Alyssa Cole Books in Order (Updated 2026-02-03)

Alyssa Cole writes in several distinct modes, modern royals, Civil War–era espionage romance, a “cozy dystopia” sci-fi romance trilogy, plus standalone thrillers. The key is simple: read each named series in order, because later books assume you’ve met earlier characters and couples.

If you’re only here to pick a first book, choose based on vibe:

• Modern royals + rom-com energy: start with A Princess in Theory
• Historical spies + war-era stakes: start with An Extraordinary Union
• Post-blackout romance with a survival angle: start with Radio Silence
• Suspense/thriller: start with When No One Is Watching

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Reluctant Royals (read in order)

These books share a modern royal setting with recurring friends and family. You can jump around, but reading in order keeps reveals intact.

1. A Princess in Theory: A brilliant woman’s “spam email” turns out to be real, pulling her into royalty and a relationship she didn’t ask for.
2. A Duke by Default: A woman in rebuild mode takes an apprenticeship abroad and finds a duke who’s not interested in being anyone’s rescue project.
3. Once Ghosted, Twice Shy: A past fling returns at the worst possible moment, forcing two women to decide whether heartbreak gets a second draft.
4. A Prince on Paper: A “messy” heroine and a tightly controlled prince collide, and the real challenge becomes letting themselves be seen.
5. Can’t Escape Love: A nerdy entrepreneur and an anxious genius build something tender while learning that compatibility can look unconventional.

Runaway Royals (a connected follow-up world)

This series is separate enough to read on its own, but it’s set in the same wider royal universe, so it lands best after you’ve tried Reluctant Royals.

1. How to Catch a Queen: An arranged marriage becomes a political partnership, and then becomes much harder to keep “only practical.”
2. How to Find a Princess: A missing-royal mystery turns romantic when the investigator and the woman she’s chasing stop pretending the pull is just curiosity.

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The Loyal League (read in order)

A Civil War espionage romance trilogy with strong continuity and escalating stakes.

1. An Extraordinary Union: Two undercover operatives risk everything to dismantle a conspiracy while falling in love in the most dangerous way possible.
2. A Hope Divided: A principled woman and a conflicted soldier are forced to choose between safety, duty, and the truth they can’t ignore.
3. An Unconditional Freedom: A careful life unravels when old missions, new threats, and deeply personal loyalties collide.

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Off the Grid (read in order)

A post-blackout (“cozy dystopia”) romance trilogy where each book spotlights a different lead while the world stays unstable around them.

1. Radio Silence: After the power dies, survival becomes intimate fast, and trust becomes the rarest resource.
2. Signal Boost: Building community after collapse is harder than fighting, especially when love arrives with baggage and responsibility.
3. Mixed Signals: A fragile new normal is threatened again, and a relationship has to prove it can hold under pressure.

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Standalone thrillers (any order)

These do not connect to the romance series above.

• When No One Is Watching: A Brooklyn walking tour starts uncovering patterns that feel too deliberate to be coincidence, and too dangerous to name out loud.
• One of Us Knows: On an isolated estate, a woman living with dissociative identity disorder must untangle what happened, while never being fully certain she can trust her own timeline.

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Standalone historical novellas (any order)

These are separate from the big series; read whenever you want a shorter, focused story.

• That Could Be Enough: Two Black women in early-1800s New York find a love that looks quiet from the outside but radical in its certainty.
• Let Us Dream: In 1910s Harlem, ambition and attraction collide when two determined people try to build freedom on their own terms.
• Let It Shine: A civil rights–era romance where the stakes outside the relationship keep reshaping what courage looks like.
• Be Not Afraid: During the American Revolution, two people with conflicting plans are pushed into proximity, and forced to decide what they’ll risk for a future.

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A reading plan that stays simple

If you want a clean, satisfying route without jumping genres midstream:

1. Reluctant Royals (in order)
2. Runaway Royals (in order)
3. The Loyal League (in order)
4. Off the Grid (in order)
5. Finish with the thrillers and standalone novellas in any order