Books like 'Challenging the Center'

Readers who enjoyed Challenging the Center by Jeanette Murray also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.

contemporary  sports  athletes

  • Hart to Heart by ME Carter, Murphy Rae

    Hart to Heart by ME Carter, Murphy Rae

    Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    We’re the Harts. Between an engagement, a wedding and an adoption, we’ve had the best year of our lives. Things have never looked better for Jaxon, Addison and myself. But just because you say “I do” doesn’t mean you get a happily ever after. And sometimes, you get tackled more in life than you ever did on the football field...
    Categorized as:
    athletes  sports  contemporary  length-short  m-f
  • Just One Look by Rosalind James

    Just One Look by Rosalind James

    Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    Luka Darkovic has some tackling skills. He hadn’t planned on using them to bring down a runaway dog the size of a Shetland pony, though, especially not when his neck is already buggered. At 33, a rugby forward protects his vertebrae.. He’s even less happy when the dog’s incompetent owner turns up in his hospital cubicle the next day with a plan to fix those vertebrae...
    Categorized as:
    sports  athletes  contemporary  humor  length-long
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  • A Cranberry Inn Christmas by Beth Ehemann

    A Cranberry Inn Christmas by Beth Ehemann

    Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    Christmas at the Murphy household has always been a big deal, but with her daughters getting older, Kacie Murphy is feeling a bit sentimental, so she decides to give her family the perfect Christmas. Plans of cookie baking, sleigh ride taking, and snowman making are quickly put in jeopardy when Kacie receives devastating news—her mom has sold the beloved Cranberry Inn...
  • Losing an Edge by Catherine Gayle

    Losing an Edge by Catherine Gayle

    Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    In any other family, Levi “501” Babcock would have been the golden boy. Instead, he’s lived his entire life in the shadow of his almost-perfect older brother. They both play for the NHL’s Portland Storm, but Levi is tired of being the second-best Babcock brother. He’s determined to find at least one thing he can do better...
  • Holding Hailey by Kat Mizera

    Holding Hailey by Kat Mizera

    Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Kane will stop at nothing to win... her heart. After hockey superstar Kane "Hat-trick" Hatcher is traded to the new team in Alaska, he can't score to save his soul and his coach has been giving him a hard time. Even worse, the girl he's crazy about is thousands of miles away and his father has become a nuisance; his nickname has suddenly taken on a whole new meaning...
  • Edge by Brenda Rothert

    Edge by Brenda Rothert

    Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars
    · 15 ratings
    One bad hit has left the career of young NHL Center Luke Hudson in question. When he arrives for rehab with a minor league team, his injury has robbed him of the edge that made him great. Team trainer Adella Price’s job is to help Luke get back in peak condition. But their one on one sessions shake her resolve to remain unattached...
  • Portland Storm: The Second Period by Catherine Gayle

    Portland Storm: The Second Period by Catherine Gayle

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Delay of Game With her father’s health in question, Sara Thomas is focused on reducing his anxiety. That’s no small feat considering his high-stress job. Everyone knows Sara’s single; no one knows she’s pregnant. There’s never a good time to unexpectedly get knocked up, but now is not it...
    Categorized as:
    athletes  sports  contemporary  hockey  length-epic
  • Game Day by Piper Lawson

    Game Day by Piper Lawson

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    In the heat of victory, I asked her to be mine forever. We’d both triumphed in our own way:Nova broke free from her past.I led my team to a championship and discovered life beyond the court. Our journey to "I do" was supposed to be easy. Except…The hottest resort in Aspen is only available is on short notice.A new season with the Denver Kodiaks looms on the horizon...
  • Ignite by Kelly Elliott

    Ignite by Kelly Elliott

    Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    There were two things Emmit Lewis loved. Racing cars and Adaline Morgan. Time was stolen from the two young lovers and Emmit vowed never again would he allow anything to come between the two of them. Blurred lines both on and off the track have Emmit being tested beyond his limits...
  • Running Away with You by Suzanne Sweeney

