Mira Lyn Kelly writes contemporary romance, romantic comedy, and professional hockey romance. Her longest-running continuity is Slayers Hockey, a Chicago-set series about teammates, friends, siblings, and the relationships forming around the club.
Her earlier work includes connected trilogies, wedding romances, reunion stories, Harlequin category romances, and several books that can be read independently. Most installments resolve a different couple’s story, but recurring characters make series order worthwhile.
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Quick Reading Decision
- Start with Dirty Secret when you want Mira Lyn Kelly’s main hockey series without preliminary reading.
- Start with Dirty Player when you want the fullest route into Slayers Hockey. It belongs to the Back to You trilogy but acts as the unofficial bridge to the hockey books.
For her non-sports romance, choose:
- Hard Crush, for the Back to You trilogy
- Truth or Dare, for friendship-based contemporary romance
- May the Best Man Win, for the Wedding Dates series
- Waking Up Married, for a fast standalone-style marriage romance
- Just Friends, for a shorter second-chance series
There is no single storyline connecting every Mira Lyn Kelly book. Finish one series at a time rather than combining the entire bibliography into an artificial chronology.
The Most Complete Hockey Route
Readers who want the broadest character context should use this sequence:
- Hard Crush
- Dirty Player
- Dirty Bad Boy
- Dirty Secret
- Dirty Hookup
- Dirty Rebound
- Dirty Talker
- Dirty Deal
- Dirty Christmas
- Dirty Groom
- Dirty D-Man
- Dirty Dare
- Dirty Flirt
- Dirty Fighter
Dirty Player is the important bridge. The author identifies it as the unofficial beginning of Slayers Hockey and the only sports romance in the Back to You series.
Slayers Hockey Books in Order
Slayers Hockey follows players associated with a professional Chicago team. Each full-length novel centers on a different couple and ends with its own romantic resolution.
The books are interconnected standalones, not one continuous romance. Teammates, relatives, established couples, weddings, and career changes continue across the series.
1. Dirty Secret
Dirty Secret (2019): Vaughn reunites with the woman from an unforgettable one-night encounter, then discovers she is the sister of the teammate and longtime rival he cannot afford to antagonize.
This is the official first Slayers Hockey novel and the cleanest direct entry into the series.
2. Dirty Hookup
Dirty Hookup (2020): Quinn becomes fixated on a sharp-tongued redhead who wants nothing to do with his carefree hockey-star reputation, pushing him to prove he can offer more than a casual encounter.
The novel continues the team setting while shifting attention to a new player and couple.
3. Dirty Rebound
Dirty Rebound (2020): A recently burned hockey player looks for a temporary escape, only for his supposed rebound relationship to become the one connection he cannot dismiss.
Earlier Slayers couples return in supporting roles, so the book works best after Dirty Hookup.
4. Dirty Talker
Dirty Talker (2021): A player known for confidence, charm, and provocative banter enters a relationship that requires more honesty than his usual flirtation provides.
The romance expands the team’s social circle and continues the series pattern of pairing public confidence with private vulnerability.
5. Dirty Deal
Dirty Deal (2021): Two people enter an arrangement designed to solve an immediate problem, then discover that negotiated boundaries offer little protection from genuine attachment.
Read it before the holiday novella because Dirty Christmas assumes familiarity with the established Slayers cast.
5.5. Dirty Christmas
Dirty Christmas (2022): The Slayers gather for a holiday story that combines seasonal complications with updates involving players, partners, and relationships already established in the series.
This novella is optional for the central sequence, but it belongs after Dirty Deal and before Dirty Groom.
6. Dirty Groom
Dirty Groom (2022): A wedding-related complication places a Slayers player inside a romance where commitment, loyalty, and the possibility of becoming the groom can no longer be treated lightly.
The book returns to the team after the holiday gathering and introduces another complete couple.
7. Dirty D-Man
Dirty D-Man (2023): A Slayers defenseman faces a relationship that challenges the emotional barriers and controlling instincts that have helped him survive professional hockey.
The title uses the common hockey abbreviation for defenseman.
7.5. Dirty Dare
Dirty Dare (2023): A dare creates a shorter romantic complication within the Slayers circle, turning a supposedly playful challenge into something with lasting emotional consequences.
