posted on March 27, 2023 by Aliyah Burke

Sports Romance – a favorite of mine to write and read

Hello and good morning! Thanks for hanging out with me today.

I love writing sports romance. To me there’s something touching about the sports player, male or female, who is used to getting pretty much anything and everything they want because of their ‘star’ status having to work for the one thing I feel all people want. Love.

Even if that isn’t something we will admit out loud or heck, even during daylight hours, I believe it’s something we all crave. To be loved.

Then you also get to take them out of their spot where they’re known as they move down the street and slap them in a city where they are hated because of the team they used to play on, if they’d been traded. Or, you send them back home where they ran away and never looked back and find themselves not anything special. And confronted by the one who’d loved them in school and they forgot about when they headed on to bigger and better things.

Being able to place the player in awkward situations, I have to admit, makes me smile. The school teacher who remembered how much they loved to eat glue. Their grandmother who remembers them in diapers and isn’t shy of sharing those photos with anyone who let her.

Stripping them down to who they are at their core and building them back up even stronger and more confident than before because they have either found, or realized they’d had love at their side all this time, just needed to let it in, is fulfilling.

Then again, I also like to make them suffer because it’s a joy I get as an author. Seeing how much I can put them through before allowing them to get their happily ever after.

That’s a hard and fast line for me. Happily ever afters will happen.

My newest release, A SWEET SPOT FOR LOVE, is about a ex-pro baseball player who does have some demons he is trying to forget while he works on his community center. They will come out, of course, and during it all, he does have an incredible single mother at his side who he’s falling for more and more each day.

On the flip side of this, I also enjoy having the person who is used to a ‘normal’ life to realize they do have what it takes to earn the love and faithfulness of someone who is living their life on the road. We have all heard the stories, a lover in each city and that kind of thing. Never going home from a game alone. Always having people show up to the hotel room.

Not a lot to make you think someone can/would be faithful, so to navigate that and allow the couple to come out on top, I like the odds. But, again, I’m a romantic sap and love making people go through the wringer and coming out on the other side with the happily ever after.

What about all y’all. Love or hate the sports romance? If you love it, what sport or doesn’t it matter? If not? Why aren’t you feeling the love for this particular read?

Thank you for having me here with you today. Jump on in the conversation, post a reply. I will pick a random commentor after 12pm PST on 3.29.23 and post. A $15 Amazon giftcard is the prize. Best of luck and again, thank you for hanging out with me today!

Happy reading,

~Aliyah Burke

 

Aliyah Burke

Aliyah Burke

Aliyah Burke is an avid reader and is never far from pen and paper (or the computer). She loves to hear from her readers and can be reached here. She is married to a career military man. They are owned by three Borzoi, and a DSH cat. She spends her days sharing time between work, writing, and dog training, showing, and racing.

http://www.aliyah-burke.com/

46 thoughts on “Sports Romance – a favorite of mine to write and read”

  1. bn100 says:

    it’s okay

    1. Aliyah says:

      Thanks for stopping by!
      Happy reading,
      ~Aliyah Burke

  2. Colleen C. says:

    I truly enjoy sports romances… I read them more than watching an actual sport. I have mostly read Hockey, Football and Baseball romances… open to others.

    1. I love watching and reading them.
      Thanks for stopping by!
      Happy reading,
      ~Aliyah Burke

  3. Maria Smith says:

    I love sports romance. Football and Hockey are my favorites!

    Thanks so much!

    1. Yes, me too. I also love baseball.
      Thanks for stopping by!
      Happy reading,
      ~Aliyah Burke

  4. Jill says:

    Love sport romance! Got started in hockey but totally fell for football. Need to try some baseball!

    1. I love my baseball, but those are my main three. Gotta say though, rugby and soccer are up there also.
      Thanks for stopping by!
      Happy reading,
      ~Aliyah Burke

  5. JS says:

    Can take them or leave them.

    1. Thanks for stopping by!
      Happy reading,
      ~Aliyah Burke

  6. Timitra says:

    I love sports romance! Hockey, football and MMA are my faves to read!

