Charlie Novak is a British author of contemporary MM romance. Her books range from football and rugby romances to small-town stories, tabletop gaming romances, workplace relationships, drag performers, motorsport, fashion, and food-centered romantic comedy.
Almost every Charlie Novak novel follows a new couple and provides a complete romantic ending. The books can therefore be read independently, but friends, teammates, relatives, and former lead couples often return within the same series.
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No single timeline connects every series. Off the Pitch, Roll for Love, Kiss Me, Forever Love, Heather Bay, The Court, Lincoln Knights, and Lick It! are best treated as separate reading paths.
Pick a Series, Not a Master Chronology
Charlie Novak’s catalog is unusually friendly to readers who want to choose by setting.
Begin with Breakaway for football romance.
- Choose Natural Twenty for tabletop gaming and a nerd-centered friendship group.
- Start with Like I Pictured for the complete Heather Bay experience, or Like I Promised if you prefer to begin with the first full-length novel.
- Read Drama Queen for drag performance and found family.
- Choose The Tighthead for rugby romance.
- Begin with Licked for Charlie Novak’s newest small-town series.
- Readers who want a single self-contained book can start with Screens Apart, Couture Crush, Pole Position, Only Orlando, or Cocky Bastard.
Off the Pitch Books in Order
Off the Pitch follows football players and the men who become part of their personal lives. Each novel changes couples, but the players and friendship group remain connected.
1. Breakaway
Breakaway (2019): Footballer Hamish meets a man who sees beyond his public career, beginning the series through attraction complicated by professional pressure and emotional caution.
The book introduces the football circle that supports the later romances.
2. Extra Time
Extra Time (2019): A second football-connected couple receives another chance to explore a relationship that no longer fits safely inside friendship or casual attraction.
Recurring players make the story more rewarding after Breakaway, although the main romance is complete.
3. Final Score
Final Score (2020): The final featured couple must decide what matters after the immediate game is over, closing the trilogy through commitment, career choices, and the future of the connected friendship group.
Publication order is recommended because earlier couples appear as established partners.
The Off the Pitch Short Collection
The Off the Pitch Short Collection (2021): Four short stories revisit the three main couples after their novels and provide additional domestic and relationship moments.
The collection is not intended as a standalone. Read all three novels first.
Off the Pitch: The Complete Collection
Off the Pitch: The Complete Collection: A box set containing the three novels and four short stories in their intended sequence.
This edition replaces the need to buy the individual books and short collection separately.
Roll for Love Books in Order
Roll for Love follows men connected through tabletop role-playing games, friendships, and a shared enthusiasm for fantasy gaming.
The three novels feature different couples. Each can stand alone, but reading in order builds the gaming group naturally.
1. Natural Twenty
Natural Twenty (2020): A tabletop gamer meets a man who complicates both his ordinary life and the comfortable world he has created around his gaming friends.
The book introduces the Roll for Love group and provides the best explanation of its social connections.
2. Charisma Check
Charisma Check (2021): Two men who struggle to get along discover that hostility and attraction require very different kinds of emotional courage.
This enemies-to-lovers romance continues the gaming circle established in Natural Twenty.
3. Proficiency Bonus
Proficiency Bonus (2021): Another member of the group finds that being skilled at a hobby or career offers little preparation for the vulnerability required by a serious relationship.
The third novel completes the main trio of Roll for Love romances.
Bonus Action
Bonus Action (2023): Four short stories return to the established Roll for Love couples and show how their relationships develop after the principal novels.
Read it after Proficiency Bonus. It openly assumes that all three couples are together.
Roll for Love: The Complete Collection
Roll for Love: The Complete Collection: A combined edition containing the three novels and the four stories from Bonus Action.
It is a repackaging of existing material rather than a fourth full-length romance.
Kiss Me Books in Order
Kiss Me contains three warm contemporary romances connected through friends and familiar characters. Each book follows a different couple.
1. Strawberry Kisses
Strawberry Kisses (2020): Patrick and Connor form a sweet but complicated connection, opening the series through attraction, friendship, and the risk of wanting more than either originally expected.
The novel provides the intended introduction to the shared cast.
2. Summer Kisses
Summer Kisses (2021): A new couple faces a relationship that becomes more emotionally demanding than a temporary summer attraction was supposed to be.
Earlier characters return, but the central romance has its own complete ending.
3. Spiced Kisses
Spiced Kisses (2021): The third couple adds a warmer seasonal flavor to the connected group while confronting the difference between flirtation and lasting commitment.
