Maya Nicole Books in Order (Updated May 29, 2026)

Maya Nicole writes spicy romance, with a catalog that moves between paranormal why-choose romance, shifter romance, omegaverse romance, romantic comedy, and contemporary romance.

Her books are not best handled as one simple publication list. Several series belong to larger shared worlds, while others are true standalones or co-written side projects.

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The main rule is this: read the connected worlds in their internal order, and treat the romcom and contemporary titles as flexible unless they are clearly numbered.

Start here

For paranormal academy romance, begin with Ascend.
For shifter romance, begin with Salinity Cove if you want full continuity, or Wolf Forgotten if you want the most common reader entry point into Arbor Falls.
For the revamped Infernal storyline, begin with Runaway Crown, not the older Infuse edition.

For contemporary romantic comedy, choose by trope. The standalone romcoms do not require one fixed order.

Hidden Shifters Universe reading order

This is the most important continuity sequence in Maya Nicole’s catalog. The suggested world order is:

Salinity Cove
Arbor Falls
Wolves of Crescent Valley
Her Creatures

These series can be read separately, but the shared-world order gives the cleanest character and setting progression.

Salinity Cove books in order

Surge (2020): A reverse-harem shifter romance that begins the Salinity Cove arc with a heroine pulled into danger, secrets, and a new supernatural world.
Submerge (2020): The second book deepens the consequences from Surge, keeping the relationship web and outside threats in motion.
Emerge (2020): The trilogy closer resolves the main Salinity Cove conflict and is the natural handoff point before moving into later Hidden Shifters books.

Arbor Falls books in order

Arbor Falls is a spin-off from Salinity Cove and features an older Ivy as the main female lead. It is one of Maya Nicole’s most visible entry points, but full continuity is cleaner after Salinity Cove.

Wolf Forgotten (2020): Ivy’s Arbor Falls story begins with loss, pack mystery, and the discovery of a shifter world that changes her future.
Wolf Forsaken (2021): The second book pushes the pack conflict forward while testing protection, trust, and the relationships forming around Ivy.
Wolf Forged (2021): The series expands the danger beyond early pack tension, forcing Ivy and her mates to face a threat that can no longer be ignored.
Wolf Forever (2021): The finale closes Ivy’s main Arbor Falls arc, making it the book to read before moving on to the Crescent Valley duet.

Wolves of Crescent Valley books in order

This is a short duet inside the Hidden Shifters Universe. Read it after Arbor Falls for the smoothest world progression.

Fox Undercover (2021): A fox-shifter heroine enters a wolf-dominated setting, giving the duet its undercover tension and outsider-in-danger setup.
Fox on the Run (2021): The second book turns the duet into a chase-and-consequence story, resolving the central Crescent Valley conflict.

Her Creatures books in order

This series continues the Hidden Shifters world after Salinity Cove, Arbor Falls, and Wolves of Crescent Valley. Read it last in that universe.

Creature of the Flame (2022): The series opens with a monster-within premise, establishing a more creature-focused branch of the shifter world.
Creature of the Sky (2022): The second book widens the danger and continues the heroine’s bond with her supernatural companions.
Creature of the Wild (2022): The third book moves the group through a harsher survival stage, with the larger quest and relationship stakes tightening.
Creature of the Deep (2023): The final book closes the Her Creatures arc, resolving the heroine’s transformed world and mate bonds.

Celestial Universe reading order

The Celestial side of Maya Nicole’s catalog starts with Celestial Academy. Infernal Council was the original spin-off, but the storyline is now being revamped as Infernal Reign.

For new readers, the clean path is:

Celestial Academy
Angel Baby & The Holy Grail
Infernal Reign

Celestial Academy books in order

Ascend (2019): Lucifer’s daughter is sent to Celestial Academy, where angels, punishment, romance, and identity conflict set up the trilogy.
Descend (2019): The second book sends the heroine deeper into the light-versus-dark conflict while her guardians and supernatural responsibilities grow more serious.
Transcend (2019): The trilogy finale resolves the main Celestial Academy storyline and should be read before the spin-off material.
Angel Baby & The Holy Grail (2020): A post-trilogy novella that picks up after Transcend and works best as an optional epilogue-style read.

Infernal Reign books in order

This is the revamped version of the older Infernal Council series. New readers should use this order rather than starting with the older editions.

Runaway Crown (2026): A revamped version of Infuse, returning to Inferna with a steamy why-choose setup and a heroine tied to growing darkness and buried power.
Stolen Throne (2026): A revamped version of Defuse, scheduled as the second Infernal Reign book and explicitly meant to be read after Runaway Crown.

