One of the best things about the romance genre is the seemingly endless number and variety of subgenres to explore. One of the subgenres that is currently experiencing a boom of interest is the sports romance.
Whereas, years ago, a sports romance usually involved an athlete and their non-athlete love interest, these days the pairings are much more diverse, as are the number of sports featured. From hockey to swimming to ballet, someone is writing a sports romance to capture the interest of every reader.
Susan Elizabeth Phillips is a trailblazer in sports romance. It Had to Be You, the first in her Chicago Star series, is about a Chicago professional football team that was just inherited by a woman who knows nothing about football, and the head coach who can't believe she's his new boss.
When a professional baseball player discovers his marriage is in trouble in The Bromance Book Club, he turns to romance novels to learn how to convince his wife to give him another chance.
After being cheated on by her football player boyfriend, Marlee Harper vows she's done with professional athletes in Alexa Martin's Intercepted. Quarterback Gavin Pope is going to do his best to convince her that he's not like her ex, and they could be great together, if she'd only give him a chance.
If straight men aren't your thing, don't despair! There are sports romances for everyone. Most men's professional sports haven't yet reached a point where athletes feel they are able to come out safely. But a number of romance authors are imagining what might happen if they did.
Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov have been positioned as rivals since they were teens. Their on-ice rivalry has been great for their careers. But what if the public knew about their off-ice hookups? And what if they decide they want more? Heated Rivalry begins their story and The Long Game brings them their happily ever after.
Unlike their male counterparts, female professional athletes have been living out and proud for a while now. In Cleat Cute, two professional soccer players learn to navigate a relationship while playing on the same team, dealing with injuries and dreaming of making the World Cup team.
Let us know your favorite sports romance in the comments!
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