Kresley Cole Books in Order (Updated February 16, 2026)

Kresley Cole writes across a few clearly separated “shelves”: her long-running paranormal romance universe Immortals After Dark, her completed YA dystopian fantasy series The Arcana Chronicles, plus shorter adult series in erotica, historical romance, and historical adventure.

The safest approach is to finish one shelf before switching, because tone and continuity rules change fast between them.

---

Pick your doorway

Want paranormal romance with a massive shared universe and escalating mythology? Start with A Hunger Like No Other.
Want a finished YA series with a single continuous plot? Start with Poison Princess.
Want a short, self-contained adult trilogy? Start with The Professional (Game Maker).
Want historical romance in a tidy trilogy? Start with If You Dare (MacCarrick Brothers).

---

Immortals After Dark (shared universe)

These books are built as couple-focused romances, but the broader conflict and recurring characters accumulate. Reading in order prevents mythology spoilers and makes cross-couple alliances easier to follow.

Main sequence (publication-style):

• The Warlord Wants Forever (Blood Red Kiss): An early Immortals After Dark entry that introduces core lore and the series’ “fated mates” engine.
• A Hunger Like No Other: Widely treated as the main-series launch point, establishing the rules, factions, and ongoing war.
• No Rest for the Wicked: Expands the cast and deepens the universe’s politics while keeping the romance self-contained.
• Wicked Deeds on a Winter’s Night: Moves the shared-world arc forward and increases the payoff of reading in order.
• Dark Needs at Night’s Edge: Keeps the larger conflict present while widening the supernatural roster.
• Dark Desires After Dusk: Strengthens the series’ interconnected feel through returning allies and enemies.
• Kiss of a Demon King: Pushes the series into bigger “mythic-scale” stakes while staying couple-centered.
• Deep Kiss of Winter: A shorter Immortals After Dark installment that fits best once you’ve read several early books.
• Pleasure of a Dark Prince: Continues the series’ main momentum and reinforces the larger threat landscape.
• Demon from the Dark: Adds important world texture and works best in-sequence for maximum context.
• Dreams of a Dark Warrior: Builds on established lore and is more satisfying when the earlier mythology is fresh.
• Lothaire: A pivotal mythology-heavy entry that lands best after you’ve learned the series’ rules through the earlier novels.
• Shadow’s Claim: Continues the forward timeline and threads into later books’ conflict.
• MacRieve: Advances the series era and assumes familiarity with the series’ supernatural factions.
• Dark Skye: Deepens the long arc of the universe’s war, rewarding in-order reading.
• Sweet Ruin: Keeps the mythology moving while maintaining the series’ romance-first structure.
• Shadow’s Seduction: A later-era installment that reads best after the previous books due to continuity density.
• Wicked Abyss: Drives the overarching conflict forward and leans on established world rules.
• Munro: A return after a gap that expects you to know the major players and long-running tensions.
• The Witch Queen of Halloween: A newer Immortals After Dark release that sits late in the continuity and is not a good starting point.
• Shadow’s Heart: Continues the late-era arc and is intended for readers already deep into the world.

Optional note: Immortals After Dark also has bonus material and anthology appearances beyond the main list above; when in doubt, treat extras as “read later” so you don’t interrupt the core flow.

---

The Arcana Chronicles (Young Adult, one continuous plot)

This series reads best in order because each book picks up from the last, and the endgame depends on cumulative reveals.

• Poison Princess: Introduces Evie and the apocalypse-triggered Arcana world, setting the series’ survival-and-rivalry framework.
• Endless Knight: Raises the threat level and sharpens the central triangle and alliances.
• Dead of Winter: Escalates both the external conflict and the internal distrust between key players.
• Day Zero: A shorter companion entry that’s best read after Dead of Winter, when the world’s rules are established.
• Arcana Rising: Moves the story into its late-stage “no going back” phase with heavier consequences.
• The Dark Calling: Pushes toward the finale with bigger reveals and fewer safe choices.
• From the Grave: The conclusion that resolves the series’ core conflicts and long-running arcs.

---

The Game Maker Series (Erotica, read in order)

This trilogy is tightly sequential, with a continuing relationship arc and story thread across books.

• The Professional: Launches the trilogy’s world and central dynamic, setting the tone for the full run.
• The Master: Continues directly, increasing stakes that assume you know book one’s turning points.
• The Player: Concludes the trilogy and is best read immediately after The Master.

---

The MacCarrick Brothers Trilogy (Historical romance, read in order)

This is a clean, three-book historical sequence that works well as a contained commitment.

• If You Dare: Establishes the trilogy’s family line and tone with the strongest foundation for what follows.
• If You Desire: Continues the connected world and benefits from the first book’s relationships and history.
• If You Deceive: Closes the trilogy with the most payoff if you’ve read the first two in sequence.

---

The Sutherland Series (Historical, short sequence)

A compact two-book historical set that can be read as a quick duo, in order.

• The Captain: Introduces the series’ world and core cast, setting the stakes for the follow-up.
• The Price: Continues the story line and lands best after The Captain.

---

Recommended order for readers who want “maximum payoff, minimum fuss”

1. Immortals After Dark (start at A Hunger Like No Other, then continue in order)
2. The Arcana Chronicles (start at Poison Princess, then read straight through)
3. The Game Maker trilogy
4. MacCarrick Brothers trilogy
5. Sutherland duo

If you only want one Kresley Cole series to try: A Hunger Like No Other is the most representative starting point.

---

Latest Releases:

The recent book released by the author is: Shadow’s Heart (March 4, 2025)