Rebecca Jenshak is an American romance author known for college sports romance, professional hockey romance, family series, and interconnected standalone novels. Her major series include Smart Jocks, Campus Nights, Campus Wallflowers, Wildcat Hockey, Holland Brothers, Frost Lake High, and Moonshot Hockey.
Most Rebecca Jenshak books focus on a new couple and provide a complete romantic ending. However, teammates, friends, siblings, and earlier couples often return. Reading each series in order preserves introductions, relationship developments, and background storylines.
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The largest continuity is the Valley University world. It includes Smart Jocks, Sweet Spot, Campus Nights, and Campus Wallflowers. Wildcat Hockey then branches out of Wild Love, although it can also be read independently.
Quick Answer
The safest first Rebecca Jenshak book is The Assist, published in 2018. It opens the Smart Jocks series and introduces Valley University, the setting shared by several of her college romance series.
Readers interested only in professional hockey can begin with Wildcat or Lucky Shot. Those books start separate hockey series and explain the characters needed for their own storylines.
The main starting points are:
- The Assist for the connected Valley University books.
- Wildcat for the completed Wildcat Hockey series.
- Burnout for the Holland Brothers series.
- Stealing for Keeps for Frost Lake High.
- Lucky Shot for Moonshot Hockey.
Smart Jocks Books in Order
Smart Jocks is a five book college sports romance series set at Valley University. Each installment follows a different couple, but the athletes and their friends remain part of the continuing cast.
1. The Assist
The Assist (2018): A college basketball player makes an unusual arrangement with a classmate who needs help approaching another man, introducing Valley University and the original Smart Jocks friendship group.
2. The Fadeaway
The Fadeaway (2019): A Valley University basketball star pursues a student who is determined not to become another name on an athlete’s dating record, while the first book’s social circle continues to expand.
3. The Tip-Off
The Tip-Off (2019): A quiet senior and a basketball player spend spring break completing her bucket list, creating a slower friendship-to-romance story within the established Valley University group.
4. The Fake
The Fake (2019): A college athlete and a woman with reasons to avoid a real relationship enter a false-romance arrangement that becomes harder to contain as their feelings change.
5. The Pass
The Pass (2020): The final numbered Smart Jocks novel gives another Valley University athlete his central romance while closing the main arc of the original friend group.
Where Sweet Spot Fits
Sweet Spot is connected to the Valley University setting but is not numbered as Smart Jocks book six.
Sweet Spot (2020): A baseball-centered college romance that remains outside the numbered Smart Jocks series while extending the same university world and its network of athletes.
The author’s suggested Valley University order places Sweet Spot after The Pass and before Secret Puck.
The Catch Novella
The Catch is associated with the Smart Jocks world and is often described as a prequel novella.
The Catch (publication details vary by edition): A short prequel connected to the earliest Smart Jocks characters, offering additional background rather than a necessary introduction to Valley University.
Although its events occur earlier, new readers should begin with The Assist. The full novel provides a stronger introduction to the setting and recurring cast.
Campus Nights Books in Order
Campus Nights continues the Valley University continuity with a new group of students and athletes. The romances stand alone, but the friendship group develops in sequence.
1. Secret Puck
Secret Puck (2020): A college hockey romance begins the Campus Nights series and introduces a new Valley University social circle connected through friendship, attraction, and campus life.
2. Bad Crush
Bad Crush (2021): A woman’s long-standing feelings for the wrong person become more complicated when another member of the group begins changing what she wants.
3. Broken Hearts
Broken Hearts (2021): A relationship shaped by emotional history and difficult timing moves the Campus Nights series into a more established stage of its shared friendship arc.
4. Wild Love
Wild Love (2021): The final Campus Nights romance completes the central group’s sequence and creates the clearest bridge from Valley University into the Wildcat Hockey series.
Readers planning to continue into Wildcat Hockey should not skip Wild Love. It is not required to understand Wildcat, but it provides useful background for the spin-off.
Campus Wallflowers Books in Order
Campus Wallflowers returns to Valley University and follows four close friends. Each woman receives her own romance, while the group’s friendships and earlier relationships continue across the series.
1. Tutoring the Player
Tutoring the Player (2022): A reserved student agrees to tutor a popular athlete, opening a new Valley University friendship group and establishing the wallflower theme of the series.
2. Hating the Player
Hating the Player (2022): A woman who has strong reasons to dislike a college athlete is repeatedly pushed into his orbit, turning hostility and history into the second Wallflowers romance.
