athlete

Carve Me Golden

by Mara J. Ova

Tropes: forcedproximity, firstperson, multipov

Trapped alone with your ultimate daydream crush while a storm rages around you… do you dare take the chance? Forced proximity · She’s also an athlete · Celebrity athlete and his fan · European alpine settings · High‑stakes sport · Overcoming traumatic past · Exotic settings and fresh sports After seven years with a toxic ex, Czech language teacher Zlata knows a new relationship is the last thing she needs. She’s finally thrown herself into ski racing, the real kind, with after-hours training and no rewards but the rush. But a girl is allowed to dream… and sometimes, dreams come true. A broken gondola. A violent storm. And Fabio Baier, her untouchable, world-famous ski racing crush, close enough to feel, to touch, to make her feel alive, if only for an hour. This was never supposed to be real. But when fantasy collides with reality, it doesn’t come softly. It burns. Because Fabio isn’t just every woman’s dream. He has demons of his own to outrun. And until they both face their pasts, all they have is craving. Carve Me Golden is a standalone in the Carve series, a high-heat sports romance filled with forced proximity, emotional scars, explosive chemistry, and a compelling couple who know that love must be earned. If you crave intense attraction, high-stakes passion, and a fantasy that refuses to stay just a fantasy, this book is for you. [Read More]

Changing on the Fly

by Em Maddax

Tropes: enemiestolovers, humor, athlete

Hunter Valentine is a junior at North Chicago University. He spends his college days playing ice hockey, hanging out with his best friend and getting tormented by his team captain. The kid who was once a prodigy with promise is now a bench-warming, insecure center who sees the puck even less than he sees a good night's sleep. For a reason Hunter can’t figure out, his captain has made it his mission to make sure the younger player hates the game even more than he hates himself. When one ice-shattering lapse of judgement leads to a brutal fight with even worse consequences, Hunter is faced with the truth of his teammate’s intentions. He’s now forced to decide if he should let the echoes of self-doubt or the pleasure of a forbidden touch dictate his next move. CHANGING ON THE FLY is a queer love story about trusting yourself, listening to your heart and going for what you want, no matter the risks. [Read More]

The Penalty Box

by Rebecca Zorg

Tropes: slowburn, forcedproximity, firstperson

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He doesn't remember ruining her life. She's going to ensure he does. IVY Seven years ago, Gabriel Castellano took the best night of my life and turned it into a punchline, costing me the national team and the only future I'd planned. Now he's back. Traded to Whistler, parked in my booth with his new teammates, telling me to surprise him like he's never seen my face before. As far as he knows, he hasn't. So I did what any professional would do. I "accidentally" poured a pint of our worst IPA straight down his six-hundred-dollar shirt. Surprise. Here's the problem: his team just bought the sponsorship keeping my late father's bar alive—which makes the man I've spent seven years hating a fixture on the wrong side of my taps. And the longer he keeps showing up, the harder it gets to remember that I hate you was supposed to be the whole story. GABRIEL People have told me who to be since I was fifteen, and I've never once disappointed them. Golden boy. Franchise face. So I can't explain the bartender. She hates me—openly, specifically, like she's been waiting years to do it to my face. The worst part isn't that I don't know why. It's that I'm starting to think I should. The First Line, Book One. A slow-burn, high-angst, second chance, enemies-to-lovers hockey romance with a grovel that draws blood. [Read More]

