Katy Evans doesn't write romance. She writes emotional rollercoasters with abs.
Her REAL series features Remington Tate—underground fighter, bipolar athlete, man who calls heroine "my little firecracker" unironically. He's possessive. Damaged. Ridiculously alpha. Brooke falls for him despite warning signs visible from space. Their relationship is intense—breakups, makeups, grand gestures, explicit sex scenes. Evans writes emotional maximalism: feelings at maximum volume, stakes impossibly high, declarations of devotion every chapter.
Evans pioneered contemporary sports romance formula: alpha hero with traumatic backstory, strong heroine who "fixes" him through love, first-person dual POV so you experience both their obsessive thoughts, explicit intimate scenes with feelings, HEA earned through suffering. It's emotional porn—not degrading term, accurate description. Readers come for feelings the way others come for plot twists.
These 15 authors share Evans' understanding that some readers want romance turned up to eleven, that alpha heroes need to be possessive (but not abusive—there's a line), that trauma backstories make obsession romantic, that emotional intensity matters more than realism, that sex scenes should have feelings, and that love means "I can't breathe without you" not "I enjoy your company."
Scottish setting specialist. Emotional depth expert. Evans with more character development.
Young writes contemporary romance with Evans' intensity but more focus on emotional growth. Her heroes are alpha but work through issues. Her heroines have agency beyond loving damaged men. She's Evans matured—same passion, more psychology. Her On Dublin Street series became romance phenomenon through BookTok.
On Dublin Street (2012): Jocelyn Butler is American in Edinburgh, emotionally closed after family tragedy. Braden Carmichael is Scottish, confident, determined to break through her walls. He pursues relentlessly. She resists then surrenders. Young makes emotional walls central—Jocelyn's trauma is real, healing takes time. It's Evans-level intensity with therapy awareness.
The connection: Both write intense contemporary romance. Both feature alpha males. Both include explicit content. Both write emotional heroines. Both use dual POV. Both popular in romance community. Both write series following friend groups.
The difference: Young adds more emotional complexity. More realistic character growth. Less instalove, more gradual trust-building. Evans: immediate intense connection. Young: intense connection that develops properly. Evans prioritizes passion. Young balances passion with psychology.
Read Young for: Evans' intensity with emotional maturity. When you want feelings plus growth.
Also essential: Down London Road (On Dublin Street series), Before Jamaica Lane (series continues), Into the Deep (standalone).
Taboo romance specialist. Co-author with Vi Keeland. Emotional gut-punches.
Ward writes romance with complications—stepbrother attraction, age gaps, forbidden situations. Her heroes are alphas facing impossible situations. Her heroines are torn between desire and propriety. She specializes in "we shouldn't but we can't help it" dynamics. Often co-writes with Vi Keeland—their partnership produces consistently popular romance.
Stepbrother Dearest (2015): Greta and Elec become stepsiblings as teenagers. Immediate attraction. Can't act on it. Years of tension. Life separates them. They reunite as adults. The forbidden aspect is gone but damage remains. Ward makes years of yearning romantic—they've wanted each other forever, finally can have each other.
The connection: Both write intense emotion. Both feature alpha heroes. Both include backstory trauma. Both write explicit content. Both popular in contemporary romance. Both write about obsessive attraction.
The difference: Ward adds taboo elements. More focus on forbidden attraction. More angst from external obstacles. Evans: obstacles are internal (trauma, fear). Ward: obstacles are external (family, propriety). Different barriers, same intensity.
Read Ward for: Taboo dynamics with emotional intensity. When regular alpha isn't complicated enough.
Also essential: Cocky Bastard (with Vi Keeland), Stuck-Up Suit (with Vi Keeland), Rebel Heir (standalone).
Workplace romance expert. Ward's partner. Humor meets heat.
Keeland writes contemporary romance combining Evans' intensity with humor. Her heroes are alphas—bosses, CEOs, confident professionals. Her heroines give as good as they get. The banter is constant. The chemistry is immediate. She makes workplace romance funny and hot—not easy balance.
