Welcome to Tuesday, better known here as HaBO Day! HaBO, or “Help a Bitch Out,” is our attempt to reunite readers with romances that they can remember parts of, but not the important parts like the author’s name or the title. This HaBO request comes from Katie Lynn, who is searching for a contemporary romance:
The book I’m looking for is a contemporary, probably written within the last 5 years. I swear that the hero was a pro athlete (possibly retired), and I don’t recall what the heroine’s deal was.
She moves in with him before they get together, because of some romance book trope (he’s her assistant, or as a favor to a friend, or she’s his sober companion, or fake fiance, etc). He definitely lives in a house, it’s either modern or Frank Lloyd Wright (lots of wood and glass and clean lines).
The hero’s teammate lives across the street, and hosts a big party where either the heroine or hero gets completely wasted.
After they do the sex for the first time (or he tells her he loves her) the hero takes a phone call thinking the heroine is sleeping. She thinks he is saying bad things about her (this is all a misunderstanding). Heroine runs to the teammate across the street.
At some point the heroine’s father takes the hero aside and threatens him not to hurt the heroine. This is at a family gathering at the hero’s house.
There is a secret baby (or teenager. One or the other.) that shows up. I think the mother just drops the kid off at the hero’s house one day and leaves.
I also believe that the heroine’s sister is a hot mess, and sells the hero and heroine out to the paps? (there is definitely something about the paps, and the hero maybe has had an issue with them in the past).
I’m pretty sure that the hero is older than the heroine, possibly significantly so (like 10 years), and she is young-ish, mid 20s.
Both hero and heroine have nosy families. I think there is a scene where the hero’s family just lets themselves into the house and starts making dinner. I am pretty sure that the hero at least has several siblings.
That’s all I can recall, and I made the mistake of posting my call for help elsewhere, and they’re turning rabid with their need to have this book. You’ll have my unending appreciation!
There’s a lot going on here. Can we help her out?
Sounds like one of Erin Mccarthy’s Fast Track books.
Could it be “Whose bed is it anyway?” by Natalie Anderson? It’s a Harlequin Kiss novel from 2013 (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18343511-whose-bed-is-it-anyway). The plot sounds a lot like this book.
Might this be one of Julie Brannagh’s Love and Football books, maybe Blitzing Emily?
sounds like a great book
Carly Phillips has been writing about football teams in her Dare To series. All sorts of confused relationships between siblings and cousins. A man had a wife and several kids with her and the man also had a mistress and several kids with her. Many concatenations as a result.
Oh oh…. I think it’s a hockey book. Who did hockey books? Isn’t it his teen sister or niece who gets dumped to live with him?
I want to say Rachel Gibson…
And reading the description of the Rachel Gibson hockey books:
https://www.goodreads.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&query=rachel+gibson+hockey
I think you might be conflating two or more of the series. There’s a semi-secret kid in one, a teen sister in another. (I glommed them fairly quickly a few years ago and have a hard time remembering which was which, too).
hockey books? Doesn’t Susan Elizabeth Phillips have a series about hockey players? I think her team is a Chicago team.
SEP’s Chicago Stars are a football team. I don’t think she’s got hockey players. Rachel Gibson and Deidre Martin both have hockey series.
hmmm… I wonder now who I read that wrote about a hockey team. Thought fershure it was SEP.
It’s not Rachel Gibson, I only read the first book, and since I didn’t enjoy it I didn’t continue. Someone suggested Nothing But Trouble (the seventh book), but I hadn’t read that one. I ended up buying it and enjoyed it a lot.
I have read Fast Track, but I don’t believe it is any of those, looking through the descriptions and from what I recall from the books.
I’m not sure about the Dare series, I know I read the first two or so, but I don’t think it either of those.
I think it is Blitzing Emily – I seem to remember the house party and the phone call. Even if it isn’t, the book is worth a read.
I agree with PamG. It’s one of the Julie Brannagh books. There’s a craftsman style house, a teammate neighbor who throws a wild party, running away from bad press, a teenage daughter, and meddling parents. I don’t know if it’s Rushing Amy or Blitzing Emily because I get them confused, but they’re both really good.
The lovely Anna Richland just sent me a mail and said, “Get over there!”. I’m here. 😉
Blitzing Emily is the story of Brandon, pro football player, and Emily, opera diva. There’s a concussion that leads to a fake engagement (of course). Emily spends a lot of time in Brandon’s gorgeous home overlooking Lake Washington, his teammate Damian (who lives across the street) throws one hell of a party, and as they get to know each other while dealing with their demanding careers, Brandon and Emily fall in love.
Rushing Amy is my second book, featuring Matt (a former pro football player). Matt meets Emily’s sister Amy (a florist) after Brandon and Emily’s wedding. Matt has a 14-year-old daughter, Samantha, from a previous marriage. Amy is very attracted to Matt but is heartbroken over a previous relationship. Matt wants a date with the independent Amy and pursues her until she says “yes”. Amy falls in love with Matt when she realizes that the thing he wants most in life is to be needed.
I fell in love with Brandon before I put one word on the page. He’s irresistible. And I love Matt because he can be a big ol’ butthead, but he loves Amy with all his heart. I am so happy to know that there are readers who love them, too. 😉
It’s not Rushing Amy or Blitzing Emily. Those books were both suggested where I originally posted, and I re-read both to be sure. (Also, hey, Julie! I definitely enjoy your books)
When I get a few minutes I plan on rereading the first Dare book (the only one I know for sure I read) to see if that was it, but I really don’t think it was.
I’m beginning to think that the hero isn’t a football player? I thought he was sports-related, maybe an agent, or a sportscaster, or a publicist?
@Katie Lynn, I’m thinking maybe — MAYBE — based only on the last graph of your comment above, you could be thinking of SEP’s “Match Me If You Can.” The hero is a sports agent with a lot of football player clients. There are babies, teenagers and more, lots of gatherings (don’t remember a huge party though) … in short, it’s a lot of fun but doesn’t have all the plottage you’re looking for.
It almost sounds like you have bits and pieces of several “Chicago Stars” plots and subplots compressed together. 🙂 One of the other books — “Natural Born Charmer” — features an assistant, a big glass house and other possibilities. But the “warning of the hero by the father” is in “This Heart of Mine” … GAH!
@Katie Lynn
Did you by any chance purchase a box set called Love Down Under: Eight New Zealand and Australian Feel-Good Beach Romances? Your description sounds a little like a mash-up of a couple of those stories–notably Falling for Jack (flashy house, ex-girlfriend who cheated with ex-jock best friend, divorced mom/w twins acting as a nanny for surprise child shipped in from Canada) and Just for You (jock hero, feisty heroine, very big families, problem party).
None of this is by any means an exact match, but the surprise kid element gave me a brain worm only solvable by this collection.
Good luck!