Kristine W. Joy Books in Order (Updated August 4, 2026)

Kristine W. Joy writes closed-door contemporary romance with small towns, cowboys, professional athletes, billionaires, fake relationships, and friendships that gradually become love stories.

Her books are organized into several compact series. Most installments feature a new couple and provide a complete romantic ending, so readers do not need to combine the entire catalog into one long continuity.

The main exception involves books that participate in multi-author collections. The Friendly Fall belongs both to Joy’s Falling Friends sequence and the shared Cinnamon Rolls and Pumpkin Spice project. The Neighbor Playbook is her contribution to the multi-author Love Playbook series.

The Reading Decision That Matters Most

There is no single required starting point.

1. Begin with Stuck With My Ex’s Best Friend for mountain-town romance.
2. Begin with Off-Limits Cowboy for the four brothers of Lucky Seven Ranch.
3. Begin with My Forbidden Billionaire for wealth, celebrity, and relationship arrangements.
4. Begin with Penalty of Love for professional hockey.
5. Begin with The Friendly Fall for friendship-based romantic comedies.

Readers looking for a single independent sports romance can choose The Neighbor Playbook without reading any of Joy’s earlier books.

Kristine W. Joy’s Series at a Glance

Her published fiction currently falls into six reading groups:

1. Lovin’ the Pines
2. Brothers of Lucky Seven Ranch
3. My Way to Romance
4. Glaciers Hockey
5. Falling Friends
6. Love Playbook, a multi-author series

These groups are designed as interconnected standalones. Publication order is helpful within each series because friends, relatives, teammates, and earlier couples may return, but the main romance changes from book to book.

Lovin’ the Pines Books in Order

Lovin’ the Pines is set around Whitfolk, a small mountain community where visitors, longtime residents, and members of the White family find relationships they did not plan to pursue.

The stable main sequence contains three numbered novels. Faking It With My Ex is connected bonus material and is sometimes displayed before the numbered books.

Faking It With My Ex

Faking It With My Ex (2022): Former partners agree to pretend their relationship still exists, only for the performance to revive feelings and unresolved questions neither has fully left behind.

Status: Optional connected story

Some catalogs place this title before the numbered Lovin’ the Pines novels. It can be read first, but Stuck With My Ex’s Best Friend provides the clearest introduction to Whitfolk.

1. Stuck With My Ex’s Best Friend

Stuck With My Ex’s Best Friend (2022): Newly divorced model Emily arrives in Whitfolk planning to sell her unfinished cabin, then discovers that she must rely on Silas, the billionaire architect who is also her former husband’s best friend.

Their mutual irritation grows through construction problems, mountain adventures, and Emily’s need to decide whether the town offers more than a temporary stop.

This is the safest starting point for the series.

2. Falling for My Next Door Neighbor

Falling for My Next Door Neighbor (2022): Two neighbors discover that living close together makes it difficult to preserve emotional distance, especially once everyday encounters begin feeling like the foundation of a real relationship.

The story moves attention to another member of Whitfolk’s connected community while allowing characters from the first novel to remain nearby.

3. Pining for My Best Friend

Pining for My Best Friend (2022): A kiss beneath the mistletoe forces two best friends to confront the possibility that years of affection have been disguising a deeper romantic attachment.

The holiday atmosphere adds pressure to a friendship already carrying unspoken feelings and fear of permanent change.

How to Read Lovin’ the Pines

The most practical order is:

1. Stuck With My Ex’s Best Friend
2. Falling for My Next Door Neighbor
3. Pining for My Best Friend
4. Faking It With My Ex, as optional bonus reading

Readers who prefer strict publication placement can read Faking It With My Ex first. Its exact status is displayed differently across catalogs, so it should not be treated as a required numbered installment.

Lovin’ the Pines Collection

Lovin’ the Pines Collection: This collected edition packages the mountain-town romances together rather than adding another couple to the series.

Status: Collection

Check the included titles before purchasing it alongside the separate editions.