3. Scoring the Player
Scoring the Player (2023): A private conversation about Valley University’s star quarterback becomes public, forcing a shy student into a highly visible fake relationship with the man she already wants.
4. Tempting the Player
Tempting the Player (2023): The final member of the Wallflowers group takes center stage, completing the four friends’ romantic sequence while revisiting the couples formed in earlier books.
Read Campus Wallflowers in publication order. Starting later will not prevent understanding the featured romance, but it may reveal the outcomes of earlier couples.
Complete Valley University Reading Order
Rebecca Jenshak’s official suggested sequence combines Smart Jocks, Sweet Spot, Campus Nights, and the opening of Campus Wallflowers.
For the fullest continuity, use this expanded order:
- The Assist (2018): Introduces Valley University, the Smart Jocks, and the original basketball-centered friend group.
- The Fadeaway (2019): Develops another Smart Jocks romance while continuing relationships from the opening book.
- The Tip-Off (2019): Expands the social circle through a bucket-list friendship that becomes romantic.
- The Fake (2019): Adds a fake-relationship story while keeping the established Valley University cast active.
- The Pass (2020): Completes the numbered Smart Jocks sequence.
- Sweet Spot (2020): Adds a connected baseball romance before the next Valley University group takes over.
- Secret Puck (2020): Launches Campus Nights with a new college hockey romance.
- Bad Crush (2021): Continues the Campus Nights group through shifting romantic loyalties.
- Broken Hearts (2021): Deepens the shared emotional and friendship storylines.
- Wild Love (2021): Finishes Campus Nights and opens the path toward Wildcat Hockey.
- Tutoring the Player (2022): Introduces the Campus Wallflowers friendship group.
- Hating the Player (2022): Continues the group while resolving its second central romance.
- Scoring the Player (2023): Uses a public fake-dating situation to move the Wallflowers sequence forward.
- Tempting the Player (2023): Completes the four Wallflowers romances.
The Catch can be read after The Assist or after the main Smart Jocks novels. It is optional and should not replace The Assist as the starting point.
Wildcat Hockey Books in Order
Wildcat Hockey is a five book professional hockey romance series. It spins out of Wild Love, but Rebecca Jenshak identifies it as a valid independent starting point.
1. Wildcat
Wildcat (2021): A Wildcats player becomes involved with the coach’s daughter without initially understanding who she is, beginning the professional hockey series with a forbidden team connection.
2. Wild About You
Wild About You (2022): Another Wildcats player receives his romance as the team dynamic expands and characters from Wildcat return in supporting roles.
3. Wild Ever After
Wild Ever After (2023): The third professional hockey romance moves the team’s shared storyline forward while giving another player a complete relationship arc.
4. In Your Wildest Dreams
In Your Wildest Dreams (2023): An injured Wildcats player reconnects with a woman who becomes part of his recovery, adding a patient-and-caregiver complication to the continuing team series.
Some editions and databases list this title with a 2024 publication date. The original digital publication is commonly dated to late 2023, while later editions appeared in 2024.
5. Forever Wild
Forever Wild (2024): The fifth Wildcats romance completes the numbered series and provides the final major visit to the professional hockey team and its established couples.
Wildcat Hockey is complete at five books. Publication order is recommended because previous players and their partners continue to appear.
Holiday with the Players Books in Order
Holiday with the Players contains short seasonal romances connected to Jenshak’s wider player-centered fiction. These stories are optional rather than required parts of a main series.
1. Snowed In with the Player
Snowed In with the Player (2022): A holiday encounter traps its central couple together, using forced proximity and a winter setting for a shorter player romance.
2. Sneaking Around with the Player
Sneaking Around with the Player (2022): A secret holiday relationship creates the second seasonal story, with the couple trying to keep their growing connection out of sight.
Holiday with the Players Collection
Holiday with the Players (collection): An omnibus edition that packages the seasonal player stories together rather than adding a separate new romance.
Some catalogs count the collection as another series entry. It should be treated as an alternate edition, not as a third original story.
Holland Brothers Books in Order
Holland Brothers follows four brothers connected to different professional sports. The books are interconnected standalones, but the family relationships continue in order.
This series is separate from Valley University and Wildcat Hockey.
1. Burnout
Burnout (2024): Disgraced motocross rider Knox Holland asks Olympic gymnast Avery to train him, starting the family series through two athletes trying to rebuild damaged careers.
2. Playbook
Playbook (2024): A woman irritated by football rookie Brogan Six’s misdirected fan mail ends up fake dating him, expanding the Holland family circle through a professional football romance.
