Showing titles in Sports

The Natural, Bernard Malamud's first novel, published in 1952, is also the first - and some would say still the best - novel ever written about baseball. In it Malamud, usually appreciated for his unerring portrayals of postwar Jewish life, took on very different material - the story of a superbly gifted "natural" at play in the fields of the old daylight baseball era - and invested it with the hardscrabble poetry, at once grand and altogether believable, that runs through all his best work.

At Logos College in West Texas, huge young men, vacuum-packed into shoulder pads and shiny helmets, play football with intense passion. During an uncharacteristic winning season, the perplexed and distracted running back Gary Harkness has periodic fits of nuclear glee; he is fueled and shielded by his fear of and fascination with nuclear conflict. Among oddly afflicted and recognizable players, the terminologies of football and nuclear war - the language of end zones - become interchangeable, and their meaning deteriorates as the collegiate year runs its course.

Sure, everyone thinks Jax and Piper are secretly in love - but he's a handsome hockey player who can't be tied down, and she's a bright-eyed entrepreneur who doesn't do hookups. When Piper needs help promoting her latest business venture, a dating app called Soulmate, the "Big Rig" is happy to loan his hockey fame. The lucky gal who matches with Jax will spend one steamy night with the tall athlete at a luxury spa resort. But months of hard work are ruined when the dating app insists that, out of millions of eligible girls, Jax's best shot at true love is none other than Piper herself.

Amanda Pearsall never wanted to put down roots. Six years ago, she put California in her rear-view mirror and set out to travel the world, one adventure at a time. Eighteen months ago she returned home for a family emergency, and she's still here, with no departure date in sight. The job she took to tide her over is stifling at best and she needs to get back out there. To throw caution to the wind and live her life on her terms.

Max Best was on a roll. After climbing the ranks at Chester FC with his burning desire, innate talent, and the "curse" of a sentient heads-up display with knowledge of all things footie, he was named the club's electrifying new director of football. Seizing the opportunity, he saved the day and led the team out of relegation. But that's when someone tried to murder him . . .

Number 99, Dash Taylor. Rookie defensive end for the Boston Tomcats. Two hundred eighty-five pounds of fast-twitch muscle. Nickname: Big D. This tiny dancer doesn’t think I’m boyfriend material. I used to think that too. I’ve been a beast on the field and in the bedroom, but now I’m going to prove that I can be a man for her...and for our surprise baby.... See, I had a bad attitude my whole life, and that’s why my college coach sent me to take ballet lessons as punishment. The real punishment? Being taught to plié by a beautiful ballerina who refused to date me.

From USA Today best-selling author Jennifer Sucevic comes a sexy college sports romance collection featuring three hockey playing hotties.

The pressure has never been more intense for Rough Riders’ star defenseman Beckett Croft. With his contact expiring, Beckett has to live up to his badass reputation every minute of every game to earn the next big deal. A deal that will secure a stable home for his five-year-old daughter. So when an injury on the ice threatens to send him to the ER, he fights protocol - until the feisty EMT refuses to take no for an answer. Beckett likes his women assertive, and the spark between them is nothing short of scorching. Her indifference to his fame and money only intrigues him more.

Never fall in love with a sports star. That's what my stepfather always said. He told me athletes are complicated and moody - that the higher their paycheck, the lower their morals. As public relations for the New York Stingers, I know exactly what he means, but I can’t seem to say no to a friendship with one beautiful, damaged man. What started out as hate turned into something else. We tried to stay away, to keep our distance, but the pull was too strong.

Gray Preston was born into money, but he's built his racing empire on hard work and muscle. And now that Gray has millions of fans, his senator father sends one of his aides, Evelyn Hill, to elicit Gray's help in garnering votes for the upcoming national election. Gray wants nothing to do with his estranged father's campaign, but Evelyn can be pretty persuasive. She's willing to learn about racing, and maybe even get a little dirty.

Silver Delgado has gained control of the Dartmouth Cobras - and lost control of her life. Hockey might be the family business, but it's never interested Silver. Until her father's health decline thrusts responsibility for the team he owns straight into her hands. Now she has to find a way to get the team more fans and establish herself as the new owner. Which means standing up to Dean Richter, the general manager and the advisor her father has forced on her.

Nicholas “Foxy” Foxton, a former jockey who suffered a career-ending injury, is out for a day at the Grand National races when his friend and coworker Herb Kovak is murdered, execution style, right in front of him—and 60,000 other potential witnesses. Foxton and Kovak were both independent financial advisers at Lyall Black, a firm specializing in extreme-risk investments.

My cheating ex has me swearing off men. Until Lewis comes along, stealing my breath and my good sense. I've never been one to lust after guys. But Lewis is six-and-a-half feet of rugged man, and he's...eye-catching. Sexy. And silently brooding in all the best ways. The more time I spend with him, the naughtier my thoughts are of us together, and he's not helping put a stop to it.

Charley Hunter unearthed the life and career of the greatest player who never lived, and then spent years successfully attempting to bring Beau Stedman's story to light. His actions did not go unnoticed. Now, it is time for Charley to put the whole experience behind him . . . pass the bar, learn the ropes at the new firm, and settle into a promising legal career. But he's been receiving these intriguing notes attached to clipped obituaries that have caught hold of his curiousity.

No one knows the real Carter Donovan. They only see the goalie with a chiseled body and the fake smiles I reserve for the camera. My horrific past is interfering with my game. But I have no idea how to fix it. Not until I meet a famous romance author who likes to play games of her own do I consider sharing my past. Sydney wants to know my secrets and the meaning behind my tattoos. All I wanted was sex. So she tortures me with her dirty words and pictures, thrives off the steamy conversations that give me a never-ending case of blue balls.

In Steven Pressfield's richly imagined, vividly detailed story, golf legends Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen are joined by a local unsung opponent, the troubled war hero Rannulph Junah. Played above raging Atlantic surf and under gathering storm clouds, their match is thrilling competition. But the key to the outcome lies with Bagger Vance, a caddie who carries the secret of the Authentic Swing. His mysterious powers guide the play and leave a lasting imprint on the lives he touches that day and in years to come.

My dreams came true when I was adopted at ten. I was the best on the ice. Living the life every kid dreams of. We’ve been best friends since then. Even when she was the annoying little sister following us around. I would do anything for her. It is another family vacation, except this time it feels different. Everything feels different.

The night before the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket sees the great and the good of the horse-racing community gathered for a black-tie gala dinner, cooked by Max Moreton. However, Max's food is soon suspected of putting 24 guests in hospital with food poisoning.

Charlotte "Charlie" Silver has always been a good girl. She excelled at tennis early, coached by her father, a former player himself, and soon became one of the top juniors in the world. When she leaves UCLA - and breaks her boyfriend's heart - to turn pro, Charlie joins the world's best athletes, who travel 11 months a year, competing without mercy for Grand Slam titles and Page Six headlines.

Jude Sinclair here, hockey player for the Bellevue Bullies and lover of all ladies. Hockey's in my blood, and not to sound full of myself, but I'm good at it...really good. The draft is within my reach - it's mine to take - but that's not the only reason people know my name. They know me because of my way with women. They know the score, and I aim to please. I just tend to stay away from repeat performances. In other words I don't do relationships beyond my family and friends.