Bella Matthews Books in Order (Updated April 6, 2026)

Bella Matthews writes interconnected contemporary romance centered on the wider Kroydon Hills world. Her official books page presents the books in publication order and calls that the suggested reading order, even though each book can be read as a standalone. That is the key rule for this author: yes, the books can stand alone, but the world works best when you read forward.

For most readers, the best starting point is All In. It begins the first Kroydon Hills sequence and lets the family, friend-group, sports, and legacy connections grow in the same order Bella Matthews published them.

The reading rule

Read Bella Matthews in this order:

1. The Kings of Kroydon Hills
2. Restless Kings
3. The Risks We Take Duet
4. Defiant Kings
5. Playing to Win
6. Red Lips & White Lies
7. Christmas in Kroydon Hills
8. Love & Legacy

That is the cleanest path because it follows the expansion of the world from the earlier Kroydon Hills books into the later second-generation material.

The Kings of Kroydon Hills

This is the true entry point and the first place to begin if you want the world to unfold naturally.

1. All In (2020): The series opener introduces Kroydon Hills with a romance that sets the emotional and social foundation for the books that follow.
2. More Than a Game (2021): Aiden Murphy’s story builds on the same local network, making this a stronger second read than a random entry point.
3. Always Earned, Never Given (2021): This entry widens the world while keeping the family-and-loyalty tone that defines early Bella Matthews.
4. Under Pressure (2021): The fourth book rounds out the original Kings sequence and works best once the earlier Kroydon Hills relationships are already familiar.

Restless Kings

This is the next stop after Kings of Kroydon Hills, not a separate place to jump in cold.

1. Rise of the King (2021): A mafia-leaning romance with a princess-on-the-run setup that expands the Kroydon Hills legacy in a darker direction.
2. Broken King (2022): A second-chance story with a former Marine hero and surprise-parenthood stakes that deepens the connected family web.
3. Fallen King (2022): The third Restless Kings book closes this branch and lands better once the first two books have already established the King family dynamic.

The Risks We Take Duet

This is the one place where order is not just helpful but necessary. It is a true duet and should be read straight through.

1. Worth the Risk (2022): Formerly published as Changing the Game, this starts the duet with a forbidden brother’s-best-friend and step-sibling setup that clearly points toward a direct continuation.
2. Worth the Fight (2022): Formerly published as Ending the Game, this finishes the same story and should never be read before book one.

Defiant Kings

This is where the catalog becomes more overtly sports-forward and more visibly tied to the later Kroydon Hills legacy material.

1. Caged (2022): A fighter-romance opener that begins the Defiant Kings run and marks the next major phase of the broader world.
2. Shaken (2023): The second book continues the connected-character atmosphere, with the kind of carryover that rewards reading in sequence.
3. Iced (2023): A nanny setup shifts the tone slightly softer, but it still fits squarely inside the same family-and-athlete network.
4. Overruled (2023): This later-series romance builds on the established Defiant Kings cast and is best saved until this point.
5. Haven (2023): A former Olympic figure skater and a protective hero close the sequence, making it the right endpoint for the Defiant Kings branch.

Playing to Win

Goodreads identifies this series as Kroydon Hills second generation, which makes it one of the clearest lines in the newer era of Bella Matthews’s catalog.

1. The Keeper (2023): A hockey romance that opens the second-generation phase and works as the best entry point into Bella Matthews’s newer books.
2. The Wildcat (2024): This keeps the sports-romance energy high while leaning further into the younger Kroydon Hills cast.
3. The Knockout (2024): A boxer-hero romance that broadens the second-generation feel without breaking from the world already in motion.
4. The Sweet Spot (2024): A fake-marriage, single-dad story that lands best after the earlier Playing to Win books have already introduced the broader circle.

Red Lips & White Lies

Goodreads describes this as the second series in the Kroydon Hills legacy world, so it should be read after the earlier branches, not before them.

