Reading Elle Kennedy books in order can get confusing once you move past the big hockey romances, because her catalog includes interconnected college romance series, beach-town romance, prep-school drama, co-written books, romantic suspense, and older category romance. This guide puts everything in a clean reading order by section, so you can start with the Briar books, jump into the standalones, or work through her older backlist without having to piece it together title by title.
- Where to Start with Elle Kennedy
- Elle Kennedy Books in Order by Series
- Elle Kennedy Standalone Books
- Do You Need to Read Elle Kennedy Books in Order?
Where to Start with Elle Kennedy
For most readers, The Deal is still the best place to start with Elle Kennedy. It kicks off the Off-Campus series, which remains the center of her most popular reading universe, and it sets up the Briar world that later continues through Briar U, Campus Diaries, and Love Song.
Readers who want the full hockey-romance path should start with The Deal, then continue with Briar U, Campus Diaries, and Love Song. Readers who’d rather start somewhere outside the Briar world can jump to Good Girl Complex for beach-town romance, Girl Abroad for a newer standalone, or Midnight Rescue for romantic suspense.
Elle Kennedy Books in Order by Series
Elle Kennedy’s series go well beyond the Briar books. Along with her hockey and college romances, she’s also written military romance, romantic suspense, small-town romance, and co-written sports romance. The list below starts with her earliest series and works forward while keeping each series in reading order.
Small Town Scandals Books
This is a shorter romantic suspense series, so it’s an easy one to read straight through.
- Millionaire’s Last Stand (2011)
- The Heartbreak Sheriff (2011)
Out of Uniform Books
Out of Uniform is one of Kennedy’s earlier military-romance series. The current editions use updated titles, but the years below reflect each story’s original release. The two Hot collections gather shorter prequel stories connected to the series.
- Heart Breaker (2012) (previously published as Feeling Hot)
- Trouble Maker (2012) (previously published as Getting Hotter)
- Ladies Men (2013) (previously published as Hotter Than Ever)
- Sweet Talker (2014) (previously published as As Hot As It Gets)
- Hot & Bothered (2012) (prequel collection)
- Hot & Heavy (2013) (prequel collection)
Killer Instincts Books
Killer Instincts is a good pick if you want mercenaries, danger, and romantic suspense instead of campus romance. It also shows just how wide Kennedy’s catalog really is.
- Midnight Rescue (2012)
- Midnight Alias (2013)
- Midnight Games (2013)
- Midnight Pursuits (2014)
- After Midnight (2014)
- Midnight Action (2014)
- Midnight Captive (2015)
- Midnight Revenge (2016)
- Midnight Target (2017)
The Hunted Books
This is a short romantic suspense series, so it’s easy to read straight through in publication order.
- Soldier Under Siege (2013)
- Special Forces Rendezvous (2013)
- Special Ops Exclusive (2013)
After Hours Books
These are quick, steamy reads that work well in publication order.
- One Night of Sin (2014)
- One Night of Scandal (2014)
- One Night of Trouble (2015)
Off-Campus Books
This is still the best place to start if you’re here for the books that made Elle Kennedy such a popular romance author. Off-Campus introduces the Briar world, and The Legacy works best as a final stop because it revisits the earlier couples.
- The Deal (2015)
- The Mistake (2015)
- The Score (2016)
- The Goal (2016)
- The Legacy (2021)
Him Books (with Sarina Bowen)
This co-written sports-romance series with Sarina Bowen is best read in order, with Epic saved for after the first two books.
Outlaws Books
This series goes in a very different direction from the college romances. It’s darker, more erotic, and more dystopian.
WAGs Books (with Sarina Bowen)
This duo stays in that same broader sports-romance lane, so publication order is the easiest way to read it.
Briar U Books
Briar U is a spinoff, so it works best after Off-Campus. You can start here, but the returning characters and callbacks land better when you already know the Briar world.
Avalon Bay Books
Avalon Bay is a good next stop if you want Kennedy’s voice in a small-town beach setting instead of a college hockey world.
- Good Girl Complex (2022)
- Bad Girl Reputation (2022)
- The Summer Girl (2023)
Prep Books
Prep leans more into elite-school drama than the Briar books do. It’s still romance, but the tone is sharper and a little more closed-in.
Campus Diaries Books
Campus Diaries stays in the same wider universe, so it works best after Off-Campus and Briar U.
- The Graham Effect (2023)
- The Dixon Rule (2024)
- The Charlie Method (2025)
Briar Universe Standalone
Once you’ve finished the main Briar books, this is the next one to pick up.
- Love Song (2026)
Elle Kennedy Standalone Books
These are the Elle Kennedy books you can read without committing to a full series. The year shown for each one reflects the story’s original release, even when the retailer page uses a newer edition or reissue.
- Bad Apple (2008) (originally published as Midnight Encounters)
- Body Check (2009)
- The Survivor (2009) (originally published as Silent Watch)
- Her Private Avenger (2010)
- The Agent (2011) (originally published as Witness Seduction)
- The Captive (2011) (originally published as Missing Mother-to-Be)
- Colton’s Deep Cover (2012)
- Top Secret (2019) (with Sarina Bowen)
- Say Yes (2021)
- Girl Abroad (2024)
Do You Need to Read Elle Kennedy Books in Order?
You do not need to read every Elle Kennedy book in one overall author order. Most of her series stand on their own, but each individual series should be read in order.
For the hockey and college romances, the cleanest path is Off-Campus, then Briar U, then Campus Diaries, and then Love Song. That’s the order that gives you the smoothest experience with the shared world, returning side characters, and later callbacks.
The same idea applies everywhere else. Read the Him books in order, read WAGs in order, and keep the older romantic suspense and military-romance series in publication order too. But you never need to bounce between hockey romance, dystopian romance, and mercenary suspense unless that’s exactly what you want to do.
For most readers, the simplest answer is still this: start with The Deal, follow the Briar books if you’re hooked, and then branch out into the rest of Elle Kennedy’s catalog based on the vibe you want next.
Looking for more books in order?
If you want more romance authors and reading-order guides like this one, start with my Romance Books in Order index.