Susan Scott Shelley writes contemporary LGBTQ+ romance with a strong focus on hockey, rugby, musicians, small communities, and found family. She has also co-written several series with Chantal Mer and Veronica Forand.
Most Susan Scott Shelley books are interconnected standalones. Each featured couple or relationship receives a complete romantic ending, but later books often show previous characters together and reveal changes in their careers or families.
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The largest connected group begins with Love & Rugby, continues through Love & Rugby: Season of Love, and overlaps with Philadelphia Power. Her older Buffalo Bedlam, Pride of the Bedlam, and Philadelphia Frenzy books form separate hockey settings.
The Reading Order That Matters Most
Readers can begin with almost any Susan Scott Shelley series opener. Her own guidance confirms that each story contains a happily ever after, although starting late in a series may reveal earlier relationship outcomes.
The safest starting points are:
- Spiral for the connected Love & Rugby world.
- Making His Move for Buffalo Bedlam hockey romance.
- Rekindled for her earlier contemporary romance.
- Love Notes for musicians and rock romance.
- Power Move for the multi-author Games We Play hockey setting.
- Something Cryptid This Way Comes for a low-angst small-town shared world.
The most important cross-series rule is to read Love & Rugby before Love & Rugby: Season of Love. Philadelphia Power can then follow for the broadest view of the connected Philadelphia sports community.
Love & Rugby Books in Order
Love & Rugby is co-written by Susan Scott Shelley and Chantal Mer. It follows rugby players, their friends, and the people who become part of their close Philadelphia community.
The stories change lead couples, but the teammates and established relationships return frequently.
Prequel: Spiral
Spiral (2021): A rugby-connected romance introduces the wider group before the numbered series, using emotional upheaval and an unexpected connection to establish the community that later books expand.
The story takes place from late August through September 2019. It is the earliest book in the official timeline.
1. Spark
Spark (2022): A new relationship ignites within the rugby circle, bringing together two men whose attraction develops faster than either expected while personal obligations complicate their future.
The main story takes place from May through July 2020, with an epilogue in September 2020.
2. Smolder
Smolder (2022): A slow-building attraction becomes harder to contain as two men connected to the team move from private interest toward a relationship with lasting consequences.
Its timeline runs from September through the middle of December 2020, followed by a spring 2021 epilogue.
3. Shine
Shine (2022): A man accustomed to supporting others receives his own romance, where being fully seen requires him to lower defenses he has relied on for years.
The story begins in June 2021 and continues into November, with an epilogue set in June 2022.
4. Surprise
Surprise (2022): An unexpected development changes the plans of another rugby-connected couple, pushing them to decide whether their relationship can adapt to a future neither anticipated.
The main events run from December 2021 through April 2022, with an epilogue in July 2022.
Series Follow-Up: Swoon
Swoon (2022): A final featured romance returns to the rugby family in June 2022, bringing another couple together while revisiting the relationships established throughout the series.
The epilogue takes place in June 2023.
Complete Love & Rugby Order
Read the six stories in this sequence:
- Spiral (2021): Introduces the rugby community during the earliest point in the timeline.
- Spark (2022): Begins the numbered series through a fast-developing attraction.
- Smolder (2022): Continues the shared world with a slower emotional build.
- Shine (2022): Moves the timeline into 2021 and expands the recurring group.
- Surprise (2022): Introduces an unexpected change with lasting relationship consequences.
- Swoon (2022): Completes the original series and returns to established couples.
A complete-series collection contains all six books in this order. It does not add a seventh original romance.
Love & Rugby: Season of Love Books in Order
Season of Love continues the community introduced in Love & Rugby. The first three books occur during overlapping holidays in late 2022 and early 2023.
The series should be read after Swoon because friends and former couples from the original rugby books appear throughout.
1. Savor
Savor (2022): A food-centered holiday romance brings together two men whose attraction develops amid autumn celebrations and the expanding rugby found family.
The main story runs from mid-October through early December 2022, with an epilogue in October 2023.
2. Seduce
Seduce (2022): A flirtation begun during the holiday season becomes a more serious relationship as both men confront what they actually want beyond immediate attraction.
The story overlaps Savor, beginning in mid-October and continuing through late December 2022. Its epilogue takes place in February 2023.
3. Stay
Stay (2023): Florist Seth Stevens hires his former boyfriend Devonte for temporary winter work, giving the longtime friends another chance at the college relationship they never fully left behind.
The main story runs from December 2022 through March 2023, with an epilogue set in winter 2024.
4. Smitten
Smitten (2026): A cookie order delivered to the wrong person brings baker Casimir Costas together with brewery owner Blaze Santora, turning a birthday surprise into a Valentine’s romance neither man expected.
The story takes place in February 2025 and reconnects with characters from both Love & Rugby series.
Smitten first appeared in the limited-time Candy Hearts, Volume Two anthology in 2025. The standalone edition was published in February 2026.
Philadelphia Power Books in Order
Philadelphia Power is co-written with Chantal Mer and belongs to the broader Philadelphia sports world. The series focuses on professional hockey players and the men whose lives become linked to the team.
Each novel changes lead couples, but team events and established relationships continue.