Read it after Summer Kisses to preserve updates involving the earlier couples.
The Kiss Me Short Story Collection
The Kiss Me Short Story Collection (2024): Four additional stories revisit the Kiss Me couples after their main books.
The collection should not be used as an introduction to the series.
Kiss Me: The Complete Collection
Kiss Me: The Complete Collection: A box set containing all three novels and the four follow-up stories.
Readers who own this edition already have the full published Kiss Me sequence.
Forever Love Books in Order
Forever Love follows three connected men as each finds a lasting relationship. The books are interconnected standalones rather than parts of one unresolved romance.
1. Always Eli
Always Eli (2021): Eli unexpectedly becomes central to a romance that challenges the assumptions he and the people around him have made about love and permanence.
The book introduces the friendship and family connections supporting the trilogy.
2. Finding Finn
Finding Finn (2022): Finn and a longtime friend must decide whether their comfortable connection can survive becoming romantic.
The friends-to-lovers story gains extra context from Always Eli, but its couple receives a complete ending.
3. Oh So Oscar
Oh So Oscar (2022): Oscar becomes the final central character in a romance that closes the trilogy’s friendship group and revisits the established couples.
Read it third to avoid seeing the earlier relationships after their conclusions.
The Forever Love Short Story Collection
The Forever Love Short Story Collection (2024): Additional stories return to Eli, Finn, Oscar, and their partners after the three novels.
These are optional relationship updates rather than a fourth novel.
Forever Love: The Complete Collection
Forever Love: The Complete Collection: A combined edition containing the trilogy and its follow-up short stories.
It does not add a new central couple.
Heather Bay Books in Order
Heather Bay is a small-town seaside romance series. Its residents, businesses, friendships, and established couples continue from one book to the next.
The author’s official order begins with the novella Like I Pictured, followed by five numbered novels.
Prequel: Like I Pictured
Like I Pictured (2022): A shorter romance introduces Heather Bay and gives readers an early view of the coastal community before the full-length series begins.
The novella is optional, but it is the most complete starting point.
1. Like I Promised
Like I Promised (2022): A promise between two men becomes harder to honor when attraction and small-town proximity force them to reconsider their relationship.
This is the first numbered Heather Bay novel and the safest starting point for readers skipping the novella.
2. Like I Wished
Like I Wished (2022): A new Heather Bay couple discovers that receiving what they thought they wanted may require accepting a relationship they did not plan for.
The town and characters established in the opening book continue around them.
3. Like I Needed
Like I Needed (2023): Two men learn that emotional need and romantic dependence are not signs of weakness, even when both have reasons to remain guarded.
Earlier Heather Bay couples return as part of the community.
4. Like I Pretended
Like I Pretended (2023): A pretend relationship creates genuine feelings, forcing the central couple to decide when their arrangement stopped being an act.
Reading the previous books first gives the recurring friendships their proper context.
5. Like I Wanted
Like I Wanted (2023): The fifth main romance brings another Heather Bay resident the future he wants while closing the numbered sequence of full-length novels.
The book works best after the earlier town relationships have been established.
Like I Dreamed
Like I Dreamed (2026): A short-story collection returns to Heather Bay and its established couples after the main series.
It is supplemental rather than Heather Bay book six.
Heather Bay: The Complete Collection, Volume One
Heather Bay: The Complete Collection, Volume One: A boxed edition containing the earlier portion of the Heather Bay sequence.
Check the contents before purchasing it alongside individual novels.
Heather Bay: The Complete Collection, Volume Two
Heather Bay: The Complete Collection, Volume Two: A second boxed edition completing the town’s main novels and related stories.
The two volumes repackage the existing romances.
The Court Books in Order
The Court series centers on drag performers, queer community, friendship, and found family. The three novels change couples but remain within the same performance circle.
1. Drama Queen
Drama Queen (2023): A drag queen whose public confidence hides private vulnerability becomes involved with a man who challenges the divide between performer and person.
The book introduces The Court and its close community.
2. Scene Queen
Scene Queen (2024): Another performer or Court-connected character receives a romance shaped by visibility, reputation, and the pressure to maintain a carefully constructed image.
Characters from Drama Queen return around the new couple.
3. Baby Queen
Baby Queen (2024): A newer or less experienced member of the drag community finds romance while learning how to claim his place among the established performers.
The third novel completes the published Court trilogy.
Lincoln Knights Books in Order
Lincoln Knights follows a rugby team and the men connected to its players and coaching staff.
The novels are interconnected standalones. Team changes and earlier relationships make publication order the clearest route.