A revamped replacement for Transfuse is implied by the old-series note, but I did not find a confirmed new title or date for it.

Legacy Infernal Council order

These are the original versions. Treat them as legacy editions if you already own them, not the preferred starting point for new readers.

Infuse (2020): The original opening to the Infernal Council spin-off, later reworked into Runaway Crown.
Defuse (2020): The original second book, later reworked into Stolen Throne.
Transfuse (2020): The original third book and conclusion of the legacy Infernal Council sequence.

Omega Match books in order

These are contemporary omegaverse why-choose romances. They are better treated as connected standalones than as one continuous cliffhanger sequence.

Knot So Perfect Omega (2022): A cozy omegaverse romance built around an omega-match premise and a why-choose relationship structure.
Their Perfect Omega (2023): A second omegaverse romance in the same lane, again centered on a heroine finding her pack dynamic.
Loving Their Omega (2023): A later Omega Match listing that continues the omegaverse standalone pattern; some catalog pages list it less consistently, so place it after the first two.

The Badden Brothers books in order

These are contemporary romcom standalones with a shared family/series label. They can be read independently, but publication order is still the cleanest path.

Bad Nanny (2024): A single-dad nanny romance that opens the Badden Brothers series with domestic proximity and forbidden-employer tension.
Bad Neighbor (2024): A fake-dating neighbor romance that shifts the series into close-quarters comedy and public-relationship pressure.
Bad Lesson (2025): A later Badden Brothers listing; details are less consistently indexed, so read it after the first two if using the series order.

Diamond Dreams books in order

Co-written with Britt Andrews. This is a contemporary MM romance side series.

Catching Kalen (2021): A baseball-linked MM romance that begins the Diamond Dreams series with career disappointment, attraction, and personal rebuilding.
Battling Baker (2022): Commonly listed as the second Diamond Dreams book, but it is less consistently shown across catalog sites; place it after Catching Kalen when included.

Why-choose and spicy romcom standalones

These can be read in any order. They are grouped because Maya Nicole’s own site presents them as contemporary why-choose romcom-style standalones.

Stuck On Them (2023): A contemporary why-choose romcom standalone built around being caught in close proximity with multiple love interests.
Falling For Them (2024): A spicy MMF romantic comedy standalone where the central relationship is designed as a no-choosing romance.
The Proximity Effect (2025): A winter romantic comedy standalone about a heroine falling for three men, with forced proximity doing most of the structural work.
Hooked On Them (2025): A spicy romantic comedy standalone in which the heroine falls for three men, keeping the same why-choose romcom lane.
Stick Around (2025): A contemporary why-choose romcom with animal chaos, cowboys, and a standalone happy ending.
Of Magic and Reindeer (2025): A holiday shifter why-choose standalone with a festive supernatural setup and a contained happy ending.

Other standalone novels

Widow (2020): A standalone romance outside Maya Nicole’s major series structure; read it whenever you want a separate story.

Short stories and novellas

The Knotty List (2021): A short omegaverse or knot-themed romance piece that should be treated as optional extra material rather than a core series entry.
Angel Baby & The Holy Grail (2020): A Celestial Academy novella that belongs after Transcend, not before the main trilogy.

Collections and omnibuses

Collections are buying formats, not new story entries.

Celestial Academy: The Complete Series (2020): Contains the three Celestial Academy novels and the novella Angel Baby & The Holy Grail.
Salinity Cove: The Complete Series (2022): Collects Surge, Submerge, and Emerge.
Arbor Falls: Books 1-4 (2022): Collects the full Ivy-centered Arbor Falls sequence.
Wolves of Crescent Valley: Books 1-2 (2022): Collects Fox Undercover and Fox on the Run.
Her Creatures: The Complete Series (2023): Collects all four Her Creatures books.
Infernal Council: The Complete Series (2020): A legacy collection of the original Infuse, Defuse, and Transfuse editions; new readers should check the revamped Infernal Reign editions first.
Knot Over You (2022): A multi-author collection that includes Maya Nicole with other authors; treat it as separate anthology material, not a main-series installment.

Full publication-order checklist

This is useful if you want to see the catalog by year rather than by continuity.

