Ella Maise Books in Order (Updated March 25, 2026)

Ella Maise writes contemporary romance, and her catalog is easier to navigate than it first looks. There are only two real series questions here: the Love & Hate duo and the earlier Alexander & Maya duet. Everything else is best treated as a standalone.

That makes the safest reading rule very simple. Read the connected books in order, then pick the standalones by mood.

The quickest reading path

If you want the cleanest route through Ella Maise’s books, do this:

1. Read Alexander & Maya in order if you want the early duet.
2. Read Love & Hate in order.
3. Read the standalones after that in publication order or by trope.

For most readers, though, the real starting point is either To Love Jason Thorn or Marriage for One.

The connected books

Alexander & Maya

This is Ella Maise’s earliest confirmed series, and it works as one continuous romance split into two parts.

1. Lost Prelude (2015): The first half of Maya and Alexander’s story opens with grief, emotional disorientation, and the first stage of a relationship built under pressure.
2. Lost Heartbeats (2015): The second half continues the same central story, shifting from initial connection into the consequences and payoff of that relationship.

Read these in order. This is not a flexible series.

Love & Hate

This is the better-known Ella Maise pairing, but it is slightly looser than Alexander & Maya.

1. To Love Jason Thorn (2015): A childhood-crush and celebrity-romance setup launches the pair with Olive and Jason, and it also introduces Lucy, whose book follows.
2. To Hate Adam Connor (2016): Lucy’s story spins out of the first novel and works as a connected standalone, but it lands better after Jason and Olive because some character context carries over.

If you only plan to read one, each book can stand on its own. If you want the intended progression, read them in order.

The standalones

These are not part of a larger numbered sequence, so you can read them whenever you like.

1. The Hardest Fall (2018): A college sports romance built around Zoe and Dylan, where an awkward first encounter gives way to a slower, more emotionally layered relationship.
2. Marriage for One (2019): A marriage-of-convenience romance between Rose and Jack that starts as a practical arrangement and gradually turns into one of Maise’s most relationship-focused standalones.
3. Charlie, Love and Cliches (2023): A workplace and second-chance-style contemporary romance where Charlie is forced to face the man she never fully got over.

Best reading order for new readers

There are three sensible ways to approach Ella Maise.

Option 1: Best overall path

1. To Love Jason Thorn
2. To Hate Adam Connor
3. The Hardest Fall
4. Marriage for One
5. Charlie, Love and Cliches
6. Lost Prelude
7. Lost Heartbeats

This works best for most readers because it starts with the books Ella Maise is best known for, keeps the only obvious connected pair together, and leaves the earlier duet until later.

Option 2: Publication order

1. Lost Prelude (2015): The first half of Ella Maise’s earliest duet, centered on loss and the beginning of a difficult romance.
2. Lost Heartbeats (2015): The second half of that duet, continuing the same emotional arc rather than starting over with a new couple.
3. To Love Jason Thorn (2015): A celebrity romance with childhood-history baggage that became one of Maise’s breakthrough titles.
4. To Hate Adam Connor (2016): A connected but more independent follow-up focused on Lucy and her actor next-door hero.
5. The Hardest Fall (2018): A college romance that shifts the catalog toward a fuller campus-sports setting and a slower emotional build.
6. Marriage for One (2019): A contract-marriage standalone that puts almost all its weight on the central relationship and its gradual change.
7. Charlie, Love and Cliches (2023): The most recent confirmed novel, built around office tension, old feelings, and a missed-connection dynamic.

Option 3: By reader mood

1. Start with To Love Jason Thorn if you want celebrity romance.
2. Start with Marriage for One if you want marriage of convenience.
3. Start with The Hardest Fall if you want college romance.
4. Start with Charlie, Love and Cliches if you want a more recent standalone.
5. Start with Lost Prelude only if you specifically want to begin at the very start of her bibliography.

Do you need a chronological order?

No.

Ella Maise’s catalog does not really call for an in-world chronological guide. Publication order works, and the only places where order clearly matters are Alexander & Maya and, to a lesser degree, Love & Hate.

Where should most readers start?

The safest starting point is To Love Jason Thorn. It is one of her best-known books, it leads naturally into To Hate Adam Connor, and it gives you a strong sense of her voice quickly.

The best standalone starting point is Marriage for One. If you want only one Ella Maise novel before deciding whether to read more, that is the easiest recommendation.

Latest release status

The most recent confirmed Ella Maise novel I found is Charlie, Love and Cliches (2023). I did not find a reliably confirmed newer released novel on her official books page, and while she has shared work-in-progress material on her blog, I would not list a new title as established until it is named and formally presented as a book.

FAQ

Do Ella Maise books need to be read in order?

Mostly no. Only Alexander & Maya really requires strict order, and Love & Hate is best in order even though book two can stand alone.

Is To Hate Adam Connor a sequel?

Yes, in the sense that it follows To Love Jason Thorn and grows out of that world, but it is also written to work as its own romance.

Is Lost Heartbeats a standalone?

Not really. It is the continuation of the Alexander & Maya story and works best after Lost Prelude.

What is Ella Maise’s best starting book?

For most readers, To Love Jason Thorn. For readers who want a true standalone first, Marriage for One.

How many Ella Maise novels are currently confirmed?

I could reliably confirm seven core books if Lost Prelude and Lost Heartbeats are counted separately, which is how major catalog sources list the duet.

Final answer

The practical Ella Maise order is:

Lost Prelude → Lost Heartbeats → To Love Jason Thorn → To Hate Adam Connor → The Hardest Fall → Marriage for One → Charlie, Love and Cliches

For most readers, though, the best place to begin is still To Love Jason Thorn, with Marriage for One as the best standalone entry.