There’s no denying it—this romance between Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce is basically what sports romance novel dreams are made of. A famous pop star meets a football player through a friendship bracelet given to her at her concert and turns into a girl cheering him on in a box with his mom?! The season closes with her flying across the globe from her history-making world tour to make it to the Superbowl—which his team wins?! Come on. It honestly writes itself.
So, of course, as we proceed to be obsessed with the romance that no one can stop talking about, it’s only natural to want to read a sports romance novel that will have you swooning, kicking your feet, and kind of wanting to toss a football outside. Or maybe catch a baseball, skate on the ice, shoot hoops, or hey, even ride a bull. Whatever sports romance sparks your fantasy, we have recommendations for them all.
Has this relationship been technically proven to be more than a massive marketing ploy for The Tortured Poets Department and the New Heights podcast? Not exactly. Do we have any idea what Taylor and Travis are really like when the cameras aren’t rolling? Nope. Is it all a huge conspiracy in which—gasp—the woman in the relationship makes more money than the man and they’re dating to promote their progressive agenda? Definitely not, and you need to calm down. Still, we’re riveted, and we can’t help but want to dive into a sports romance that has the same kind of energy as Travis throwing heart hands to Taylor in the stands.
Bree Camden has been in the friend zone for far too long with her best friend—and NFL legend—Nathan Donelson. But things are about to change real quick when Bree ends up confessing her feelings to a TMZ reporter after a few too many tequila shots, and Nathan’s publicist proposes a deal that Bree can’t resist; fake date her best friend for three weeks, and she could finally feel financially secure after a car accident ruined her dancing career years earlier. But as things progress in their little scheme, Bree can’t help but wonder if Nathan is actually enjoying this little ploy… and if the friend zone will soon move to the end zone.
A bad breakup has Pippa licking her wounds and working a new job as an assistant to NHL player Jamie Streicher. He may be hot, but he’s grumpy and not the easiest to work with… but that doesn’t stop Jamie asking Pippa to move in with him when she needs a helping hand. This forced proximity, grumpy-sunshine-slow-burn will certainly melt the ice underneath your feet—and maybe in your heart, to be honest.
The second book in her Windy City Series, Tomforde’s The Right Move is a sister’s-best-friend-to-lovers romance following the story of Chicago NBA star Ryan Shay who is forced to live with Indy Ivers and, eventually, fake date her to convince his general manager that he isn’t the lone wolf everyone believes him to be. But when the lines between fake and real blur both on and off the court, Ryan has to decide if his declaration to never believe in love isn’t true anymore.
Hockey star Logan Branes is back in town after an injury has him playing for a minor league team, and the team’s social media manager Parker is now in charge of telling him (and the rest of his teammates) what to do for the team’s TikTok channel. But when one video has them in a scheme to “fake date” for the cameras, Parker wonders if her brother’s best friend is starting to feel something more.
If a sports romance where both the characters are athletes is more your style, then Icebreaker will bring all the heat—and the ice. Anastasia Allen has one dream: to skate with Team USA. So when she lands a figure skating scholarship, it seems like fate is on her side. The only problem? A mishap in scheduling has caused the figure skating team to share the ice with the insufferable hockey players, including captain Nate Hawkins. But when a skating accident goes horribly wrong, the two may have to work together to make things right.
If your idea of a sports romance involves cowboy boots and bull riders, Reckless is probably your cup of tea. Or whiskey. A secret one night stand with bull rider Theo Silva was supposed to be just that—a secret, and only once. But in her attempt to get free of her toxic marriage and finally be on her own, Winter finds herself dealing with a persistent bull rider who can’t seem to ever give up.
After years working as the personal assistant to football superstar Aiden Graves, Vanessa Mazur has had enough. He doesn’t seem at all grateful for the above-and-beyond work that she does for him, and decides to leave the job for good. But when Aiden comes crawling back to her begging her to take back her job—and changes things up by asking her to be his wife—Vanessa seems to be drawn back to a man she once despised. But will this marriage of convenience end up in a touchdown, or a foul ball?
It makes it a lot easier to get over a former lover when the only times you interact are between you and television screen—and shutting him out is as easy as reaching for a remote control. Sure, Millie may have dated a former NFL star back in the day, and hasn’t had to worry about interacting with him for over a decade. But when Ford Ellis comes back to town as a head coach for a team she works for, Millie has to grapple with her past and decide if, maybe, he’s also her future.
Baseball player Sebastian Miller-Callahan has one goal: get drafted by the MLB with no distractions. But when his former fling shows up back in town and needs a place to stay, Sebastian can’t help but offer up his place. Will this little distraction disrupt his plans for his future—or will they, after years apart, finally be able to reach home base?
Hallie thought she was being cute—and a little bold—when she proposed to her best friend that if he were to score a touchdown, he could take her virginity. But that note getting into the hands of his older brother was not in her plans—especially given how much that grumpy Lane Collins infuriates her. It all seems like a disaster, until Lane comes to her with a proposal of his own, making Hallie second guess everything she ever thought about scoring a homerun.
Twenty years of constant dedication to football finally has Ford in a spot he’s always wanted to be: playing for an NFL team. But when his new teammate in Tampa introduces Ford to Abby, his teammate’s little sister, Ford wonders if all of his carefully laid out plans are about to unravel before his eyes—and if this swoon-worthy girl is worth the risk he’s about to take.
The ideal night out doesn’t involve parties and boys, but spicy romance books and a quiet library to herself. Kendall Holiday enjoys her Friday nights at the library working the graveyard shift, getting the peace and quiet she wants on a noisy college campus. So it comes as a bit of a shock when basketball team captain Vincent Knight stops by the stacks in desperate need of help with his poetry homework—and Kendall seems to be just the person he was looking for.