This is optional companion material. Read it after Dirty D-Man and before Dirty Flirt.
8. Dirty Flirt
Dirty Flirt (2024): Persistent flirtation between two people connected to the Slayers begins carrying consequences once attraction becomes too personal to dismiss as harmless fun.
The book advances the later Slayers cast while bringing familiar teammates and couples back into view.
9. Dirty Fighter
Dirty Fighter (Expected September 30, 2026): Static’s story will place another Slayers player at the center of the series, although the complete premise has not yet been released publicly.
This is the next announced full-length installment. Retail listings currently identify it as Slayers Hockey book eleven when the two novellas are counted within the numerical sequence.
Because it remains unreleased as of August 4, 2026, its release date and final details may change.
Do the Slayers Hockey Books Need to Be Read in Order?
Publication order is recommended, even though each full-length book follows a different couple.
Later installments reveal which earlier relationships lasted and show those characters as partners, spouses, friends, and members of the continuing team community. Starting in the middle will not make the principal romance incomprehensible, but it will disclose earlier outcomes.
Readers who only want one hockey romance can select an individual book. Readers who enjoy team continuity should begin with Dirty Secret, or with Dirty Player for the extended route.
Back to You Books in Order
Back to You is a three-book contemporary romance series built around friendships, past connections, and characters returning to relationships they once avoided or mishandled.
The trilogy also provides the bridge into Slayers Hockey.
1. Hard Crush
Hard Crush (2018): A successful former outsider returns to his hometown and reconnects with the woman he never forgot, forcing both of them to confront old attraction and the lives they built apart.
This is the correct starting point for Back to You.
2. Dirty Player
Dirty Player (2018): Professional hockey player Greg enters a relationship that links the Back to You friend group with the team and supporting characters later used in Slayers Hockey.
The book can be read as the second Back to You romance or as an optional prelude to Dirty Secret.
3. Dirty Bad Boy
Dirty Bad Boy (2018): A man with a reckless image is drawn into a relationship that tests whether his reputation reflects who he is or merely protects him from commitment.
Some editions have used the alternate title Hot Friction. These are not separate novels.
How Back to You Connects to Slayers Hockey
The connection is strongest through Dirty Player.
Readers who begin with Slayers Hockey will still understand Dirty Secret. The earlier trilogy simply provides extra background for Greg, his relationships, and the social network around the team.
The recommended labels are:
Back to You: Optional pre-series context
Dirty Player: Recommended bridge
Slayers Hockey: Main hockey continuity
Dare to Love Books in Order
Dare to Love follows a connected group of friends as familiar relationships shift into romance. The books feature different central couples, but recurring friendships make publication order the most natural choice.
1. Truth or Dare
Truth or Dare (2014): A provocative game pushes friends across a boundary they had previously avoided, forcing them to decide whether their attraction can survive outside the challenge.
This establishes the friend group and emotional tone of the trilogy.
2. Touch & Go
Touch & Go (2015): A close friendship becomes physically and emotionally complicated when two people test whether they can pursue desire without destroying the trust between them.
Read it after Truth or Dare for the returning cast.
3. Now and Then
Now and Then (2016): Past feelings and present circumstances collide as another couple from the connected group considers whether an earlier possibility deserves a genuine second chance.
The third book completes the published Dare to Love sequence.
Wedding Dates Books in Order
Wedding Dates follows four related romances built around weddings, formal arrangements, fake dates, and relationships tested by public celebrations.
The central couples change from book to book. Shared characters and wedding connections provide the continuity.
1. May the Best Man Win
May the Best Man Win (2016): Former friends turned rivals compete within a wedding party, only for their battle over the best-man role to reopen the attraction and hurt between them.
This is the series opener and the strongest place to meet the connected cast.
2. The Wedding Date Bargain
The Wedding Date Bargain (2017): A practical agreement to provide a wedding date becomes increasingly difficult to manage when performance gives way to real emotional investment.
The book continues the wedding-centered social circle with a new couple.
3. Just This Once
Just This Once (2018): Two people agree to treat their attraction as a single exception, then discover that one encounter cannot contain the relationship developing between them.
Earlier couples may appear, but the main romance reaches its own resolution.
