Annika Martin Books in Order (Updated 2026-02-27)

Annika Martin is a romance author best known for romcom billionaires, darker mafia romance, and a few collaboration lanes. She is also published as Carolyn Crane (a separate pen name with its own series), so “reading order” only matters when you stay inside one shelf at a time.

This guide is built like a bookshelf: pick the lane you want, then read straight down that lane.

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The five-second sorting test

If you want funny, modern billionaire romcom: start the Billionaires of Manhattan series at Book 1.
If you want dark mafia princes: start the Dangerous Royals trilogy at Book 1.
If you want captivity romance (collab): start Criminals & Captives at Book 1.
If you want spicy reverse-harem crime romance: start The Bank Robbers at Book 1 (and watch for retitled editions).
If you want “vampire boss + cozy mystery romance”: start Immortal Boss at Book 1.

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Shelf 1: Billionaires of Manhattan (romcom series)

1. Most Eligible Billionaire (2017): A high-society “eligible list” situation traps a guarded billionaire in a romance where image management becomes the enemy of real feeling.
2. The Billionaire’s Wake-up-call Girl (2018): A job that should stay professional turns personal fast, and the series’ signature mix of chaos, banter, and escalating stakes locks in.
3. Breaking the Billionaire’s Rules (2019): A rule-bound billionaire meets the one person who won’t play along, forcing the romance to run on consent, boundaries, and stubborn vulnerability.
4. The Billionaire’s Fake Fiancée (2020): A fake engagement brings public pressure and private desire into the same room, and the “pretend” premise becomes the real stress test.
5. Return Billionaire to Sender (2020): A mistaken-or-misdelivered setup creates forced proximity, where the couple has to decide what’s miscommunication and what’s avoidance.
6. Just Not That Into Billionaires (2021): A heroine determined not to fall for wealth or power gets pulled into a romance where the real risk is letting herself be chosen.
7. Butt-dialing the Billionaire (2022): One accidental call starts a connection that refuses to stay contained, turning anonymity into intimacy and then into consequences.
8. The Grumpy Billionaire (2023): A grumpy/sunshine clash turns into a slow surrender, where the billionaire’s “nope” becomes the very thing the relationship dismantles.

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Shelf 2: Dangerous Royals (dark mafia romance trilogy + holiday extra)

1. Dark Mafia Prince (2016): A brutal mafia heir claims what he believes is owed, and the series establishes its tone of danger, dominance, and hard-edged devotion.
2. Wicked Mafia Prince (2016): A new prince brings sharper games and deeper manipulation, pushing the romance into a more volatile balance of power and need.
3. Savage Mafia Prince (2016): The trilogy hits its most ruthless intensity, where loyalty and survival become inseparable from love.
4. A Dragusha Christmas (2019): A holiday add-on revisits the world for readers who want one more hit of the family dynamics after the trilogy’s main arcs.

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Shelf 3: Criminals & Captives (with Skye Warren)

1. Prisoner (2014): A captivity setup sparks a dangerous attachment, and the story’s core question becomes what desire costs when control is the currency.
2. Hostage (2018): A new high-stakes captivity scenario escalates both threat and intimacy, building on the series’ shared themes of fear, bargaining, and chosen surrender.

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Shelf 4: The Bank Robbers (reverse-harem crime romance)

This series is the most likely to show title and date inconsistencies across retailers and reissues, so use the series number as your anchor.

1. The Hostage Bargain (2014): A bank robbery becomes an escape hatch, and the relationship dynamic is established as equal parts danger, desire, and deliberate choice.
2. The Wrong Turn (2012): The trio’s bond is tested by a new complication that turns “thrilling” into “real,” and some later editions appear under a retitled release.
3. The Deeper Game (2014): Trust and strategy replace improvisation, tightening the emotional web as the romance grows more intentional and more exposed.
4. The Most Wanted (2016): Stakes widen beyond the bedroom, forcing the characters to decide what they are together when the outside world pushes back.
5. The Hard Way (2017): The series leans into consequences, where loyalty becomes a choice that costs something every day.
6. The Best Trick (2022): A late-series entry plays as a payoff-driven capstone, rewarding readers who have lived with the relationship dynamics from Book 1 onward.

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Shelf 5: Enemies Like You (with Joanna Chambers)

0.5. Enemies With Benefits (2017): A fast, high-heat opener sets the “enemies first” charge that makes the later story’s trust-building hit harder.

1. Enemies Like You (2017): A spy/bodyguard-style collision turns mutual dislike into mutual dependence, with attraction escalating alongside threat.

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Shelf 6: Immortal Boss (vampire mystery romance)

1. Ms. Renfield and the Inheritance Trap (2025): A vampire boss and an inheritance problem kick off a romance threaded through investigation, secrets, and workplace friction.
2. Ms. Renfield and the next untitled mystery (2026): The sequel continues the same couple-and-case framework, and the title may finalize closer to publication.

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Standalone novels and new lanes

The Kingpin’s Call Girl (2025): A criminal-power romance setup centers on negotiated danger, where the relationship is shaped by leverage, protection, and choice.

Lazarus (2026): A separate 2026 release positioned outside the long-running series lanes, best treated as its own starting point until more continuity info is confirmed.

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Where “Carolyn Crane” fits

If you see Carolyn Crane on the cover, treat it as a separate continuity shelf, even though it’s connected to the same author. The main practical exception is co-branded collaboration listings, which are safest to follow by the series title (not by pen name).

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Recommended reading orders

If you want the smoothest, lowest-confusion path

1. Most Eligible Billionaire (2017): Start the romcom lane.
2. Continue Billionaires of Manhattan straight through Book 8.
3. Then try Ms. Renfield and the Inheritance Trap (2025) if you want a different vibe without switching to dark romance.

If you want darker romance first

1. Dark Mafia Prince (2016): Start the mafia lane.
2. Finish the trilogy (Books 1-3).
3. Add A Dragusha Christmas (2019) only if you want an extra return visit.

If you want one completed collaboration lane

1. Prisoner (2014) → Hostage (2018): A compact two-book arc with consistent tone and intensity.

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FAQs

Do the billionaire books have to be read in order?
They work as interconnected standalones, but reading in order preserves recurring character cameos and running references.

Why are some Bank Robbers titles inconsistent across stores?
That series has editions that are commonly listed with alternate titles and reissue dates, so the series number is the most reliable guide.

What’s the safest single starter if I’m not sure?
Most Eligible Billionaire (2017) is the clearest entry point because it launches a long, popular lane without relying on any other continuity.

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Conclusion

Annika Martin is easiest to read by choosing one shelf and staying there until you’re done. For most readers, the cleanest start is Billionaires of Manhattan #1, then branch into mafia, collaborations, or the vampire-mystery lane based on mood.