    Running Away with You by Suzanne Sweeney

    Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    Running Away With You continues the journey of Juliette and Evan that began in “Running Back to You” and "Running Home to You". Juliette Fletcher’s life has been full of surprises ever since she began dating NFL superstar Evan “Big Mac” McGuire. He’s everything she could ever have wished for – strong and tender, and wrapped up in an exquisite package...
    Categorized as:
    athletes  sports  contemporary
  • When Our Worlds Stand Still by Lindsey Iler, Pink Ink Design

    When Our Worlds Stand Still by Lindsey Iler, Pink Ink Design

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Time is said to heal all wounds. Kennedy Conrad embraces survival. Group therapy, friends, and dance are helping her find the person she was. Overcoming the darkest period of her past is getting easier every day. Still, the ache in her chest tells her something is missing. Him. The more precious something is, the harder you fight for it. Graham Black embraces change...
  • Breakaway  (The Rule Book Collection) by A.M. Johnson

    Breakaway (The Rule Book Collection) by A.M. Johnson

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    As Tampa Bay's star center, Mark Carmelo's life was hockey, and after a bitter and public break up, all he wanted to do was focus on the game. Until he saw her. The one that got away. The one he thought he'd never see again. For thirteen years, Stevie West drowned in her lackluster life. Recently divorced from her “roommate” with passionless benefits, she was ready to start over...
    Categorized as:
    sports  athletes  christian  humor  contemporary  hockey
  • The Off Series Boxed Set: Books 1-5 by Sawyer Bennett

    The Off Series Boxed Set: Books 1-5 by Sawyer Bennett

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    The Off Series boxed set, brought to you by USA Today Bestselling author, Sawyer Bennett, contains five, full-length novels...
    Categorized as:
    sports  athletes  contemporary  military
  • Smoke Signals by Catherine Gayle

    Smoke Signals by Catherine Gayle

    Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    USA Today bestselling author Catherine Gayle presents the second novel in the Tulsa Tunderbirds hockey romance series. Desperation changes a person. Leads them to do things they never would have dreamed. Thanks to his mother, Ray “Razor” Chambers knows what desperation can lead a person to do. But as a defenseman for the Tulsa Thunderbirds, those days are long in the past for both of them...
  • Heller Brothers Hockey - A Five Book Hockey Romance Collection by Kelly Jamieson

    Heller Brothers Hockey - A Five Book Hockey Romance Collection by Kelly Jamieson

    Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    An amazing opportunity to own all 5 Heller Brothers Hockey romances In One Limited Edition Digital Boxed Set...
    Categorized as:
    athletes  sports  contemporary  hockey  length-epic
  • Table for Five by Susan Wiggs

    Table for Five by Susan Wiggs

    Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars
    · 19 ratings
    Before an estranged couple is killed in an unthinkable tragedy, they designate two guardians for their children--a man and a woman who are essentially strangers and who have nothing in common except their compassion for the couple's three orphaned children...
  • Playing the Field by Meghan Quinn

    Playing the Field by Meghan Quinn

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    The gang is back and this time there is a wedding to celebrate, except that is the last thing on Molly Meyers’ mind. After losing her fiancé, Luke, two years ago, the last thing on her mind is helping her best friend, Jane Bradley, plan her wedding and celebrate the annoyingly, obnoxious, lovey-dovey relationship Jane has with Braves first baseman, Brady Matthews...
  • Break Away by Lisa B. Kamps

    Break Away by Lisa B. Kamps

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Jean-Pierre "JP" Larocque is a speed demon for the Baltimore Banners. He lives for speed off the ice, too, playing fast and loose with cars and women...
  • Trust Me: The Complete Box Set: Matty and Kayla's Story - Books 1-3 by Christine Bell

    Trust Me: The Complete Box Set: Matty and Kayla's Story - Books 1-3 by Christine Bell

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Trust Me, the complete box set! All three books in Matty and Kayla's story... Book One: As the oldest McDaniels boy, it’s always been Matty’s job to take care of his brothers, but lately, he’s been doing a crappy job of it...
  • Drive You Wild by Jennifer Bernard

    Drive You Wild by Jennifer Bernard

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    It’s game on for love in the third novel of  USA Today  bestselling author Jennifer Bernard’s sexy, baseball-themed series. Kilby Catfish left-fielder Trevor Stark is a ballpark legend. With his good looks, hitting records, and played-for-the-fans arrogance, Trevor makes women lose their minds and men lose their cool...
  • The Gate to Everything by Ava Miles