The Sicilian Trap: A Grumpy Coach World Cup Spicy Soccer Rom-Com

by Mara J. Ova

Tropes: forcedproximity, firstperson, forbiddenlove

He demands absolute control to win the World Cup. She is the sunshine that refuses to bend. Grumpy Meets Sunshine • Forced Proximity • Steamy Soccer Romance • Opposites Attract • Workplace Romance • Protective Hero • World Cup Stakes • Slow-burn With Sparkling Chemistry • Hilarious Banter • Found Family • Italian Vibes Vincenzo Messina is a tactical genius who demands absolute control to win the World Cup, but his new PR director is a walking distraction. Armed with weaponized sunshine, Sofia Hofer threatens his sacred locker room, igniting a fiery clash of wills and sizzling chemistry they both refuse to acknowledge. Arriving at the secluded Base Camp, Sofia's relentless optimism immediately collides with Vincenzo’s dictatorial temper. She treats football as a passionless branding puzzle to protect, while the volcanic coach fiercely shields his squad from the media. Bound by a lucrative Armani sponsorship, they are forced into thirty days of inescapable proximity within a secure compound and high emotion during the matches. As the grueling tournament progresses, their battle lines blur. Sofia discovers the devout heart beneath his melodramatic touchline theatrics, while Vincenzo realizes her efficiency actually protects his players, shattering his defenses. He engineered the perfect tactical trap on the pitch, but her weaponized sunshine cornered his heart. With the championship final looming, they must choose between maintaining their rigid professional boundaries or risking a catastrophic public scandal for a passion they cannot control. The Sicilian Trap is a standalone, fast-paced, steamy soccer romantic comedy by Mara J. Ova featuring grumpy-meets-sunshine and forced proximity tropes. It is a perfect read during the US-hosted World Cup, and the Italian vibes make it an ideal summer escape. Scroll up and look inside to experience the explosive chemistry and high-stakes tension. [Read More]

The Rival Hearts

by Anne Nikolaiken

Tropes: forcedproximity, firstperson, dualpov

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A steamy Married in Vegas Formula One romance featuring Rivals to Lovers. The race weekend plan didn’t include waking up married to the rival rookie driver. What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, right? Ethan Ethan St-Pierre is used to living in his brother’s shadow, but now he has no other option but to shine on the racetrack...and keep the St-Pierre legacy alive. Sharing his rookie season with his biggest rival shouldn’t be that difficult. They only have to interact on racetracks–and that’s plenty, thank you very much–but now sponsors are suggesting joint photoshoots with Maggie. Their rivalry is fuelling sales, sparks are flying, and Ethan wonders if there’s something more behind their shared, sizzling glances captured in photographs. Maggie Maggie Hoffsommer is the first female race car driver with a chance to win the Drivers’ Championship and prove her critics wrong. Her surprise debut at Kestrel Racing caused a media frenzy; her repeated pole positions and podium finishes created turmoil in the paddock, but the greatest shock is the one Maggie experiences when she wakes up married to Ethan St-Pierre in Vegas… and he suggests they give it a go? He’s the steamy distraction on track, putting everything she’s worked for in jeopardy. How can she consider staying married to him? This season, they have nothing left to lose but their hearts. Will Maggie and Ethan’s competitiveness put what they desire most at risk? This is a high-octane contemporary sports romance filled with open-door spice, swoon-worthy moments, and a guaranteed happily ever after. The Rival Hearts is book #2 in The Racing Line series. Each book can be read as a stand-alone, and do not need to be read in order to be enjoyed. [Read More]

