There’s something about the brother’s best friend romance trope that just hits. Maybe it’s the tension, the secrecy, the “we really shouldn’t but we absolutely will” energy. It’s forbidden in the best way, whether it’s a grumpy hockey player sneaking glances, a childhood friend who grew up way too hot, or the guy who’s been off-limits for years suddenly seeing you in a whole new light.
From slow burns and second chances to steamy first kisses behind closed doors, these romances deliver all the emotional chaos and chemistry your TBR could ever ask for. If you’re into protective book boyfriends, hidden feelings, and a whole lot of pining, you’re in the right place.
Play with Me by Becka Mack
He’s found the perfect person—but she’s the only one he can’t be with…
Garrett Andersen knows that playing professional hockey requires absolute dedication to the rules. There’s just one rule he’s finding difficult to follow: stay away from his captain’s younger sister.
As a professional dancer, Jennie Beckett knows what it takes to excel. She prides herself on being every bit as confident and bold as her brother, sassy as hell, and the only person in charge of her pleasure. No wonder Garrett can’t stay away from her—even if he forgets how to form sentences whenever she’s around.
Jennie would rather avoid her brother’s teammate, especially after several embarrassing run-ins, but suddenly they’re neighbors. And as the connection between them grows, Garrett and Jennie decide to have some fun, no strings attached. Between their busy schedules and her brother’s disapproval, they know keeping things casual and low-key is the smartest play.
But what if their feelings get in the way? After all, they’re only supposed to be playing with each other…
If you read at a standard rate, say 30 pages per hour, it will take you 18 hours and 8 minutes to finish Play with Me by Becka Mack.
The Chase by Elle Kennedy
Everyone says opposites attract. And they must be right, because there’s no logical reason why I’m so drawn to Colin Fitzgerald. I don’t usually go for tattoo-covered, video-gaming, hockey-playing nerd-jocks who think I’m flighty and superficial. His narrow view of me is the first strike against him. It doesn’t help that he’s buddy-buddy with my brother.
And that his best friend has a crush on me.
And that I just moved in with them.
Oh, did I not mention we’re roommates?
I suppose it doesn’t matter. Fitzy has made it clear he’s not interested in me, even though the sparks between us are liable to burn our house down. I’m not the kind of girl who chases after a man, though, and I’m not about to start. I’ve got my hands full dealing with a new school, a sleazy professor, and an uncertain future. So if my sexy brooding roomie wises up and realizes what he’s missing?
He knows where to find me.
If you read at a standard rate, say 30 pages per hour, it will take you 12 hours and 16 minutes to finish The Chase by Elle Kennedy.
Smoking Gun by Lainey Lawson
Nothing says welcome home like an irresistibly hot cowboy inviting himself into your shower.
I should have kicked him out the second he barged in. He’s my brother’s best friend and we’re living on a ranch in the same bunkhouse for the next three weeks. Disaster waiting to happen.
He’s hell bent on keeping his walls up. And I’m a ball of stress, fresh out of medical school, determined to focus on my career and taking care of my family.
Despite the long list of reasons why it’s a terrible idea, we jump into the burning ring of fire that is secret friends with benefits.
As long as there’s no strings attached, no feelings, and no kissing of course.
Just when I think Gage will be a distant memory once I’m gone for good, my heart starts to run the show.
Rules are broken and lines are blurred.
Now I wish the only big secret he’s been keeping was me.
Smoking Gun is a brother’s best friend, secret friends with benefits, small town romance that brings the steam and the swoon! This book includes a happily ever after and is book one in the new cowboy romance series of interconnected standalones, The Bunkhouse.
If you read at a standard rate, say 30 pages per hour, it will take you 10 hours and 24 minutes to finish Smoking Gun by Lainey Lawson.
Into the Tide by Laura Pavlov
She’s my best friend’s little sister. Completely off-limits. But every man has his breaking point.
Lila James is my best friend’s little sister and I’ve always looked out for her.
