Faking it with the Football Star


Book Description

When Rose, the sultry lead singer of the Haunted Hellions, finds herself jilted in the neon haze of Las Vegas, the spotlight she's accustomed to becomes blinding. With the press swarming like vultures outside her hotel, a chance rescue arrives in the form of Travis—a dashing football star with his own scores to settle. Battling the relentless paparazzi, their paths collide in a serendipitous play. Travis, eager to escape his overbearing mother's matrimonial machinations, proposes a wild play: a fake marriage to Rose. It's a Hail Mary pass to deflect his mother's intentions and give Rose the safe haven she desperately needs. But what starts as a strategic maneuver quickly spirals into a complex duet of passion and pride, touchdowns and tunes. Can a rockstar with a broken heart and a footballer with a game plan find love amid the glittering chaos of Las Vegas? Or will their pasts tackle their chances before the final whistle? Dive into a world where love's melody dances with the rhythm of heartbeat, and every play is a chance at forever. 🎸🏈💕




Faking It with #41


Book Description

Fake. Being the heir to Jacobs Enterprises, I’ve been around fake people my entire life. I promised myself a long time ago that I wouldn’t change for anyone. Which is the only reason I’m a professional hockey player who lives on the beach and does as he pleases without answering to anyone—except my father. And now, my daughter. Being a single dad wasn’t in the plan but after a one-night stand who took off after the baby was born, this is my reality. My dad’s been harping on me to quit hockey and join the company for years and now that I’m a father, he’s only intensified his efforts. Until he makes me a deal I can’t refuse. Insert Lena Boyd, the Jacobs’ family PR rep. She’s beautiful and intelligent and not at all the woman for me—ask anyone. My dad needs us to act happily engaged and sell the idea that we’re in love. If we’re successful I won’t have to join the family legacy—ever. Of course, I agree. That’s when things get complicated. I thought I had her all figured out until I found out there was more underneath her judgmental sneers and eye rolls. It feels like everything is coming together for the future I really want—with Lena—until my past ruins everything.




Trick Play


Book Description

Matt: Want to know the fastest way to get screwed out of a football career? Get photographed in a compromising position in a gay bar. Yep, welcome to my life. My agent says he can fix my image. He wants me to become the poster boy for gay football players. Me? I just want back on the field. I'll do anything to play for the NFL again, even pretend to have a steady boyfriend. If only my fake boyfriend wasn't Noah Huntington III - the most arrogant, entitled rich guy in the world. Noah: Pretend to be Matt Jackson's boyfriend, my best friend said. It'll be fun, he said. What Damon neglected to mention is Matt is surly and bitter. Being his boyfriend is a job in itself. From his paranoia over being constantly photographed to his aversion to PDA, being with Matt isn't the care-free fake relationship I expected when I signed on to do this. It's supposed to be a win-win. I get to stick it to my politician dad who thinks no one is good enough for the Huntington name, and Matt's reputation of being the bad boy of football dies. What I don't expect is to start caring for the guy. That's not part of the plan. Then again, neither is fooling around with him. Oops.




The Football Girl


Book Description

For every athlete or sports fanatic who knows she's just as good as the guys. This is for fans of The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen, Grace, Gold, and Glory by Gabrielle Douglass and Breakaway: Beyond the Goal by Alex Morgan. The summer before Caleb and Tessa enter high school, friendship has blossomed into a relationship . . . and their playful sports days are coming to an end. Caleb is getting ready to try out for the football team, and Tessa is training for cross-country. But all their structured plans derail in the final flag game when they lose. Tessa doesn’t want to end her career as a loser. She really enjoys playing, and if she’s being honest, she likes it even more than running cross-country. So what if she decided to play football instead? What would happen between her and Caleb? Or between her two best friends, who are counting on her to try out for cross-country with them? And will her parents be upset that she’s decided to take her hobby to the next level? This summer Caleb and Tessa figure out just what it means to be a boyfriend, girlfriend, teammate, best friend, and someone worth cheering for. “A great next choice for readers who have enjoyed Catherine Gilbert Murdock’s Dairy Queen and Miranda Kenneally’s Catching Jordan.”—SLJ “Fast-paced football action, realistic family drama, and sweet romance…[will have] readers looking for girl-powered sports stories…find[ing] plenty to like.”—Booklist “Tessa's ferocious competitiveness is appealing.”—Kirkus Reviews “[The Football Girl] serve[s] to illuminate the appropriately complicated emotions both of a young romance and of pursuing a dream. Heldring writes with insight and restraint.”—The Horn Book




Knights of the Hill Country


Book Description

In a small Oklahoma town, one star linebacker must decide what kind of man he wants to be--both on and off the field. Welcome to Kennisaw--where Friday night high school football ranks right up there with God and country, and sometimes even comes in first. This year, the Kennisaw Knights are going for their fifth straight undefeated season, and if they succeed, they'll be more than the best high school team in the eastern Oklahoma hill country--they'll be legends. But the Knights' legacy is a heavy weight to carry for Hampton, linebacker and star of the team. On the field, he's so in control you'd think he was able to stop time. But his life off the field is a different story. His father walked out on him and his mom years ago, and now his mom has a new boyfriend every week. He's drawn to a smart, quirky girl at school--the type a star athlete just isn't supposed to associate with. And meanwhile, his best friend and teammate Blaine--the true friend who first introduced Hampton to football back when he had nothing else--is becoming uncomfortably competitive, and he's demanding Hampton's loyalty even as Hampton thinks he's going too far. This unforgettable novel is the story of a boy whose choices will decide the kind of man he becomes, and raises powerful questions about sportsmanship, loyalty, and the deceptiveness of legends.