Bossman (2017): Reese meets Chase at restaurant when he rescues her from bad date. They have instant connection. Part ways. Surprise: he's her new boss. Workplace policy says no dating. They try to resist. Fail spectacularly. Keeland makes office romance fun—stolen moments, close calls, inevitable discovery.
The connection: Both write alpha heroes. Both include explicit scenes. Both write strong chemistry. Both popular contemporary romance. Both write dual POV. Both feature immediate attraction.
The difference: Keeland adds more humor. Less trauma-heavy. More lighthearted despite heat. Evans: emotional intensity through pain. Keeland: emotional intensity through banter. Both passionate, different tones.
Read Keeland for: Evans' intensity with laugh-out-loud moments. When you want fun with feelings.
Also essential: Inappropriate (standalone), The Baller (standalone), Hate Notes (with Penelope Ward).
Second-chance romance specialist. Military romance writer. Emotional devastation expert.
Michaels writes romance about people with history—childhood sweethearts reunited, military couples separated then reconnecting, relationships broken then repaired. Her specialty: making readers cry. Happy tears, sad tears, frustrated tears—all the tears. She's Evans-level emotion focused on second chances.
Say You'll Stay (2016): Presley left hometown and Zachary years ago. Circumstances force return. Zach never got over her. She never stopped loving him. But reasons for leaving still exist. Michaels makes second-chance romantic—they know each other completely, hurt each other deeply, might destroy each other again.
The connection: Both write emotional intensity. Both feature alpha heroes. Both include explicit content. Both write about damaged characters. Both make readers feel everything. Both popular in contemporary romance.
The difference: Michaels focuses on history. More emphasis on past informing present. More military romance. Evans: new intense relationships. Michaels: old intense relationships rekindled. Both devastating, different timelines.
Read Michaels for: Second-chance emotional intensity. When history makes present more complicated.
Also essential: Say You're Mine (Salvation series), We Own Tonight (standalone), All I Ask (standalone).
Hockey romance queen. College athlete specialist. Dialogue master.
Kennedy writes sports romance—hockey, football, college athletes. Her heroes are jocks with depth. Her heroines are smart, driven, holding their own. The banter is legendary. The sex is explicit. She made college sports romance into subgenre phenomenon. Off-Campus series launched thousand imitators.
The Deal (2015): Hannah Wells wants star football player. Garrett Graham needs academic help. They make deal: she tutors him, he makes her crush jealous. Fake dating becomes real. Kennedy makes contract romance work—business arrangement reveals real feelings. The banter carries everything.
The connection: Both write sports romance. Both feature alpha athletes. Both include explicit content. Both write strong chemistry. Both popular in new adult/contemporary. Both use dual POV.
The difference: Kennedy is lighter. More humor. Less angst. More college life, less trauma. Evans: emotional rollercoaster. Kennedy: emotional fun ride. Evans writes intensity. Kennedy writes intensity with jokes. Different weights.
Read Kennedy for: Sports romance that's fun. College athletes without soul-crushing backstories.
Also essential: The Mistake (Off-Campus), The Score (Off-Campus), Him (with Sarina Bowen, M/M hockey).
Hockey obsessive. Ivy League sports specialist. Emotion plus authenticity.
Bowen writes hockey romance with actual knowledge of sport. Her athletes are realistic—dealing with injuries, contracts, media, pressure. Her relationships develop through genuine connection, not just attraction. She writes sports romance for people who actually watch sports and want accuracy with feelings.
Him (2016, with Elle Kennedy): Jamie and Ryan—hockey players who fell out as teenagers. Reunite in college. Attraction still there. Complications: both male, both in closet, both terrified. Kennedy and Bowen make M/M sports romance mainstream. The emotion matches Evans—intense, consuming, life-changing.
The connection: Both write sports romance. Both feature alpha athletes. Both include explicit content. Both write emotional intensity. Both popular in romance community. Both write about characters with pasts.
The difference: Bowen adds sports authenticity. More realistic athlete experiences. Sometimes M/M romance. Less instalove, more gradual connection. Evans: immediate intense attraction. Bowen: slower burn then explosion. Different pacing, similar heat.
Read Bowen for: Hockey romance with accuracy. Sports plus actual sports knowledge.