3. Comeback
Comeback (2025): A woman becomes roommates with her brother’s brooding best friend, Archer Holland, turning forced proximity and a forbidden connection into the third family romance.
4. Spotlight
Spotlight (2025): A single mother discovers that her anonymous one-night encounter is Flynn Holland, the celebrated baseball pitcher now appearing across her town and charming her daughter.
The Holland Brothers series is complete at four books. Reading in order gives the clearest view of the brothers’ relationships and prevents later family updates from appearing too soon.
Frost Lake High Books in Order
Frost Lake High is a young adult sports romance series. It follows high school characters and should be treated as a separate continuity from Jenshak’s adult and new adult series.
1. Stealing for Keeps
Stealing for Keeps (2024): A high school sports romance introduces Frost Lake, its students, and the relationships that shape the series’ younger cast.
Some retailer editions appeared in early 2025, which is why bibliographic sources may show either 2024 or 2025. The work is generally listed by its original 2024 publication.
2. Playing with Forever
Playing with Forever (2026): A new Frost Lake couple takes the lead while the school community and characters established in the first book continue around them.
3. Faking for Now
Faking for Now (2026): A temporary or pretend relationship drives the third Frost Lake High romance, extending the school-based continuity and returning cast.
As of August 4, 2026, Faking for Now is associated with an August 2026 release period. Availability may differ by format during the publication month.
Read Frost Lake High in numbered order. The individual romances resolve separately, but the school relationships and returning characters are sequential.
Moonshot Hockey Books in Order
Moonshot Hockey is Rebecca Jenshak’s newer professional hockey series. It is separate from Wildcat Hockey and provides a fresh entry point for readers.
1. Lucky Shot
Lucky Shot (2026): A romance author travels to Montana to research hockey and is paired with Nick Galaxy, a grumpy team captain and single father whose guest cabin creates unavoidable proximity.
Earlier listings associated the book with 2025, but its current paperback release information identifies March 31, 2026. Edition dates may therefore differ across catalogs.
2. Keeping Score
Keeping Score (2026): A gymnast wakes in Las Vegas married to hockey player Travis Bennett, leading them to maintain the marriage temporarily while their supposedly practical arrangement becomes real.
3. Taking Sides
Taking Sides (2026): The third Moonshot Hockey romance continues the team-based series with a new featured couple and further appearances from the developing hockey circle.
The title is scheduled for September 29, 2026. Because that date is still upcoming as of August 4, 2026, plot information and publication details should be treated as subject to change.
4. Hot Streak
Hot Streak (2027): The announced fourth Moonshot Hockey book will continue the professional hockey sequence with another central romance.
It is listed for January 2027. Detailed story information was not consistently confirmed at the time of this update.
5. Final Save
Final Save (2027): The announced fifth Moonshot Hockey title is expected to extend or conclude the numbered team sequence.
A 2027 publication window has been listed, but an exact date was not reliably confirmed.
Moonshot Hockey is not yet complete. Readers should begin with Lucky Shot and continue in numbered order.
Sweetbriar Lake Books in Order
Some bibliographic databases group Rebecca Jenshak’s earliest sports romances under the Sweetbriar Lake name.
1. Sweat
Sweat (2017): An early Rebecca Jenshak sports romance built around ambition, attraction, and the pressures placed on athletes, later associated with the Sweetbriar Lake grouping.
2. Spar
Spar (2017): A boxing-centered romance that continues the early sports setting and is commonly listed as the second Sweetbriar Lake title.
The Sweetbriar Lake classification is not displayed as prominently in the author’s current main series catalog as her later series. Readers should treat it as a separate early continuity rather than connecting it to Valley University.
Rebecca Jenshak Standalone Books
These novels do not need to be inserted into one of the main numbered series.
If Not for Love
If Not for Love (2018): A contemporary romance about attraction complicated by personal history and the risks involved in trusting a new relationship.
This book has also appeared under the title Mister Cowboy. The two titles refer to the same core novel rather than separate stories.
Electric Blue Love
Electric Blue Love (2018): A standalone contemporary romance centered on a new relationship tested by emotional uncertainty and the demands of the characters’ separate lives.
Sweet Spot
Sweet Spot (2020): A baseball romance that can stand alone but shares the Valley University setting, making its best placement after the Smart Jocks series.
For the Record
For the Record (2027): An announced standalone romance currently listed for June 2027.
The title and release period have been announced, but detailed continuity and story information were not sufficiently confirmed for a more specific description.
