The Tessa Bailey books in order include contemporary romantic comedies, police and suspense romances, sports romances, paranormal stories, holiday standalones, and short fiction. Her connected series usually follow a different couple in each book, while recurring characters and shared settings reward readers who stick with publication order.
Bailey is an American romance author known for sharp banter, high heat, and guaranteed happily-ever-afters. Whether you want to begin with the Bellinger Sisters, work through Big Shots, or find every standalone and novella, this guide brings her original fiction together without counting reissues, boxed sets, or alternate editions as new books.
Jump to:
- Tessa Bailey Books by Series
- Tessa Bailey Standalone Novels
- Tessa Bailey Novellas and Short Stories
- About Tessa Bailey
Tessa Bailey Books by Series
Most of Tessa Bailey’s series can be started independently, and they do not form one required author-wide reading sequence. Within each connected series, I recommend publication order unless a note below explains a more useful placement for a novella or prequel.
Line of Duty Books
Tessa Bailey’s debut novel, Protecting What’s His, began the Line of Duty series. The full-length books center on different couples connected to law enforcement, while Protecting What’s Theirs returns to Derek and Ginger from the first book.
Bailey places Protecting What’s Theirs directly after Protecting What’s His in her reading checklist, and I agree with that placement because it continues the same relationship. The novella first appeared later in 2013, so strict release chronology would place it after Officer Off Limits.
- Protecting What’s His (2013)
- Protecting What’s Theirs (2013) (Novella)
- His Risk to Take (2013)
- Officer Off Limits (2013)
- Asking for Trouble (2013)
- Staking His Claim (2014)
Wedding Dare Books
The Wedding Dare books are a multi-author series centered on the same destination wedding. Laura Kaye’s Dare to Resist introduces the couple getting married, and the four numbered books follow different members of the wedding party. Bailey wrote Baiting the Maid of Honor. I recommend the order below because the stories overlap and reveal more of the shared celebration as they continue.
- Dare to Resist by Laura Kaye (2014) (Prequel Novella)
- Falling for the Groomsman by Diane Alberts (2014)
- Baiting the Maid of Honor by Tessa Bailey (2014)
- Seducing the Bridesmaid by Katee Robert (2014)
- Best Man with Benefits by Samanthe Beck (2014)
Serve Books
The Serve series is another multi-author project, this time connected by an exclusive BDSM club in New York City. Bailey wrote the first two books and the fifth, Driven by Fate. The couples change, but recurring characters and the shared club make publication order the simplest choice.
- Owned by Fate by Tessa Bailey (2014)
- Exposed by Fate by Tessa Bailey (2014)
- Mistaken by Fate by Katee Robert (2014)
- Betting on Fate by Katee Robert (2015)
- Driven by Fate by Tessa Bailey (2015)
- Protecting Fate by Katee Robert (2015)
- Rules of Seduction by Joya Ryan (2015)
- Bind Me Before You Go by Harper Kincaid (2015)
Crossing the Line Books
Riskier Business is a bridge novella between Line of Duty and Crossing the Line. It reunites Troy Bennett and Ruby Elliott from His Risk to Take, so my advice is to read that earlier novella first. The remaining books follow different couples on opposite sides of the law.
- Riskier Business (2015) (Bridge Novella)
- Risking It All (2015)
- Up in Smoke (2015)
- Boiling Point (2015)
- Raw Redemption (2016)
Broke and Beautiful Books
The Broke and Beautiful trilogy follows three New York City roommates and the relationships that upend their plans. Each romance has its own central couple, but I prefer publication order because the friendships continue across the trilogy.
Made in Jersey Books
The Made in Jersey series is built around a New Jersey factory town and follows a new couple in each book. The romances can stand alone, but publication order keeps the recurring characters and community connections in sequence.
- Crashed Out (2015)
- Rough Rhythm (2016) (Novella)
- Thrown Down (2016)
- Worked Up (2016)
- Wound Tight (2016)
Romancing the Clarksons Books
Each Romancing the Clarksons book follows a different Clarkson sibling or a character connected to the family’s road trip. The romances have distinct central couples, but the family story develops throughout the series, so I recommend reading them in order.
- Too Hot to Handle (2016)
- Too Wild to Tame (2016)
- Too Hard to Forget (2017)
- Too Close to Call (2017) (Novella)
- Too Beautiful to Break (2017)
Academy Books
The Academy trilogy returns to law-enforcement romance, with characters training at or connected to the police academy. Each book follows a different couple, but the shared setting makes publication order the simplest approach.
