Books like 'Heart Starter'

Readers who enjoyed Heart Starter by Michelle Hercules also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.

contemporary  sports  friends to lovers  athletes  new adult  angst  dual-pov  college  soccer

  • Knowing You by Allie Everhart

    Knowing You by Allie Everhart

    Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars
    · 18 ratings
    Now that Garret’s decided he’s no longer following the rules of his wealthy family, he can finally develop a closer relationship with Jade. Things are going well, but Jade still worries that being with Garret is only temporary. And because of that, she’s not sure how much of herself and her past she’s willing to let him see...
  • Be My Temptation by Rachel Brookes

    Be My Temptation by Rachel Brookes

    Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    You met Josh Crawford and Ashlyn Hart in Be My December, now its time to hear their story. One night connected them.One decision separated them. One craving tempted them. Ashlyn Hart was done with men, or at least those outside of her books. After stupidly falling for the charms of her cheating ex and having her heart broken yet again, she decided to create a new life...
  • Sponsored links
  • End Game by Toni Aleo

    End Game by Toni Aleo

    Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    This is going to be Ryan Justice’s year. It’s his last year of college and his last year as a hockey player for the Bellevue Bullies. He’s making all the plays in preparation for achieving his dream of being drafted into the NHL. This is Sofia Castilleja’s beginning. She is starting her college career as a star member of Bellevue’s brand-new gymnastics team...
    Categorized as:
    sports  new adult  college  contemporary  hockey  m-f
  • Change My Game by Kelsey Clayton

    Change My Game by Kelsey Clayton

    Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    My name is Jace London,And I may have screwed up.I’ve always been the guy who had it all.Privilege, entitlement, and a life of luxury.But after one college night gone tragically wrong,Nothing has ever been the same.Everyone thinks I should be happy.With a trust fund like mine, who could be sad?But no one knows what’s going on with me,Or the nightmares that keep me awake at night...
  • No Mistake by Lisa Suzanne

    No Mistake by Lisa Suzanne

    Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    All I want is my happy ending with the boy next door.Every time we get close, something threatens to break us. Half-sisters, town gossips, and jealous exes throw punch after punch, but we hold on tight to each other as we attempt to navigate the chaos.With his life in the spotlight as a professional football player, I start to feel like it might always be like this...
  • We Said Forever by Marie James, T E Black

    We Said Forever by Marie James, T E Black

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Rock bottom. They say the only way to go from there is up, but what is “up” when you’re born into someone else’s rock bottom? At ten, football became my first love. It’s what got me out of the house away from my self-destructive family...
  • Brazen Girl by Ali Dean

    Brazen Girl by Ali Dean

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    It only takes a second for her world to come crashing down.Jordan’s crash is a wake-up call for everyone. Recovering from a head injury brings new challenges no one is expecting or prepared to handle. Jordan begins to doubt that she has what it takes to make it as a pro skateboarder...
  • A Callahan Wedding by Monica Murphy

    A Callahan Wedding by Monica Murphy

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    The sweet and sexy conclusion to New York Times bestselling author, Monica Murphy’s standalone Callahan series, bringing readers along for the ride as fan favorites, Jake and Hannah get married! Hannah Walsh. Gorgeous. Intelligent. My first love. My high school sweetheart. My everything. And now my fiancée...
  • Give Me Forever by Heidi McLaughlin

    Give Me Forever by Heidi McLaughlin

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    From the New York Times bestselling author of Forever My Girl: The Motion Picture, Heidi McLaughlin delivers an emotional second chance romance about life, love, and what it means to truly be happy!Elle James has it all: a loving fiancé in Ben, a promising career as a music manager, and a supportive family. She couldn’t be happier with her life...
  • Before I'm Gone by Heidi McLaughlin

    Before I'm Gone by Heidi McLaughlin

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    New York Times bestselling author Heidi McLaughlin tells a poignant story about living life to the fullest―and savoring the small moments along the way. Palmer Sinclair has never needed anyone’s help. A successful loan officer, she’s all work and no play...
  • Strength by Amy Daws