Brothers of Lucky Seven Ranch Books in Order

Brothers of Lucky Seven Ranch follows four Texas brothers and the women who become part of their family.

The books combine ranch life with single parenthood, weddings, mistaken first impressions, fake engagement, and relationships complicated by brothers, friends, and family expectations.

Each novel has a separate central couple. Reading in order provides the best view of the ranch and the growing family.

1. Off-Limits Cowboy

Off-Limits Cowboy (2023): A divorced woman stays at her brother’s best friend’s ranch and falls for the grumpy single father she knows her protective brother would never consider an acceptable choice.

Her plan is to recover from heartbreak and rebuild her life. The ranch, the hero, and his child give her reasons to imagine a different future.

This is the correct introduction to Lucky Seven Ranch.

2. Accidentally My Cowboy

Accidentally My Cowboy (2023): A Los Angeles wedding planner shares an unforgettable dance and kiss with a Texas cowboy, then discovers the next morning that he is the best man in the wedding she has been hired to organize.

Their city and country differences create tension, but working together gives him repeated chances to persuade her that their first connection was not an accident.

3. Meeting at the Altar

Meeting at the Altar (2023): A romance develops around a wedding and the expectations attached to commitment, placing another Lucky Seven brother in a situation where family celebration becomes personally significant.

The ranch family continues to expand while the central couple must decide whether reaching the altar is part of their future or merely the occasion that brought them together.

4. Fake Fiancé at First Sight

Fake Fiancé at First Sight (2023): A celebrity with a bad-boy reputation hires a fake fiancée to improve his image, then brings her home for his brother’s vow renewal and discovers that winning her trust matters more than impressing the public.

The coffee-shop meeting and invented engagement place two near-strangers inside the intimacy of a family gathering.

This closes the four-brother series.

Should Lucky Seven Ranch Be Read in Order?

Yes, although the order is not essential to understanding each romance.

Publication order introduces the brothers before their lead roles and allows weddings, relationships, and changes at the ranch to unfold naturally.

The recommended sequence is:

1. Off-Limits Cowboy
2. Accidentally My Cowboy
3. Meeting at the Altar
4. Fake Fiancé at First Sight

My Way to Romance Books in Order

My Way to Romance is a three-book contemporary series featuring a billionaire single father, a hidden celebrity identity, and an old marriage agreement.

The couples are different, but the books share a romantic-comedy tone and connections that make publication order preferable.

1. My Forbidden Billionaire

My Forbidden Billionaire (2023): A teacher becomes attracted to the wealthy single father of one of her students, creating a forbidden relationship shaped by professional boundaries and his responsibilities as a parent.

The contrast between his financial world and her everyday role complicates a connection neither can dismiss.

2. My Secret Celebrity

My Secret Celebrity (2024): A famous man meets a woman who does not recognize his public identity, giving him a rare chance to form a relationship without celebrity influencing her first impression.

The secrecy provides freedom at first, but it also creates a truth that becomes harder to reveal as their feelings deepen.

3. My Marriage Pact

My Marriage Pact (2024): A promise made in high school returns when the agreed deadline arrives, forcing two longtime friends to decide whether their youthful marriage pact was a joke or an overlooked path toward the future.

Familiarity, old affection, and present-day expectations turn a distant agreement into an immediate romantic decision.

Glaciers Hockey Books in Order

Glaciers Hockey follows players connected to the Atlanta Glaciers professional team.

Each book centers on a new player and romantic relationship. Teammates and previous couples return, so publication order keeps the team’s social circle clear.

The series is complete at four novels.

1. Penalty of Love

Penalty of Love (2024): Hotheaded hockey player Cameron must work with social media specialist Nila after a confrontation with a fan threatens his place on the Atlanta Glaciers.

Her plan to repair his reputation forces him onto platforms he dislikes and into regular contact with the woman whose optimism challenges his gruff behavior.

This is the starting point for the hockey series.