    The Gate to Everything by Ava Miles

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Millions of readers have fallen in love with Ava’s bestselling Dare series…come join the family. USA Today Bestselling Author Ava Miles presents a heartwarming and romantic second-chance story about love and family. Quarterback Jordan Dean thought he had everything until his long-time girlfriend broke up with him. His football rock star life had become too burdensome to her...
  • Ice Queen by A.J. Wynter

    Ice Queen by A.J. Wynter

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    The Ice Queen has a SecretEvery hockey player knows that the coach's daughter is off-limits.But, what about the owner's daughter?Is she off-limits too?Asking for a friend...To make things even more complicated, she's the general manager of the team.AKA my BOSS.So, yeah. If I want to see the playoffs, we need to keep this relationship a secret...
  • Six Secret Babies by Layla Valentine

    Six Secret Babies by Layla Valentine

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    He tried to keep their fling under wraps,But six adorable babies aren’t going to stay hidden for long…HERThe Wenstown Wolves were in need of a new physical therapist, and apparently I was the only one they were interested in,Now I’m halfway across the country, making twice what I made in Seattle, and the team’s new management is an even more welcome surprise…Jason Munro is the buff, big-headed...
  • Warning Track by Meghan Quinn

    Warning Track by Meghan Quinn

    Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    **SPOILER ALERT**READ BOOKS ONE AND TWO FIRST** Book three of the Hot-Lanta Series. Life is never as it seems and for Molly Meyers, life has been one hell of a roller coaster the past couple of years. When she thinks she finally has a handle on where her future is taking her, she gets a visit from her past which throws her entire life plan up in the air...
  • Enforce by Charity Parkerson

    Enforce by Charity Parkerson

    Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    They were supposed to be a one-night stand, and then a weekend fling… a just-for-this-season affair… soulmates. When Chip met Jai during All-Stars weekend, their hookup should’ve ended there. At the time, it was no big deal. As the assistant coach for the Phoenix Ice Rays, Chip can’t be in a relationship with a player from his team. Lucky for him, Jai plays for the Red Zones...
    Categorized as:
    athletes  sports  m-m  contemporary  queer  length-short
  • On the Fly by Catherine Gayle

    On the Fly by Catherine Gayle

    Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars
    · 15 ratings
    Injury after injury has put Brenden Campbell's NHL career on hold for years. Now he's playing for the Portland Storm and determined to make it stick. Few things in life drive him more than being told he can't have something he wants, and what he wants most is to prove he belongs. Brenden also wants Rachel Shaw, the cute, little redhead who just got hired as the general manager's new assistant...
    Categorized as:
    athletes  sports  contemporary  hockey  m-f  length-medium
  • Ghost Dance by Catherine Gayle

    Ghost Dance by Catherine Gayle

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    USA Today bestselling author Catherine Gayle presents another novel in the sexy Tulsa Thunderbirds hockey romance series. He had it all. And lost it in an instant. The night Dmitri Nazarenko won hockey’s Holy Grail, he lost more than he ever bargained for. With a world of guilt weighing him down, Dima can never forgive himself for his tragic misjudgment...
    Categorized as:
    athletes  sports  contemporary  hockey  m-f  length-medium
  • Sliding Home by Kate Angell

    Sliding Home by Kate Angell

    Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars
    · 17 ratings
    ...
    Categorized as:
    sports  athletes  contemporary  length-medium
  • Play to Win by Kelly Jamieson

    Play to Win by Kelly Jamieson

    Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 3 of 5
    Open door [?] · 10 ratings
    Meet the Wynns—a hockey dynasty built on family, money, and drama. From USA Today bestselling author Kelly Jamieson, the first novel in a new series is a total win-win.   “Kelly Jamieson is an auto-buy for me.”—Carly Phillips   After an injury forced Théo Wynn to give up professional hockey, he turned to his second love: numbers...
  • In Your Pucking Dreams by Sheridan Anne

    In Your Pucking Dreams by Sheridan Anne

    Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    CASSIEI made the worst decision of my life when I left Denver three years ago.I broke his heart. I broke my family’s hearts. And then I broke my own.It’s taken three long years, but here I am staring my past in the face.Only everything has changed.He isn’t the boy I once knew. He’s the Captain of the Denver Dragons...
  • Changing Lanes by Katie Graykowski