She’s five years younger than me, and when she left for college, she was just a kid.
But now she’s home for the summer—and she’s definitely not a kid anymore.
She’s beautiful and smart and everything I didn’t know I needed.
Dark eyes. Long wavy hair. And legs that are meant to be wrapped around me.
I’m the guy who likes to have a good time.
Keep things light.
When her brother asks me to hire her at my restaurant, it’s a no-brainer.
There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her.
Until she asks me for one more favor.
She wants me to be her first.
Take her V-card.
Go where no man has gone before.
Her words, not mine.
And damn if I don’t want to go there more than I’ve ever wanted anything.
She’s only here for the summer, and she says it will be our secret.
It’s temporary.
We’ll go back to being just friends at the end of summer.
She promises that she won’t fall for me.
She knows better.
But Lila isn’t the one I’m worried about.
If you read at a standard rate, say 30 pages per hour, it will take you 12 hours and 14 minutes to finish Into the Tide by Laura Pavlov.
Make Me Yours by Melanie Harlow
He’s my brother’s best friend.
The hot single dad next door.
And one accidental sext later, my massive crush on him is no longer a secret.
It’s my own damn fault. I’m thirty years old, for heaven’s sake. I’m a kindergarten teacher and a (reasonably) responsible adult. I should know better than to get tipsy and draft a fake text listing all the dirty things I wish Officer Cole Mitchell would do to me.
I wasn’t supposed to hit send.
He wasn’t supposed to see it.
And he definitely wasn’t supposed to text back telling me to go on . . .
Because after that, things escalate quickly.
Cole is everything I’ve ever wanted. He’s sexy and protective. A devoted father to his little girl. A dedicated cop the whole town adores. The kind of guy you can trust to keep his hands to himself, even when you’re desperately hoping he won’t.
I’m not the girl he thought he’d end up with, but after all this time, I might finally get the chance to say the words I’ve always dreamed of . . . make me yours.
If you read at a standard rate, say 30 pages per hour, it will take you 12 hours and 54 minutes to finish Make Me Yours by Melanie Harlow.
A False Start by Elsie Silver
I kissed my best friend’s little sister, and the world stood still.
That night we were two perfect strangers, the town’s grumpy recluse and a gorgeous girl in the back of a bar. Until we weren’t.
Because Nadia Dalca isn’t just some girl. She’s the girl I can’t have. Fourteen years younger than me and completely off-limits.
My plan is to stay away, but the universe keeps pushing us together. It’s like some sort of cosmic joke, to give me a taste of something so electric—so real—something that breathed life back into me.
Because I can look, but I can’t touch.
Her sinful curves, her light-hearted laughter, her wild side . . . I’m addicted to every last bit of her.
And when she turns those sultry eyes on me––the ones so full of longing and so free of judgement? I’ve always considered myself a strong man. But when she looks at me I’m weak.
To give in to our connection would be a betrayal. My life is beyond complicated, and she has the world at her fingertips. Her brother is the only family she has left, and sad as it sounds, he’s also my only friend.
But I kissed her again anyway.
And now I can’t stop.
If you read at a standard rate, say 30 pages per hour, it will take you 14 hours and 24 minutes to finish A False Start by Elsie Silver.
Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage
She’s off-limits, but he’s never been good at following the rules.
For the first time in her life, Clementine “Emmy” Ryder has no idea what she’s doing. She’s accomplished everything on her to-do list. She left her small hometown of Meadowlark, Wyoming; went to college; and made a career for herself by doing her favorite thing: riding horses. But after an accident makes it impossible for her to get back into the saddle, she has no choice but to return to the hometown she always wanted to escape.
Luke Brooks is Meadowlark’s most notorious bad boy, bar owner, and bachelor. He’s also the unofficial fifth member of the Ryder family. As Emmy’s older brother’s best friend, Luke spent most of his childhood antagonizing her. It’s been years since he’s seen her, but when she walks into his bar and back into his life, he can’t take his eyes off her. Despite his better judgment, he wants to do a whole lot more than just look at her.