1. Tempting (2024): An enemies-to-lovers sports romance that opens this new sequence and starts another major Beneventi-centered phase of the world.
2. Redeeming (2024): A brother’s-best-friend, surprise-pregnancy romance that strengthens the family crossover feel of the series.
3. Enticing (2024): Another sports-centered entry that works best after the first two because the legacy-world connections keep stacking.
4. Captivating (2025): An enemies-to-lovers, fake-dating romance that reads like the series settling fully into its second-wave rhythm.
5. Teasing (2025): A grumpy/sunshine, single-dad sports romance that continues the same world and should stay in sequence.
6. Breathtaking (2025): A surprise-pregnancy, marriage-of-convenience billionaire romance that raises the stakes without changing the series order.
7. Striking (2025): An accidental-marriage, forbidden billionaire romance that currently closes the Red Lips & White Lies run and belongs at the end.

Christmas in Kroydon Hills

This is not a new starting point. It is a seasonal extra that works best once you already know the town and families.

Mistletoe Meet Cute (2025): A holiday novella set in the Kroydon Hills world, best treated as a bonus stop between the late-2025 books and the next Love & Legacy phase.

Love & Legacy

This is Bella Matthews’s current active series. The official site identifies it as part of the Kroydon Hills second generation world.

1. Sweet Temptation (2025): A brother’s-best-friend, bad-boy/good-girl football romance that launches the series and starts the newest Beneventi-centered run.
2. Sweet Addiction (2025): An enemies-to-lovers, forced-proximity sports romance that continues the same second-generation branch.
3. Sweet Surrender (2026): A best-friend’s-older-brother, surprise-pregnancy sports romance that keeps the series moving without resetting the world.
4. Sweet Oblivion (2026): A marriage-of-convenience football romance that the official site lists as book four, with an April 1, 2026 release date.
5. Sweet Salvation (2026): The official site lists this as book five in Love & Legacy, but I found only a 2026 series-page listing rather than a full confirmed release date, so it is safest to treat it as announced rather than fully scheduled.

Recommended reading order for most readers

If you want one simple path and do not want to overthink it, use this:

1. All In
2. More Than a Game
3. Always Earned, Never Given
4. Under Pressure
5. Rise of the King
6. Broken King
7. Fallen King
8. Worth the Risk
9. Worth the Fight
10. Caged
11. Shaken
12. Iced
13. Overruled
14. Haven
15. The Keeper
16. The Wildcat
17. The Knockout
18. The Sweet Spot
19. Tempting
20. Redeeming
21. Enticing
22. Captivating
23. Teasing
24. Breathtaking
25. Striking
26. Mistletoe Meet Cute
27. Sweet Temptation
28. Sweet Addiction
29. Sweet Surrender
30. Sweet Oblivion
31. Sweet Salvation when released

Do you need a chronological order?

Not separately. For Bella Matthews, publication order is the useful chronology.

Because the books are built as interconnected standalones inside one widening world, publication order preserves introductions, family ties, and the shift into second-generation storylines. A fan-made timeline would add effort without giving most readers a better experience.

Best starting point by reader type

1. If you want early-world foundations, start with All In.
2. If you want the newer second-generation era, start with The Keeper.
3. If you want the current active series, start with Sweet Temptation.
4. If you want the safest overall answer, still start with All In.

Latest release status

As of April 6, 2026, the newest confirmed Bella Matthews release is Sweet Oblivion, released on April 1, 2026. Sweet Salvation is clearly listed on the official site as Love & Legacy book five. No upcoming book so far at the time of writing such as April 02, 2026.

FAQ

What is the best Bella Matthews book to start with?

All In is the best starting point if you want the full Kroydon Hills experience from the beginning.

Can Bella Matthews books be read as standalones?

Yes, but they read better in publication order because the world keeps expanding through recurring families, athletes, and legacy connections.

Which Bella Matthews books absolutely must be read in order?

The Risks We Take Duet should be read in order with no skipping, and the later Kroydon Hills books are much stronger in sequence.

What is the second-generation starting point?

The Keeper is the clearest second-generation entry point.

Is Love & Legacy finished?

Not yet. Sweet Oblivion is out, and Sweet Salvation is listed as book five, but its exact release timing was not firmly confirmed in the sources I checked.

Final recommendation

Bella Matthews is easiest when you stop thinking in isolated series and start thinking in Kroydon Hills phases. Begin with All In, keep moving forward in publication order, and let the world age naturally into Playing to Win, Red Lips & White Lies, and Love & Legacy. That is the cleanest way to preserve the family, sports, and second-generation payoff that now defines her catalog.