Lilian Monroe Books in Order, Updated July 24, 2026

Lilian Monroe writes contemporary romance featuring billionaires, royalty, small towns, single parents, accidental pregnancies, and later-in-life heroines. Her bibliography is built from separate series rather than one continuous fictional universe.

Most installments complete one couple’s romance, but “standalone within a series” does not mean order is irrelevant. Recurring friends, relatives, former protagonists, marriages, and children can appear in later books. Reading each series in its numbered sequence avoids those continuity spoilers.

Choose Your Starting Route

Different starting books suit different readers:

1. Small-town midlife romance: Start with Dirty Little Midlife Crisis.
2. Billionaire workplace romance: Start with Big, Bossy Mistake.
3. Royal romance: Start with Bad Prince.
4. Wedding-themed romantic comedy: Start with Conquest.
5. Newest small-town series: Start with Better Off Wed.
6. Earlier backlist romance: Start with Doctor O or Lie to Me.

There is no need to finish one Lilian Monroe series before beginning another. The safest rule is simple: choose a series, then stay in that series’ listed order.

Current Lilian Monroe Series

These are the most recent or most actively promoted parts of Monroe’s catalog.

Marswood Harbor Books in Order

Continuity status: Included

1. Better Off Wed (2026)
2. The Marriage Mistake (scheduled for September 2026)
3. Untitled Marswood Harbor book (provisionally listed for November 2026)

Better Off Wed began the series in May 2026. It is the newest confirmed Lilian Monroe series opener available as of this update.

The third installment has appeared in advance listings without a confirmed title. It should not be treated as a fully announced release until the title and publication details are finalized.

Manhattan Billionaires Books in Order

Continuity status: Included

1. Big, Bossy Mistake (2021)
2. Big, Bossy Trouble (2022)
3. Big, Bossy Problem (2022)
4. Big, Bossy Surprise (2023)
5. Forbidden Boss (2024)
6. The Wrong Boss (2025)
7. Dirty Boss (2025)
8. Tempting Boss (2026)

Each novel follows a different central couple, but the business and social connections carry forward. Begin with Big, Bossy Mistake rather than selecting books by trope alone.

Some editions omit the commas in the first four titles. Big Bossy Mistake and Big, Bossy Mistake, for example, are the same book.

Heart’s Cove Hotties Books in Order

Continuity status: Included

1. Dirty Little Midlife Crisis (2021)
2. Dirty Little Midlife Mess (2021)
3. Dirty Little Midlife Mistake (2021)
4. Dirty Little Midlife Disaster (2021)
5. Dirty Little Midlife Debacle (2021)
6. Dirty Little Midlife Secret (2022)
7. Dirty Little Midlife Dilemma (2022)
8. Dirty Little Midlife Drama (2022)
9. Dirty Little Midlife (Fake) Date (2023)
10. Filthy Little Midlife Fling (2023)
11. Merry Little Midlife Matchmaker (2024)
12. Forty and Fighting Dirty (2025)

This is Monroe’s longest confirmed series. The romances are individually complete, but Heart’s Cove develops across the full sequence.

Book nine is sometimes written as Dirty Little Midlife Fake Date, without parentheses. That formatting difference does not indicate another novel.

The Four Groomsmen of the Wedpocalypse Books in Order

Continuity status: Included

1. Conquest (2023)
2. Craving (2023)
3. Combat (2024)
4. Calamity (2024)

The four books are linked by the same wedding-centered setup and group of men. Publication order preserves the changing friendships and relationship outcomes.

Four Groomsmen Collection

The Four Groomsmen of the Wedpocalypse (2025) collects the series. It is a compilation, not a fifth story.

Small Town Sizzle Books in Order

Continuity status: Included

Written with Mandy Michaels.

1. Working with the Enemy (2024)
2. Faking It with the Firefighter (2025)

These books share a small-town setting and should be read in order. Because Mandy Michaels is a co-author, the series should remain separate from Monroe’s solo small-town continuities.

Small Town on Steroids Books in Order

The author’s current catalog groups the following books under the Small Town on Steroids heading:

1. Four Steps to the Perfect Revenge (2023)
2. Four Steps to the Perfect Fake Date (2025)

Earlier bibliographies often classified both as standalones. The author’s own current grouping is the stronger guide, so reading them in the order above is the safest choice.

Royal Romance Reading Order

Monroe’s royal books have been repackaged under several titles and trilogy collections. This is the area where duplicate purchases are most likely.

Royally Unexpected Books in Order

Continuity status: Included

Farcliff Trilogy

1. Bad Prince
2. Heartless Prince
3. Cruel Prince

Argyle Trilogy

4. Broken Prince
5. Wicked Prince
6. Wrong Prince

Optional Christmas Story

6.5. Yours for Christmas

Nord Trilogy

7. Lone Prince
8. Ice Queen
9. Rogue Prince

The nine main novels move through three royal families or kingdoms. They can be understood as individual romances, but the complete numbered order gives the clearest progression.

