Kate Stewart Books in Order (Updated: February 27, 2026)

Kate Stewart writes across a few distinct lanes, romantic suspense, contemporary romance, romantic dramedy, and erotic romance. Some of her books are true “read in order” series, while others are built as standalones.

If you only learn one thing: The Ravenhood and The Ravenhood Legacy should be read in order, and her other series are best read in order for the fullest payoff.

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A simple way to choose your starting point

You want the most talked-about storyline (order matters)

Start The Ravenhood at book 1.

You want romantic dramedy with a college/sports vibe (lightly interconnected)

Start The Underdogs at book 1.

You want music-driven, high-feelings romance (a duet + epilogue)

Start The Bittersweet Symphony Duet at book 1.

You want early contemporaries

Start with Room 212 (then follow the companion/Reluctant Romantics sequence).

You want explicit, erotic romance (separate lane; check content warnings)

Start Lust & Lies at book 1.

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The Ravenhood universe (read in order)

The Ravenhood Trilogy

1. Flock (2020): A young woman is pulled into a secret brotherhood in Triple Falls, forcing her to question who holds power in her new life, and why.
2. Exodus (2020): The brotherhood’s stakes widen and harden, forcing loyalty and love into open conflict when the “rules” stop protecting anyone.
3. The Finish Line (2021): The long game comes due, forcing the core players to pay for every secret they kept and every choice they made to survive.

The Ravenhood Legacy (read after The Ravenhood)

1. One Last Rainy Day: The Legacy of a Prince (2023): The same world is reframed through a new perspective, forcing earlier events into sharper focus without replacing the trilogy.
2. Severed Heart: The Birth of a Warrior (2025): A coming-of-warrior story deepens the brotherhood’s history, forcing the next generation to inherit consequences they didn’t create.
3. Birds of a Feather: The Secrets of a Knight (2026): The legacy thread reaches its next turning point, forcing hidden motives into daylight as the brotherhood’s mythology tightens.

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The Bittersweet Symphony Duet (best read in order)

1. Drive (2017): A music-fueled love story builds across years and choices, forcing a couple to decide what they’ll risk to keep coming back to each other.
2. Reverse (2022): The relationship is revisited from a different angle, forcing past assumptions to collapse when the “why” finally matters more than the “what.”
3. Bittersweet Melody (2023) [novella-length epilogue]: After the duet, marriage and family realities take center stage, forcing the couple to keep choosing each other once the spotlight fades.

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The Underdogs (romantic dramedy; best read in order)

1. The Guy on the Right (2019): A college-era connection turns into something serious, forcing a carefree setup to grow up fast when feelings get real.
2. The Guy on the Left (2019): A misunderstood reputation meets real responsibility, forcing redemption to happen in public and at home.
3. The Guy in the Middle (2020): The final story ties the group’s arcs together, forcing the series into its biggest emotional payoff and cleanest wrap-up.

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The Holiday Hijinx (best read in order)

1. The Plight Before Christmas (2021): A holiday mess spirals into a full-season emotional reset, forcing the heroine to survive Christmas pressure without losing herself.
2. The Sleight Before Christmas (2024): The holiday chaos returns with new complications, forcing the cast’s “Christmas logic” to collide with real-life stakes.

Note: You may also see later publisher editions and dates for some holiday titles; the order above follows first publication.

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The Reluctant Romantics and related early contemporaries

Room 212 (standalone, but it feeds into later connections)

1. Room 212 (2014): A 90s-set, nightlife-charged romance starts a personal-growth lane, forcing a heroine to confront the one relationship that can actually change her.

The Reluctant Romantics (best read in order)

1. The Fall (2015): Friends-to-lovers turns into a long ache, forcing first love to collide with adult timing and adult damage.
2. The Mind (2016) [novella]: A side romance hits hard and fast, forcing secondary characters into the kind of consequences main couples usually get.
3. The Heart (2016): The emotional throughline resolves, forcing the series to answer what love costs when the past refuses to stay quiet.

Other contemporaries (standalones)

• Loving the White Liar (2015): A relationship built on charm and avoidance fractures, forcing truth to become the only path forward.
• The Brave Line (2017): Attraction meets duty and restraint, forcing two people to decide what they’ll risk when feelings threaten the job.
• The Real (2018): A modern connection becomes intensely personal, forcing vulnerability to replace the safer version of love.
• Someone Else’s Ocean (2018): A long-running connection resurfaces, forcing old memory and new reality to meet in the same water.
• Heartbreak Warfare (2018) [co-authored with Heather M. Orgeron]: A military romance escalates through separation and sacrifice, forcing love to survive the systems around it.
• Method (2019): A marriage is stress-tested by grief and performance, forcing intimacy to compete with the roles people play to cope.

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Lust & Lies (erotic romance; separate lane)

These books are marketed with strong content warnings and are intended for mature readers.

1. Sexual Awakenings (2017): A power-charged relationship ignites fast, forcing desire and control into a single volatile bargain.
2. Excess (2017): The appetite for more turns dangerous, forcing characters to confront what they’re really chasing.
3. Predator and Prey: The Phoenix and The Fire (2017): Obsession becomes the arena, forcing survival instincts to masquerade as love until somebody breaks.

Note: Some editions note earlier origins under a pen name; the dates above reflect the widely listed reissued editions.

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Euro Dreams

• Euro Dreams (2024): A European trip becomes a romantic dramedy pressure-cooker, forcing “vacation rules” to collapse when real feelings follow.

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Recommended reading orders that actually help

Best first-time experience (max payoff, minimal confusion)

1. Flock (2020) → Exodus (2020) → The Finish Line (2021)
2. Then choose one lane:
   • One Last Rainy Day (2023) → Severed Heart (2025) → Birds of a Feather (2026), or
   • Drive (2017) → Reverse (2022) → Bittersweet Melody (2023), or
   • The Underdogs in order.

If you want mostly standalones and less suspense

Start with The Real (2018) or Someone Else’s Ocean (2018), then move to Drive when you want a longer arc.

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FAQ

Do I have to read Kate Stewart books in order?

Only for the Ravenhood universe (strongly) and the series lanes (recommended). The standalones can be read anytime.

Why do publication years sometimes look inconsistent?

Some titles have multiple editions across markets and publishers. This guide uses first-publication years where that can be cleanly verified.

Is The Ravenhood Legacy a sequel series or a retelling?

It’s best treated as a continuation/expansion in the same universe and is intended to be read after the trilogy.

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Bottom line

If you want the safest, clearest route: start with The Ravenhood Trilogy in order, then continue into The Ravenhood Legacy. If you’d rather avoid a long suspense arc, start with Drive (then Reverse) or begin The Underdogs at book one.