    1. Ohh…didn’t think about MMA but yes, there for that too!
      Thanks for stopping by!
      Happy reading,
      ~Aliyah Burke

  7. Marina Skinner says:

    I love pretty much any sports romance! If there is angst involved Im all for it! Lol

    1. Ahh, angst, love it! Make them sweat before giving the HEA.
      Thanks for stopping by!
      Happy reading,
      ~Aliyah Burke

  8. I enjoy sports romances and even sports I don’t care for in real life. 🙂

    1. I totally get that. I’ll read/write basketball romances but not a fan of it at all in real life. Even if I do love filling out the brackets. *grin*
      Thanks for stopping by!
      Happy reading,
      ~Aliyah Burke

  9. E. R. says:

    I enjoy any sports romance reads, especially when they have all the tropes I adore. Since I’m not IRL sports fan, I can enjoy the sports (any of them) in my romance books. 🙂

    1. I look at it this way, you enjoy reading about them, you’re a fan. I’ll watch for both of us.
      Thanks for stopping by!
      Happy reading,
      ~Aliyah Burke

  10. Annie says:

    I haven’t read many sports romances. I’m usually reading a cozy mystery, romantic suspense, or something PNR.

    1. Nothing wrong with that. I’m a firm believer that so long as people are reading, it’s a win.
      Thanks for stopping by!
      Happy reading,
      ~Aliyah Burke

  11. Tracy Urschler says:

    I love an occasional sport of any kind romance!

    1. Fantastic!
      Thanks for stopping by!
      Happy reading,
      ~Aliyah Burke

  12. Shannon Capelle says:

    I love them one of must reads!

    1. For me too!
      Thanks for stopping by!
      Happy reading,
      ~Aliyah Burke

  13. Denise says:

    I love sports romance. As a sports mom with sons who played a multitude of sports, I was on the sideline of a lot of sports, so naturally, when you combine that with my love of romance books, it just makes sense.

    1. I think that’s amazing!
      Thanks for stopping by!
      Happy reading,
      ~Aliyah Burke

  14. Ryan says:

    I LOVE sports romances and the sport doesn’t matter – for the most part. Like, I don’t need to be a fan of the sport but I do need to be semi-familiar with it so that I can better envision game play when and if it’s included.

    1. That makes a lot of sense. I learned a lot about rugby while reading rugby romances.
      Thanks for stopping by!
      Happy reading,
      ~Aliyah Burke

  15. After reading different genres of books. I stumbled on ‘lite rom/com material. I love the break from some heavy angst. I enjoy sports… hockey, football and baseball. I even found a rom/com w/ rugby….fun read. Looking forward to finding yours soon. Thank you.

    1. I hope you enjoy them when you get there!
      Thanks for stopping by!
      Happy reading,
      ~Aliyah Burke

  16. Aasiyah Milton says:

    I’m new to sports romance but i have a feeling I’m going to devour this genre because of so many amazing authors!

    1. Welcome to the genre. We should compare booklists, I need a clone to just get my reading done for me.
      Thanks for stopping by!
      Happy reading,
      ~Aliyah Burke

  17. Rebecca E. says:

    I love sports romance, particularly football & hockey but I’m willing to try reading any sport.

    1. I’m like that too. I just love to ready.
      Thanks for stopping by!
      Happy reading,
      ~Aliyah Burke

  18. Laura J Slabach says:

    I’m not usually drawn to sports romances but I think it has a lot to do with the storyline and the chemistry between the characters.

    1. Good point, but I think that’s true for any romance.

    2. Congratulations Laura!
      Please shoot me an email or a msg on FB with the email you’d like the gift card sent to.
      Thanks to everyone who stopped by!!
      Happy reading,
      ~Aliyah Burke

  19. Angie Peterson says:

    I love sport romances.

    I like to read about any sport.

    I would like to read a sport romance involving bowling, racing, or wrestling…but I never seem to find any of those.

    Your book sounds fantastic!

    Thanks for the chance and for the amazing giveaway 💜

    💜 Good luck everyone 💜

    1. I know there’s a bowling scene in this story. Racing? I have a car racing one, boat racing. No running racing. Not yet. And I want to do one that follows the Tour.
      Thanks for stopping by!
      Happy reading,
      ~Aliyah Burke

      1. Angie Peterson says:

        Thanks, I’m really interested in reading all of those 💜

  20. Gladys Nason says:

    I love reading sports romance even though in real life I’m no sports fan and hardly pay any attention to it.

    1. I spend a lot of time writing with sports on in the background.
      Thanks for stopping by!
      Happy reading,
      ~Aliyah Burke

  21. Ooo I love sports romances!!!

    1. Likewise!
      Thanks for stopping by!
      Happy reading,
      ~Aliyah Burke

  22. Jacelyn Rose says:

    That’s definitely a favorite genre. I have a shelf dedicated to Sports Romances on my nook!

    1. I’m always wanting to do categories but I’m horrible at setting it up.
      Thanks for stopping by!
      Happy reading,
      ~Aliyah Burke

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