Molly McLain writes steamy contemporary romance featuring small towns, blue-collar heroes, cowboys, athletes, close friendships, and complicated family relationships.
Her main solo series are River Bend, the Velocity Duet, Cole Creek, and the McMurrays of Mason Creek. She has also contributed to the multi-author Mason Creek, Kissing Games, and All American Boy collections.
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Most Molly McLain novels focus on a different central couple. They can often be understood individually, but recurring friends and relatives make publication order the better choice within each series.
The Order in Three Levels
Essential Sequence
These books follow continuing relationships or rely heavily on earlier developments:
- The Velocity Duet
- Cole Creek
- River Bend, especially when including the wedding novella
Helpful Sequence
These books complete separate romances but contain recurring characters:
- McMurrays of Mason Creek
- The Kissing Games shared series
Flexible Order
These can be read independently:
- Rush
- Bend
- Boy, I’m Yours
- Molly McLain’s contributions to wider multi-author collections
Where New Readers Should Begin
- Begin with Can’t Shake You for Molly McLain’s original small-town world.
- Begin with We’re Made of Moments for her more recent Wisconsin-set romance series.
- Begin with Perfect Secret for cowboy romance.
- Begin with Fly when you want one continuing couple across a short two-book story.
The easiest complete series is the Velocity Duet. The broadest introduction to Molly McLain’s recurring cast style is River Bend.
River Bend Books in Order
- Can’t Shake You
- Can’t Get Enough
- Can’t Walk Away
- Can’t Resist Him
- A River Bend Wedding
- Can’t Let Go
- Can’t Forget Her
River Bend follows a close-knit group of friends and couples in a small town. Each numbered novel has its own primary romance, but the relationships and friendships continue throughout the series.
The official sequence is sometimes displayed with A River Bend Wedding as book 4.75 because it falls between the fourth and fifth main novels.
River Bend Numbering
- Can’t Shake You, book 1
- Can’t Get Enough, book 2
- Can’t Walk Away, book 3
- Can’t Resist Him, book 4
- A River Bend Wedding, book 4.75
- Can’t Let Go, book 5
- Can’t Forget Her, book 6
The result is six numbered novels and one companion wedding story.
Is A River Bend Wedding Required?
A River Bend Wedding revisits an established couple and takes place after Can’t Resist Him.
It is optional for readers interested only in the six principal romances. It is recommended for a complete River Bend experience because it provides a later milestone for characters readers already know.
Do not begin the series with the wedding story. Its emotional payoff depends on the earlier books.
Can the River Bend Books Stand Alone?
The individual romantic conflicts conclude within their respective novels.
However, later installments openly show which earlier couples remain together. Starting with Can’t Forget Her, for example, would reveal several outcomes from the first five books.
Read the series from Can’t Shake You onward when recurring-character spoilers matter.
Velocity Duet Books in Order
- Fly
- Fight
The Velocity Duet is a new-adult sports romance centered on motocross and a relationship that develops across two books.
Unlike Molly McLain’s interconnected standalone series, Fly and Fight tell one continuing story. Both books are necessary.
Read Fly first. It establishes the friendship, attraction, and conflicts that continue directly into Fight.
Velocity Combined Edition
The two novels have also been released in a single combined edition.
That omnibus contains the complete duet and does not count as a third Velocity book. Readers can purchase either:
- Fly and Fight separately
- The combined Velocity edition
The story order remains unchanged inside the omnibus.
Cole Creek Books in Order
Recommended Story Order
- Moments With Him, prequel
- We’re Made of Moments
- More Than a Memory
- Measure of a Man
- The Mistakes We’ve Made
Cole Creek is set in Wisconsin and features blue-collar heroes, family responsibilities, old relationships, and recurring members of the local community.
The numbered novels focus on different couples, but the town and social circle connect them.
Official Cole Creek Numbering
- Moments With Him, book 0.5
- We’re Made of Moments, book 1
- More Than a Memory, book 2
- Measure of a Man, book 3
- The Mistakes We’ve Made, book 4
Should Moments With Him Be Read First?