Royally Unexpected Alternate Titles

Several books were previously sold with accidental-pregnancy titles:

• Bad Prince is also Knocked Up by Prince Charming.
• Heartless Prince is also Knocked Up by Prince Dashing.
• Cruel Prince is also Knocked Up by Prince Gallant.
• Broken Prince is also Knocked Up by the Broken Prince.
• Wicked Prince is also Knocked Up by the Wicked Prince.
• Wrong Prince is also Knocked Up by the Wrong Prince.

These are retitled editions, not prequels or companion books.

Royally Unexpected Trilogy Collections

• Royally Unexpected collects books 1 to 3.
• Royally Unexpected 2 collects books 4 to 6.
• Royally Unexpected 3 collects books 7 to 9.

The collections replace the individual books they contain. They should not be inserted between them.

Earlier Lilian Monroe Series

These series belong to Monroe’s backlist. Some have been repackaged, retitled, or made less prominent in her current catalog.

Unexpected Books in Order

Continuity status: Included

1. Knocked Up by the CEO (2018)
2. Knocked Up by the Single Dad (2019)
3. Knocked Up Again! (2019)
4. Knocked Up by the Billionaire’s Son (2019)

Some catalogs assign a later date to the fourth book because of a reissue. Its position remains book four.

Unexpected Alternate Titles

1. Knocked Up by the CEO is also Bad Boss.
2. Knocked Up by the Single Dad is also Bad Single Dad.
3. Knocked Up Again! is also Bad Boy.
4. Knocked Up by the Billionaire’s Son is also Bad Billionaire.

An omnibus titled Unexpected: Books 1-4 or simply Unexpected may contain the entire sequence.

We Shouldn’t Books in Order

Continuity status: Included

1. Shouldn’t Want You
2. Can’t Have You
3. Don’t Need You
4. Won’t Miss You

Publication records for this series vary because several books were reissued after their original appearance. The author-supported numbered order above is more reliable than sorting by the date attached to a particular edition.

Read Shouldn’t Want You first, even when a retailer displays Can’t Have You with an earlier or more prominent release date.

Clarke Brothers Books in Order

Continuity status: Included

1. Lie to Me (2018)
2. Swear to Me (2018)
3. Run to Me (2018 or 2019, depending on edition)

The three books follow the Clarke brothers. The exact year attached to Run to Me varies across catalogs, but its placement as book three is stable.

Doctor’s Orders Books in Order

Continuity status: Included

1. Doctor O
2. Doctor D
3. Doctor L

Some third-party publication lists place Doctor L before Doctor D. The complete-series edition identifies Doctor D as book two and Doctor L as book three, which is the order used here.

Doctor’s Orders Collection

Doctor’s Orders: The Complete Series contains all three novels. It is not an additional installment.

Mr. Right Books in Order

Continuity status: Included

1. Engaged to Mr. Right
2. Engaged to Mr. Wrong
3. Engaged to Mr. Perfect

The books form the complete Fake Engagement or Mr. Right sequence.

Mr. Right Collection

Mr. Right: The Complete Fake Engagement Series 1-3 contains the trilogy.

Love/Hate Books in Order

Continuity status: Included

1. Hate at First Sight
2. Loathe at First Sight
3. Despise at First Sight

Love/Hate Alternate Titles

• Loathe at First Sight has also appeared as Corrupt.
• Despise at First Sight has also appeared as Ruined.

The title Guilty is sometimes associated with the same body of work in older catalogs. Current series listings are inconsistent about whether it replaces or precedes Hate at First Sight. Because that relationship cannot be confirmed cleanly across editions, readers should compare descriptions before purchasing.

Love/Hate Collection

Love/Hate: Books 1-3 contains the complete trilogy.

Protector Books in Order

Continuity status: Included

1. His Vow
2. His Oath
3. His Word

Some databases count a complete-series volume as a fourth work. The main story sequence contains three novels.

Rock Hard Books in Order

Continuity status: Included

1. Garrett
2. Maddox
3. Carter

These rock-star romances are collected in Rock Hard: The Complete Series. The omnibus does not add a fourth romance.

Series and Titles with Limited Current Documentation

A few older works remain visible in historical catalogs but are not emphasized on Monroe’s present website.

Splinters in Time

• The Cause (2020)

Only one installment is reliably documented. It can be treated as a standalone unless another book is formally added to the series.

Second Chance

Second Chance (2017) is generally listed as a standalone novel rather than part of a confirmed multi-book series.

Because early self-published romances are sometimes repackaged or withdrawn, availability may depend on format and region.

Lilian Monroe Standalone Novels

The following books do not require another series:

1. Second Chance (2017)
2. The Cause (2020), also associated with the one-book Splinters in Time listing

The two Four Steps books were once commonly treated as standalones, but the author now groups them together as Small Town on Steroids.

Box Sets and Compilations

Collections are useful purchasing formats, but they should never be counted as new stories.