    Changing Lanes by Katie Graykowski

    Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    Professional Football Player, Devon Harding found his soul mate at the age of seventeen. Trouble is, he can’t remember her last name. For the last fourteen years, he’s been waiting for The Universe to send her back to him. When that day comes, he nearly falls all over himself to get to her. But he plays it cool and waits for her to come to him. And she walks right past him...
  • Just For You by Rosalind James

    Just For You by Rosalind James

    Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    No shirt, no shoes, no … problems? Hemi Ranapia isn’t looking for love. Fun, yes. Love, not so much. But a summer fishing holiday to laid-back Russell could turn out to be more adventure than this good-time boy ever bargained for. Reka Harata hasn’t forgotten the disastrously hot rugby star she met a year ago, no matter how much she wishes she could...
  • Back Check by Kelly Jamieson

    Back Check by Kelly Jamieson

    Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    The so-bad-they’re-good alphas of hockey’s Chicago Aces are back in this emotionally charged novel of sex, love, and second chances from the bestselling author of Top Shelf and the Heller Brothers series.   Tanner Bennet hates weddings. They just remind him that he simply isn’t cut out for any kind of healthy, committed relationship—never has been, never will be...
    Categorized as:
    sports  athletes  contemporary  hockey
  • Going Deep by Roz Lee

    Going Deep by Roz Lee

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Keeping Carrie blindfolded and in the dark as to his identity suits Major League catcher Jason Holder just fine while he figures out if being a Dom really is his thing. With the media circling like vultures as he works to get his career back on track, the last thing he needs is a sex scandal if things don’t work out...
  • Perfect Game by Collette West

    Perfect Game by Collette West

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    For New York Kings' first baseman Scott Harper, scoring women is easy. He's ready to get naked anytime, anywhere. But when a hacker leaks his nude selfies, he's unprepared for the scrutiny his full-frontals receive. Carrie McKenzie has a love-hate relationship with her body. No longer the fat chick guys can ignore, she wins the job as the Kings' clubhouse reporter...
  • Inside Game by Collette West

    Inside Game by Collette West

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Third baseman Drake Schultz is the undisputed bad boy of the New York Kings. So it's no surprise when Major League Baseball suspends him for taking performance-enhancing drugs. Furious with their superstar, the front office issues an ultimatum: either work with their sober companion or kiss the rest of his quarter-billion-dollar contract goodbye...
  • Game Over by Lisa B. Kamps

    Game Over by Lisa B. Kamps

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Forensics accountant Bobbi Reeves is pulled back into a world of shadows in order to go undercover as a personal assistant with the Baltimore Banners. Her assignment: get close to defenseman Nikolai Petrovich and uncover the reason he's being extorted. But she doesn't expect the irrational attraction she feels—or the difficulty in helping someone who doesn't want it...
  • Illegal Motion: Boys of Fall by Erin Nicholas

    Illegal Motion: Boys of Fall by Erin Nicholas

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    A Boys of Fall novel Carter Shaw isn’t a man anyone would mistake for a good guy. He’s has always been intense, up for anything and fearless —on the football field, when wearing his badge and in the bedroom. But pleasure is never mixed up with love. His unstable upbringing was more than enough to scare him off commitments for good. Until he meets Lacey Andrews...
    Categorized as:
    athletes  sports  contemporary  length-short
  • Body Check by Lisa B. Kamps

    Body Check by Lisa B. Kamps

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Baltimore Banners defenseman Randy Michaels has a reputation for hard-hitting, on and off the ice. But he's getting older, and his agent has warned that there are younger, less-expensive players who are eager to take his place on the team...
  • Mistletoe Misconduct by Catherine Gayle

    Mistletoe Misconduct by Catherine Gayle

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    USA Today bestselling author Catherine Gayle presents another novella in the Portland Storm hockey romance series. There’s one primary rule of thumb Jim Sutter uses to guide every aspect of his life: everyone deserves a second chance...
  • Paradise Fought: Abel by L.B. Dunbar