Optional Prequel: The Head Coach
The Head Coach (website-exclusive short story): The Lincoln Knights coach receives a shorter romance that introduces the rugby organization before the numbered player stories.
It is optional and available separately from the main retail editions.
1. The Tighthead
The Tighthead (2024): A powerful front-row rugby player meets a man capable of challenging the confidence and physical control he displays on the pitch.
The book introduces the Lincoln Knights team and its recurring cast.
2. The Fly-Half
The Fly-Half (2025): The player responsible for directing the team’s attack finds that controlling a match is easier than controlling his response to a new relationship.
The second romance expands the friendships and team dynamics from The Tighthead.
3. The Scrum-Half
The Scrum-Half (2025): Another Knights player becomes central to a romance where quick decisions on the field contrast with his reluctance to make an emotional commitment.
Earlier players and partners remain part of the team environment.
4. The Winger
The Winger (2025): Confident winger Danny meets Ezra, turning flirtation and a cocky public attitude into a relationship that requires greater honesty than either expected.
The novel continues the series through a new couple and the established rugby found family.
5. The Fullback
The Fullback (2026): The fifth Knights player receives his romance as the series moves to the final published position in the team lineup.
Read it after The Winger for the latest team and relationship updates.
Lick It! Books in Order
Lick It! is Charlie Novak’s newest small-town series. It centers on an ice cream business, neighboring friends, and romances with a summery coastal atmosphere.
The novels follow different couples and are intended as interconnected standalones.
1. Licked
Licked (2026): Alfie and Jonathan begin the series through a sweet small-town romance involving ice cream, close community attention, and feelings that become impossible to keep contained.
The novel was released in May 2026 and establishes the new setting.
2. Dripped
Dripped (2026): The second Lick It! romance follows another pair from the same community, expanding the ice cream-centered friendship group through a new emotional complication.
It was released on July 9, 2026 and is the newest available Charlie Novak novel as of August 4, 2026.
3. Topped
Topped (scheduled for September 3, 2026): The third Lick It! book will complete the opening trio of small-town ice cream romances with a new featured couple.
The title is confirmed but remains upcoming as of this article’s update.
Christmas Romance Books
Charlie Novak’s Christmas novels do not form one numbered continuous story. Each has its own couple and can be read independently.
Up to Snow Good
Up to Snow Good (2022): A snow-filled holiday situation forces two men into close proximity, where seasonal inconvenience becomes an opportunity for romance.
The book is a complete Christmas story with no required series background.
Ice & Sweet
Ice & Sweet (2024): A winter romance combines sweetness, attraction, and a cold-weather setting in a self-contained holiday story.
It does not belong to the Lick It! series despite the food-related title.
Love at Frost Sight
Love at Frost Sight (2025): An immediate winter attraction brings two men together during the holiday season, testing whether love at first sight can survive beyond the festive setting.
The novel stands alone.
Snow One Like You
Snow One Like You (scheduled for November 19, 2026): A new holiday romance will join Charlie Novak’s Christmas collection with a separate central couple.
It is upcoming as of August 4, 2026.
Charlie Novak Standalone Novels
These books do not require reading any of the named series.
Screens Apart
Screens Apart (2020): Two men build a relationship across digital and physical distance, exploring how online connection changes when it must survive real-life vulnerability.
The story is complete within one novel.
Couture Crush
Couture Crush (2022): Fashion brings two men into close professional proximity, where appearance, ambition, and attraction become difficult to separate.
The novel was released within the multi-author Model Love world but resolves its own romance.
Pole Position
Pole Position (2023): A motorsport romance places competition, speed, and public pressure around a relationship that cannot remain safely outside the race.
It belongs to the multi-author Lights Out collection but can be read independently.
Only Orlando
Only Orlando (2024): Three men form an MMM relationship in a romance that explores attraction, balance, and the challenge of building commitment among more than two partners.
The novel is separate from Charlie Novak’s other series.
Cocky Bastard
Cocky Bastard (2025): Kane and Austin try to treat their connection as something without feelings, only for attraction and familiarity to expose how much they have been avoiding.
The book is a self-contained romance.
Short Stories
One More Night
One More Night (2020): Two men receive one additional night together, forcing them to confront whether a supposedly temporary connection deserves a future.
The story can be read independently.
Snow Way in Hell
Snow Way in Hell (2021): A winter problem traps or reunites its central characters, creating a short holiday romance through irritation and forced proximity.
It is separate from the later full-length Christmas novels.