    Strength by Amy Daws

    Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    He thought getting a second chance at life was difficult, but resisting the spark he feels with her will test all of his strength. Vi Harris comes with baggage most men can’t handle. A famous ex footballer for a father and four professional footballing brothers. Brothers she helped raise after their mother died...
    Categorized as:
    sports  angst  new adult  soccer  humor  contemporary  m-f
  • Rockstar Lost by Taryn Quinn

    Rockstar Lost by Taryn Quinn

    Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    Forever is the lyric I have on repeat. I’m a rockstar on a mission, ready to leave the glamorous music scene behind. But only if I have my best friend, Felicity Hudson, by my side. And in my bed, clad in nothing but her tattoos. Now that I’m back in my small town near Crescent Cove, I have a weekend to blast the friend zone to pieces with the one woman I’ve always loved...
  • Refrain by Kennedy Ryan

    Refrain by Kennedy Ryan

    Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars
    · 17 ratings
    People dream of a love that runs deep. So deep it feels like it's always been with you, just waiting for the person who'll own your heart and soul forever. So few ever find it, but for Rhyson Gray and Kai Pearson, happily ever after was only the beginning... One of the biggest rock stars in the world and one of the brightest rising stars make a life together...
  • Fortunate Son by Jay Crownover

    Fortunate Son by Jay Crownover

    Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    Ry Archer and Bowe Keller are as different as night and day. But that doesn’t stop the childhood frenemies from reconnecting whenever one of them needs some help tackling any of life’s major puzzles, like figuring out why getting what you always thought you wanted isn’t living up to all the hype...
  • The Champion by Shey Stahl

    The Champion by Shey Stahl

    Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    A powerful love story of tragedy, love, and commitment. The fourth book in the Racing on the Edge series submerges you in the lifestyle of a champion of a sport that dominates America. Through smoke and methanol, you learn the good, the bad, and the secrets no one wants you to know...
  • Writing the Rules by Mariah Dietz

    Writing the Rules by Mariah Dietz

    Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    Poppy Anderson was nailing her sophomore year at Brighton University. She liked her classes, had the greatest best friend, and was finally ready to start dating again. Or she was … until her ex, Mike, transferred to Brighton and started exchanging long stares and inside jokes that Poppy thought he’d forgotten.Paxton Lawson was long ago labeled ‘The Golden Boy...
  • Play Maker by Nikki Hall

    Play Maker by Nikki Hall

    Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 9 ratings
    Friends without benefits. For now.MacLast year, I only wanted three things out of a good time, a date with Wonder Woman, and a shot at playing and singing in the same Superbowl. This year, I can’t bring myself to care. Until Blue. The quiet girl with the rainbow hair refuses to let me suffer alone, and I’m starting to think losing everything is worth finding her...
  • Finding Dandelion by Lex Martin

    Finding Dandelion by Lex Martin

    Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars
    · 23 ratings
    When soccer all-star Jax Avery collides with Dani Hart on his twenty-first birthday, their connection is instantaneous and explosive. For the first time in years, Jax isn’t interested in his usual hit-it and quit-it approach. But Dani knows better. Allowing herself a night to be carefree and feel the intensity of their attraction won’t change anything when it comes to dealing with a player...
    Categorized as:
    athletes  new adult  sports  college  angst  dual-pov  soccer  humor
  • Landon & Shay - Part Two: by Brittainy C. Cherry

    Landon & Shay - Part Two: by Brittainy C. Cherry

    Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars
    · 22 ratings
    Once upon a time, I fell in love with a boy.A beautiful, broken boy who had his own world of struggles. People warned me against our love, but I didn't listen.We looked weak. Young, foolish. Dangerously in love. We didn't care.In order to keep our hearts protected from the opinions of others, we became each other’s secret. We shared stolen moments. Tender touches. Secretive embraces...
  • Rookie Mistake by Lisa Suzanne