4. Decoy Date
Decoy Date (2018): A pretend companion is recruited to distract attention or satisfy social expectations, only for the decoy relationship to become more convincing than intended.
The fourth book completes the published Wedding Dates sequence.
Coming Around Again Books in Order
Coming Around Again is a two-book series about characters with shared history and relationships that require another attempt.
The books are shorter and less widely distributed than Kelly’s major series, but they form a clear sequence.
1. Just Friends
Just Friends (2019): A long-standing friendship is tested when buried attraction makes it impossible for the central pair to continue pretending that nothing between them has changed.
This book was written with Moira McTark.
2. All In
All In (2020): Another connected relationship reaches a decisive point when caution is no longer enough and the characters must choose whether to risk everything on a future together.
Read it after Just Friends to preserve the shared context.
Waking Up Books in Order
Some bibliography databases group Waking Up Married and Waking Up Pregnant under the Waking Up label. The romances are separate, so they do not function as two halves of one couple’s story.
1. Waking Up Married
Waking Up Married (2012): Megan wakes in Las Vegas to discover she has married a man she barely knows, leaving the unexpected newlyweds to determine whether their impulsive commitment should be undone or given a chance.
The book can be read independently and remains one of Kelly’s most recognized early romances.
2. Waking Up Pregnant
Waking Up Pregnant (2014): A woman’s unexpected pregnancy reconnects her with the man responsible, forcing them to confront parenthood, attraction, and the question of whether obligation can become a real partnership.
No knowledge of Waking Up Married is necessary for the principal story.
Earlier and Unconnected Novels
The author currently places several of her older category romances under unconnected novels. Some also appeared within publisher-created lines involving books by multiple authors.
These books should not be mistaken for one connected Mira Lyn Kelly series.
Front Page Affair
Front Page Affair (2010): A private encounter becomes a public problem when romance, pregnancy, and media attention threaten the characters’ carefully controlled lives.
The book has also appeared as Tabloid Affair, Secretly Pregnant! It was published within the multi-author One Night at a Wedding line.
Wild Fling or a Wedding Ring?
Wild Fling or a Wedding Ring? (2010): A relationship intended to remain a carefree fling begins pointing toward commitment, leaving the central couple divided over whether desire should lead to marriage.
Later editions may use the alternate title Yours by Mistake.
The S Before Ex
The S Before Ex (2011): Former spouses are forced back into each other’s lives, where unfinished attraction and the circumstances of their separation challenge the idea that the marriage is truly over.
It appeared within the publisher’s Tabloid Scandals grouping, but it can be read independently.
Never Stay Past Midnight
Never Stay Past Midnight (2012): A one-night arrangement is threatened when two emotionally guarded people discover that leaving before morning cannot prevent deeper attachment.
The novel was included in a publisher-created multi-author line, not a continuing Mira Lyn Kelly storyline.
Once Is Never Enough
Once Is Never Enough (2013): A woman becomes involved with a man whose connection to her existing life makes their attraction risky, turning one encounter into a conflict neither can resolve casually.
This is a standalone contemporary romance.
Alternate Titles and Duplicate Editions
Several Mira Lyn Kelly books have appeared under more than one title. These editions should only be counted once.
- Dirty Bad Boy is also known as Hot Friction
- Front Page Affair is also known as Tabloid Affair, Secretly Pregnant!
- Wild Fling or a Wedding Ring? is also known as Yours by Mistake
Collections, foreign editions, audio editions, and new cover releases do not create additional places in the reading order.
Boxed Sets and Bundles
Mira Lyn Kelly has released collected editions for Back to You and Slayers Hockey, along with smaller bundles covering parts of the hockey sequence.
A boxed set contains books already listed in the series order. It should not be counted as a sequel.
Examples include:
Back to You Box Set
Back to You Box Set: This collection packages Hard Crush, Dirty Player, and Dirty Bad Boy in one edition without adding a separate romance.
Slayers Hockey Collections
Slayers Hockey Books 1 to 3: This bundle collects Dirty Secret, Dirty Hookup, and Dirty Rebound.
Slayers Hockey Books 4 to 6: Depending on the edition’s numbering method, this collection packages later Slayers novels and may treat the holiday novella differently from retailer series numbers.
