The Rivals We Hate by Brooke O'Brien

The Rivals We Hate (Braysen U #1)
Author: Brooke O'Brien
Published: October 2023
Publisher: Brooke O'Brien
Format: ARC E-Book
Pages: 361
Rating: 5/5
Summary: 

Football players are treated like royalty in our small town, which makes Beckham Carver their king. And as the new quarterback of the Braysen Bulldogs, he's also my boyfriend's biggest rival.

Add that to the list of reasons I should stay far away from him.

But when my truck breaks down, Beckham makes me an offer I can't He'll repair my pickup in exchange for me tutoring him.

I have only one stipulation—no one, including my boyfriend, can find out.

The more I try to convince myself and Beckham that I hate him, the more he pushes my buttons to prove me wrong.

Worse, the lines we've drawn between us blur as we spend more time together. And when my relationship comes crashing down around me, I almost forget why I couldn't stand him all along.

If I've learned one thing about Beckham Carver, it's that he always gets what he wants...

... and now, he's set his sights on me.

The Rivals We Hate features the following rivals to lovers, sports/football, boyfriend's rival, reformed player, hate to want you, touch her and I'll hurt you, and small college town.

Kissing the Cowboy by: Kennedy Fox

Kissing the Cowboy (Circle B Ranch #5)
Author: Kennedy Fox
Published: July 2021
Publisher: Kennedy Fox
Format: ARC E-Book
Pages: 232
Rating: 5/5
Summary: 

After drinking a bottle of wine, Harper tells her business rival that she recently got engaged. Once the hangover wears off, Harper realizes she now needs a fake fiancé or to admit she lied. Wanting to avoid the backlash, she asks her childhood best friend for a favor.

She can pretend she’s not in love with him, but her traitorous body reveals otherwise.

Ethan Bishop will do anything for Harper, even if it’s crazy and means risking his heart. Pretending to be engaged to the woman he’s always loved proves to be difficult—especially when repressed feelings bubble to the surface.

He only wants to help, but everyone in his life sees through his façade.

It’s hard to know what’s real or fake when their private moments turn intimate. When they cross the line and fall between the sheets, the truth is undeniable. 

Just as they feared, their friendship’s no longer the same. However, one thing’s certain—there’s no going back now.


**Kissing the Cowboy is a complete stand-alone and can be read without reading any of the other books or spin-off series, but if you prefer to read in order, start with Hitching the Cowboy as the characters and families do interconnect. Suggested for mature readers only.**