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In the 2011 movie “Moneyball,” Brad Pitt as Oakland A’s GM Billy Beane says, “How can you not be romantic about baseball?”
It’s a quote that’s stuck with me since I first watched “Moneyball” and one that comes to mind as I think about the sports romance boom that’s happened in the book world over the past few years.
How can you not be romantic about sports?
It’s the narratives, the love athletes have for the game, the competitive nature, the epic highs and lows of victory and defeat. It’s so easy to romanticize sports, and it’s even easier to use professional sports as a backdrop to tell complex love stories.
Take, for example, one of the biggest shows on streaming right now, “Heated Rivalry.” Based on a popular hockey romance novel, the steamy series follows two hockey players in a media-created “rivalry” over the course of eight years as they navigate a relationship that quickly turns romantic.
Between that and BookTok, it’s clear that sports romance novels are having a moment right now, and if I could, I’d like to submit my qualifications in writing this list: I’m a lifelong sports fan (hockey, baseball, and F1 are the sports I follow closest, but I’ll watch basically anything) and a bookworm who reads romance more than any other genre because I adore love stories. If I haven’t read something on this list, there’s at least one reader in my online book club community who has.
While this round-up of sports romance books is by no means comprehensive, I hope it can offer you a good starting point, whether you’ve never read a sports romance before or you’re looking for something to dive into now that Season 1 of “Heated Rivalry” has aired.
‘Game Changers’ series by Rachel Reid
AmazonSport: Hockey | Tropes: See each book’s tropes below
Let’s be real: this series of spicy sport romance books is why I’m writing this entire round-up. If simply watching “Heated Rivalry” wasn’t enough and you haven’t yet read the six-book series the show is based on, this is the obvious place to start. The first book in the series, “Game Changer,” is Scott and Kip’s story (covered largely in Episode 3 of the series), while the second is what Season 1 is based on.
If you can’t get enough of Shane and Ilya’s story, you may want to jump to their direct sequel “The Long Game” first, but you really can’t go wrong with any of them, especially since they all contain cameos from Shane, Ilya, or Scott.
- “Game Changer” (tropes: insta-love)
- “Heated Rivalry” (tropes: rivals-to-lovers, secret relationship)
- “Tough Guy” (tropes: second-chance romance, opposites attract)
- “Common Goal” (tropes: age gap)
- “Role Model” (tropes: grumpy/sunshine)
- “The Long Game” (tropes: established relationship, secret relationship + sequel to “Heated Rivalry”)
I also can’t recommend Reid’s standalone hockey romances — “Time to Shine” and “The Shots You Take” — enough!
‘You Should Be So Lucky’ by Cat Sebastian
AmazonSport: Baseball | Tropes: Historical romance, grumpy/sunshine, slow burn
Sports didn’t just start existing in contemporary times, but it’s still kind of rare to find a sports romance that’s also a historical romance, and even rarer to find a queer sports romance that’s also historical. “You Should Be So Lucky” checks a lot of boxes for fans of sports romance (myself included), and also happens to be set in 1960. It follows a baseball player in the worst slump of his young career, traded to a new team and completely alone in New York City, and his unlikely friendship-turned-something-more with the grieving arts reporter inexplicably assigned to cover his season.
You’ll be laughing one second and crying the next, as is often the case with a Cat Sebastian romance novel. It’s among Sebastian’s best, one of my favorite books of all time, and a really striking reminder that there have always been LGBTQ+ people in professional sports, even if we never heard about them in their own time.
‘Cleat Cute’ by Meryl Wilsner
AmazonSport: Soccer | Tropes: Rivals to lovers
Marketed as a book for fans of “A League of their Own” and “Ted Lasso,” this soccer romance follows a star soccer player sidelined by injury and the young new upstart who takes her place. 22-year-old Phoebe is everything Grace isn’t―a gregarious jokester who plays with a joy that Grace lost somewhere along the way. The last thing Grace expects is to become teammates with benefits with this class clown she sees as her rival. This steamy romance will also be getting the TV treatment soon, led by athlete power couple Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe as producers.