2. The Love Trick

The Love Trick (2025): A lie intended to solve an immediate problem traps a Glaciers player inside a false romantic situation that becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish from a genuine relationship.

The original trick creates proximity and expectations, but the emotional consequences last longer than the deception was meant to survive.

3. The Love Comeback

The Love Comeback (2025): A professional hockey player reunites with the high-school sweetheart he left behind to pursue his career, then begins teaching skating lessons to the nephew she is raising.

He sees the reunion as a chance to correct the greatest mistake of his life. She must decide whether the man who once chose hockey over her has truly changed.

4. The Love Faceoff

The Love Faceoff (2025): Glaciers playboy Dylan accidentally causes his younger sister’s best friend to be dumped, then tries to repair the damage through holiday outings that slowly change how he sees her.

Christmas tree hunting, hot chocolate, and shared time turn guilt into a serious attraction, but his reputation makes convincing her difficult.

This is the fourth and final Glaciers Hockey romance.

Is Glaciers Hockey Connected to the Ranch Books?

Catalogs sometimes display the ranch, billionaire, and hockey series as related because they share the author’s closed-door romantic-comedy style and may include character familiarity.

No earlier series is required before Penalty of Love.

Readers can treat Glaciers Hockey as its own four-book team sequence.

Falling Friends Books in Order

Falling Friends follows romances that begin with friendship, unexpected companionship, or relationships that appear safer when kept platonic.

The three books are interconnected standalones. Each has its own couple, setting, and romantic conflict.

1. The Friendly Fall

The Friendly Fall (2024): After losing her job and relationship, photographer Eliza moves to West Falls and is rescued from a broken ramp by Nick, the kind local firefighter later hired to repair it.

Their friendship turns into fake dating when Eliza needs to reassure her parents, but the arrangement makes it increasingly difficult to pretend their closeness is not real.

The book is also part of the multi-author Cinnamon Rolls and Pumpkin Spice series.

2. The Valentine’s Bet

The Valentine’s Bet (2025): An optimistic romantic bets a cynical man she meets at speed dating that she can find a boyfriend by Valentine’s Day, only for him to keep rescuing her from every disastrous date.

Competition becomes friendship, and friendship begins changing the meaning of the bet.

This is a grumpy and sunshine romance with a complete central ending.

3. The Secret Letters

The Secret Letters (2026): A forbidden connection grows through private correspondence when a woman begins exchanging letters with a man connected to her brother, allowing emotional intimacy to develop before the relationship can be openly pursued.

The book combines a brother’s best friend boundary with a pen-pal romance and the risk that revealing the writer’s identity could change everything.

This is the third Falling Friends novel.

The Friendly Fall and Cinnamon Rolls and Pumpkin Spice

The Friendly Fall has two valid placements.

For readers following Kristine W. Joy, it is Falling Friends book one.

For readers following the multi-author Cinnamon Rolls and Pumpkin Spice project, it is commonly listed as book eight.

The other Cinnamon Rolls and Pumpkin Spice novels were written by different authors and are not necessary before beginning Falling Friends.

The Neighbor Playbook

The Neighbor Playbook (2026): Entrepreneur Nicole discovers that a grumpy NBA player has moved across the hall, creating a neighbors-to-lovers romance between her energetic life and a man who dislikes Los Angeles, noise, and possibly her.

Their disastrous introduction develops through repeated encounters that challenge his isolation and her assumptions about the athlete next door.

The book is Kristine W. Joy’s contribution to the multi-author Love Playbook series.

Status: Separate shared-world sports romance

Do You Need the Other Love Playbook Books?

No.

Love Playbook is a collaborative series in which different authors write romances centered on different sports, including football, baseball, swimming, lacrosse, basketball, rugby, American football, and golf.

The Neighbor Playbook contains its own couple and romantic ending. It can be read without the other seven books.

Every Kristine W. Joy Book in Publication Order

The author’s catalog is short enough for readers who prefer a year-by-year list.

