Brothers of the Vine
Forever Evermore
Women of W.A.R.
The past few weeks have been the best of Travis Kelce’s life. He has run more metres this season than ever before. He has also scored a few touchdowns. He has qualified for the Superbowl. But who is Travis Kelce, and why do we care?
Travis Kelce is an American football tight end (who comes up with the names for these NFL positions I will never know) with a very famous girlfriend who has a penchant for singing about famous exes, and more money and Grammys than she knows what to do with. Taylor Swift fans – Swifties —everywhere have not only been treated to a new BF but have also had to learn everything there is to know about the world of NFL, also known as American football, because let’s be honest, it won’t be long before we are all dissecting every word of her next new song that will no doubt be about Travis and/or NFL.
The pop star and the football player is a trope made in heaven! And the Swift–Kelce romance does not disappoint. He has bought a new house to impress her and has upped the ante on his wardrobe , and every Swiftie has memorised what order they get into a car and in what position his hand is on her arm, hand, shoulder … It has also catapulted not only Kelce’s team, the Kansas City Chiefs, into the stratosphere but suddenly fans everywhere are watching the game just to catch a glimpse of Taylor in the players’ box, eating something that Swifties seemingly know is ranch and chugging a can of vodka-cran or a lime margarita. I’m personally downing a shot every time the camera shows Taylor at the game! It’s the favourite new drinking game.
As someone who has watched NFL for the past ten years and understands the game ever so slightly, my first glimpse of Taylor was just a few short weeks ago and it was completely by accident. But I’ve made sure to get up early to watch every Kansas Chiefs game since. This sudden development has me thinking about all the great football romances to read while waiting for the next instalment of what will Taylor be doing when the camera pans to her at the next Chiefs game. Here’s hoping she is eating a hard-to-find donut from a family-owned business that will surely find themselves inundated with Swifties after the game.
In no particular order, here are my picks for NFL romances:
All Lined Up by Cora Carmack
When your dad is a coaching legend in Texas high school football, your life isn’t your own. That’s why Dallas Cole can’t wait to get to Rusk University and finally get out of her father’s shadow. But when he makes the jump to college ball—at her school no less—it’s deja vu all over again.
Now, half the team (and all their groupies) avoid her like the plague, convinced she’ll tattle to her notoriously hardass father about a frat party or a bent curfew. The other half just wants to use her to get closer to the coach.
And then there’s Carson McClain, the supremely hot, newly transferred second-string quarterback. Oblivious of her identity, he approaches her at a party, and for once in her life Dallas decides to kiss first and ask questions later.
While the heat between them is undeniable, Dallas and Carson have more than a few issues to tackle. He’s a football player with a lot to prove. She’s the coach’s daughter who just wants a life of her own. How can they possibly win when they’ve both got so much to lose
Necessary Roughness by Julie Brannagh
From USA Today bestselling author Julie Brannagh comes a story about football, dreams, and second chances…
Tanner Cole’s football career was over in less than thirty seconds one Sunday afternoon. After a lifetime playing the sport he loves he’s been forced into an early retirement. Between figuring out his plan for the rest of his life and dealing with the pain of his injuries, this grouchy hottie isn’t in the mood for the perky physical therapist who makes him ache in more than one place.
Jordan Mueller doesn’t have time for a sulky ex-NFL player, even one who looks like Tanner. She’s done with falling for the bad boy without a heart. When she’s forced out of her apartment and offered an opportunity too good to pass up, she agrees to move in with Tanner. She’s only there to speed up his recovery. No funny business, even if her body is telling her otherwise.
As Tanner and Jordan spend more and more time together, they begin to see each other in a new light that threatens to change everything. But when the ghosts of girlfriends past reappear, Tanner must decide if he’s willing to put everything on the line for a shot at a future with Jordan.
A Game Between Friends by Yahrah St. John
From lovers to friends to lovers again? It’s complicated!
After losing his football career due to an injury, Xavier Lockett found solace in the arms of singer Porscha Childs…until a misunderstanding tore them apart. Now a sportscaster at a top Atlanta network, the former star quarterback craves another taste of the woman who helped him turn his life around.
But Porscha wants a hit record, not a second broken heart. Yet Xavier’s still irresistible. Their sparks ignite an inferno — that lands her in his bed! But can she trust that this time they’re both playing the same game?
When Stars Collide by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Thaddeus Walker Bowman Owens, the backup quarterback for the Chicago Stars, is a team player, talented sideline coach, occasional male underwear model, and a man with a low tolerance for Divas.
Olivia Shore, international opera superstar, is a driven diva with a passion for perfection, a craving for justice, too many secrets—and a monumental grudge against the egotistical, lowbrow jock she’s been stuck with.
It’s Mozart meets Monday Night Football as the temperamental soprano and stubborn jock embark on a nationwide tour promoting a luxury watch brand. Along the way, the combatants will engage in soul-searching and trash talk, backstage drama and, for sure, a quarterback pass. But they’ll also face trouble as threatening letters, haunting photographs, and a series of dangerous encounters complicate their lives. Is it the work of an overzealous fan or something more sinister
This is the emotional journey of a brilliant woman whose career is everything and a talented man who’ll never be happy with second place. Tender and funny, passionate and insightful, this irresistible romantic adventure proves that anything can happen…when two superstars collide.
The Cowboy and the Coach by Anna Grace
LOVE, OREGON #3
Winning the game…of love!
Cowboy and devoted dad Ash Wallace has no time for romantic entanglements. But when Violet Fareas arrives in Outcrop, Oregon, he’s stunned by her beauty and confidence. His son’s new football coach, Violet is clearly out of bounds. And she’s only in town for a season. So he should definitely not join her staff as a volunteer coach…or strategise with her on the porch swing…or fall head over heels in love!