Also essential: The Year We Fell Down (Ivy Years), The Fifteenth Minute (Brooklyn Bruisers), Us (Him sequel).
Hockey romantic comedy writer. Humor meets heat. Pucked series creator.
Hunting writes hockey romance heavy on comedy. Her heroes are athletes with quirks—tattoo obsessions, superstitions, ridiculous habits. Her heroines are strong women dealing with ridiculous men. The sex is explicit and often funny. She makes sports romance into romantic comedy without losing heat.
Pucked (2015): Violet Hall sworn off hockey players. Alex Waters is hockey captain with Super MC (his name for his penis—this tells you everything about tone). He's obsessed with Violet. She resists. He persists with charm and absurdity. Hunting makes Evans' intensity funny—same alpha possession, played for laughs.
The connection: Both write sports romance. Both feature alpha athletes. Both explicit content. Both include possessive heroes. Both popular in contemporary romance. Both write immediate attraction.
The difference: Hunting is comedy-focused. Less angst. More jokes about genitals. Less trauma backstory. Evans: feelings at maximum. Hunting: feelings plus laughing. Evans serious alpha. Hunting ridiculous alpha. Both hot, different tones.
Read Hunting for: Sports romance that makes you laugh. Hockey players as romantic comedy leads.
Also essential: Pucked Up (Pucked series), Pucked Over (series continues), Shacking Up (standalone rom-com).
Sports romance with depth. Football players with feelings. Evans meets character study.
Callihan writes sports romance focusing on emotional complexity. Her athletes are alphas dealing with insecurity, pressure, identity beyond sport. Her relationships develop through genuine connection. She's sports romance for readers wanting Evans' intensity plus psychological realism.
The Hook Up (2016): Anna Jones wants to stay invisible. Drew Baylor is star quarterback who notices her. Casual hookup becomes complicated when feelings develop. Callihan makes college sports romance about more than attraction—identity, pressure, what happens when jock falls for girl who doesn't care about status.
The connection: Both write sports romance. Both feature alpha athletes. Both include explicit scenes. Both write emotional intensity. Both focus on character development. Both popular in contemporary.
The difference: Callihan adds more psychological depth. More focus on athletes' internal struggles beyond relationships. Less instalove drama. Evans: relationship is everything. Callihan: relationship develops within larger life context. Different priorities.
Read Callihan for: Sports romance with psychology. Athletes as complex humans.
Also essential: The Friend Zone (Game On series), The Hot Shot (series continues), Idol (VIP series).
Billionaire BDSM specialist. Stark series creator. Fifty Shades influence visible.
Kenner writes billionaire romance with BDSM elements—dominant heroes, submissive heroines, contracts, boundaries, exploration. Her Stark series rode Fifty Shades wave but developed own identity. Damien Stark is damaged billionaire. Nikki is woman who heals through submission. It's Evans' alpha intensity through power exchange lens.
Release Me (2013): Nikki Fairchild meets Damien Stark at charity auction. He wins date with her. Chemistry is immediate and overwhelming. He's controlling billionaire. She's damaged by past. They heal each other through intense relationship with power dynamics. Kenner makes BDSM-lite romantic for mainstream audience.
The connection: Both write intense relationships. Both feature alpha heroes. Both include explicit content. Both write damaged characters healing through love. Both popular in contemporary romance. Both write consuming passion.
The difference: Kenner adds billionaire lifestyle and BDSM elements. More focus on control and submission. More luxury porn. Evans: sports world. Kenner: boardroom and bedroom. Different settings, similar intensity.
Read Kenner for: Billionaire BDSM romance. Fifty Shades but different billionaire.
Also essential: Claim Me (Stark Trilogy), Complete Me (trilogy concludes), Wicked Grind (Stark World).
Billionaire alpha specialist. Possessive heroes expert. No apologies.
March writes unapologetic alpha billionaires. Her heroes are possessive, dominant, obsessed. They see, want, take. Her heroines are strong enough to handle them. The sex is explicit and frequent. She writes fantasy billionaire romance—none of that "he's actually sensitive" undermining. Just rich dominant men being rich and dominant.