Shared-World and Multi-Author Books
Rebecca Jenshak has also contributed to worlds and collections involving other authors. These books should remain outside her core series sequence.
Jilted Jock
Jilted Jock (2020): A sports romance written for the multi-author Hero Club setting, giving it continuity rules separate from Smart Jocks and Valley University.
Slapshot
Slapshot (2021): A college hockey romance contributed to the multi-author Moo U Hockey world, where its broader setting is shared with books by other writers.
Summer Thaw
Summer Thaw (2021): A shorter romance included in a seasonal multi-author project, intended as an optional side read rather than part of Jenshak’s main series.
The Twelve Loves of Christmas
The Twelve Loves of Christmas (2026): An announced holiday collection involving multiple romance authors, with Rebecca Jenshak contributing within a shared anthology format.
These works may have their own internal reading guidance, but they do not belong between numbered Smart Jocks, Wildcat Hockey, or Holland Brothers books.
Rebecca Jenshak Books in Chronological Order
A substantially different chronological order is not necessary for most Rebecca Jenshak series. Publication order already follows the most useful progression of friendships, couples, and recurring characters.
The primary exception is The Catch. Its events precede the main Smart Jocks series, but reading it first offers less context than beginning with The Assist.
A strict Smart Jocks chronology could begin with:
- The Catch: A prequel providing background connected to the earliest Smart Jocks characters.
- The Assist: The full introduction to Valley University and the main college sports continuity.
- The Fadeaway: The next romance within the original friend group.
- The Tip-Off: A later college romance involving characters already established in the series.
- The Fake: The fourth main couple’s story.
- The Pass: The conclusion of the numbered Smart Jocks sequence.
This order follows the internal timeline, but it is not the recommended first-reading order. Publication order introduces the world more naturally.
Recommended Rebecca Jenshak Reading Order
Readers who want the broadest possible tour of Rebecca Jenshak’s interconnected romances should follow this route.
Stage One: Begin at Valley University
- The Assist (2018): Opens the main college setting and introduces the first recurring group.
- The Fadeaway (2019): Continues the Smart Jocks relationships.
- The Tip-Off (2019): Expands the basketball-centered cast.
- The Fake (2019): Adds another central couple within the same community.
- The Pass (2020): Completes the numbered Smart Jocks series.
- Sweet Spot (2020): Adds a connected baseball romance.
- Secret Puck (2020): Begins Campus Nights.
- Bad Crush (2021): Continues the newer student group.
- Broken Hearts (2021): Develops the Campus Nights emotional arc.
- Wild Love (2021): Completes Campus Nights and creates the Wildcat Hockey bridge.
- Tutoring the Player (2022): Begins Campus Wallflowers.
- Hating the Player (2022): Continues the Wallflowers group.
- Scoring the Player (2023): Moves the third friend into the central romance.
- Tempting the Player (2023): Completes the Wallflowers sequence.
Stage Two: Follow the Professional Hockey Branch
- Wildcat (2021): Introduces the Wildcats team through the coach’s daughter and one of its leading players.
- Wild About You (2022): Gives another teammate his romance.
- Wild Ever After (2023): Continues the team’s interconnected relationships.
- In Your Wildest Dreams (2023): Adds an injury and recovery romance.
- Forever Wild (2024): Completes the numbered Wildcat Hockey series.
Stage Three: Move to Separate Continuities
- Burnout (2024): Opens the Holland Brothers series through motocross and gymnastics.
- Stealing for Keeps (2024): Opens the young adult Frost Lake High series.
- Lucky Shot (2026): Opens the separate Moonshot Hockey series.
The holiday stories and early standalones can be added at any point. They are not required to understand the main continuities.
Latest Rebecca Jenshak Book
As of August 4, 2026, the most recent fully available numbered release is Keeping Score, the second Moonshot Hockey novel.
Keeping Score (2026): A Vegas marriage between a gymnast and her hockey-player neighbor becomes a temporary public arrangement that neither character can keep emotionally separate.
Faking for Now, Frost Lake High book three, is associated with an August 2026 release and may already be available in some formats or regions.
Faking for Now (2026): A pretend relationship continues the Frost Lake High continuity through a new young adult couple and returning school characters.
Upcoming Rebecca Jenshak Books
The following titles were announced or scheduled as of August 4, 2026.
- Taking Sides (September 29, 2026): The third Moonshot Hockey romance will continue the team series with a new featured couple.