Twenty-Two Years
Twenty-Two Years (newsletter-exclusive): A short romance or established-couple story uses a long shared history to explore what changes after more than two decades.
Its availability is limited, but it does not alter a numbered series order.
Anthologies and Shared Projects
Charlie Novak has contributed stories to several multi-author collections. These should remain outside her principal series lists.
Heart2Heart
Heart2Heart, Volume 6 (2022): A charity anthology includes a Charlie Novak romance alongside stories by other MM authors.
Heart2Heart, Volume 7 (2024): A later charity volume contains another independent contribution.
Heart2Heart, Volume 8 (2025): The eighth collection adds a further Charlie Novak story within the shared anthology format.
These contributions are optional and do not continue Off the Pitch, Heather Bay, or Lincoln Knights.
Delicious
Delicious: Volume One (2025): A food-themed MM and MMM charity anthology contains a Charlie Novak story among contributions from multiple authors.
Delicious: Volume Two (2025): The second volume adds another group of food-centered romances and should not be counted as a Charlie Novak series sequel.
Love Archives
The Love Archives, Volume One (2024): A fundraising collection includes bonus material and excerpts from multiple romance authors.
The Love Archives, Volume Three (2024): Another volume contains further contributed material rather than a new Charlie Novak novel.
Collections That Duplicate Existing Books
Charlie Novak has issued complete-series box sets for Off the Pitch, Roll for Love, Kiss Me, Forever Love, and Heather Bay.
These collections are alternate purchase formats. They do not add new couples or extend the official reading order.
Popped (2024): A multi-author omnibus or collection containing previously published material rather than a new standalone Charlie Novak novel.
Always check the contents page before purchasing a box set alongside individual editions.
Publication Order by Era
A strict publication list is less helpful than reading by series, but the catalog divides into four clear stages.
Early Football and Standalone Period
- Breakaway (2019): Opens Off the Pitch.
- Extra Time (2019): Continues the football friendship group.
- Final Score (2020): Completes the main football trilogy.
- Screens Apart (2020): Provides an independent contemporary romance.
- One More Night (2020): Adds a separate shorter story.
Gaming, Food, and Friendship Series Period
- Natural Twenty (2020): Begins Roll for Love.
- Strawberry Kisses (2020): Begins Kiss Me.
- Charisma Check (2021): Continues Roll for Love.
- Proficiency Bonus (2021): Completes the gaming novels.
- Summer Kisses (2021): Continues Kiss Me.
- Spiced Kisses (2021): Completes the Kiss Me novels.
- Always Eli (2021): Begins Forever Love.
Small-Town and Connected-Series Period
- Finding Finn (2022): Continues Forever Love.
- Oh So Oscar (2022): Completes the trilogy.
- Like I Pictured (2022): Introduces Heather Bay.
- Like I Promised (2022): Begins the numbered Heather Bay novels.
- Like I Wished (2022): Continues the town.
- Like I Needed (2023): Adds the third numbered romance.
- Like I Pretended (2023): Uses a pretend relationship in Heather Bay.
- Like I Wanted (2023): Completes the main numbered sequence.
- Drama Queen (2023): Opens The Court.
Rugby and New-Series Period
- Scene Queen (2024): Continues The Court.
- Baby Queen (2024): Completes the drag-centered trilogy.
- The Tighthead (2024): Opens Lincoln Knights.
- The Fly-Half (2025): Continues the rugby team.
- The Scrum-Half (2025): Adds the third Knights couple.
- The Winger (2025): Continues with Danny and Ezra.
- The Fullback (2026): Becomes the fifth numbered rugby romance.
- Licked (2026): Opens Lick It!
- Dripped (2026): Continues the ice cream-centered series.
- Topped (2026): Scheduled to complete the first three announced Lick It! romances.
Is There a Chronological Reading Order?
There is no chronology covering every Charlie Novak book.
Off the Pitch follows one football group. Roll for Love follows a gaming group. Heather Bay remains in its own coastal community. The Court centers on drag performers, while Lincoln Knights follows a rugby club.
Publication order already provides the best character progression inside each series. Rearranging books by the characters’ ages or implied timelines would add complexity without improving continuity.
The only notable prequel choices are:
- Read Like I Pictured before Like I Promised for the complete Heather Bay experience.
- Read The Head Coach before The Tighthead when the website-exclusive story is available.
- Save every short-story collection until after its associated novels.
Recommended Charlie Novak Reading Route
Begin with Roll for Love when you want a broad introduction to Novak’s warm ensemble style. Read Natural Twenty, Charisma Check, and Proficiency Bonus, then add Bonus Action.
