You did it! We figured this one out! It is a truth universally acknowledged (by me for certain) that the Bitchery pretty much knows everything, and really, it's true. Scroll down to see the solution for this HaBO - and many thanks!
This second HaBO is also from Tanvee, who is searching for something more contemporary:
The second book is a contemporary sports romance – titled something like the footballer’s virgin wife?
Essentially a footballer married his coach’s daughter at 18 and then they separated almost immediately due to misunderstandings created partly by the coach I think. The book opens a few years after that, when the hero returns to the same town where his estranged wife lives and they coincidentally end up in the same house wearing very few clothes (yay for proximity?).
For some reason have to end up pretending like they are no longer estranged for maybe publicity purposes? And then basically they have to share a house and there are many misunderstandings and sexytimes and then they finally end up together.
This is also part of a series and one of the books is maybe about the hero’s sister and another teammate/current coach?
Catnip check: small town, forced proximity, second chances!
The Virgin’s Secret Marriage
by
Cathy Gillen Thacker
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I don’t know the answer, but I’d read this.
Susan Elizabeth Phillips Chicago Stars series?
This Heart of Mine (#5) is about Molly, the head coach’s sister-in-law.
It Had to be You (#1) is her older sister Phoebe’s story.
Molly tricks the quarterback into sleeping with her because she has a massive crush on him, and when she turns up pregnant, the brother-in-law/head coach makes them get married. After a miscarriage, they become further estranged but later end up at the same campground and after actually getting to know one another, HEA ensues.
I don’t remember anything about having to pretend to be happy, but it’s been a good 7-8 years since I last read any of this series. Off now to peruse the shelves for it..
@Mia: unfortunately it isn’t SEP, I’ve read some of those and none of the books meet the details I remember. Thanks though!
Just re-read the post, by footballer, do you mean soccer player (apologies for my American English if you did)?
@Mia: yes, I think I do mean soccer player, but I could be wrong about this because I don’t quite understand the difference. As far as I can remember, the hero was recruited to play soccer/ football at a young age (just out of high school perhaps?) and that is when the H/h fall in love.
I’m so sad to not have been able to find this. I’ve been looking for like 10 years 🙁
Could it be this from 2016?
Football Daddy: A Sports Romance by Ava Walsh
Overview: He’s always been my dream… Now he’s my secret.
Melissa has always had a crush on Nick. Always, for as long as she can remember. It’s too bad that he is not only her big brother’s best friend but also her best friend’s older brother. Talk about complicated. He is also a womanizer, with a reputation to prove that. What could she even have to offer?
When the guys have a party to celebrate them going to the Super Bowl with their local Seattle team, Melissa is surprised when Nick approaches her with an idea. She’s helped him in the past, and now that she’s twenty-two, he wants her to help him some more… in his bed. Nick proposes a friends with benefits situation to her, and she knows that she’s crazy to think about it at all, much less say yes.
Melissa is a virgin going into a sexual relationship with one of the biggest players in the NFL. She’s read the stories and heard the rumors, but none of that matters when she’s in his bed and finally getting her dream. Not at first, at least.
Can they make it through rumors as they keep their relationship secret from the ones that they love the most? Will circumstances make it too hard for Melissa to stick it through, even though she is in love with Nick?
NOTE: This book includes bonus stories!
Football Daddy is a 60-page standalone book in a series of football stars secret baby romance novels. Other parts of the series:
Touchdown Daddy
Quarterback Daddy
Thanks, @Tikimama, but this is not it unfortunately. I read it easily 10 years ago anyway, and the story elements don’t really add up.
So it was driving me off the rails that after all these years I still couldn’t find the book and so I went into Harlequin’s author list containing all the authors’ names and finally on the 76th page I found the author I was looking for. Her name is Cathy Gillen Thacker and this book that I’ve been desperately hunting for is called ‘The Virgin’s Secret Marriage’! The thing I was totally off about was the sport (which doesn’t surprise me) because the hero is an ice hockey player and not a footballer.
@Tanvee: Thanks for the update! So glad you find your book and we’ll update this one as solved.