The rules are straightforward when it comes to romance and professional athletes: there are no rules. Whatever sport you enjoy—football, basketball, hockey, baseball, or boxing—you’ll discover that the ultimate game of love is unrestrained, and we adore read about it. See the players who win our hearts while they win them in these 10 top favorite sports romance books.

Running With Lions
Julian Winters
Bloomington High School Lions’ star goalie Sebastian Hughes should be excited about his senior year: His teammates are amazing, and he’s got a coach who doesn’t ask anyone to hide their sexuality. But when his estranged childhood-best-friend Emir Shah shows up at summer training camp, Sebastian realizes the team’s success may end up in the hands of the one guy who hates him. Determined to reconnect with Emir for the sake of the Lions, he sets out to regain Emir’s trust. But to Sebastian’s surprise, sweaty days on the pitch, wandering the towns streets, and bonding on the weekends spark more than just friendship between them.
Release Date: June 7, 2018

The Locker Room
Meghan Quinn
Have you heard the rumor around campus about the locker room? If you haven’t, let me enlighten you: Legend has it if you bring a girl into the sacred after-game domain of the baseball locker room, it will end with a walk down the aisle.
One rowdy and naked encounter against the lockers with the girl of your dreams will make her your wife. Translation: baseball players are stupidly superstitious and believe the locker room has magical powers. But not all baseball players are superstitious, me included. So when the girl I’ve fallen for brushes me off, I start to question if I need to switch my way of thinking.
Release Date: June 20, 2019

Throttled
Lauren Asher
What happens when my brother’s rival becomes my secret crush?
Noah Slade is a Formula 1 legend in the making.
Focused. Unapproachable. Ruthless on and off the track.
A man with walls higher than the Grand Canyon.
And my brother’s new teammate.
I want more of the prince who disguises himself as the villain.
But while I crave a happy ending, he wants to destroy his.
Maya Alatorre is a forbidden temptation.
An ambitious post-grad I should stay far away from.
And chaos wrapped with a bow.
Release Date: January 9, 2020

Playing Games
Riley Hart
Tyson Langley thinks the king in Franklin University Kings is in reference to him. Star lacrosse player and God’s gift to the female and male population, there’s nothing the spoiled jock can’t have. It’s impossible for us to be in the same room without talking crap to each other. But I also have a secret… As much as I despise Ty, I want him too. I revel in our banter and in never knowing what he’ll say next.
I’ve spent too much time on the wrong side of the law for someone like Ty, though, and if I want to make it through college and escape my past, he’s a distraction I don’t need.
Release Date: August 25, 2022

Long Shot
Kennedy Ryan
Now a Top 30 Amazon Bestseller! A FORBIDDEN LOVE SET IN THE EXPLOSIVE WORLD OF THE NBA… Think you know what it’s like being a baller’s girl? You don’t. My fairy tale is upside down. A happily never after. I kissed the prince and he turned into a fraud. I was a fool, and his love – fool’s gold.
Now there’s a new player in the game, August West. One of the NBA’s brightest stars. Fine. Forbidden. He wants me. I want him. But my past, my fraudulent prince, just won’t let me go* Contains domestic/sexual abuse not involving the hero. Read reviews for guidance.
Release Date: March 20, 2018

Take a Hint, Dani Brown
Talia Hibbert
Danika Brown knows what she wants: professional success, academic renown, and an occasional roll in the hay to relieve all that career-driven tension. But romance? Been there, done that, burned the T-shirt. Romantic partners, whatever their gender, are a distraction at best and a drain at worst. So Dani asks the universe for the perfect friend-with-benefits—someone who knows the score and knows their way around the bedroom.
When big, brooding security guard Zafir Ansari rescues Dani from a workplace fire drill gone wrong, it’s an obvious sign: PhD student Dani and former rugby player Zaf are destined to sleep together.
Release Date: June 23, 2020

In His Corner
Skara Gray
Over two million readers on Wattpad! A fighter romance sensation. Rhett Jaggar is Boston’s hottest underground fighter. He has the body and the winning streak to prove it. He trains like a mad man, with more discipline than a monk. But even he can’t keep his attention in the ring when a brunette distraction shows up in his boxing gym. Ava Young had it all. The fancy house on a hill, a successful businessman father, an adorably decorated dorm room, and a group of fun-loving college friends. That is, until her father’s company is exposed for embezzling. She has no place to turn but her childhood best friend’s couch and a new, strange life filled with underground fighters.
Release Date: March 20, 2021

Goalie Interference
Avon Gale
Ryu Mori has had a stellar season as goalie for the Atlanta Venom. So when he’s called into management’s office, he’s expecting to hear he’s the new starting goalie for the team, not that some new guy—an incredibly hot, annoyingly bratty rookie—is here to compete for his spot.
Not everyone gets to play in the best league in the world. Emmitt Armstrong knows that, and he’s not about to waste the opportunity after grinding his way from the bottom to the top. If the Venom are looking for a meek, mild-mannered pushover, they’ve got the wrong guy. Ryu doesn’t want to admit the other goalie’s smart mouth turns him on.
Release Date: September 30, 2019

One Last Shot
Alexandra Warren
As a professional basketball player, Selena “Sharpshooter” Samuels seemingly has everything going in her favor. Playing for her hometown, playoff-bound team, the Nashville Nymphs. Playing under a knowledgeable coach who she adores. Playing for a franchise that’s well respected and family-owned. But the potential dynasty she’s trying to build comes under threat when a new assistant coach is hired; an assistant coach who she may or may not have had a huge crush on growing up.
DeAndre “Dre” Leonard hasn’t had it easy. After being banned from the league as a player for violating the drug policy, his world came crashing down.
Release Date: July 24, 2019

The Jock
Tal Bauer
Wes Van de Hoek clawed his way off his family’s West Texas ranch under the Friday night lights, earning a football scholarship to the state’s best university. Three years in, he has it all: he’s the starting tight end, team captain, and, according to ESPN, maybe the best college football player in the nation. But he’s been keeping a secret from everyone.
Justin Swanscott has three certainties in his life: he’s gay, football is overrated, and he really, really doesn’t like cowboys. He should never have fallen into Wes’s open-range eyes or let his heart run wild when Wes gave him that shy little smile over summer. But he couldn’t stop himself.
Release Date: April 9, 2021