Emmy’s got too much on her mind to think about romance. And Luke knows he should stay away from his best friend’s younger sister. But what if Luke is just what Emmy needs to get her spark back? Or will they both go up in flames?
If you read at a standard rate, say 30 pages per hour, it will take you 11 hours and 52 minutes to finish Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage.
Holding the Reins by Paisley Hope
In this steamy cowboy romance, a woman returns to her family’s ranch after a broken engagement and finds herself falling for her brother’s best friend—the first novel in the Silver Pines Ranch series.
Take a deep breath and let go of the reins.
Cecilia “CeCe” Ashby is finally escaping the toxic relationship that has consumed her entire adult life. She’s returning to her hometown of Laurel Creek, Kentucky, and to her family’s equestrian ranch, unsure of what the future holds.
Nash Carter, the newly retired superstar of the Dallas Stars, is Laurel Creek’s hometown hero, local business owner, and notorious bachelor. He’s also the unofficial fourth sibling in the Ashby clan. It’s been years since his days of tormenting CeCe with her older brothers Wade and Cole. So, when CeCe needs a job, he feels drawn to help her.
Nash can’t seem to take his eyes off of his best friend’s sister, and it seems she’s been staring right back, not without animosity left over from his childish teasing back in the day. Despite their initial reluctance, the fire between them ignites and it isn’t long before they jump into the flames.
If you read at a standard rate, say 30 pages per hour, it will take you 13 hours and 20 minutes to finish Holding the Reins by Paisley Hope.
Fair Catch by Kandi Steiner
As if things aren’t already tough enough as the only girl on a college football team, Coach had to go and assign Zeke Collins as my roommate.
A cocky kick returner and my brother’s best friend who should have been ripped of that title years ago, he’s as infuriating as he is undeniably sexy.
I hate him, and for good reason — reason I won’t ever let him forget.
He thinks because we grew up together that it’s his role to protect me, but all he does is get in my way, make me look weak, and piss me off more.
I tell him I can handle myself, and I’m hell-bent on getting that point across to him and the rest of the nation watching the only girl in collegiate football.
The pressure doesn’t get to me. The scrutiny? I’m ready for.
But sharing very thin walls with Zeke Collins? I wasn’t prepared for that.
And the more we’re forced together, the harder it is to distinguish that pencil-thin line between hating him… and wanting him.
If you read at a standard rate, say 30 pages per hour, it will take you 12 hours and 4 minutes to finish Fair Catch by Kandi Steiner.
Twisted Love by Ana Huang
He has a heart of ice…but for her, he’d burn the world
A diverse new adult steamy romance from Tiktok sensation and USA Today bestselling author Ana Huang.
Alex Volkov is a devil blessed with the face of an angel and cursed with a past he can’t escape.
Driven by a tragedy that has haunted him for most of his life, his ruthless pursuits for success and vengeance leave little room for matters of the heart.
But when he’s forced to look after his best friend’s sister, he starts to feel something in his chest:
A crack.
A melt.
A fire that could end his world as he knew it.
***
Ava Chen is a free spirit trapped by nightmares of a childhood she can’t remember.
But despite her broken past, she’s never stopped seeing the beauty in the world…including the heart beneath the icy exterior of a man she shouldn’t want.
Her brother’s best friend.
Her neighbor.
Her savior and her downfall.
Theirs is a love that was never supposed to happen-but when it does, it unleashes secrets that could destroy them both…and everything they hold dear.
Twisted Love is a contemporary brother’s best friend/grumpy sunshine romance. It’s book one in the Twisted series but can be read as a standalone.
If you read at a standard rate, say 30 pages per hour, it will take you 11 hours and 26 minutes to finish Twisted Love by Ana Huang.
To Love Jason Thorn by Ella Maise
Jason Thorn… My brother’s childhood friend.