    Rookie Mistake by Lisa Suzanne

    Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    I fell for the boy next door, and then my father ripped it all away from us.The first person to catch my eye in a long time is a colleague who tells me what we just did over his desk will never happen again.And then my mother calls with news from back home.I have to head back to the small town my father forced me to leave seven years ago knowing the boy I still love will show up, too...
  • The Mind by Edee M Fallon, Kate Stewart

    The Mind by Edee M Fallon, Kate Stewart

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    We fell in love in a lightning strike, a sudden anomaly in a sea of lost people. He knew right away, yet I was hesitant. I could have never prepared myself for a love like ours. No one could. As a child, I had conjured an amazing story in my mind. It was a story I could retell about a man that would move me like no other; a story about the way we met and how he had swept me off my feet...
  • Truly Mine by Kennedy Fox

    Truly Mine by Kennedy Fox

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    𝑻𝑹𝑼𝑳𝒀 𝑴𝑰𝑵𝑬 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒔𝒕𝒚, 𝒔𝒍𝒐𝒘-𝒃𝒖𝒓𝒏 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒘𝒓𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒅 𝒖𝒑 𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚. The night we met in the dimly lit bar, she looked like a brunette bombshell, and I wanted to learn her deepest secrets...
  • Brazen Tricks by Ali Dean

    Brazen Tricks by Ali Dean

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Her new path is all about split second decisions. One of them will change her life forever.Jordan’s ready to embrace her identity as a pro skateboarder but wants to do it on her own terms.With her boyfriend the most popular skateboarder in the world, it’s not easy being seen and treated as just the girlfriend...
  • My Next Play by Carrie Ann Ryan

    My Next Play by Carrie Ann Ryan

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    What happens when you fall for your best friend, but they fall in love with someone else? Nothing is what it seems in this unrequited love, new adult romance.Miles knew Nessa never had eyes for him.  Only when someone new tries to hurt her, he knows he can’t stand back any longer. It’s time she finds out the man he is behind the glasses and beneath the shell he wrapped himself in...
  • Hopelessly Devoted to Violet: Hopelessly Devoted Novella by Terri Anne Browning

    Hopelessly Devoted to Violet: Hopelessly Devoted Novella by Terri Anne Browning

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Every time someone mentions planning their wedding, Violet finds a reason why they should wait.Luca is her soulmate and Love Bug’s favorite person.They are already a family, but they need to make it official.Luca is getting tired of calling her his fiancée and not his wife.But Vi is torn.Saying “I do” to Luca will mean releasing the last hold Remington had on her heart...
    Categorized as:
    new adult  sports  angst  contemporary  alpha male
  • 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...
  • On Thin Ice by L.A. Cotton

    On Thin Ice by L.A. Cotton

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    An emotional and angsty grumpy x sunshine hockey romance from USA Today and WSJ bestselling author L A Cotton. Are you ready to fall in love with a Laker?When Harper Dixon discovers her father is the Lakeshore U Lakers new assistant coach, she wonders if her life can get any worse.Enter Mason Steele.Arrogant. Cold. With enough ice around his heart to freeze anyone who gets too close...
  • 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...
  • 10 Dates by Emily James

    10 Dates by Emily James

    Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    Joanie Fox can't wait to settle down and marry the man of her dreams. However, when her engagement starts to look more stalemate than soulmate, her best friend stages an intervention sure to make even the most hardened, serial daters wince: 10 Dates in 10 Days...
  • Golden Boy and the Two Bears by Nash Summers

    Golden Boy and the Two Bears by Nash Summers

    Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    Asher Williams is obsessed with love. His column is thriving, fellow students trust him with their relationship woes, and he’s on his A-game when it comes to matchmaking. At least, matchmaking other than his own. After a heartfelt letter written to his column, Asher is set on aiding the two love-struck heroes who desperately need his help...
  • My Rebound by Carrie Ann Ryan

