw him as more than a friend before their mind-blowing kiss. The problem is Ethan is playing ball in another city and his fame exposes the privacy of their budding relationship to possible negative consequences.
The Game Plan is the third book in Kristen Callihan’s Game On series that features more sexy football players but can easily be read as a standalone.
