Dakota Willink Books in Order (Updated April 2, 2026)

Dakota Willink’s catalog is easiest to read in lanes, not as one giant mixed list. She has one completed core series, one completed contemporary romance series, one standalone that lightly touches her wider world, and one newer trilogy that is still rolling out.

The safest starting point is Heart of Stone. That is the author’s own recommended entry, and it opens the series most tightly tied to her broader billionaire-romance universe. If you want something less series-dependent, The Sound of Silence works on its own, but it lands better after The Stone Saga because of cameo connections.

The best way to read Dakota Willink

Use this order if you are new:

1. The Stone Saga
2. The Sound of Silence
3. Fade Into You
4. Trustfall Trilogy

That path keeps the most continuity-sensitive material first, puts the loosely connected standalone where its cameos make the most sense, and saves the newest unfinished trilogy for last.

The Stone Saga

This is the backbone of Dakota Willink’s fiction under this name. These books follow the same central characters and are meant to be read in order.

1. Heart of Stone (2015): A dark billionaire romantic suspense that introduces Alexander and Krystina, the power imbalance at the center of the series, and the secretive club world that shapes everything after it.
2. Stepping Stone (2016): The second book pushes deeper into trust, control, and fallout, turning the first book’s attraction and danger into a more openly unstable relationship arc.
3. Set in Stone (2018): The series widens its emotional and suspense stakes here, forcing the central pair to confront both commitment and the parts of the past that refuse to stay buried.
4. Etched in Stone (Book 3.5, year not cleanly confirmed): This novella sits between the main novels and works as an extra character-focused piece rather than a substitute for the next full installment.
5. Wishing Stone (2022): The fourth main novel returns to the same couple and same high-intensity world, making it a continuation rather than a reset.
6. Breaking Stone (2022): The fifth book closes the main run, so it should be saved for last if you want the full payoff of the saga’s long emotional build.

Do you need the novella?

Not strictly, but Etched in Stone is worth reading in sequence if you want the fullest character progression. It is best treated as optional but recommended, not as a skippable prequel or an alternate entry point.

The Sound of Silence

This is the cleanest place to step outside the main series structure.

The Sound of Silence (2020): A dark romantic thriller about Gianna, survival, abuse, recovery, and danger, written as a standalone with a heavier real-world edge than the billionaire series.

This book can be read on its own. Even so, Dakota Willink’s reading-order page recommends it after The Stone Saga because characters from that series make cameo appearances.

Fade Into You

This series is separate from The Stone Saga in its main romance arc and tone. It reads more like emotional contemporary romance, even though the books still carry high personal stakes.

1. Untouched (2019): A summer romance between Cadence and Fitz starts with attraction, timing, and the sense that one season may not be enough to survive what is waiting off-page.
2. Defined (2019): The second book turns that earlier connection into a second-chance story, with the past returning in a more adult and more consequential form.
3. Endurance (2021): The third book shifts to Sloan and Kallie, using a faster, sports-romance energy while still keeping the series rooted in emotional damage, chemistry, and personal risk.

Is Fade Into You one continuous story?

Partly. Untouched and Defined are the most tightly linked pair. Endurance is still part of the series, but it reads more like a later connected installment than the second half of the original duet.

Trustfall Trilogy

This is the newest Dakota Willink sequence and part of the author’s Shameless Billionaire Club universe. It follows the same characters and should be read in order.

1. Take Me Under (2025): A dark billionaire romance built around Anton and Serena, with forced proximity, secrets, peril, and a mystery thread that clearly starts a larger trilogy arc.
2. Take Me Darkly (forthcoming): The second book appears positioned as the immediate continuation, and it should not be read before book one.
3. Take Me Forever (announced): The third book is listed as the planned trilogy conclusion and belongs after the first two.

Should you start here?

Only if you are specifically looking for Dakota Willink’s newest dark billionaire material and do not mind entering an unfinished trilogy. For most readers, Heart of Stone is still the better first book.

Optional extras and side material

Yuletide Temptations

Yuletide Temptations (The Stone #5.5, year not cleanly confirmed): A holiday short tied to side characters from The Stone world, best treated as bonus material after the main saga rather than required continuity.

Box sets and anniversary editions

Dakota Willink also has box sets, bundle editions, and anniversary-format collections for existing series material. These are useful for convenience, but they do not change the core reading order.

Anthologies and editorial projects

She has also appeared in or edited anthology projects, including charity and multi-author collections. Those are separate from the main “books in order” path and should be treated as extras unless you want every related publication.

Recommended reading order by reader type

If you want the classic entry path:

1. Heart of Stone
2. continue through The Stone Saga
3. read The Sound of Silence
4. move to Fade Into You
5. finish with Trustfall Trilogy

If you want a standalone first:

1. The Sound of Silence
2. then go back to The Stone Saga

If you only want completed series:

1. The Stone Saga
2. Fade Into You
3. The Sound of Silence
4. wait on Trustfall Trilogy until all three books are out

Latest release status

As of April 2, 2026, Take Me Under is out, Take Me Darkly is up as the next Trustfall book, and Take Me Forever is listed as book three in the planned trilogy. That makes Trustfall the only clearly active unfinished Dakota Willink series at the moment.

FAQ

What is the best Dakota Willink book to start with?

Heart of Stone is the best starting point for most readers.

Which Dakota Willink books must be read in order?

The Stone Saga and Trustfall Trilogy should be read in order because both follow the same core characters across multiple books.

Is The Sound of Silence part of a series?

No. It is a standalone, though it is recommended after The Stone Saga because of cameo appearances.

Is Fade Into You connected to The Stone Saga?

Not as one direct shared main plot. It is better treated as a separate series with its own romantic arc and tone.

What can be skipped without losing the main story?

Box sets, anniversary editions, and most bonus material can be skipped. Etched in Stone and Yuletide Temptations are extras, not replacements for the main novels.

Final recommendation

For a clean first read, go straight to Heart of Stone and stay with The Stone Saga until the end. After that, read The Sound of Silence for the standalone detour, then Fade Into You, and leave Trustfall Trilogy until you are ready for Dakota Willink’s newest ongoing dark billionaire story.