Check the contents rather than relying only on the number printed on a bundle.
Anthologies and Multi-Author Collections
Mira Lyn Kelly has appeared in collections that contain work by several romance authors.
Sin & Tonic
Sin & Tonic (2019): A multi-author romance collection presents separate stories rather than one continuing Mira Lyn Kelly novel.
Scoring Over the Holidays
Scoring Over the Holidays (2021): A sports romance holiday collection brings together work from multiple authors and should remain outside the numbered Slayers Hockey order.
Pride Not Prejudice: Volume II
Pride Not Prejudice: Volume II (2023): This anthology contains independent contributions supporting a shared charitable or thematic project rather than a connected series storyline.
Anthologies are optional for readers collecting Kelly’s principal novels. Their contents may overlap with separately released material.
Mira Lyn Kelly Books in Publication Order
The list below places the principal novels by original publication year while keeping alternate editions and bundles out of the count.
- Front Page Affair (2010): A romance and unexpected pregnancy become vulnerable to public exposure.
- Wild Fling or a Wedding Ring? (2010): A temporary affair begins demanding a permanent decision.
- The S Before Ex (2011): Former spouses confront the attraction and hurt left behind by their marriage.
- Waking Up Married (2012): A Las Vegas night leaves two near-strangers unexpectedly married.
- Never Stay Past Midnight (2012): A one-night arrangement becomes difficult to abandon by morning.
- Once Is Never Enough (2013): One encounter develops into a relationship complicated by existing loyalties.
- Truth or Dare (2014): A game pushes friends into acknowledging hidden desire.
- Waking Up Pregnant (2014): An unexpected pregnancy forces two people to reconsider their future.
- Touch & Go (2015): Friends test whether romance can grow without destroying their bond.
- May the Best Man Win (2016): Wedding-party rivals reopen an emotionally charged past.
- Now and Then (2016): Earlier feelings return when another connected couple receives a second chance.
- The Wedding Date Bargain (2017): A practical wedding-date arrangement becomes emotionally real.
- Hard Crush (2018): A successful former classmate returns for the woman he never forgot.
- Dirty Player (2018): A professional hockey romance creates the bridge to Slayers Hockey.
- Dirty Bad Boy (2018): A reckless reputation begins to collapse under the demands of commitment.
- Just This Once (2018): A supposedly isolated encounter refuses to remain temporary.
- Decoy Date (2018): A fake companion becomes a genuine romantic possibility.
- Dirty Secret (2019): A player reunites with his rival teammate’s off-limits sister.
- Just Friends (2019): Friendship becomes impossible to separate from romantic attraction.
- Dirty Hookup (2020): A carefree player pursues a woman who distrusts everything he represents.
- Dirty Rebound (2020): A temporary post-breakup connection develops into a serious relationship.
- All In (2020): A connected couple must decide whether to risk everything on love.
- Dirty Talker (2021): Confident banter gives way to a relationship requiring emotional honesty.
- Dirty Deal (2021): A calculated arrangement becomes harder to keep impersonal.
- Dirty Christmas (2022): The Slayers return for a holiday companion story.
- Dirty Groom (2022): Wedding complications bring another player face to face with commitment.
- Dirty D-Man (2023): A defenseman’s emotional control is tested by an inconvenient relationship.
- Dirty Dare (2023): A challenge turns into a meaningful Slayers romance.
- Dirty Flirt (2024): Casual flirtation becomes impossible to contain.
- Dirty Fighter (Expected 2026): Static will lead the next announced Slayers Hockey novel.
Is There a Chronological Order?
No separate chronological order is needed for most of Mira Lyn Kelly’s bibliography.
Her individual series already move forward effectively in publication order. The older Harlequin romances belong to separate publishing lines and should not be inserted into the timelines of Dare to Love, Wedding Dates, or Slayers Hockey.
The only meaningful continuity adjustment is reading Dirty Player before Dirty Secret. That placement introduces part of the hockey world before the official Slayers series begins.
