Kylie Scott Books in Order (Updated 2026-02-03)

Kylie Scott writes contemporary romance that blends humor, emotional messiness, and strong found-family energy. Her books are not one giant storyline, but several connected groups, mostly linked by bands, bars, or shared friend circles.

You don’t need to read everything in strict career order. What does matter is staying in order once you begin a specific set of books, because couples, friendships, and outcomes are openly referenced later.

---

How to pick your first Kylie Scott book

• Rock band chaos + slow emotional payoff: start with Stage Dive
• Shorter, calmer romances with familiar faces: start with Dive Bar
• Darker emotional territory: start with Hard to Love
• One-and-done experience: choose a standalone from the bottom section

---

Stage Dive Series (read in order)

This is Kylie Scott’s best-known work, following a famous rock band and the people pulled into their orbit.

1. Lick: A Vegas marriage accident forces a guarded woman and a rock star to decide if the mistake was actually a beginning.
2. Play: A flirt who never means anything meets the one woman who refuses to be casual about her heart.
3. Lead: A troubled frontman and a fiercely patient woman confront addiction, fear, and the cost of love.
4. Deep: A quiet bassist and a woman carrying heavy grief build trust without rushing what can’t be rushed.

Why order matters: friendships and emotional fallout continue across all four books.

---

Stage Dive Companion Novellas (optional, read after the series)

These are extras for readers who want more time with the band.

• Stage Dive: Bonus Track: Short scenes that revisit key moments from the main series.
• Lead: The Extended Scenes: Added perspective that deepens the emotional arc of Lead.

---

Dive Bar Series (read in order)

Set after Stage Dive, this series focuses on a bar owned by familiar characters. It’s lighter in tone but emotionally continuous.

1. Dirty: A woman escaping a bad situation finds safety, and attraction, with a man who’s better than he looks.
2. Twist: Two people circling each other for years finally stop pretending timing is the only problem.
3. Chaser: A professional hockey player and a no-nonsense heroine discover that stability can still be exciting.

Reading note: You don’t need Stage Dive first, but it adds emotional context.

---

Hard to Love Series (read in order)

These books are more intense, dealing with trauma, guilt, and complicated healing.

1. Strong: A woman recovering from assault meets a man whose patience is as important as his desire.
2. Bad: A former criminal and a woman rebuilding her life challenge each other’s definitions of redemption.
3. Crazy: Long-simmering feelings surface between two people afraid of repeating old damage.

---

Standalone Novels (read anytime)

These stories are fully self-contained and don’t rely on other books.

• Pause: A marriage in trouble pauses just long enough to decide whether love can be restarted.
• Trust: A woman on the run from her past is forced to rely on the one person she never planned to trust.
• It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time: A reckless decision spirals into a journey that exposes everything both leads were hiding.
• End of Story: A workplace rivalry turns personal as two people fight to control a narrative neither fully owns.

---

A reading plan that feels natural

If you want momentum without overload:

1. Stage Dive (books 1-4)
2. Dive Bar (books 1-3)
3. Hard to Love (books 1-3)
4. Fill in standalones wherever your mood shifts

---

FAQs

Do Kylie Scott’s books have to be read in order?
Only within each group. Between groups, you’re free to move around.

Which series is most emotionally cumulative?
Stage Dive, especially Lead, because later books assume you understand earlier struggles.

Are the novellas required?
No. They’re purely for readers who want extra scenes.

---

Bottom line

If you want one clear answer: start with Lick and read the Stage Dive series in order. That gives you the fullest sense of Kylie Scott’s voice, funny, messy, and grounded in relationships that feel earned. From there, everything else fits easily around it.