Moments With Him is the official Cole Creek prequel.
It was released after We’re Made of Moments, so readers following original publication order will encounter it later. New readers can place it first because it introduces earlier events without requiring knowledge of the numbered novels.
Two approaches work:
Story-First Order
- Moments With Him
- We’re Made of Moments
- Continue through the numbered books
Original Publication Approach
- We’re Made of Moments
- More Than a Memory
- Moments With Him
- Continue with Measure of a Man
The story-first order is simpler. The publication approach preserves the way the prequel information was originally revealed.
We’re Made of Moments
We’re Made of Moments is the first full-length Cole Creek novel.
It is a single-dad, second-chance small-town romance and provides the strongest introduction to the recurring community.
Readers skipping the prequel should begin here.
More Than a Memory
More Than a Memory is book 2.
It continues the Cole Creek setting with another central relationship. Earlier characters remain part of the surrounding community.
Measure of a Man
Measure of a Man is book 3.
The novel uses a friends-to-lovers relationship and a reverse age-gap dynamic. Read it after More Than a Memory to preserve the series progression.
The Mistakes We’ve Made
The Mistakes We’ve Made is identified in bibliographic series records as Cole Creek book 4.
Its release status is presented inconsistently. Some current catalogs date it to 2025, while Molly McLain’s official Cole Creek page still labels it “Coming soon.”
Readers should therefore treat it as the intended fourth book but verify current availability before listing it as a purchased or completed release.
Is Cole Creek Complete?
Four numbered novels have been identified, plus the prequel.
However, the author’s current page does not clearly label the series complete. It also retains a coming-soon notice for The Mistakes We’ve Made.
The stable reading sequence ends with that title. No fifth numbered Cole Creek novel was reliably confirmed as of July 24, 2026.
McMurrays of Mason Creek Books in Order
- Perfect Secret
- Perfect Chance
- Perfect Scandal
The McMurrays of Mason Creek is Molly McLain’s three-book cowboy romance sequence within the wider multi-author Mason Creek world.
The books follow members of the McMurray family. Each novel has a different central couple, but family relationships and earlier romantic outcomes continue across the trilogy.
Read all three in order.
Perfect Secret
Perfect Secret is the first McMurray book.
It is also one installment in the much larger Mason Creek shared series, which includes novels by numerous romance authors.
Readers following Molly McLain alone can begin here without completing the preceding Mason Creek books by other writers.
Perfect Chance
Perfect Chance is the second McMurray romance.
It should follow Perfect Secret because the family and town have already been established.
Perfect Scandal
Perfect Scandal is the third and final McMurray book currently listed.
Read it last to preserve the family progression and avoid revealing earlier couples.
Molly McLain and the Wider Mason Creek Series
The McMurrays of Mason Creek books are both:
- A three-book Molly McLain family series
- Contributions to the larger Mason Creek shared world
The wider Mason Creek collection contains books by several authors. Its numbering may place Perfect Secret, Perfect Chance, and Perfect Scandal far apart because other writers’ releases fill the intervening positions.
Readers have two valid options.
Molly McLain Only
- Perfect Secret
- Perfect Chance
- Perfect Scandal
Complete Shared World
Follow the full multi-author Mason Creek publication order, inserting Molly McLain’s three books in their assigned positions.
The first option provides everything necessary for the McMurray family story.
The Kissing Games Books in Order
The Kissing Games is a multi-author small-town romance collection.
The full core order is:
- Kissing My Brother’s Bride by Molly McLain
- Kissing the Rival by Kaylee Ryan
- Kissing My Crush by C.A. Harms
- Kissing a Stranger by Lacey Black
Molly McLain’s contribution is:
- Kissing My Brother’s Bride
The books share the Kissing Games branding and community concept, but each is written by a different author and follows a separate central couple.
Can Kissing My Brother’s Bride Be Read Alone?
