Nikki Lawson’s books are easy to sort once you separate the main series from the extras. At the moment, the catalogue is built around Love and Hockey, a six-book hockey romance series, with Faking All the Way sitting outside that line as a separate holiday romance.
That means the right reading order is not complicated. Start with Offside Hearts, stay in publication order through Goal Line Hearts, and treat the omnibus and the holiday standalone as optional side reads rather than essential steps.
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The one order that matters
Love and Hockey
- Offside Hearts (2023): The true starting point of Nikki Lawson’s hockey world, built around a forbidden and secret romance with the series’ now-familiar banter-heavy tone.
- Breakaway Hearts (2023): A best-friends-to-lovers entry with fake dating and “lessons” tension, making it the natural second stop once the world of the first book is in place.
- Fake Out Hearts (2024): A marriage-of-convenience romance centered on an ex’s rival, giving the series a bigger soapier push while still fitting the same shared circle.
- Icebound Hearts (2024): A single-dad, nanny, and brother’s-best-friend setup that widens the emotional range of the series without breaking from the hockey-core formula.
- Cross Check Hearts (2025): A coach’s-daughter and rookie forbidden romance that works best once the reader already knows the team-based world and its recurring energy.
- Goal Line Hearts (2026): A single-mom and goalie romance with grumpy/sunshine energy, serving as the current latest main-series entry and the natural endpoint for now.
Separate from the series
Faking All the Way (2025): A holiday fake-relationship romance that is currently listed outside Love and Hockey, so it is best treated as a standalone rather than slotted into the main series order.
Optional editions
Love and Hockey: Books 1-3: A collected edition of the first three novels, useful for convenience but not a separate story step.
Best place to start
- If you want the safest first Nikki Lawson book, start with Offside Hearts. It is book one, it introduces the voice and tone of the series, and every later Love and Hockey title makes more sense as part of that same shelf.
- If you only want one book and do not care about reading the hockey series in order, Faking All the Way is the cleanest standalone option currently surfaced in the catalogue.
Do you need a chronological order?
No. Nikki Lawson does not currently have a large multi-series universe that needs a separate timeline guide.
Publication order is the practical order here, because the catalogue is still compact and the main question is simply whether you are reading Love and Hockey or stepping aside to the holiday standalone.
Latest release status
The most recent Nikki Lawson book I could confirm is Goal Line Hearts, released on January 30, 2026 as Love and Hockey #6. Book Notification currently lists no additional upcoming Nikki Lawson titles beyond that.
FAQ
Do Nikki Lawson books need to be read in order?
Only Love and Hockey really does. That series has a clear six-book order, while Faking All the Way is separate.
What is the best Nikki Lawson book to start with?
Offside Hearts is the best starting point because it opens the main series.
Is Faking All the Way part of Love and Hockey?
Current catalogue pages list it separately, so the safest way to present it is as a standalone.
Is Goal Line Hearts the newest Nikki Lawson book?
Yes. The newest confirmed title I found is Goal Line Hearts, dated January 30, 2026.
How many Nikki Lawson books are in Love and Hockey?
Six books are currently listed in the series: Offside Hearts, Breakaway Hearts, Fake Out Hearts, Icebound Hearts, Cross Check Hearts, and Goal Line Hearts.
Conclusion
Nikki Lawson’s reading order is refreshingly straightforward. Read Love and Hockey from Offside Hearts through Goal Line Hearts, keep Faking All the Way separate as a standalone holiday romance, and ignore the omnibus unless you want a bundle edition instead of the individual books.
Frank is the editor of BookSeries.blog, focusing on publication order, chronological timelines, and spoiler-free reading guides for book series and fictional universes.