The Roman Prince of Chaos: A Spicy Slow-Burn Italian Football Romance

by Mara J. Ova

Tropes: slowburn, firstperson, multipov

He’s every woman’s dream. I’m just scared of what happens when I wake up. Alessandro Moretti is the most dangerous striker in Italy, a Golden Ball winner, and the Sexiest Man Alive. Watching him on screen has been my guilty pleasure for more than ten years. Then he became the face of my Baroque restoration campaign, said some stupid things about Baroque that I couldn’t let stand, and I corrected him. In front of a hundred people. It became a meme on Instagram. Now he wants me to teach him history—officially, so he doesn’t make an idiot of himself again. But I know why he suddenly pretends to admire Roman architecture. He wants me. On the pitch, Alessandro is hungry, aggressive, and used to taking what he wants. Off it, he’s a master seducer who knows exactly how to make a woman feel like she’s the only person in the room. But I mean to resist him, no matter how my pulse quickens when I feel his warmth. Because Alessandro Moretti loves the chase, and I refuse to become just another conquest. Except he says this isn’t about conquering me. He says he wants me. All of me. And he wants to make me happy. How am I supposed to believe that a man who has had a roster of supermodels on his arm could truly want a curvy scholar with limited time in Rome? And even if he does, the whole world will be watching, ready to decide whether I’m worthy of him. I’ve spent years building my professional reputation. I will not risk it for one charming, adorable footballer. Even if the most wanted man in Italy seems determined to prove that, for once, he isn’t playing to win. He’s playing for keeps. The Roman Prince of Chaos is a slow-burn, spicy sports romance packed with hilarious banter, irresistible pursuit, and electric chemistry, all against the beauty and chaos of Rome. Because Rome has been messing with young lovers since the beginning of time. Take a look inside and discover what happens when a legendary striker finally meets the one woman he can’t simply win. [Read More]

How To Ruin A Princess: A Steamy Short Prequel Sports Romance Novella

by Mara J. Ova

Tropes: slowburn, firstperson, forbiddenlove

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She is ice and scandal. He is speed and sin. When they meet, their Olympic night turns heat into a weapon they cannot stop using. Nico Reiner is Austria’s new golden boy, hurtling toward an Olympic silver that could cement his place in ski-racing history. The world sees swagger and shine, but behind the grin and glory, every gate is a dare not to choke, not to prove his doubters right when it matters most. Élise Moreau is the exiled heiress of a disgraced French empire, trained to smile, obey, and weaponize her beauty for her father’s ambitions. Slipping into the Olympic Village under a stolen press badge, she wants one anonymous night where no one knows her name, no one owns her choices, and no one can turn her into a pawn. When Nico recognizes the mystery girl who once scorched him with a single look, their collision in a quiet athletes’ lounge detonates into flirting as combat, touch as challenge, and sex as the only language reckless enough to match them both. Silver Course is a steamy forbidden prequel to Carve Me Free, a high-stakes sports romance where a reckless speed king chases an uptown ice queen across the World Cup circuit. If you like scorching chemistry, messy rich-girl rebellion, and dangerous men who race as they love, you’ll devour this Maraverse novella. [Read More]

The Crash Course: A Short Steamy Sports Romance With A Golden Boy Star Skier (The Carve Series)

by Mara J. Ova

Tropes: firstperson, multipov, characterdriven

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A Steamy Origin Story Prequel to Carve My Heart (A Short Olympic Sports Romance) One‑night stand that won’t stay one‑night · Very steamy · Celebrity athlete · European alpine settings · High‑stakes sport · Binge in 90 minutes Katharina Berger has spent years fantasizing about Austria’s hottest ski champion from behind a screen. She never planned to crash into Thomas Kern on a glacier—let alone drag the Olympic god back to her hotel room and make every filthy daydream come true. On the Hintertux glacier, one “accidental” collision turns into drinks, teasing, and a night where Thomas worships her body like it’s the only finish line that’s ever mattered. He’s used to fangirls and casual hookups. She’s used to keeping her distance from athletes who eat girls like her for breakfast. But Katharina isn’t interested in being another anonymous conquest. She wants to own every hungry look, every groan, every wicked promise he makes against her skin—and walk away with her heart still intact. Thomas tells himself she’s just another distraction before the season starts. So why can’t he stop replaying the way she tasted on her fingers, the way she dropped to her knees like she’d been imagining it for years, the way one night with her feels more dangerous than any race? When dawn comes, and real life pulls them in opposite directions, neither of them knows they’re about to collide again—this time with careers, reputations, and Olympic dreams on the line. This steamy prequel novella to Carve My Heart is a slow-burn-igniting, no-fade-to-black sports romance packed with filthy fantasies finally fulfilled, an alpha ski god brought to his knees, and the bold heroine who refuses to be just another notch on his race skis. [Read More]