Yes.
It is book 1 of the shared collection, so no earlier Kissing Games novel is required.
The title may suggest infidelity, but the story is not structured around the heroine cheating with her husband’s or fiancé’s brother. Readers should rely on the official description rather than interpreting the title literally.
Must the Full Kissing Games Series Be Read in Order?
Publication order provides the smoothest introduction to the shared setting and recurring references.
However, the books are designed as interconnected standalones. Readers following only Molly McLain can stop after Kissing My Brother’s Bride.
Molly McLain Standalone Novels
The author’s current standalone page identifies:
- Rush
- Bend
Both can be read without completing another Molly McLain series.
Rush
Rush is a standalone contemporary romance released in 2018.
It does not belong to River Bend despite the similarity between the title Bend and the River Bend series name.
No earlier novel is required.
Bend
Bend has sometimes been associated with the Vegas Heat label.
The current author catalog presents it among the standalones. Since no continuing Vegas Heat sequence was completed, the most practical classification is standalone romance.
It should not be inserted into River Bend.
Boy, I’m Yours
Boy, I’m Yours is Molly McLain’s contribution to the multi-author All American Boy collection.
It can be read independently.
Readers following the entire project may place it according to the wider collection’s publication order, but no River Bend, Cole Creek, or McMurray book is required first.
Ten First Dates
Ten First Dates appeared in a multi-author romance project.
It is not listed as a main installment in Molly McLain’s current solo series menu.
Treat it as an optional shared-collection contribution rather than adding it to River Bend or Cole Creek.
Boxed Sets and Omnibus Editions
Molly McLain has released bundled editions for several series.
River Bend Boxed Sets
River Bend collections contain novels already listed in the main sequence.
Check the included book numbers before purchasing because one box may contain only the early books rather than the complete series.
McMurrays of Mason Creek Boxed Set
The McMurrays boxed set contains:
- Perfect Secret
- Perfect Chance
- Perfect Scandal
It is the complete Molly McLain family trilogy, not another Mason Creek story.
Velocity Omnibus
The combined Velocity edition contains both Fly and Fight.
Do not count it in addition to the two individual books.
Molly McLain Books in Publication Order
A practical broad publication list is:
- Can’t Shake You (2014)
- Can’t Get Enough (2014)
- Can’t Walk Away (2015)
- Can’t Resist Him (2015)
- Fly (2016)
- Fight (2016)
- A River Bend Wedding (2016)
- Bend (2016)
- Can’t Let Go (2017)
- Can’t Forget Her (2018)
- Rush (2018)
- Boy, I’m Yours (2021)
- We’re Made of Moments (2021)
- Perfect Secret (2021)
- Perfect Chance (2022)
- More Than a Memory (2022)
- Moments With Him (2022)
- Perfect Scandal (2022)
- Ten First Dates (2022)
- Kissing My Brother’s Bride (2023)
- Measure of a Man (2024)
- The Mistakes We’ve Made, commonly listed for 2025
This list follows broad original release dates rather than recommended story placement.
The Cole Creek prequel should move ahead of We’re Made of Moments when using story order.
Publication Order or Chronological Order?
Publication order is the safest default for River Bend, the McMurrays, and the Kissing Games.
Cole Creek has one meaningful alternative because Moments With Him is a prequel. Reading it first creates the simplest fictional sequence, while reading it after the early novels preserves original release order.
The Velocity Duet has no alternative. Fly must precede Fight.
No universal chronological order connects River Bend, Cole Creek, Mason Creek, and the Kissing Games. They should remain separate worlds unless a future author note confirms a direct crossover.
Complete Recommended Order
A manageable complete-catalog sequence is:
- River Bend
- Velocity Duet
- Bend
- Rush
- Boy, I’m Yours
- McMurrays of Mason Creek
- Cole Creek, beginning with Moments With Him
- Ten First Dates
- Kissing My Brother’s Bride
This order keeps each recurring cast together.