Recommended Order for New Readers
For Every Connected Hockey Appearance
Read the Back to You trilogy first, then continue through Slayers Hockey:
- Hard Crush
- Dirty Player
- Dirty Bad Boy
- Dirty Secret
- Dirty Hookup
- Dirty Rebound
- Dirty Talker
- Dirty Deal
- Dirty Christmas
- Dirty Groom
- Dirty D-Man
- Dirty Dare
- Dirty Flirt
- Dirty Fighter
This route gives the best balance between background and forward momentum.
For Hockey Only
Begin with Dirty Secret.
You can skip Back to You without losing the principal romance, although Greg and other connections will arrive with less background.
For a Completed Contemporary Series
Choose Dare to Love or Wedding Dates.
Both series are complete, feature a new couple in each book, and require less commitment than Slayers Hockey.
For One Independent Book
Choose Waking Up Married, Once Is Never Enough, The S Before Ex, or Never Stay Past Midnight.
These books do not require a wider series commitment.
Latest Mira Lyn Kelly Book
As of August 4, 2026, Mira Lyn Kelly’s latest published full-length novel is Dirty Flirt (2024).
Her next announced title is Dirty Fighter, the next Slayers Hockey novel. Current retailer listings show September 30, 2026, while the author has described it more generally as a 2026 release and has not yet supplied a complete public synopsis.
For that reason, the title is confirmed, but the final release details should be treated as provisional until publication.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Was Mira Lyn Kelly’s First Book?
Front Page Affair and Wild Fling or a Wedding Ring? were both published in 2010 and are her earliest confirmed novels.
They are separate romances rather than the beginning of one shared series.
What Is Mira Lyn Kelly’s Best Starting Point?
Start with Dirty Secret for her principal hockey series.
Start with Dirty Player when you want the extra bridge from Back to You, or choose Waking Up Married for a self-contained introduction to her earlier contemporary work.
Is Dirty Player Part of Slayers Hockey?
Officially, it is the second Back to You book.
However, it is a professional hockey romance that leads into Slayers Hockey and is described by the author as the unofficial beginning of that series.
Can Slayers Hockey Be Read as Standalones?
Yes. Each full-length book follows a different central couple and provides its own romantic ending.
Publication order remains preferable because teammates and earlier couples recur throughout the series.
Where Do Dirty Christmas and Dirty Dare Belong?
Read Dirty Christmas after Dirty Deal and before Dirty Groom.
Read Dirty Dare after Dirty D-Man and before Dirty Flirt. Both are optional shorter installments.
Why Do Slayers Hockey Numbers Differ?
Some lists count only the full-length novels, while others include Dirty Christmas and Dirty Dare as numbered or half-numbered installments.
Following the title sequence is more reliable than relying on the number shown by one retailer.
Are Waking Up Married and Waking Up Pregnant About the Same Couple?
No. They are separate romances connected mainly by their titles and publisher grouping.
Either can be understood without reading the other.
Is Dirty Bad Boy the Same Book as Hot Friction?
Yes. Hot Friction is an alternate title for Dirty Bad Boy.
Do not purchase both expecting different stories.
Are the Wedding Dates Books Connected?
Yes. They share characters and wedding-centered social connections, but each book follows a different couple.
Begin with May the Best Man Win to meet the cast in the intended order.
Are Mira Lyn Kelly’s Anthology Stories Required?
No. Anthologies and holiday collections are separate from the central reading order unless a particular story is later identified as a numbered series installment.
Readers focused on the novels can treat them as optional.
What Should Be Read Before Dirty Fighter?
For the complete Slayers progression, read all preceding hockey books through Dirty Flirt.
At minimum, begin with Dirty Secret. The final synopsis for Dirty Fighter has not yet been released, so the extent of its dependence on previous events is not fully confirmed.
Conclusion
The cleanest Mira Lyn Kelly reading order begins with Dirty Secret and follows Slayers Hockey in publication sequence, inserting Dirty Christmas and Dirty Dare where they belong.
For fuller background, read the Back to You trilogy first, paying particular attention to Dirty Player, the unofficial bridge into the hockey world. The remaining series are separate reading paths, so Dare to Love, Wedding Dates, Coming Around Again, and the early unconnected romances can be completed independently.
Frank is the editor of BookSeries.blog, focusing on publication order, chronological timelines, and spoiler-free reading guides for book series and fictional universes.