Oh, how stupidly in love with that boy I was. He was the first boy that made me blush, my first official crush. Sounds beautiful so far, right? That excitement that bubbles up inside you, those famous butterflies you feel for the very first time—he was the reason for them all. But, you only get to live in that fairytale world until they crush your hopes and dreams and then stomp on your heart for good measure. And boy did he crush my little heart into pieces.
After the stomping part he became the boy I did my best to stay away from—and let me tell you, it was pretty hard to do when he slept in the room right across from mine.
When tragedy struck his family and they moved away, I was ready to forget he ever existed.
Now he is a movie star, the one who makes women of all ages go into a screaming frenzy, the one who makes everyone swoon with that dimpled smile of his. Do you think that’s dreamy? I certainly don’t think so. How about me coming face to face with him? Nope still not dreamy. Not when I can’t even manage to look him in the eye.
Me? I’m Olive, a new writer. Actually, I’m THE writer of the book that inspired the movie he is about to star in on the big screen. As of late, I am also referred to as the oh-so-very-lucky girl who is about to become the wife of Jason Thorn.
Maybe you’re thinking yet again that this is all so dreamy? Nope, nothing dreamy going on here. Not even close.
To Love Jason Thorn is a full-length standalone, which also contains some pretty hot and descriptive sex scenes. *winks*
If you read at a standard rate, say 30 pages per hour, it will take you 14 hours and 16 minutes to finish To Love Jason Thorn by Ella Maise.
Mr. Wrong Number by Lynn Painter
Things get textual when a steamy message from a random wrong number turns into an anonymous relationship in this hilarious rom-com by Lynn Painter.
Bad luck has always followed Olivia Marshall…or maybe she’s just the screw-up her family thinks she is. But when a “What are you wearing?” text from a random wrong number turns into the hottest, most entertaining—albeit anonymous—relationship of her life, she thinks things might be on the upswing….
Colin Beck has always considered Olivia his best friend’s annoying little sister, but when she moves in with them after one of her worst runs of luck, he realizes she’s turned into an altogether different and sexier distraction. He’s sure he can keep his distance, until the moment he discovers she’s the irresistible Miss Misdial he’s been sort of sexting for weeks—and now he has to decide whether to turn the heat up or ghost her before things get messy.
If you read at a standard rate, say 30 pages per hour, it will take you 11 hours and 40 minutes to finish Mr. Wrong Number by Lynn Painter.
Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey
Georgette Castle’s family runs the best home renovation business in town, but she picked balloons instead of blueprints and they haven’t taken her seriously since. Frankly, she’s over it. Georgie loves planning children’s birthday parties and making people laugh, just not at her own expense. She’s determined to fix herself up into a Woman of the World… whatever that means.
Phase one: new framework for her business (a website from this decade, perhaps?)
Phase two: a gut-reno on her wardrobe (fyi, leggings are pants.)
Phase three: updates to her exterior (do people still wax?)
Phase four: put herself on the market (and stop crushing on Travis Ford!)
Living her best life means facing the truth: Georgie hasn’t been on a date since, well, ever. Nobody’s asking the town clown out for a night of hot sex, that’s for sure. Maybe if people think she’s having a steamy love affair, they’ll acknowledge she’s not just the “little sister” who paints faces for a living. And who better to help demolish that image than the resident sports star and tabloid favorite?
Travis Ford was major league baseball’s hottest rookie when an injury ended his career. Now he’s flipping houses to keep busy and trying to forget his glory days. But he can’t even cross the street without someone recapping his greatest hits. Or making a joke about his… bat. And then there’s Georgie, his best friend’s sister, who is not a kid anymore. When she proposes a wild scheme—that they pretend to date, to shock her family and help him land a new job—he agrees. What’s the harm? It’s not like it’s real. But the girl Travis used to tease is now a funny, full-of-life woman and there’s nothing fake about how much he wants her…
If you read at a standard rate, say 30 pages per hour, it will take you 13 hours and 20 minutes to finish Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey.