‘Crash Test’ by Amy James
AmazonSport: Formula One | Tropes: Second chance romance, found family
If you find yourself particularly intrigued by the narratives around being a closeted athlete in “Heated Rivalry,” you’ll definitely find something to love in Amy James’ Formula One romance “Crash Test.” A star F1 driver’s life spins out of control when a massive crash during an F2 race lands his secret boyfriend in critical condition. As Jacob clings to life after the crash, Travis finds himself completely alone, locked in a cold war with Jacob’s parents, who previously knew nothing of their son’s relationship (or that he was into men at all). What ensues are parallel journeys of self-discovery that might just bring Travis and Jacob back together in the end.
As a relatively new F1 fan, I (of course) started seeking out F1 romance novels, and “Crash Test” was the first on my list. This second-chance sports romance book strikes a great balance of sports and romance. As I noted above, if the secretive aspect of Shane and Ilya’s relationship in “Heated Rivalry” is something that you enjoyed reading or watching, you should add “Crash Test” to the top of your TBR.
‘Two Left Feet’ by Kallie Emblidge (out Jan. 13, 2026)
AmazonSport: Soccer | Tropes: Rivals to lovers
Every time I’ve been asked what my favorite reads of the year are, I’ve had to reply, “Hear me out: it’s not out until January, but I promise it’s so worth the wait,” and every time, I’m talking about the debut sports romance from Kallie Emblidge, “Two Left Feet.”
The novel follows Oliver, the hometown hero star player on an English Premier League club. When Oliver suffers a midseason injury, Leo is called up to fill in, and Oliver is tasked with mentoring Leo. Initially concerned that Leo is making a play for his roster spot permanently, once Oliver gets to know Leo and their friendship evolves into something more, there’s a lot more than just football at stake.
‘The Prospects’ by KT Hoffman
AmazonSport: Baseball | Trope: Rivals to lovers, forced proximity
This utterly charming, feel-good baseball romance follows a pair of teammates who can’t seem to communicate on the field until they find common ground off it. Gene is an openly trans baseball player on a minor league team, and Luis, a former teammate and current rival, is traded to Gene’s team. It’s been years since they played with each other, and it shows, but as they’re forced to share a dugout, team bus, and hotel rooms, the tension between them heats up, and their chemistry is undeniable. The moral of the story? If you want something bad enough, it’s worth swinging for the fences.
‘Big Shots’ series by Tessa Bailey
AmazonSport: Golf, hockey, softball | Tropes: See each book’s tropes below
Bestselling romance author Tessa Bailey’s current project is this steamy sports romance series that begins with a sport not often covered in sports romances: golf. It currently has four books, but a fifth is on the way and will be released in January.
- “Fangirl Down” (Sport: Golf; trope: grumpy/sunshine)
- “The Au Pair Affair” (Sport: Hockey; trope: forced proximity, age gap)
- “Dream Girl Drama” (Sport: Hockey; trope: forbidden love, insta-love)
- “Pitcher Perfect” (Sport: Hockey, softball; trope: fake dating, enemies to lovers)
- “Catch Her If You Can” by Tessa Bailey (Sport: Baseball; trope: marriage of convenience; out Jan. 20, 2026)
‘Shoot Your Shot’ by Lexi LaFleur Brown
AmazonSport: Hockey | Tropes: Grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, relationship of convenience
If you’re looking for a hockey rom-com that nails the hockey aspects in addition to the romance aspects, look no further than “Shoot Your Shot.” The 2025 novel is the debut from author Lexi LaFleur Brown, who is married to retired NHL player and current broadcaster J.T. Brown. LaFleur Brown draws on her own experiences as an NHL wife in this fun, hockey-accurate rom-com about a superstitious player and the aspiring tattoo artist who becomes his good luck charm.
‘You Don’t Have a Shot’ by Racquel Marie
AmazonSport: Soccer | Tropes: Rivals to lovers
Vale’s life revolves around soccer, but when an on-field incident with her longtime rival Leticia threatens everything she’s been working toward, she escapes to the soccer camp she spent her childhood summers at… just to find out she’ll have to co-captain a team with Leticia all summer. What starts off as a shaky alliance of necessity begins to blossom into something more through a shared love of soccer (and maybe each other).
This YA novel is a lot more than it seems on the surface, touching topics of grief and loss and infusing different cultures into a joyful romance.
‘Hoops’ series by Kennedy Ryan
AmazonSport: Basketball | Tropes: See each book’s tropes below
One of BookTok’s favorite authors, Kennedy Ryan, tried her hand at sports romance with the popular “Hoops” series, set in the world of basketball. They combine swoon-worthy slow-burning romance with real, emotional plot arcs in a way only Ryan can.