    My Rebound by Carrie Ann Ryan

    Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    A rebound isn’t supposed to last. Though, sometimes, fate has other ideas in this opposites attract, friends with benefits romance.It wasn’t supposed to happen this way.Mackenzie Thomas started planning her future at the age of six. She knew the college she wanted, the career she needed, and the boy she would marry.Only he wasn’t supposed to break up with her in such a spectacular fashion...
  • Burn by Ginger Scott

    Burn by Ginger Scott

    Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    **Burn is the third and final book in the brother’s-best-friend, friends-to-lovers Fuel Series by Ginger Scott. This second-chance romance completes this angsty, steamy, new adult trilogy.Dustin Bridge’s world is about speed. About the edge. His life has been carved by cutting corners and making moves, following impulsive decisions while weighing the facts at hand...
  • Last Chance: A Second Chances Novel by L.P. Dover

    Last Chance: A Second Chances Novel by L.P. Dover

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    A steamy, second chances novel by New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, L.P. Dover. Can be read as a STANDALONE. One Taste, the prequel to Last Chance, has been added at the beginning with all new scenes. One last chance. That's all Luke Collins, local bad boy and motocross champion, has to not only find his redemption, but win back the girl he lost...
  • Play Dead by Avery Cockburn

    Play Dead by Avery Cockburn

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    The popular Scottish gay-romance series returns with this must-read novella! Colin’s wounds have finally healed. He’s ready for his big comeback on the football pitch and can’t wait to return to a normal life—especially the rampaging sex he and his boyfriend, Lord Andrew, once indulged in. But Andrew has his own invisible wounds...
  • Brazen Steele by Ali Dean

    Brazen Steele by Ali Dean

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Beckett Steele knows what he wants and he’s finally going after it. But there’s one thing that might complicate his mission. It was easy to sign the legally-binding contract prohibiting a public relationship when he had no intention of falling in love...
  • Outta My League by Ali Parker, Weston Parker

    Outta My League by Ali Parker, Weston Parker

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    The way she looks, smells, laughs is killing me.I fell in love with my sister’s best friend. To top it all off, she’s brilliant. And I’m failing Chemistry.Of course, when I get her help, she’s laidback about it. Charming and helpful as always, like she doesn’t know how much I want her. I’ve got to play it cool and let her see a different side of me...
  • Love You Better by Brit Benson

    Love You Better by Brit Benson

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Kelley Pierce is my person.Loyal. Dependable. Strong. He makes me laugh on my darkest days and calms me when I’m at my most chaotic. He’s also totally gorgeous, or so I’ve been told. And sinfully sexy, not that it matters.Best friends don’t notice those things. Kelley gets me like no one else does, and I get him. Our friendship is perfect.Kind of...
  • Beneath the Ice by L.A. Cotton

    Beneath the Ice by L.A. Cotton

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    (Alternate cover edition of ASIN B0C8DP3TYN.)When Connor Morgan wants something, he goes after it and doesn’t stop until he gets it. Enter Ella Henshaw. She’s the love of his life. Beautiful. Loyal. He has their future all mapped out. When Ella watches Connor take a nasty hit on the ice, she prays it isn’t going to ruin his final season with the Lakers. Or compromise his shot at going pro...
  • Across the Horizon by Aly Martinez

    Across the Horizon by Aly Martinez

    Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    From USA Today bestselling author Aly Martinez comes a sizzling standalone contemporary romance. “Sometimes love happens when you least expect it.” That was what my husband’s mistress told me the day I found out about their affair...
  • Closer by Mary Elizabeth

    Closer by Mary Elizabeth

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    Gabriella Mason is damaged. Teller Reddy is wrecked. Misery loves company, and that’s exactly what Ella gets the afternoon her path crosses with Teller’s: the misunderstood premed student who instantly becomes her lifeline when she moves to Los Angeles, an attempt at escaping her heartbreaking past. In the beginning, Lonely and Defensive complete each other...
  • Broken Ties by L.A. Cotton