It is not one continuous fictional timeline, and readers can move directly to Cole Creek or the McMurrays without completing the earlier books.
Latest Molly McLain Book
The newest firmly numbered Molly McLain title in current bibliographic records is The Mistakes We’ve Made, Cole Creek book 4, commonly dated to 2025.
Its status requires caution. Molly McLain’s official Cole Creek page still marks the title as coming soon, while external bibliographic records list it as a 2025 book.
Because those records conflict, readers should verify whether the book is currently available in their region and format. No later 2026 release was reliably confirmed as of July 24, 2026.
Upcoming Molly McLain Books
No separate title beyond The Mistakes We’ve Made had a reliably confirmed release date on Molly McLain’s official catalog as of July 24, 2026.
The official site continues to display that Cole Creek title as forthcoming. Until the page is updated or a new title receives a stable retailer listing, no additional book should be added to the order.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was Molly McLain’s first book?
Can’t Shake You, published in 2014, is the earliest novel in her current main bibliography.
It begins the River Bend series.
What is the best Molly McLain book to start with?
Start with Can’t Shake You for her original small-town series.
Choose We’re Made of Moments for Cole Creek, Perfect Secret for cowboy romance, or Fly for a short continuing duet.
Do Molly McLain’s books need to be read in order?
The Velocity books must be read in order.
River Bend, Cole Creek, and the McMurrays feature separate central couples, but recurring characters make series order preferable.
The standalone novels can be read anywhere.
How many River Bend books are there?
There are six numbered novels plus A River Bend Wedding.
A complete reading list contains seven stories.
Where does A River Bend Wedding fit?
Read it after Can’t Resist Him and before Can’t Let Go.
It is commonly numbered 4.75.
Is the Velocity series two books or one?
The original story was published as two books, Fly and Fight.
A later combined edition contains both novels in one volume. It is still the same two-part story.
Should Moments With Him be read first?
It is the Cole Creek prequel, so reading it first creates the clearest story order.
Readers following publication order can read it after the first two full-length novels.
How many Cole Creek books are there?
The identified order contains one prequel and four numbered novels.
The official site’s continued “Coming soon” label for book 4 creates uncertainty about its current release status.
Are the McMurrays part of Mason Creek?
Yes.
Molly McLain’s three McMurray novels belong to the wider multi-author Mason Creek collection.
Do I need every Mason Creek book?
No.
Readers following only the McMurray family can read Perfect Secret, Perfect Chance, and Perfect Scandal in that order.
Did Molly McLain write every Kissing Games book?
No.
She wrote Kissing My Brother’s Bride. Kaylee Ryan, C.A. Harms, and Lacey Black wrote the other core installments.
Is Kissing My Brother’s Bride connected to Cole Creek?
No confirmed continuity places it in Cole Creek.
It belongs to the separate multi-author Kissing Games collection.
Is Bend part of River Bend?
No.
Despite the similar wording, Bend is a standalone that has also been associated with the Vegas Heat label.
Are Molly McLain’s books closed door?
No. Molly McLain writes steamy contemporary romance with on-page sexual content.
What is Molly McLain’s latest book?
The Mistakes We’ve Made is the latest numbered title found in current bibliographic records, commonly dated to 2025.
Its official page still labels it forthcoming, so its release status should be treated as unresolved rather than stated without qualification.
Conclusion
Molly McLain’s catalog is easiest to navigate by separating her solo small-town series from her shared-world contributions.
Begin River Bend with Can’t Shake You. Read Fly before Fight. Place Moments With Him before the Cole Creek novels when using story order, and follow the three McMurray books from Perfect Secret through Perfect Scandal.
Kissing My Brother’s Bride, Boy, I’m Yours, and the McMurray trilogy belong to multi-author projects, but each can be read without completing every book written by the other participating authors.
Frank is the editor of BookSeries.blog, focusing on publication order, chronological timelines, and spoiler-free reading guides for book series and fictional universes.