- Disorderly Conduct (2017)
- Indecent Exposure (2018)
- Disturbing His Peace (2018)
The Girl Books
The Girl series begins with a jilted groom and then follows the runaway bride whose decision set the story in motion. The two novellas continue the connected cast, and I recommend the numbered series order below.
- Getaway Girl (2018)
- Runaway Girl (2018)
- Renaissance Man (2019) (Novella)
- Halfway Girl (2019) (Novella)
Beach Kingdom Books
The Beach Kingdom books are short summer romances with different central couples in the same beachside world. They can be read separately, but publication order preserves the character connections.
- Mouth to Mouth (2018)
- Heat Stroke (2019)
- Sink or Swim (2019)
Hot & Hammered Books
The Hot & Hammered trilogy combines romantic comedy with home renovation and a connected group of friends and family members. The couples change from book to book, but I recommend publication order to keep those relationships and references in sequence.
- Fix Her Up (2019)
- Love Her or Lose Her (2020)
- Tools of Engagement (2020)
Phenomenal Fate Books
The Phenomenal Fate books are paranormal romances set in the same vampire world. Each novel focuses on a different central couple, but the shared mythology develops across the series, so publication order is my preferred reading order.
- Reborn Yesterday (2020)
- This Time Tomorrow (2020)
- Today Tomorrow and Always (2021)
Bellinger Sisters Books
The Bellinger Sisters series began with Piper Bellinger’s move to Westport and continued with her sister Hannah’s romance. Bailey’s official checklist also includes a third book for 2027. I recommend reading the series in order because the couples, family, and Westport setting carry forward.
- It Happened One Summer (2021)
- Hook, Line, and Sinker (2022)
- Untitled Bellinger Sisters Book 3 (2027)
A Vine Mess Books
The A Vine Mess books are connected romances set around the Vos family’s Napa Valley vineyard. Secretly Yours comes first, followed by Unfortunately Yours.
- Secretly Yours (2023)
- Unfortunately Yours (2023)
Big Shots Books
The Big Shots series connects romances across professional golf, hockey, softball, and baseball. Each book has a new central couple, but teammates, friends, and family members recur. I recommend publication order for the best sense of how the wider group develops.
- Fangirl Down (2024)
- The Au Pair Affair (2024)
- Dream Girl Drama (2025)
- Pitcher Perfect (2025)
- Catch Her If You Can (2026)
Tessa Bailey Standalone Novels
These novels are not part of a continuing series, so you can read them in any order. I’d start with the premise that appeals to you most, whether that is a Dublin-set romance, a holiday rom-com, a murder mystery, or Bailey’s time-travel romance.
- Unfixable (2014)
- Follow (2017)
- Captivated (2018) (With Eve Dangerfield)
- The Sweetest Fix (2021)
- Window Shopping (2021)
- My Killer Vacation (2022)
- Happenstance (2022)
- Wreck the Halls (2023)
- Broken Rival (2026)
Tessa Bailey Novellas and Short Stories
These are Bailey’s standalone novellas and short stories. Series-specific shorter works remain with their series above so their placement is easy to understand.
- The Major’s Welcome Home (2015) (Novella)
- Same Time Next Year (2023) (Novella)
- Merry Ever After (2024) (Short Story)
- S’more of You (2026) (Short Story)
- My Killer Role (2026) (Novella) (found in My Killer Vacation)
The Major’s Welcome Home first appeared in the 2015 collection Off Base under the title “Off Base: Beck and Kenna.” It is the same story, not a separate Tessa Bailey work, so I list it once under its standalone title.
My Killer Role follows Jude and Dante from My Killer Vacation. It was published as new bonus fiction in the 2026 Avon edition of the novel rather than as a separate book.
About Tessa Bailey
Tessa Bailey is a #1 New York Times bestselling romance author whose work ranges from contemporary romantic comedy and romantic suspense to paranormal and dystopian romance. She published her debut novel, Protecting What’s His, in 2013 and lives on Long Island with her family.
It Happened One Summer, inspired in part by Schitt’s Creek, brought Bailey to a much wider BookTok audience. Her books are known for blue-collar heroes, confident heroines, sharp banter, high heat, and a guaranteed happy ending.
A feature-film adaptation of It Happened One Summer was announced in 2022. Nina Dobrev, Tyler Hoechlin, and Virginia Gardner joined the cast in 2025.
Looking for similar books in order?
If you want more romance authors and reading-order guides like this one, start with my Romance Books in Order index.