- The Twelve Loves of Christmas (2026): A multi-author holiday collection containing a Rebecca Jenshak contribution.
- Hot Streak (January 2027): The fourth announced Moonshot Hockey book.
- For the Record (June 2027): An announced standalone romance.
- Final Save (2027): The fifth announced Moonshot Hockey book, with no consistently confirmed exact date.
Upcoming titles and dates can change before publication.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the first Rebecca Jenshak book?
Rebecca Jenshak’s earliest listed novel is Sweat, published in 2017.
Sweat (2017): An early sports romance that predates her better-known Valley University and professional hockey series.
However, The Assist is the stronger starting point for readers who want to explore her major interconnected books.
What Rebecca Jenshak book should I read first?
Begin with The Assist.
The Assist (2018): A Valley University basketball romance that introduces the Smart Jocks and opens the author’s largest shared college setting.
Readers interested only in professional hockey may begin with Wildcat or Lucky Shot.
Are Rebecca Jenshak’s books standalones?
Most are interconnected standalones. Each book follows a different main couple and generally provides a complete romantic ending.
The surrounding cast continues across the series, so later books can reveal which earlier couples stayed together.
Do the Smart Jocks books need to be read in order?
Yes, publication order is recommended.
Each romance can be understood independently, but the friendships, team relationships, and appearances by earlier couples build from one book to the next.
Are Smart Jocks and Campus Nights connected?
Yes. Both series take place at Valley University.
Smart Jocks comes first, followed by Sweet Spot and then Campus Nights in the author’s suggested shared-world order.
Does Campus Wallflowers connect to Smart Jocks?
Yes. Campus Wallflowers is also set at Valley University.
The series introduces a new central friendship group, so it can be started separately, but reading the earlier Valley University books provides more background.
Is Sweet Spot part of Smart Jocks?
Sweet Spot is not a numbered Smart Jocks novel, but it shares the Valley University setting.
Sweet Spot (2020): A connected college baseball romance best read after The Pass and before Secret Puck.
Should I read Wild Love before Wildcat?
Reading Wild Love first is helpful but optional.
Wild Love (2021): The final Campus Nights romance provides the clearest transition into the Wildcat Hockey spin-off.
Wildcat still explains enough of its own setting for readers who want to begin directly with professional hockey.
Is Wildcat Hockey complete?
Yes. Wildcat Hockey contains five numbered books, ending with Forever Wild.
Forever Wild (2024): The fifth romance closes the numbered team sequence and provides the last full installment in the completed series.
Is Moonshot Hockey connected to Wildcat Hockey?
The two are separate professional hockey series.
Begin Wildcat Hockey with Wildcat. Begin Moonshot Hockey with Lucky Shot.
Is Moonshot Hockey complete?
No. Five Moonshot Hockey titles have been listed, but only the first two were fully released by August 4, 2026.
The announced sequence is Lucky Shot, Keeping Score, Taking Sides, Hot Streak, and Final Save.
Are the Holland Brothers books standalones?
Each Holland Brothers book has a separate couple and complete romance.
Reading in order remains preferable because the brothers and their partners appear throughout the family series.
Is Frost Lake High connected to Valley University?
No confirmed direct continuity requires the two settings to be combined.
Frost Lake High is a young adult high school series, while the Valley University books are college-centered new adult romances.
Is Mister Cowboy a separate Rebecca Jenshak novel?
No. Mister Cowboy is an alternate title associated with If Not for Love.
Readers do not need to buy both titles to obtain two different stories.
Is Holiday with the Players a separate third story?
The title Holiday with the Players is used for a collection of the seasonal player romances.
It should not automatically be counted as a third original novella after Snowed In with the Player and Sneaking Around with the Player.
Conclusion
The best starting point for Rebecca Jenshak is The Assist. From there, continue through Smart Jocks, Sweet Spot, Campus Nights, and Campus Wallflowers to experience the Valley University world in its clearest order.
Read Wild Love before Wildcat Hockey when you want the full transition from college romance to professional hockey. Begin directly with Wildcat when the hockey team is your only priority.
The Holland Brothers, Frost Lake High, and Moonshot Hockey series belong to separate reading paths. Their starting books are Burnout, Stealing for Keeps, and Lucky Shot.
Publication order remains the most reliable approach. It protects earlier romantic outcomes, introduces recurring characters at the intended time, and keeps each friendship, family, and team storyline easy to follow.
Frank is the editor of BookSeries.blog, focusing on publication order, chronological timelines, and spoiler-free reading guides for book series and fictional universes.