- “Long Shot” (Trope: Forbidden romance)
- “Block Shot” (Trope: Enemies to lovers, second chance)
- “Hook Shot” (Trope: Age gap, single dad)
‘The Favorites’ by Layne Fargo
AmazonSport: Ice dancing | Tropes: Lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers
In “The Favorites,” Layne Fargo tells an epic love story inspired by “Wuthering Heights” with Olympic ice dancing as the backdrop. Told documentary-style (similar to “Daisy Jones and the Six”), “The Favorites” follows Katerina and Heath, an ice dance couple whose instant connection turns them into the pair to beat. They go from childhood sweethearts to champions, and then after one shocking incident at the Olympics, their partnership ends suddenly. With the ten-year anniversary of that incident on the horizon, a documentary attempts to uncover the “real story” through family, friends, and Katerina herself.
‘Let the Games Begin’ by Rufaro Faith Mazarura
AmazonSport: Track and field | Tropes: Enemies to lovers, forced proximity
Ambition and attraction sprint side by side in this Olympics-set romance. Olivia Nkomo, fresh out of university, lands what should be her dream internship with the Olympic organizers, only to find it’s not quite what she expected. Zeke Moyo, Team GB’s charismatic star sprinter, is in Greece to chase gold and claim his title as the fastest man alive. When Olivia and Zeke literally collide on day one, sparks fly, and what starts as a bumpy meet-cute soon turns into a chemistry-charged connection. But as Olympic pressures mount, they must decide whether love is another hurdle to clear or the very thing that will change their game.
‘The Playbook’ series by Alexa Martin
AmazonSport: Football | Tropes: See each book’s tropes below
Alexa Martin is another author of sports romance with a unique perspective. Her “Playbook” series, set in the world of pro football, draws on her own time as an NFL wife, as her high school sweetheart Derrick Martin played eight seasons in the league.
- “Intercepted” (Trope: second chance romance)
- “Fumbled” (Trope: second chance romance)
- “Blitzed” (Trope: enemies to lovers)
- “Snapped” (Trope: forced proximity)
‘Game, Set, and Match’ series by Meg Jones
AmazonSport: Tennis | Tropes: See each book’s tropes below
Take a trip around the globe to different grand slam events on the pro tennis calendar with Meg Jones’ “Game, Set, and Match” series. The first book, set at Wimbledon, sees a pro looking for redemption by partnering with her father’s former rival, while book two is a sweet friends-to-lovers tale at the Australian Open. The third book, out in April 2026, moves the action to the US Open and features the first sapphic romance in the series.
- “Clean Point” (Trope: enemies to lovers)
- “Game Point” (Trope: friends to lovers)
- “Set Point” (Trope: rivals to lovers, out April 7, 2026)
‘Bergman Brothers’ series by Chloe Liese
AmazonSport: Soccer, hockey | Tropes: See each book’s tropes below
If you prefer to read something a little more “romance books with sports,” rather than something where sports are the focus, then you’ve come to the right place. Chloe Liese’s “Bergman Brothers” is a series of seven interconnected standalone novels that follow seven siblings (five brothers and two sisters) as they each fall in love. Many of the siblings or love interests are athletes or people who work in sports, so sports are present in all of these books, but it’s rarely the driving force behind the romance itself.
- “Only When Its Us” (Sport: Soccer; tropes: enemies to lovers)
- “Always Only You” (Sport: Hockey; tropes: workplace romance)
- “Ever After Always” (Sport: N/A; tropes: marriage in crisis)
- “With You Forever” (Sport: N/A; tropes: marriage of convenience)
- “Everything For You” (Sport: Soccer; tropes: enemies to lovers)
- “If Only You” (Sport: Soccer, hockey; tropes: grumpy/sunshine)
- “Only and Forever” (Sport: N/A; tropes: friends to lovers)
‘Lights Out’ series by Simone Soltani
AmazonSport: Formula One | Tropes: See each book’s tropes below
It’s lights out, and away we go in Simone Soltani’s F1-set duology. In the first book, an F1 driver in need of some image rehab knows exactly who can help him — his best friend’s sister, who is the perfect woman for the job. The only wrinkle? They have to keep it professional, despite her crush on him. In book two, what happens after the Las Vegas Grand Prix definitely does not stay in Vegas when an F1 driver crashing a bachelor party wakes up married to a woman he met the night before.