2022

1. Faking It With My Ex (2022): Former partners pretend they are together and revive feelings that were never fully resolved.
2. Stuck With My Ex’s Best Friend (2022): A divorced model depends on her former husband’s architect friend to finish the mountain cabin she plans to sell.
3. Falling for My Next Door Neighbor (2022): Daily proximity turns a neighborly relationship into something neither person can keep casual.
4. Pining for My Best Friend (2022): A mistletoe kiss forces best friends to confront years of unspoken romantic feeling.

2023

1. Off-Limits Cowboy (2023): A divorced woman falls for her brother’s best friend, a grumpy single father living at Lucky Seven Ranch.
2. Accidentally My Cowboy (2023): A city wedding planner discovers that the cowboy she kissed is the best man in her next event.
3. Meeting at the Altar (2023): A wedding brings another Lucky Seven brother into a romance shaped by family and commitment.
4. Fake Fiancé at First Sight (2023): A celebrity hires a fake partner for his image and takes her home for a family vow renewal.
5. My Forbidden Billionaire (2023): A teacher falls for the wealthy single father of one of her students.

2024

1. My Secret Celebrity (2024): A famous man hides his identity from the woman who finally treats him like an ordinary person.
2. My Marriage Pact (2024): A high-school marriage promise returns when two longtime friends reach the age they once selected.
3. Penalty of Love (2024): A social media specialist must repair a hotheaded hockey player’s public reputation.
4. The Friendly Fall (2024): A small-town firefighter becomes a heartbroken photographer’s friend and temporary fake boyfriend.

2025

1. The Valentine’s Bet (2025): A hopeful romantic wagers that she can prove love exists to the cynic she meets at speed dating.
2. The Love Trick (2025): A false romantic story traps a hockey player inside feelings that become increasingly real.
3. The Love Comeback (2025): A professional player seeks another chance with the high-school sweetheart he left behind.
4. The Love Faceoff (2025): A playboy hockey player falls for his younger sister’s best friend during the Christmas season.

2026

1. The Neighbor Playbook (2026): A cheerful entrepreneur clashes with the grumpy NBA player who moves across the hall.
2. The Secret Letters (2026): Forbidden pen pals build a private connection complicated by a brother’s best friend relationship.

Publication Order or Series Order?

Series order is the better choice.

Reading every title by year would move from a mountain town to a ranch, then to billionaires, hockey players, firefighters, and multi-author projects without completing any one cast.

Use these rules:

1. Read each numbered series in publication order.
2. Treat Faking It With My Ex as optional Lovin’ the Pines material.
3. Read The Friendly Fall first within Falling Friends.
4. Do not count multi-author series numbers as part of Joy’s internal bibliography.
5. Treat collections as repackaged books rather than sequels.
6. Do not create a chronological crossover order without confirmed story connections.

Recommended Reading Routes

For Small-Town Romance

Read:

1. Stuck With My Ex’s Best Friend
2. Falling for My Next Door Neighbor
3. Pining for My Best Friend

Then continue to Falling Friends for another small-town setting beginning with The Friendly Fall.

For Cowboy Romance

Read the Brothers of Lucky Seven Ranch books from Off-Limits Cowboy through Fake Fiancé at First Sight.

This is a complete four-book family series.

For Professional Sports Romance

Read:

1. Penalty of Love
2. The Love Trick
3. The Love Comeback
4. The Love Faceoff
5. The Neighbor Playbook

The first four books share the Atlanta Glaciers. The Neighbor Playbook is a separate basketball romance.

For Billionaires and Celebrities

Read:

1. My Forbidden Billionaire
2. My Secret Celebrity
3. My Marriage Pact

The series moves from a forbidden billionaire relationship to hidden fame and then to a promise between old friends.

For Friendship-Based Romance

Read:

1. The Friendly Fall
2. The Valentine’s Bet
3. The Secret Letters

These books explore fake dating, competitive friendship, and emotional intimacy through private correspondence.

Which Books Can Be Read Alone?

