Sam Mariano Books in Order (Updated 2026-02-14)

Sam Mariano writes romance with sharp edges, often dark, often morally gray, and frequently organized into distinct story worlds. Some of those worlds are tightly serialized (you must start at book one), while others are true standalones.

To keep this useful, this guide is built like a library shelf label: you pick the shelf you want, then read straight down.

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The shelf you choose changes the rules

If you want one continuous saga (no skipping): go straight to Morelli Family.
If you want elite-campus intensity with linked standalones: start at Coastal Elite #1.
If you want a quick “one-book test” first: choose a standalone like Untouchable or The Boy on the Bridge.
If you want “everything by series,” not one mega-list: follow the sections below.

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The Morelli World

Morelli Family (Chicago) – read in this order

This is a true series (each book assumes you already know what happened before).

1. Accidental Witness: A single moment of being in the wrong place ties an ordinary life to a crime family’s orbit.
2. Surviving Mateo: Danger becomes personal as the most volatile connection refuses to stay contained.
3. Once Burned: A scarred past and a ruthless present collide, and both sides learn what “mine” costs.
4. Family Ties: Loyalty lines harden as relationships and family business stop being separable.
5. Resisting Mateo: The push-and-pull turns into a full-scale war of wills, with fallout for everyone nearby.
6. Coming Home: Returning isn’t comfort, it’s confrontation, with the past waiting at the door.
7. Last Words: Endgame decisions land, and the series forces final answers instead of compromises.
   7.5 Entrapment (novella): A shorter, pressure-cooker installment that deepens the aftermath between major turns.
8. Old Flame: A later return that works best after the main arc has already branded you with context.

Vegas Morellis – best read after the Chicago series (in this order)

This is a spin-off branch of the Morelli world, built to hit harder once you already know the family dynamics.

1. Staying in Vegas: A fresh start in a glittering city turns into a trap when the wrong person takes interest.
2. Sinning in Vegas: Temptation and control escalate as the couple learns Vegas doesn’t keep secrets.
3. Submitting in Vegas: The relationship reaches its reckoning point, where surrender means choosing it on purpose.

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Coastal Elite World

Coastal Elite – read in this order

These are linked standalones inside a shared elite environment; reading in order keeps cameos and reveals clean.

1. Even If It Hurts: An obsessive connection forms in a high-status world where power is social currency.
2. Undertow: What looks like control becomes dependency as the tide pulls harder than either admits.
3. Contempt: Resentment turns intimate, and the line between punishment and devotion blurs.
4. Surrender (also published as Sophie’s Surrender): A relationship built on leverage tests whether love can survive ownership games.

Secret Society (Coastal Elite spinoff) – same timeline as Surrender

1. Brutal Ambition: A secret society romance that expands the Coastal Elite circle without requiring you to read everything first.

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The Untouchables lane

Untouchables – currently listed as two books

1. Untouchable: A bully romance where the power imbalance is the point, and the “win” doesn’t look like redemption.
2. Unbeatable (status unclear): Listed as book two in the series, but release details may vary by retailer/listing.

Note: Because availability/details for Unbeatable can be inconsistent across listings, treat it as announced/limited-info unless you can confirm it where you buy books.

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Early/New Adult series

Because of You – read in this order

1. Because of You: An enemies-to-lovers setup that leans into messy choices and sharp consequences.
2. After You: A later continuation that revisits the damage, the bond, and what it takes to stay.

Irreparable – read in this order

1. Irreparable Damage: Two people form an intense bond under extreme circumstances.
2. Irreparable Lives: The aftermath becomes the story, survival, attachment, and what “normal” can’t be again.

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Standalone novels (read anytime)

• Beautiful Mistakes: A contemporary new adult romance where the “wrong” choice keeps feeling right.
• The Last Boss’ Daughter: A darker standalone with fairy-tale echoes and modern power games.
• Stitches: A high-heat ménage romance built around risk, intimacy, and pushing boundaries.
• The Imperfections: A relationship story that leans into flaws, compromises, and uncomfortable honesty.
• The Boy on the Bridge: A connection that begins young turns into something intense, complicated, and hard to escape.

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Short fiction and collections

Novella / short story

• The Best Man: A shorter, punchy romance built around commitment pressure and emotional reckoning.

Collections / anthologies (optional)

These are best treated as Separate continuity unless you’re collecting everything.

• A Valentine’s Day Treat: Two Short Stories: Two shorter pieces packaged together for a quick read.
• Bully Me: Class of 2020 (anthology): Multi-author collection; Sam Mariano appears as a contributor.
• Bully God (anthology): Multi-author collection; Sam Mariano appears as a contributor.
• The Christmas Collection: A seasonal bundle edition.

Contributed shared-world series (optional)

• Descent (Heaven & Hell shared-world): A dark standalone entry inside a multi-author series.
• Resisting Mr. Granville (Blurred Lines): A standalone entry inside a multi-author series.
• Tales of Darkness and Sin (contains a Sam Mariano story): A collection that includes her work alongside others.

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A low-confusion reading plan

If you want one clean route that avoids accidental spoilers:

1. Morelli Family (book 1 through Old Flame)
2. Vegas Morellis (all three)
3. Coastal Elite (1-4) → then Brutal Ambition if you want the spinoff context
4. Sample standalones anywhere (especially Untouchable and The Boy on the Bridge)

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Best starting point

If you want the most “this is what she does” experience: Even If It Hurts (Coastal Elite #1).
If you want a full saga that keeps escalating: Accidental Witness (Morelli Family #1).