- “Cross the Line” (Tropes: brother’s best friend)
- “Ride with Me” (Tropes: marriage of convenience)
‘How You Get the Girl’ by Anita Kelly
AmazonSport: Basketball | Tropes: Slow burn, workplace romance, “practice” dating
This is another one of those “sports-adjacent” books (per the author themself, in a Goodreads review!), set around a high school women’s basketball team. Coach Julie has her work cut out for her when a new, angry junior joins her team. Julie quickly learns that the new student’s foster parent is cool and confident Elle, an ex-WNBA player, and persuades Elle — who hasn’t stepped foot on a court since a career-ending injury — to be her assistant coach.
When Julie reveals her lifelong insecurity about dating and how she wishes she could practice at, like sports, Elle steps in to help Julie navigate dating life, lines grow increasingly blurred, and the two must decide whether they’ll stay on the sidelines or finally take their shot.
‘The Art of Catching Feelings’ by Alicia Thompson
AmazonSport: Baseball | Tropes: Hidden identity
A one-of-a-kind meet-cute is at the heart of “The Art of Catching Feelings.” Daphne doesn’t follow baseball, but it certainly beats sitting at home in the days after she signs her divorce papers. After one too many ballpark beers, she heckles Carolina Battery player Chris Kepler, who quickly proves there might actually be a little crying in baseball. After the game, Daphne reaches out to Chris on social media to apologize, but crucially, forgets to identify herself as his heckler in her message. When a DM from “Duckie” catches Chris’ eye, he impulsively messages back. Duckie is sweet, funny, and seems to understand him in a way no one else does.
Daphne isn’t sure how much longer she can keep lying to Chris, especially as she starts working with the team in real life and their feelings for each other deepen.
‘Off Campus’ series by Elle Kennedy
AmazonSport: Hockey | Tropes: See each book’s tropes below
Elle Kennedy’s “Off Campus” series is foundational in the sports romance genre, especially the boom it’s had recently thanks to popularity on BookTok. It’ll also be getting the TV treatment with a series dropping on Prime Video in 2026. Each book in the series follows one of four roommates on the Briar U hockey team as they fall in love (it’s very “Bridgerton”-esque in that regard).
Kennedy didn’t stop following the Briar U boys with the end of the “Off Campus” series, either; a four-book “Briar U” series follows three more players on the team, and a newer “Campus Diaries” trilogy follows the next generation (a.k.a. the children of the couples from the “Off Campus” novels).
- “The Deal” (Trope: fake dating)
- “The Mistake” (Trope: second chance romance)
- “The Score” (Trope: friends with benefits)
- “The Goal” (Trope: accidental pregnancy)
More sports romances to dive into
- “Unwritten Rules” series by K.D. Casey (baseball)
- “Icebreaker” by Hannah Grace (hockey, figure skating)
- “Pole Position” by Rebecca J. Caffrey (F1)
- “Deep End” by Ali Hazelwood (diving)
- “Slipstream” by Madge Maril (F1)
- “Hockey Guys” series by Sarina Bowen (hockey)
- “Check and Mate” by Ali Hazelwood (chess)
- “Windy City” series by Liz Tomforde (hockey, baseball, basketball)
- “D.C. Stars” series by Chelsea Curto (hockey)
- “Penalty Box” series by Ari Baran (hockey)
- “The Wall of Winnipeg and Me” by Mariana Zapata (football)
- “Dirty Air” series by Lauren Asher (F1)
2026 sports romance novels we’re looking forward to
- “First to Finish” by Rebecca J. Caffrey (F1, out March 20)
- “Hold Me Like a Grudge” by Celine Ong (wrestling, out March 31)
- “First and Forever” by Lynn Painter (football, out May 12)
- “Evening the Score” by Lexi LaFleur Brown (hockey, out May 26)
- “The Open Era” by Edward Schmit (tennis, out June 2)
- “Champagne Problems” by Hannah Grace (F1, out Fall 2026)
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This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Streaming Reporter for Post Wanted Shopping, Page Six, and Decider.com. Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, and information on how to watch your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and movies on every streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she’s also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, and pop culture. When she’s not writing about TV, movies, and sports, she’s also keeping up on all of the best deals to shop at Bath & Body Works, and testing headphones. Prior to joining Decider and The New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews.
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