Ascend (2019): The first Celestial Academy book and Maya Nicole’s first listed novel.
Descend (2019): The second Celestial Academy book, continuing the angel-academy conflict.
Transcend (2019): The Celestial Academy finale.
Infuse (2020): Legacy Infernal Council book 1, later revamped as Runaway Crown.
Defuse (2020): Legacy Infernal Council book 2, later revamped as Stolen Throne.
Transfuse (2020): Legacy Infernal Council book 3.
Surge (2020): Salinity Cove book 1 and the first Hidden Shifters entry.
Submerge (2020): Salinity Cove book 2.
Emerge (2020): Salinity Cove book 3.
Wolf Forgotten (2020): Arbor Falls book 1.
Widow (2020): A standalone romance outside the major series.
Angel Baby & The Holy Grail (2020): A Celestial Academy follow-up novella.
Wolf Forsaken (2021): Arbor Falls book 2.
Wolf Forged (2021): Arbor Falls book 3.
Wolf Forever (2021): Arbor Falls book 4.
Fox Undercover (2021): Wolves of Crescent Valley book 1.
Fox on the Run (2021): Wolves of Crescent Valley book 2.
Catching Kalen (2021): Diamond Dreams book 1, co-written with Britt Andrews.
The Knotty List (2021): Optional short romance material.
Creature of the Flame (2022): Her Creatures book 1.
Creature of the Sky (2022): Her Creatures book 2.
Creature of the Wild (2022): Her Creatures book 3.
Knot So Perfect Omega (2022): Omega Match book 1.
Battling Baker (2022): Commonly listed as Diamond Dreams book 2, though catalog consistency is weaker than for Catching Kalen.
Creature of the Deep (2023): Her Creatures book 4.
Their Perfect Omega (2023): Omega Match book 2.
Loving Their Omega (2023): Later Omega Match listing, best placed after Their Perfect Omega.
Stuck On Them (2023): Why-choose romcom standalone.
Bad Nanny (2024): Badden Brothers book 1.
Bad Neighbor (2024): Badden Brothers book 2.
Falling For Them (2024): Why-choose romcom standalone.
The Proximity Effect (2025): Winter why-choose romcom standalone.
Hooked On Them (2025): Why-choose romcom standalone.
Stick Around (2025): Cowboy/animal-chaos why-choose romcom standalone.
Bad Lesson (2025): Later Badden Brothers listing, best placed after Bad Neighbor.
Of Magic and Reindeer (2025): Holiday shifter why-choose standalone.
Runaway Crown (2026): Infernal Reign book 1 and the revamped Infuse.
Stolen Throne (2026): Infernal Reign book 2 and the revamped Defuse, scheduled for December 2, 2026.

Latest release status

As of May 29, 2026, the latest confirmed Maya Nicole release I found is Runaway Crown, book 1 of Infernal Reign.

The next confirmed upcoming title is Stolen Throne, book 2 of Infernal Reign, scheduled for December 2, 2026.

The older Infernal Council books should be treated carefully because Infuse and Defuse have been revamped under new titles.

FAQ

What Maya Nicole book should I read first?

Start with Ascend for the Celestial Universe or Surge for the full Hidden Shifters Universe. If you want the most common shifter entry point, Wolf Forgotten is also workable.

Do Maya Nicole’s books have to be read in order?

Only the connected series do. Celestial Academy, Salinity Cove, Arbor Falls, Wolves of Crescent Valley, Her Creatures, and Infernal Reign should be read in order.

Are Salinity Cove and Arbor Falls connected?

Yes. Arbor Falls is a spin-off from Salinity Cove and features an older Ivy as the main female lead.

Should I read Infernal Council or Infernal Reign?

New readers should read Infernal Reign. The older Infernal Council editions are legacy versions, with Infuse revamped as Runaway Crown and Defuse revamped as Stolen Throne.

Are the Maya Nicole romcoms connected?

They are best treated as standalones unless a specific series label says otherwise. The Badden Brothers books share a series label, but they are still marketed as standalone-style romcoms.

Is Omega Match a continuous series?

It is better read as connected omegaverse standalones. Start with Knot So Perfect Omega, then read Their Perfect Omega and Loving Their Omega.

Are the complete-series editions required?

No. Omnibuses are convenient bundles. They do not add new reading-order positions unless they include a novella, as with Celestial Academy: The Complete Series.

Conclusion

Maya Nicole’s catalog is easiest once the shared worlds are separated.

Read Celestial Academy before the revamped Infernal Reign books. Read the Hidden Shifters Universe as Salinity Cove, Arbor Falls, Wolves of Crescent Valley, then Her Creatures. After that, the omegaverse titles, romcoms, co-written books, and standalones can be chosen by trope rather than timeline.

For the safest first book, choose Ascend for paranormal academy romance or Surge for full shifter continuity.

Frank

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Frank is the editor of BookSeries.blog, focusing on publication order, chronological timelines, and spoiler-free reading guides for book series and fictional universes.

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