The Plus One by Mazey Eddings
Some facts are indisputable. The sun rises in the east, sets in the west. Gravity exits. Indira doesn’t like Jude. Jude doesn’t like Indira. But what happens when these childhood enemies find the only thing they can rely on is each other?
On paper, Indira has everything together. An amazing job, a boyfriend, and a car. What more could a late twenty-something ask for? But when she walks in on her boyfriend in an amorous embrace with a stranger, that perfect on paper image goes up in flames.
Jude has nothing together. A doctor that’s spent the last three years traveling the world to treat emergencies and humanitarian crises, a quick trip home for his best friend’s wedding has him struggling to readjust.
Thrust into an elaborate (and ridiculously drawn out) wedding event that’s stressing Jude beyond belief and has Indira seeing her ex and his new girlfriend far more frequently than any human should endure, the duo strike a bargain to be each other’s fake dates to this wedding from hell. The only problem is, their forced proximity and fake displays of affection are starting to feel a bit… real, and both are left grappling with the idea that a situation that couldn’t be worse, is made a little better with the other around.
What starts out as a fake wedding date turns into something these childhood enemies never expected in the next sparkling romantic comedy by Mazey Eddings.
If you read at a standard rate, say 30 pages per hour, it will take you 10 hours and 14 minutes to finish The Plus One by Mazey Eddings.
Misbehaved by Katy Kaylee
Pregnant with my brother’s best friend?
No, that can’t happen!
They say, the universe always conspires to give you what yoú’ve always wanted.
In my case, it’s revenge with Jax Michaels.
My brother’s best friend, my sworn enemy, and now my new boss.
Three years ago, I let him deflower me.
A mistake that left me devastated. Scarred. Wounded. Hurt.
I’ve hated him all these years,
Thinking of ways I can make him pay back for what he did.
And fate makes sure our paths cross once again.
Of all the fashion houses in the world,
I walk into his!
Did I say he’s still as charming as ever?
And those smoldering eyes of his…I can spend the rest of my life simply looking into those.
I think I’m falling for him yet again,
But forgiveness is off the table,
He needs to know that he’s the biggest regret of my life,
And no matter how hard he tries, I will never trust him.
Not even with a baby on the way.
And that is why this will be my little secret.
If you read at a standard rate, say 30 pages per hour, it will take you 8 hours and 36 minutes to finish Misbehaved by Katy Kaylee.
Wild Love by Elsie Silver
She’s been driving him wild for years . . . the good kind of wild.
The kind of wild that comes with wanting your best friend’s little sister and knowing you can’t have her.
Forbes may have labeled Ford Grant the World’s Hottest Billionaire, but all he cares about is escaping the press and opening a recording studio in gorgeous small town Rose Hill. Something that comes to a screeching halt when he ends up face-to-face with a young girl who claims he’s her biological father. Now, he spends his days balancing business with parenting a sullen twelve-year-old, all while trying desperately to keep his hands the hell off his best friend’s sister, Rosie Belmont.
After living in the city, Rosie came blasting back into town like a storm. Beautiful, messy, and chaotic. And one wide-eyed, desperate plea for a job is all it takes for Ford to hire her. He vows to keep her at arm’s length. Tries to stick to scowls and grumpy one-liners. But with her, verbal sparring is a type of foreplay―friction that soon turns to blistering heat.
Ford knows damn well he shouldn’t cross this line. But shouldn’t and can’t are two very different things.
And the only thing he truly can’t do is resist her.
If you read at a standard rate, say 30 pages per hour, it will take you 13 hours and 24 minutes to finish Wild Love by Elsie Silver.
Glimmers of You by Catherine Cowles
He hadn’t always just been my brother’s best friend. There was a time when he was mine, too. Until he disappeared from our small town when I needed him the most.
Now, Caden’s back. With his cocky smirk and infuriating nicknames. And I’m struggling to ignore his presence.
When my ex refuses to leave me alone, Caden steps in, suggesting that it will get my ex and Caden’s calculating father off both our backs if we just pretend to be madly in love.