Known Lilian Monroe collections include:

1. Doctor’s Orders: The Complete Series
2. Rock Hard: The Complete Series
3. Mr. Right: The Complete Fake Engagement Series 1-3
4. Unexpected: Books 1-4
5. Love/Hate: Books 1-3
6. Royally Unexpected
7. Royally Unexpected 2
8. Royally Unexpected 3
9. Heart’s Cove Hotties: Dirty Little Midlife Books 1-3
10. The Four Groomsmen of the Wedpocalypse

Some collections have been issued under shortened titles. Always check the contents page, especially for Royally Unexpected and Unexpected, where the individual novels also have alternate names.

Is There a Chronological Order?

A separate chronological list is not necessary.

Monroe’s connected series generally move forward in the same order in which the books are numbered. There are no confirmed timeline prequels that should be moved ahead of book one.

Publication dates can be misleading because older novels have been reissued with new covers, titles, and dates. The numbered series order is therefore more dependable than arranging every edition by year.

The only special placements are:

1. Read Yours for Christmas after Wrong Prince in Royally Unexpected.
2. Treat complete-series editions as replacements for the books they collect.
3. Follow the author’s numbering when retailer dates conflict.
4. Keep each named series separate from the others.

Best Complete Reading Plan

Readers do not need to begin with Monroe’s first published book. A practical route through her catalog is:

For the Broadest Introduction

1. Dirty Little Midlife Crisis
2. Continue through Heart’s Cove Hotties
3. Big, Bossy Mistake
4. Continue through Manhattan Billionaires
5. Conquest
6. Continue through The Four Groomsmen of the Wedpocalypse

This route covers her small-town, billionaire, and ensemble romantic-comedy styles.

For Royal Romance Readers

1. Bad Prince
2. Finish the Farcliff trilogy
3. Continue through the Argyle trilogy
4. Read Yours for Christmas
5. Finish with the Nord trilogy

Do not add the older “Knocked Up by Prince” editions as separate books.

For Backlist Readers

1. Doctor O
2. Lie to Me
3. Knocked Up by the CEO
4. Engaged to Mr. Right
5. His Vow

Each begins a different early series. Readers can continue only with the settings or tropes they prefer.

For Readers Who Want the Newest Series

Begin with Better Off Wed. Continue to The Marriage Mistake after its scheduled September 2026 release.

Latest Lilian Monroe Book

As of July 24, 2026, the newest confirmed Lilian Monroe release is Better Off Wed, the first Marswood Harbor novel, published in May 2026.

Tempting Boss, Manhattan Billionaires book eight, is also a 2026 release. Available listings place it earlier in the year than Better Off Wed.

Upcoming Lilian Monroe Books

The following Marswood Harbor books are listed for future publication:

1. The Marriage Mistake, scheduled for September 2026
2. Untitled Marswood Harbor book three, provisionally scheduled for November 2026

The second book’s title is confirmed in advance listings. Book three’s title remains unconfirmed as of July 24, 2026.

Publication dates and untitled listings may change before release.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was Lilian Monroe’s first book?

Second Chance and the Doctor’s Orders books are among her earliest works from 2017. Catalog dates vary by edition, so identifying one indisputable first release is difficult.

What is Lilian Monroe’s best series to read first?

Heart’s Cove Hotties is the most substantial entry point. Begin with Dirty Little Midlife Crisis.

Readers who prefer billionaires should begin with Big, Bossy Mistake instead.

Are Lilian Monroe’s books standalone?

Many are standalone romances within a connected series. Each couple usually receives a complete ending, but later books can reveal previous relationships and family developments.

Do Heart’s Cove Hotties need to be read in order?

Yes. Each romance can stand on its own, but the town and recurring cast develop across twelve books.

Do the Manhattan Billionaires books connect?

Yes. The central couples change, but the characters occupy a connected billionaire and workplace-romance setting.

Is Bad Prince the same as Knocked Up by Prince Charming?

Yes. They are two titles for the same Royally Unexpected novel.

Is Bad Boss the same as Knocked Up by the CEO?

Yes. Bad Boss is an alternate title for the first Unexpected book.

Where does Yours for Christmas belong?

Read it after Wrong Prince and before Lone Prince. It is an optional Royally Unexpected holiday story, commonly numbered 6.5.

Should Doctor D or Doctor L be read second?

Read Doctor D second. The complete-series contents establish the order as Doctor O, Doctor D, then Doctor L.

Are the Four Steps books connected?

The author currently places Four Steps to the Perfect Revenge and Four Steps to the Perfect Fake Date together under Small Town on Steroids. Read them in that order.

Did Lilian Monroe write Rock Hard?

Yes. Her Rock Hard trilogy consists of Garrett, Maddox, and Carter. It should not be confused with unrelated Rock Hard series by other romance authors.

What should readers check before buying a Lilian Monroe book?

Check the description and series number, not only the cover or title. Her royal, accidental-pregnancy, and backlist books have undergone several title changes.

Final Reading Rule

Lilian Monroe’s bibliography becomes manageable once alternate editions are separated from genuinely new books. Pick one named series and follow its numbering, regardless of the publication date attached to a reissued edition.

The strongest all-purpose starting point is Dirty Little Midlife Crisis. For her newest setting, begin with Better Off Wed. For royal romance, start with Bad Prince and keep the trilogy collections and alternate “Knocked Up” titles out of the main count.