S.M. Soto Books in Order (Updated February 15, 2026)

S.M. Soto writes contemporary romance and romantic suspense with a strong “finish one arc before starting the next” vibe.

Most of her books fall into three clear lanes (sports/NA, romantic suspense, and a dark duet), plus a small standalone shelf.

How to read her without getting tripped up

• If the spine says San Diegan, read it in order for friend-group continuity.
• If the title ends with “…and Chaos”, read those in order (it’s a single escalating arc).
• If it says Twin Lies, treat it like one long story split in two.

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Choose your entry point by mood

• Want New Adult + sports romance: start with The Darkest Hour.
• Want romantic suspense with danger and power games: start with Deception and Chaos.
• Want a dark duet with secrets and fallout: start with Kiss Me with Lies.
• Want one-and-done contemporary: start with Hate Thy Neighbor or Ache.

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The books in order by lane

(Every title includes a one-line hook in your preferred format.)

San Diegan series (New Adult / sports-leaning continuity)

1. The Darkest Hour: A wounded start in a tight friend group turns into love that doesn’t come gently.
2. Scoring the Quarterback: A quarterback romance where chemistry is easy and everything around it is complicated.
3. Damaged Heart: A bruised-hope romance where “happy ever after” feels impossible until someone refuses to quit.

Best practice: read 1 → 3 to keep character history and references clean.

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Chaos series (romantic suspense; read straight through)

1. Deception and Chaos: A cat-and-mouse romance where the lie is the invitation and desire is the trap.
2. Blood and Chaos: The danger escalates, and the relationship stops being separate from survival.
3. Love and Chaos: The arc’s payoff where love becomes the most dangerous leverage on the board.

Important note on listings: some catalogs and reader-tracking sites show additional “Chaos” titles beyond book 3 (for example, “Redemption and Chaos”). Their publication/availability isn’t consistently confirmed across the major bibliographies, so I’m not treating them as mainline entries here.

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Twin Lies duet (dark romantic suspense; one story in two parts)

1. Kiss Me with Lies: A secrets-first romance where the truth is weaponized and trust is the real cliffhanger.
2. Bury Me with Lies: The conclusion where buried choices surface and love has to survive the damage.

Spoiler warning: don’t start with book 2.

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Standalone novels (separate stories, read anytime)

• Ache: A second-chance, boy-next-door romance where first love comes back with old scars attached.
• Hate Thy Neighbor: An enemies-to-lovers small-town reset where the hot, foul-mouthed neighbor won’t stay “background noise.”
• Chasing the Moon: A myth-echoing, star-crossed romance where timing fights love at every turn.
• The Seasons of Callan Reed: A grief-to-rebuilding romance where a tyrant boss becomes the problem, and the pull.
• Jake Wilder: A fake-fiancé sports romance where the “pretend” part starts slipping immediately.

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Separate continuity and collaborations

These aren’t “S.M. Soto series books,” but you may see them attached to her bibliography.

• A Cruel Love: A dark romantic suspense standalone where a hitman’s next job is the woman he can’t stop watching. (Part of the multi-author Cavalieri Della Morte set; treat it as separate continuity.)
• One More Step: A multi-author anthology built from a shared opening prompt; any Soto contribution reads as a standalone piece.
• Tales of Darkness & Sin: A multi-author dark anthology that appears in some listings alongside her work; contributor rosters have varied by edition/announcement, so treat Soto involvement as uncertain unless your copy explicitly credits her.

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Reading order that stays clean and simple

If you want a smooth tour without tonal whiplash:

1. San Diegan: The Darkest Hour → Scoring the Quarterback → Damaged Heart
2. Twin Lies: Kiss Me with Lies → Bury Me with Lies
3. Chaos: Deception and Chaos → Blood and Chaos → Love and Chaos
4. Then pick standalones by premise (Ache / Hate Thy Neighbor / Chasing the Moon / Seasons / Jake Wilder)

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FAQs

Do the series connect to each other?
Not in a way that requires a shared-universe order. Treat each lane as its own continuity.

What if I only want one book that feels “classic S.M. Soto”?
Start with Hate Thy Neighbor for contemporary banter-to-feelings, or Deception and Chaos for suspense-forward intensity.

Why are some titles missing that I’ve seen on Goodreads?
A few entries appear as low-information listings (sometimes placeholders, alternate formats, or limited-status releases). I’ve only listed books that show up consistently across multiple major bibliographies/series pages.

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Bottom line

If you want the safest first step: The Darkest Hour: A wounded start in a tight friend group turns into love that doesn’t come gently.
If you want her darker, higher-stakes lane first: Deception and Chaos: A cat-and-mouse romance where the lie is the invitation and desire is the trap.