There’s just one problem… Nothing I feel for Caden Shaw is fake—even when I thought I hated him. And there’s no denying how the touch of his lips sparks a flame I’ll never be able to extinguish.
As those pretend moments start to turn oh so real, someone’s watching. They’re not happy about Caden’s new role in my life. And they’ll do anything to rip me away from him—even burn us all to the ground…
If you read at a standard rate, say 30 pages per hour, it will take you 11 hours and 24 minutes to finish Glimmers of You by Catherine Cowles.
Bridesmaid for Hire by Meghan Quinn
Sometimes the wedding of the century calls for desperate measures.
And sometimes those desperate measures are to pretend the person you hate most is actually your boyfriend.
After years of working her tail off at her event-planning business, Maggie Mitchell is ready for a vacation. With nothing on her mind but R & R, she’s enjoying the warm weather of Bora Bora when in saunters Brody McFadden, her brother’s best friend and also her sworn enemy. Thanks to years of tension between the two—kicked off by a make-out session at her brother’s wedding that ended horribly—Maggie has sworn to stay away from the man. That is, until she finds out he’s in Bora Bora for his boss’s daughter’s wedding, hoping to use the trip to win a real future at the company.
Maggie promised herself she wouldn’t even think of work on the island, but as word spreads about the “wedding of the century” taking place in the midst of her vacation, she realizes offering her services as a bridesmaid and planner could bring her business to the next level. The only catch? She needs to pose as Brody’s girlfriend to get the job…while letting him stay in her peaceful bungalow.
Tensions rise, irritation flairs, and despite years’ worth of bickering behind closed doors, Maggie can’t quite squash the sparks building between her and her new fake boyfriend, especially when she learns the real reason their first kiss was cut short. But as the wedding day draws closer and everything starts to go wrong, it just might be Brody who sends Maggie’s business crashing down—and her heart along with it.
If you read at a standard rate, say 30 pages per hour, it will take you 14 hours and 56 minutes to finish Bridesmaid for Hire by Meghan Quinn.
Knocked Up By The Grump by Jaclyn Hartley
A single night together with the irresistible billionaire grump left me with a baby…And now he’s my new client. I sneak into a masquerade yacht party hosted by my brother’s friend. That’s when I lock eyes with a masked older man with a sexy smirk. Despite his initial gruffness, we strike up a conversation that ignites a spark. I melt into his arms when his lips press to mine. Unable to resist, I ask him to take me. He calls me his baby and passion takes over us. After the wild night, his memory lingers…compelling me to return to the marina. Fate intervenes when the infuriatingly charming billionaire hires me to work for him. He’s entitled, arrogant, everything I never wanted but I can’t deny the attraction. Now, I’m forced to confront my feelings for him. Because our relationship isn’t the only thing getting stronger…I’m carrying our baby.Each book in this series is a STANDALONE, fast-paced journey with drama and a guaranteed HEA.Age gapGrumpy SunshineBrother’s Best FriendSurprise baby.
If you read at a standard rate, say 30 pages per hour, it will take you 6 hours and 38 minutes to finish Knocked Up By The Grump by Jaclyn Hartley.
My Brother’s Best Friend by Emilia Rose
Alec son to billionaires, high school hockey star, and my brother’s annoying best friend.
I hate everything about him, until he sneaks into my bedroom one night during one of my brother’s infamous parties and takes what he wants from me.
My Brother’s Best Friend is the fifth book in the Bad Boys of Redwood Academy series by Emilia Rose. It can be read as a standalone.
If you read at a standard rate, say 30 pages per hour, it will take you 13 hours and 8 minutes to finish My Brother’s Best Friend by Emilia Rose.
Conclusion
Okay but seriously—why are the brother’s best friends always so dreamy? Whether they were sweet and secretly in love for years, or total menaces with hearts of gold, these guys make for the best kind of book trouble.
Got a fave from the list? Or one that absolutely wrecked you and deserves a shoutout? Hit the comments, because there’s always room for another fictional crush