    Broken Ties by L.A. Cotton

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    From bestselling author of the Rixon Raiders comes a new spin-off next generation series. More angst...More drama...More Raiders...
  • Trading Paint by Shey Stahl

    Trading Paint by Shey Stahl

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    A must have companion to Happy Hour that give you an inside look into the characters of the Racing on the Edge series. Step into the magic where the clay met rubber and desire defined greatness. Trading Paint takes you inside the hasty driver’s mind to what led him to a decision that changed the path of two souls...
  • Spiked by Love by Toni Aleo

    Spiked by Love by Toni Aleo

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    Allison Titov and Asher Brooks have been best friends their whole lives. Brought up together as part of the Assassins family, they might as well be related. But... Ally has never felt anything sisterly toward Asher.In love with Asher since she was a teen, Ally has gone pro at keeping her feelings a secret. It’s been easy..
  • Defining the Rules: A Friends-to-Lovers Sports Romance by Mariah Dietz

    Defining the Rules: A Friends-to-Lovers Sports Romance by Mariah Dietz

    Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 3 of 5
    Open door [?] · 11 ratings
    It started with friendship. The best stories always do. Our story sounds unlikely. Bizarre. A fable. Like wine and cheese and my favorite pair of jeans, Things got better over time— Too good, it seemed. Arlo Kostas was the starting running back for Brighton University. His quick smile and sharp wit Was enough to disarm even the biggest cynic...
  • The Roommate Route by Mariah Dietz

    The Roommate Route by Mariah Dietz

    Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    USA Today Bestselling Author Mariah Dietz Delivers a delicious and page-turning, forced-proximity, found family, standalone sports romance you don't want to miss!Nolan Payne, wide receiver for the Camden Knights is equal parts impulsive and reckless, and utterly addictive.He’s also my new roommate.My orderly existence implodes when Nolan proposes…. a situation...
  • 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...
  • Beyond the Bases - Special Edition by Kaylee Ryan

    Beyond the Bases - Special Edition by Kaylee Ryan

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 18 ratings
    What happens when you want more in life than just running the bases? You hang out at home plate and stop playing the field.LarissaHe's sexy and irresistible. I've done my best to ignore the magnetism that flows between us. I don't need complications in my life. I can't get wrapped up in his world. The last thing I need is to get attached to a professional athlete. I don’t have time for heartbreak...
  • Dump and Chase by Toni Aleo

    Dump and Chase by Toni Aleo

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 17 ratings
    Shelli Adler has known what she wanted since she was eleven years old. Aiden Brooks. But Aiden has always had other ideas. After spending the early years of his life without his dad, hockey legend Lucas Brooks, Aiden is determined not to settle for anything less than true love. When he’s ready. Now he’s living the fast life of an NHL bachelor...
  • Finding Me by Stephanie Rose

    Finding Me by Stephanie Rose

    Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    I've always been lost . . . Abandoned by a father who didn't want me. Cherished by a stepfather, though I wasn’t his. Shattered by a boy who swore he loved me. But I belonged nowhere, to no one. Then I met Owen, the sweet-talking hockey player who made me love him. He gave me the courage to trust in someone besides myself. He showed me a love I longed for...
  • Fractures in Ink by Helena Hunting

    Fractures in Ink by Helena Hunting

    Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars
    · 18 ratings
    Sometimes the things we shouldn't want become exactly what we need... Waitressing at a seedy strip club isn't ideal, but it pays Sarah Adamson's tuition. Her goal is to finish her master's program and get a job that doesn't involve tight skirts and groping hands. She doesn't need distractions...
Fantastic book recommendations by romance book lovers for romance book lovers.
Find out more about romance.io.


Get recommendations by genres & tropes

Use the romance book finder to mix and match over 100 content keywords to find the books that match your preferences

romance book finder

Looking for more inspiration? Enter another book title to get more suggestions on what to read next.


Or - use our amazing romance book finder to get recommendations based on your favorite content tropes and themes. Mix and match at will.