Emily McIntire Books in Order (Updated March 14, 2026)

Emily McIntire’s books are best read by series, not as one long author-wide sequence.

The main split is simple: Never After is the most flexible because its books are built as dark standalones, while Sugarlake and Defying the Stars are better in publication order because of their interconnected characters and carryover context.

The best place to start

For most readers, start with Hooked.

It is the clearest entry point into the part of Emily McIntire’s catalog that made her best known, and it opens the series that is easiest to sample without committing to a tightly connected storyline. If you prefer small-town contemporary romance over dark retellings, start with Beneath the Stars instead.

Emily McIntire books in publication order

Never After

This is the easiest Emily McIntire series to read casually. The books share a brand, tone, and fairy-tale or classic-story inspiration, but they are the least dependent on strict sequence.

1. Hooked (2021): A dark Peter Pan-inspired romance that sets the template for the series with obsession, revenge, and a villain-centered angle.
2. Scarred (2022): A royal romance inspired by Hamlet, where court politics, betrayal, and ambition push the series into a more openly power-driven direction.
3. Wretched (2022): A Wizard of Oz-inspired entry that leans into crime, control, and corruption, widening the emotional and moral range of the series.
4. Twisted (2023): An Aladdin-inspired romance built on deception, status, and attraction, keeping the standalone structure while sharpening the series’ dark-fantasy identity.
5. Crossed (2023): A Hunchback of Notre Dame-inspired story that raises the emotional intensity with forbidden desire and heavier internal conflict.
6. Hexed (2024): A Little Mermaid-inspired novel that closes the current Never After lineup with bargains, danger, and a love story shaped by sacrifice.

Sugarlake

Sugarlake works better in order. Each book has its own central romance, but the setting, friendships, and shared history build from one novel to the next.

1. Beneath the Stars (2020): A second-chance small-town romance that introduces the emotional core of Sugarlake and establishes the relationships the rest of the series grows from.
2. Beneath the Stands (2020): A best friend’s brother romance that deepens the town’s shared past and works best once the first book has already set the personal stakes.
3. Beneath the Hood (2021): An age-gap romance that expands the series while still relying on the familiarity and continuity created by the earlier books.
4. Beneath the Surface (2021): A later-series romance that lands best in sequence because much of its emotional weight depends on the community context already in place.

Defying the Stars

This is the newer active series. It is being presented as interconnected standalones, so publication order is still the safest route.

1. Burning Daylight (2025): A Romeo and Juliet-inspired romance that opens the series with forbidden love, family pressure, and the kind of continuing world-building that points forward.
2. Forsaking Midnight (2026): The announced second novel, positioned as the next step in the series and best read after Burning Daylight.

Optional extra

1. Running Back to You: A short romance work that sits outside the three main series and is best treated as an extra rather than part of a core reading path.

Recommended reading order

For a new reader who wants the clearest path with the fewest continuity questions, this is the best order:

1. Hooked
2. Scarred
3. Wretched
4. Twisted
5. Crossed
6. Hexed
7. Beneath the Stars
8. Beneath the Stands
9. Beneath the Hood
10. Beneath the Surface
11. Burning Daylight
12. Forsaking Midnight when released

This order works because it starts with her best-known books, keeps each series internally clean, and leaves the currently active series for last so you finish caught up.

Is there a chronological order?

Not a useful one across her full catalog.

Emily McIntire’s books are organized more clearly by series continuity than by an author-wide timeline. For this author, publication order does the job better than trying to force everything into one chronology.

Which series should you read first?

Read Never After first if you want dark romance and the most recognizable entry point into her work.

Read Sugarlake first if you want a more grounded small-town contemporary series with stronger carryover between books.

Read Defying the Stars first only if you specifically want to jump into her newest ongoing series from the beginning.

Are the Never After books standalones?

Mostly yes.

They are the loosest set in her catalog, which makes them the most forgiving if you want to read by premise instead of by sequence. Publication order is still the neatest way to go, but it is not as important here as it is in Sugarlake or Defying the Stars.

Latest release status

As of March 14, 2026, the most recent published Emily McIntire novel is Burning Daylight.

The next announced book is Forsaking Midnight, scheduled for July 14, 2026.

FAQs

What is the best Emily McIntire book to start with?

Hooked is the safest starting point for most readers.

Do I need to read Sugarlake in order?

Yes, that is the better experience. The romances may center different couples, but the shared setting and returning cast make sequence matter more.

Is Defying the Stars finished?

No. It is still in progress.

Are boxed sets part of the reading order?

No. Treat boxed sets and omnibus editions as repackaged versions of books already listed above.

Final recommendation

Start with Hooked, continue through Never After in publication order, then move to Sugarlake, and finish by catching up on Defying the Stars.

That is the cleanest Emily McIntire reading order for most readers because it respects the boundaries between her series and avoids dropping into the middle of her more interconnected work.