Every full-length Kristine W. Joy novel provides a complete central romance.

The easiest independent choices are:

1. The Friendly Fall
2. The Valentine’s Bet
3. The Secret Letters
4. The Neighbor Playbook
5. My Forbidden Billionaire
6. Penalty of Love

Starting later in a numbered series may reveal that previous couples remained together, but it will not normally leave the new romance unexplained.

Latest Kristine W. Joy Book

As of August 4, 2026, Kristine W. Joy’s latest published novel is The Secret Letters, released on April 30, 2026.

It is the third Falling Friends romance and follows a forbidden pen-pal relationship involving a brother’s best friend.

Her previous 2026 release was The Neighbor Playbook, published on March 6, 2026 as her basketball-romance contribution to the multi-author Love Playbook series.

No later original title with a firm publication date could be confirmed.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Was Kristine W. Joy’s First Book?

Faking It With My Ex was published in 2022 and is the earliest confirmed title in her bibliography.

Readers beginning the numbered Lovin’ the Pines sequence may prefer to start with Stuck With My Ex’s Best Friend.

What Is the Best Kristine W. Joy Book to Start With?

Start with Stuck With My Ex’s Best Friend for small-town romance.

Choose Off-Limits Cowboy for cowboys, Penalty of Love for hockey, The Friendly Fall for cozy romantic comedy, or The Neighbor Playbook for basketball.

Are Kristine W. Joy’s Books Closed-Door Romances?

Her current catalog is marketed primarily as sweet or closed-door romance.

The books include attraction, chemistry, kissing, and romantic tension without explicit on-page sex scenes.

Do the Lovin’ the Pines Books Need to Be Read in Order?

No, but publication order is recommended.

The town and supporting cast recur, while each book follows a new couple.

Where Does Faking It With My Ex Belong?

It is connected to Lovin’ the Pines but is not consistently numbered across catalogs.

Treat it as optional bonus material and read it either before the numbered trilogy or after completing it.

Are the Lucky Seven Ranch Books About the Same Couple?

No.

Each book follows a different brother and romantic partner. The ranch and family provide the continuing link.

Is Glaciers Hockey Complete?

Yes. The confirmed series contains four books:

1. Penalty of Love
2. The Love Trick
3. The Love Comeback
4. The Love Faceoff

The fourth book is identified as the final standalone Glaciers romance.

Does The Love Comeback Follow a New Couple?

Yes.

It centers on a hockey player and the high-school sweetheart he left behind, with her nephew adding a family and skating connection to their reunion.

Is The Friendly Fall Part of Two Series?

Yes.

It is the first Falling Friends book and Kristine W. Joy’s installment in the multi-author Cinnamon Rolls and Pumpkin Spice collection.

Must the Other Cinnamon Rolls and Pumpkin Spice Books Be Read First?

No.

Each participating author writes a separate romance. The Friendly Fall stands alone and also begins Joy’s own Falling Friends sequence.

Is The Neighbor Playbook Part of Glaciers Hockey?

No.

It is a basketball romance in the multi-author Love Playbook series. No Glaciers Hockey book is required before it.

Does Falling Friends Follow One Group?

The books share a friendship-based romantic theme and are presented as interconnected standalones.

Each installment has a different central relationship and complete ending.

Are Collections New Books?

No.

A collection packages novels that already have individual places in the reading order.

Conclusion

Kristine W. Joy’s bibliography is best approached through short, clearly separated series.

Start with Stuck With My Ex’s Best Friend for Lovin’ the Pines, Off-Limits Cowboy for Lucky Seven Ranch, My Forbidden Billionaire for wealth and celebrity romance, or Penalty of Love for professional hockey.

Readers seeking her most recent connected sequence should begin with The Friendly Fall, continue to The Valentine’s Bet, and finish with The Secret Letters.

Publication order within each series is the safest method. It preserves introductions and recurring relationships without forcing unrelated towns, teams, ranches, and shared-world projects into one artificial timeline.