    Paradise Fought: Abel by L.B. Dunbar

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    I'm not a fighter. I was born into a fighting family. As the middle child, I was overlooked in favor of my older brother. He took the negative attention, too. In comparison, there's nothing special about me. I’m not as big as Cobra. I’m not as strong as Cobra. He's the alpha. I'm a beta. The second son. The lesser one...
  • Love's Learning Curve by Felicia Lynn

    Love's Learning Curve by Felicia Lynn

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    College for most girls comes with a rite of passage to make mistakes, to live fearlessly, and to experience the real world while not under a microscope, having every move made scrutinized, criticized and worst of all, publicized...
  • The Effects of Falling by Mariah Dietz

    The Effects of Falling by Mariah Dietz

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    I have loved my best friend for eleven years. Eleven years of celebrations. Eleven years of victories and losses. Eleven years of inside jokes and shared smiles. Eleven years of helping him raise his daughter as a single father. He smiles at me and my world brightens. He ignores me and I forget how to function. He holds my hand and takes more of my heart...
  • In Deep: Chase & Emma by Callie Harper

    In Deep: Chase & Emma by Callie Harper

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Chase is an Olympic swimmer going for gold. Focused, driven, intense. Emma is a blogger going for the scoop, and she has the perfect in. She’s gotten herself hired as his physical therapist. With all that intimate time together, the secrets from his past don’t stand a chance. And neither does she. Note: “In Deep” is a standalone hot, contemporary romance...
    Categorized as:
    athletes  sports  contemporary
  • Bring The Heat by K.B. Winters

    Bring The Heat by K.B. Winters

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Steamy, Sexy Bad Boys Of Summer! Can It Get Any Hotter? I never claimed to be the greatest pitcher in the world—then again, maybe I did—but I was probably drunk off my ass trying to seduce some chick. I had no intention of ever becoming Cody Wright, the best—or the greatest. That was more my old man’s dream. The REAL Mr. Wright...
  • Field of Pleasure by Farrah Rochon

    Field of Pleasure by Farrah Rochon

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Originally Published by Harlequin Kimani Romance – September 2011 Jared Dawson is used to taking big hits on the football field, but nothing could have prepared the New York Sabers star cornerback for the blow he experiences when he catches his long-time girlfriend in bed with an ex-teammate. Seeking a balm to soothe his wounded ego, Jared decides a no-strings-attached fling is the way to go...
  • All or Nothing by Lo Everett

    All or Nothing by Lo Everett

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    I’m not supposed to fall for my best friend. But fate has a funny way of knowing exactly what we need.For the past three years, Delilah Tate has been the only thing aside from baseball that has saved me from my grief. She’s the equivalent of the warm sun filtering through the clouds on the coldest days. She thaws and heals the parts of me that are broken...
  • Retaking the Shot by Kimberly Knight, Rachel Lyn Adams

    Retaking the Shot by Kimberly Knight, Rachel Lyn Adams

    Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    “Ford, stay with me.”Those were the last four words Ford Mahoney heard Emmett Cooper utter before everything went dark. When Ford wakes up in the hospital, it doesn’t take long for him to realize he needs to confront the demons of his past. Meanwhile, the event of that night leaves Coop envisioning a better future for himself.As they both try to find their way, they can’t deny the bond they share...
    Categorized as:
    sports  athletes  m-m  contemporary  queer  length-short
  • Catching Hell by Mindy Klasky

    Catching Hell by Mindy Klasky

    Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    Anna Benson is an eager "May" to Zach Ormond's downright sexy "December." At age thirty-seven, Zach is a veteran catcher in the last years of his contract, grateful for a no-trade clause that will let him retire a star in Raleigh. Twenty-five-year-old Anna has grown up in the Rockets' front office; her grandfather has long groomed her to take over the team...
  • Melting Ice: Seattle Sockeyes Hockey by Jami Davenport

    Melting Ice: Seattle Sockeyes Hockey by Jami Davenport

    Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    USA Today Bestselling author Jami Davenport presents another Seattle Sockeyes hockey romance and the fifth book in her Game On in Seattle sports romance series showcasing alpha male heroes of football, baseball, and hockey. Brimming with attitude and broken beyond repair, Isaac "Ice" Wolfe has a heart as cold as his nickname, and he likes it that way--until he meets his neighbor Avery Maxwell...
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