How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read


Book Description

In this delightfully witty, provocative book, literature professor and psychoanalyst Pierre Bayard argues that not having read a book need not be an impediment to having an interesting conversation about it. (In fact, he says, in certain situations reading the book is the worst thing you could do.) Using examples from such writers as Graham Greene, Oscar Wilde, Montaigne, and Umberto Eco, he describes the varieties of "non-reading"-from books that you've never heard of to books that you've read and forgotten-and offers advice on how to turn a sticky social situation into an occasion for creative brilliance. Practical, funny, and thought-provoking, How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read-which became a favorite of readers everywhere in the hardcover edition-is in the end a love letter to books, offering a whole new perspective on how we read and absorb them.




Playing for More


Book Description

Case Keenum has traveled one of the most unique paths in the NFL. Recruited by just one college, undrafted, and released three times, Case has overcome every obstacle to become a successful starting quarterback. In 2017, Keenum captured America’s imagination by leading the Minnesota Vikings to a 13-3 record and an NFC North title. His game-winning touchdown in the final seconds of their divisional playoff game against the Saints, the "Minneapolis Miracle," made Case part of NFL history. Keenum shares stories from every stage of his life, starting out as a ball boy for his father’s college team in West Texas, going on to win a state title in high school, and rewriting the NCAA record book at the University of Houston. A devastating knee injury almost derailed his football career, but helped him get closer to the woman who would soon become his wife. Throughout his story, Case will explain how being a Christian helped him navigate the winding path to success. No matter what obstacle has been placed in front of him, Case believes God has a plan for him. That’s why he plays football and that’s why he’s writing this book: To glorify God and to help others who face adversity in their everyday life. “Am I a football player who happens to be a Christian?” Case writes, "No, I’m a Christian who happens to be a football player. That’s my calling. That’s my defining characteristic. Once I realized that, everything else fell into place. I became a better football player and, more importantly, a better person.”




Faking Normal


Book Description

An edgy, realistic debut novel praised by the New York Times bestselling author of Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys, as “a beautiful reminder that amid our broken pieces we can truly find ourselves.” Alexi Littrell hasn’t told anyone what happened to her over the summer by her backyard pool. Instead, she hides in her closet, counts the slats in the air vent, and compulsively scratches the back of her neck, trying to make the outside hurt more than the inside does—and deal with the trauma. When Bodee Lennox—“the Kool-Aid Kid”—moves in with the Littrells after a family tragedy, Alexi discovers an unlikely friend in this quiet, awkward boy who has secrets of his own. As their friendship grows, Alexi gives him the strength to deal with his past, and Bodee helps her summon the courage to find her voice and speak up about the rape that has changed the course of her life.




Deke


Book Description

OllieWord of advice: don't come out to random guys in public restrooms. Even if they're charming and adorably nerdy and offer to help.My family believe I can't be happy if I'm not out to the world. I have a bitter ex-boyfriend and an unstable NHL career to show for it. A fake boyfriend seems like an easy and quick solution to get my family off my back, and this guy is volunteering. I take him up on it without asking his name.I really should've asked for his name.LennonWord of advice: learn how to introduce yourself properly.In my defense, I don't recognize Ollie Strömberg right away. I cover football, not hockey.I'm not supposed to see him again, and he's never supposed to find out I'm a reporter.That all changes when my editor reassigns me.It's a lesson I should've learned by now. Nothing's changed since high school. Jocks still hate nerds. But even worse, athletes hate journalists. Especially ones who know their secret.*Deke is a full-length MM novel with a HFN/HEA and no cliffhanger*




Pucking with the Goalie


Book Description

Luc McDavid, the goalie of the Maine Maulers, glides across the ice with unmatched skill and the weight of an unshakable memory. He wears an old jersey; it's a reminder of her - the one who got away when he met her in Bora Bora over four years ago. Every game, beneath the bright lights and thunderous applause, Luc's eyes aren't searching for the puck but scanning the stands. He's looking for her, the woman who vanished from his life but never from his heart. Amidst the chill of the ice, his heart remains warm, fueled by the hope of one day finding her again. But when destiny decides to play its hand, Luc finds that the past isn't as far away as it seems. As the season's biggest game approaches, he must navigate not only his team to victory but also confront the feelings he's harbored for years when, on a serendipitous day at the rink, he finds the love he’s been looking for and as well as a surprise. She has a secret love child. Will the ice melt under the heat of his long-held passion, or will he lose his shot at love once again? Lexie is the freshly engaged single mom who finds the father of her child in the most unlikely place. She thought her son got his athletic ability from her—until she met the hazel eyes she dreamed about as they stared back at her amid the chaos at the local hockey rink. She had given up on ever finding the one man she couldn’t forget. When Luc makes his attention known, she is forced to choose between the man who gives her security and one who is famous and spends many nights on the road. Will Luc be able to melt her frosty heart and prove to her that he can be a good husband and father? Get ready to fall in love with every swoon-worthy pass and heart-stopping goal because in this game of love, it's all about scoring with your heart.