Deal with the Devil (2017): Forge is ruthless billionaire. India is confident poker player. He wants her. She doesn't fold easily. Their relationship is battle for dominance where both win through submission. March makes power dynamics central—he's rich and commanding, she refuses to be controlled, somehow it works.
The connection: Both write alpha heroes. Both include explicit content. Both write possessive relationships. Both feature strong heroines. Both popular in contemporary romance. Both write consuming passion.
The difference: March writes billionaires, not athletes. More focus on wealth and power. More explicitly dominant heroes. Evans: alpha through physicality. March: alpha through control. Different power sources, same intensity.
Read March for: Unapologetic alpha billionaires. Maximum dominance, zero apologies.
Also essential: Dirty Billionaire (trilogy), Richer Than Sin (Sin Trilogy), Ruthless King (Mount Trilogy).
Romantic comedy billionaire writer. Humor meets heat. NYC setting specialist.
Blakely writes billionaire romance with comedy. Her heroes are wealthy but funny. Her heroines are smart and sarcastic. The sex is explicit. The jokes are constant. She makes billionaire romance feel accessible—yes he's rich, but he's also ridiculous and you'd actually enjoy his company.
Big Rock (2016): Spencer Holiday is businessman with fake engagement problem. Needs woman to pretend. Charlotte agrees. Fake becomes real through proximity and chemistry. Blakely makes premise fun—they're playing roles, discovering real feelings, navigating between pretend and authentic.
The connection: Both write contemporary romance. Both include explicit content. Both write strong chemistry. Both feature confident heroes. Both popular in romance community. Both write dual POV.
The difference: Blakely is comedy-focused. Less angst. More jokes. Less trauma backstory. Evans: emotional intensity through pain. Blakely: emotional intensity through humor. Evans serious romance. Blakely romantic comedy. Different weights.
Read Blakely for: Billionaire romance that's funny. Wealth plus wit.
Also essential: The Sexy One (One Love series), The Hot One (series), Stud Finder (rom-com standalone).
Fighter romance specialist. Damaged hero expert. Evans adjacent.
Ryan writes romance featuring fighters, alphas, damaged men who find redemption through love. Her heroes are physically dangerous—MMA fighters, boxers, men who solve problems with violence. Her heroines see past the violence to wounded soul. It's Evans' exact formula applied broadly.
Hard to Love (2014): Cade is fighter—underground, brutal, damaged. Alexa is nurse—caring, healing, persistent. He's closed off. She breaks through. Ryan makes fighter romance work—physical danger makes emotional vulnerability more meaningful. He can hurt anyone but chooses not to hurt her.
The connection: Both write fighter romance. Both feature physically alpha heroes. Both include trauma backstory. Both write explicit content. Both focus on healing through love. Both popular in contemporary romance. Nearly identical formula.
The difference: Ryan's fighters are more underground, less legitimate athlete. Slightly darker. More emphasis on violence as coping mechanism. Evans: professional fighter. Ryan: street fighter. Same archetype, different context.
Read Ryan for: More fighter romance. When one Remington Tate isn't enough.
Also essential: Filthy Beautiful Lies (billionaire series), Reckless Love (standalone), The Room Mate (roommate rom-com).
High school/college drama specialist. Alpha males in training. Young adult edge.
Tijan writes new adult/young adult romance featuring younger versions of Evans' alphas—high school bad boys, college athletes, young men discovering their dominance. Her plots are dramatic—family secrets, social hierarchy battles, intense friendships. She's Evans for slightly younger readers.
Fallen Crest High (2012): Samantha's mother marries into wealthy family with two alpha sons. Sam is thrown into new social world. Chemistry with brothers is intense, complicated, possibly inappropriate. Tijan makes high school feel epic—social warfare, family drama, forbidden attraction. It's soap opera intensity applied to teenagers.
The connection: Both write intense relationships. Both feature alpha males. Both include explicit content (age-appropriate). Both write strong heroines. Both popular in romance community. Both write consuming passion.
The difference: Tijan writes younger characters. High school/college settings. More social drama, less adult problems. Evans: adult intensity. Tijan: teenage intensity (which feels equally important when you're there). Different ages, same feelings.