Move to Heather Bay for a longer small-town sequence. Start with Like I Pictured, continue through the five numbered novels, and finish with Like I Dreamed.
Read The Court next for drag performance and found family, then move into Lincoln Knights for rugby romance.
Finish with Lick It!, beginning with Licked and continuing through Dripped and Topped.
Off the Pitch, Kiss Me, and Forever Love can be inserted anywhere because they occupy separate continuities.
Latest Charlie Novak Book
As of August 4, 2026, Charlie Novak’s latest fully released novel is Dripped, Lick It! book two.
Dripped (2026): A new couple continues the summery small-town series while expanding the friendships and business connections introduced in Licked.
The book was released on July 9, 2026.
Upcoming Charlie Novak Books
Topped is scheduled for September 3, 2026.
Topped (2026): The third Lick It! romance will follow another couple connected to the small-town ice cream community.
Snow One Like You is scheduled for November 19, 2026.
Snow One Like You (2026): A separate Christmas romance will add a new couple to Novak’s collection of self-contained holiday stories.
Future dates can change before publication.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was Charlie Novak’s first book?
Breakaway was published in 2019.
Breakaway (2019): A football-centered romance introduces the players and friendships behind the Off the Pitch trilogy.
What Charlie Novak book should I read first?
Start with Natural Twenty for a representative combination of humor, friendship, romance, and recurring characters.
Begin with Breakaway for sports romance, Like I Pictured for small-town romance, or Drama Queen for drag performance and found family.
Are Charlie Novak’s books standalones?
Yes. The author identifies her books and stories as standalones.
Series order is still preferable because previous couples and friends continue to appear.
Do Charlie Novak’s series connect?
Each named series is best treated as its own continuity.
Characters may share similar settings or interests, but no master crossover order is required across Off the Pitch, Roll for Love, Heather Bay, The Court, Lincoln Knights, and Lick It!
Should Like I Pictured be read first?
It is the Heather Bay introductory novella.
Reading it first gives the fullest town background. Readers who prefer to begin with a full novel can start with Like I Promised.
Why do some sites list Like I Pictured as book six?
Retailer and bibliographic databases have placed the novella differently.
The author’s official catalog positions Like I Pictured before Like I Promised. That is the safest reader order.
Is Like I Dreamed a new Heather Bay novel?
No. It is a short-story collection connected to the established Heather Bay couples.
Read it after Like I Wanted.
Is The Head Coach Lincoln Knights book one?
No. It is a website-exclusive short story.
The Tighthead remains the first numbered Lincoln Knights novel.
Do the Lincoln Knights books need to be read in order?
Each rugby romance has its own couple and conclusion.
Publication order is recommended because teammates and previous couples remain active throughout the series.
Is The Fullback the final Lincoln Knights book?
It is the fifth and latest numbered book as of August 4, 2026.
No sixth Knights title had a reliably confirmed release date at the time of this update.
What order should I read Lick It!?
Read Licked, Dripped, and then Topped.
The first two are available. Topped is scheduled for September 3, 2026.
Is Dripped already released?
Yes. Dripped was released on July 9, 2026.
It is the newest available Charlie Novak novel as of this update.
Is Pole Position part of a series?
It was written for the multi-author Lights Out collection.
Its central romance is complete, so readers do not need to finish the other authors’ books.
Is Couture Crush a standalone?
Yes.
It belongs to the multi-author Model Love project but can be read as a complete Charlie Novak romance.
Is Only Orlando an MM romance?
It is an MMM romance involving three men.
The relationship is resolved within one standalone novel.
Are the short collections required?
No.
They provide additional scenes involving couples whose main romances are already complete. Read them after the corresponding novels.
Are the complete collections new books?
No.
They package previously published novels and short stories into box sets.
Conclusion
Charlie Novak’s books are designed to be approachable as standalones, so readers can begin with the setting or trope that interests them most.
For the cleanest introduction, start with Natural Twenty. Continue through Roll for Love, then try Heather Bay for a longer small-town sequence or Lincoln Knights for connected rugby romances.
Within every series, publication order remains the stronger choice. It introduces friendships naturally and prevents later books from revealing the settled relationships of earlier couples.
The newest available book is Dripped. The next scheduled release is Topped on September 3, 2026, followed by the standalone Christmas romance Snow One Like You on November 19, 2026.
Frank is the editor of BookSeries.blog, focusing on publication order, chronological timelines, and spoiler-free reading guides for book series and fictional universes.