There is no better combination to make your heart race than sports and romance.
Sports romance books offer a window into professional athletes’ alluring yet conflictive world, adding a touch of intriguing romance, sensual protagonists, and more than enough spice.
The result? A trend that has taken over BookTok and will not go away anytime soon.
If you’re eager to dive deep into the world of sports romance books, here is your guiding light—a list of the best 19 sports novels the genre has to offer.
Get the ball rolling.
19 Best Sports Romance Books
Binding 13
🌶 Spice Levels: 1/5
Johnny Kavanagh is the rising star of the rugby team, fated for stardom. Shannon Lynch is the new student, a broken, bullied, and lonely girl. He’s trying to keep his head in the game; she’s trying to keep a low profile. Problem? Their growing attachment to one another makes it hard.
The Hook Up
🌶 Spice Levels: 4/5
Despite being the star at college and more than capable of getting any woman he wants, quarterback Drew Baylor has set his eyes on the prickly Anna Jones. Despite continuously shutting him down, a chance encounter leads to the hottest sex of their lives. The promise is simple: no falling in love. Easy, right?
The Deal
🌶 Spice Levels: 4/5
In college, Hannah Wells strikes a deal with hockey captain Garrett Graham: she will tutor him if he pretends to date her so she can make her crush jealous. The problem? A kiss that leads to the best sex of their lives—and to Garrett falling in love with her.
Unsteady
🌶 Spice Levels: 4/5
After a terrible hit, hockey captain Rhys Koteskiy got a concussion and panic attacks whenever he’s on the ice. Sadie Brown is an ice skater with a lot going on, not seeking any distractions. But when she witnesses one of Rhys’ panic attacks and comforts him, their lives are inevitably changed.
Pucking Around
🌶 Spice Levels: 5/5
When Rachel Price joined the hottest NHL team as their newest physical therapist, she didn’t expect to discover that her old one-night stand was the team’s grinder. Or that she’d have an alluring dynamic with the tea equipment management. Or the flirtations with the goalie. Can someone even fall for three men?
Face Off
🌶 Spice Levels: 4/5
Emmy Hartwell makes history as the first female NHL player, joining the struggling DC Stars. It is then that she meets cocky and charming Maverick Miller, and the tension between them is palpable. After a night together, they agree not to let it get out of control. Until it does.
Icebreaker
🌶 Spice Levels: 4/5
Anastasia Allen is aiming for a place in the University of California’s figure skating team, with her sights set on Team USA. Nate Hawkins is the hockey team’s captain, and he’s preparing for victory. The problem? They now have to share a rink, they can’t stand each other, and sparks fly.
The Boyfriend Goal
🌶 Spice Levels: 4/5
A goodie-two-shoes librarian moving across the country spontaneously gets out of her comfort zone by sleeping with a hot stranger—who turns out to be a hockey player on her brother’s team. But to make things worse, he is also her new roommate. They try to keep their distance, but can they?
The Graham Effect
🌶 Spice Levels: 4/5
Gigi Graham is the daughter of the legendary Garrett Graham, desperately wishing to qualify for the national hockey team on her terms. Luke Ryder is the hockey co-captain struggling to manage his team and aiming for a coaching spot with Garrett Graham. They strike a deal—he’ll help her make it to the national team, and she’ll put in a good word with her dad. The challenge? Resist the temptation.
Say You Swear
🌶 Spice Levels: 3/5
Arianna is hopelessly in love with Chase—her brother’s best friend and the man who broke her heart. But when she meets star quarterback Noah, his friendship brings new light into her life. And when he wants more than that, her heart will have to lead the way.
Mile High
🌶 Spice Levels:: 4/5
He is Chicago’s most famous hotshot hockey player, as fond of the penalty box as he is of women. She is the new flight attendant on the team’s private jet and cannot stand him—even though she is irrevocably drawn to him.
Him
by Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy
🌶 Spice Levels: 4/5
Jamie Canning lost his best friend, teammate, and roommate after impulsively sleeping together one night after hockey camp. Ryan Wesley regrets every day coaxing his straight friend into a night that strained their friendship. But now that their college teams will face off, things begin to unravel—and one night together becomes many more.
Consider Me
🌶 Spice Levels: 4/5
Carter Beckett is bad news, and Olivia knows it. He’s the NHL’s bad boy, a player in and out of the ice with a long string of women left behind him. She doesn’t intend to be the next one, but as she gets to know the real him, her willpower starts to weaken… And Carter seems to be unwilling to let her go.
Puck Me Secretly
🌶 Spice Levels: 4/5
When the plane Rory is flying in is about to crash, she spontaneously confesses that she has never been in love and has never had an orgasm. The attractive stranger next to her promises that, if they survive, he will give her one. They survive, and he fulfills his promise, names never exchanged—until she starts working with the Vancouver Wolves and discovers he’s one of their star players.
Long Shot
🌶 Spice Levels: 4/5
Iris DuPree thought she found her happily ever after when she met and fell for the NBA’s golden boy, but it turned out to be a closed-door nightmare she could not wake up from. Then, she sees August West again—a new and rising NBA star she had met before. Sparks flew back then and still do now, but can they be together?
The Wrong Quarterback
🌶 Spice Levels: 4/5
Casey’s life unravels after her family falls apart. Gray had been her anchor since childhood until he wasn’t, and now she is spiraling. But when she meets quarterback Parker Davis, her life changes forever—because he wants her and won’t let anything or anyone get in his way.
Behind the Net
🌶 Spice Levels: 4/5
After a bad relationship and the destruction of her music industry dreams, Pippa Hartley begins anew as a live-in assistant for an NHL player who turns out to be none other than Jamie Streicher, a surly man whom she used to have a crush on in high school. But with their current forced proximity, their attempts at professionalism become something more.
Deep End
🌶 Spice Levels: 4/5
Scarlett Vandermeer is a talented Stanford diver crushed by the weight of a near-career-ending injury. Lukas Blomqvist is an Olympic swimmer on Stanford’s swimming team who enjoys discipline in his field. But when a secret binds them together, they make an arrangement: he likes dominating, she likes being dominated. It was supposed to be just a fling.
Until I Get You
🌶 Spice Levels: 5/5
Lachlan is at the top of his game in hockey and romance. He can get any girl he wants—except Lyla. As his obsession with her grows, so does his drive to get her. But once he does, she vanishes from his life. Three years later, after Lyla ruined his life, Lachlan finally found her again.
Did These Sports Romance Books Reach the Goal?
While the entries listed may be some of the most well-known sports romance books, they are far from the only ones. After all, as the genre’s popularity increases, so do the options available—just ask BookTok.
If you’d like to explore love on campus beyond sports, consider college romance books and The After book series. For a grittier, emotionally intense sports romance, All For the Game—a YA M/M series with themes of trauma, loyalty, and survival—is a powerful read. But if pushing the limits is more appealing, the best dark romance novels and mafia romance books might be your best bet.