Read Tijan for: Younger version of Evans' intensity. High school alpha drama.
Also essential: Carter Reed (mafia romance), Anti-Stepbrother (forbidden), Crew (standalone).
Calendar Girl creator. Serialized romance specialist. Month-by-month adventures.
Carlan writes romance serials—short installments released monthly featuring same heroine with different heroes. Her Calendar Girl series pioneered format: Mia takes month-long escort jobs with wealthy clients, different man each month, emotional connections develop quickly. It's Evans' intensity in compressed timeframe.
Calendar Girl: January (2015): Mia Saunders needs money for father's debts. Takes high-class escort job. January client is Wes Channing—writer, wealthy, wounded. One month together. Intense connection. Must part. Carlan makes month feel like lifetime—compressed timeline forces accelerated intimacy. Every encounter matters more.
The connection: Both write intense quick connections. Both feature alpha heroes. Both include explicit content. Both write emotional heroines. Both popular in contemporary romance. Both write consuming passion.
The difference: Carlan's structure is serial—new hero monthly. More variety, less depth per relationship. Evans: single intense relationship. Carlan: multiple intense relationships. Different structures, similar intensity per moment.
Read Carlan for: Multiple alpha heroes. When you want variety with intensity.
Also essential: Calendar Girl: February-December (series continues monthly), Trinity Trilogy (yoga romance), Lotus House (series).
Small-town second-chance specialist. Emotional complexity expert. Friends-to-lovers master.
Ryan writes small-town romance featuring characters with history. Her heroes are alphas who never got over first love. Her heroines return home facing past. The emotion is Evans-level but rooted in shared history. Second chances mean working through why first chance failed.
Unbreak Me (2014): Maggie Thompson left small town after scandal. Returns broken. Asher Logan is quiet, steady, always loved her. He's there when she returns. Connection develops slowly then intensifies. Ryan makes healing romantic—he's patient until she's ready, then passion explodes.
The connection: Both write emotional intensity. Both feature alpha heroes. Both include explicit content. Both write damaged characters. Both focus on healing through love. Both popular in contemporary romance.
The difference: Ryan is small-town focused. More emphasis on community and history. Slower burn than Evans. Evans: immediate intensity. Ryan: gradual intensity building to explosion. Different pacing, similar destination.
Read Ryan for: Small-town emotional intensity. When history makes present more meaningful.
Also essential: Something Wild (standalone), Spinning Out (standalone), Wish I May (wishful romance).
Alpha male heroes. Dominant, possessive, protective. Command presence. Overwhelming attraction.
Emotional intensity. Feelings at maximum volume. Love as obsession. Can't breathe without you.
Damaged characters. Trauma backstories. Healing through love. Broken people becoming whole together.
Explicit content. Detailed sex scenes. Emotions during intimacy. Connection through physical.
Dual POV. Both perspectives. Obsessive thoughts from both sides. Seeing mutual intensity.
Immediate attraction. Instalove or close to it. Chemistry from first meeting. Fighting inevitable connection.
Grand gestures. Public declarations. Dramatic moments. Love proven through action.
HEA guaranteed. Suffering but eventual happiness. Trauma overcome. Love conquers all.
For emotional maturity: Samantha Young (On Dublin Street)—Evans' intensity with growth.
For sports romance fun: Elle Kennedy (The Deal)—college athletes with humor.
For fighter romance: Kendall Ryan (Hard to Love)—most similar to REAL series.
For billionaire alphas: Meghan March (Deal with the Devil)—unapologetic dominance.
For hockey comedy: Helena Hunting (Pucked)—sports romance that's funny.
For second chances: Corinne Michaels (Say You'll Stay)—history plus emotion.
For taboo dynamics: Penelope Ward (Stepbrother Dearest)—forbidden attraction.
For romantic comedy: Lauren Blakely (Big Rock)—humor with heat.
Most accessible: Vi Keeland—Evans' intensity made fun.
Most challenging: J. Kenner—BDSM elements require comfort level.
Most like Evans: Kendall Ryan—fighters, intensity, explicit content, emotional damage.