1. Against the Rush
Against the Rush (2023): A Philadelphia hockey player becomes involved in a relationship that challenges the pace and pressure of his professional career, opening the Power series through sport, vulnerability, and found family.
The story takes place from September through December 2022, with an epilogue in April 2023.
2. Over the Top
Over the Top (2023): Another member of the Philadelphia sports community faces a romance that pushes beyond his usual limits, with public attention and personal risk making the relationship difficult to contain.
The main story occurs in June 2023, followed by an epilogue in September.
3. Behind the Mask
Behind the Mask (2023): A man accustomed to hiding behind a controlled public image must reveal the private fears and needs that stand between him and a lasting relationship.
The novel runs from mid-October through November 2023, with an epilogue in July 2024.
4. From the First
From the First (2024): A serious collision brings hockey player Malcolm Stewart together with a community-connected man, creating a relationship shaped by recovery and an immediate emotional bond.
The story takes place during November and December 2023, overlapping part of the timeline of Behind the Mask.
How Love & Rugby and Philadelphia Power Fit Together
For the fullest Philadelphia continuity, use this order:
- Complete Love & Rugby.
- Read Savor.
- Read Seduce.
- Read Stay.
- Read Against the Rush.
- Read Over the Top.
- Read Behind the Mask.
- Read From the First.
- Read Smitten.
The exact timelines overlap in places, especially during late 2022 and 2023. Publication order remains easier than trying to alternate chapters or scenes by date.
Buffalo Bedlam Books in Order
Buffalo Bedlam follows professional hockey players connected to the Buffalo team. These are interconnected standalones with new couples in each installment.
1. Making His Move
Making His Move (2017): A Buffalo hockey player takes a romantic risk away from the rink, beginning the series through professional pressure and a relationship that demands more honesty than he expected.
2. Fighting for More
Fighting for More (2017): Another player must decide whether he is willing to fight for a relationship after attraction becomes more serious than the limited connection he originally accepted.
3. Taking His Shot
Taking His Shot (2017): A hockey player pursues an opportunity in love with the same determination he brings to the sport, while doubts and personal history threaten the relationship.
4. Skating on Chance
Skating on Chance (2018): An unexpected opportunity brings a new couple together, forcing both men to decide whether a risky connection deserves a genuine chance.
5. Holding On Tight
Holding On Tight (2018): The final Buffalo Bedlam romance challenges its central couple to hold on through professional change and personal uncertainty.
The published series is complete at five books.
Pride of the Bedlam Books in Order
Pride of the Bedlam is a connected spin-off from the Buffalo hockey world. It focuses on LGBTQ+ players and relationships within or around the team.
Read Buffalo Bedlam first for the broadest background.
1. Skating on Chance
Skating on Chance (2018): A player takes a romantic chance that connects the main Buffalo Bedlam series with its Pride-centered continuation.
Some catalogs associate this title with both Buffalo Bedlam and Pride of the Bedlam. It is one novel, not two separate books.
2. Holding On Tight
Holding On Tight (2018): A hockey relationship faces the pressure of remaining secure when career and personal changes threaten the couple’s stability.
This title also appears in both series lists because it forms part of the transition between them.
3. Scoring Slater
Scoring Slater (2020): Hockey player Slater becomes the focus of a new romance, continuing the Bedlam world with a complete couple story and appearances by established characters.
Scoring Slater was also released as part of the multi-author Hockey Allies Bachelor Bid project.
Philadelphia Frenzy Books in Order
Philadelphia Frenzy is a separate professional hockey series. It should not be confused with the later Philadelphia Power books.
1. Mad Scramble
Mad Scramble (2018): A Philadelphia hockey player enters a relationship during a chaotic period in his personal and professional life, beginning the two-book team series.
2. Hometown Hero
Hometown Hero (2019): A local sports figure returns to familiar people and expectations, where public admiration complicates a more private relationship.
The series is complete at two books.
Atlantic City Hustlers Books in Order
Atlantic City Hustlers was co-written with Veronica Forand. It combines hockey romance with the atmosphere and pressures of Atlantic City.
1. Flirting on Ice
Flirting on Ice (2014): A hockey player and the person who catches his attention begin a romance where flirtation must survive professional obligations and outside scrutiny.
2. Simmering Ice
Simmering Ice (2015): Another Hustlers relationship develops more gradually, with attraction intensifying beneath the surface until the couple can no longer avoid it.
The books feature separate romances and can be read as a short two-book series.
Game of Love Books in Order
Game of Love contains three connected contemporary romances. These books are not sports stories despite the series name.
1. Rekindled
Rekindled (2015): Actress Gemma Norwood reconnects with a relationship from her past, forcing both characters to examine why their first chance ended and whether trust can be rebuilt.
2. Captivated
Captivated (2015): A new couple becomes emotionally entangled after an attraction that begins with fascination and grows into a relationship neither can control from a safe distance.
3. Enamored
Enamored (2017): The final Game of Love romance follows another connected character whose growing feelings challenge the assumptions protecting his heart.
The series changes couples and is best read in publication order.
Rocked by Love Books in Order
Rocked by Love follows musicians and the people who become part of their lives.
1. Love Notes
Love Notes (2016): A musician’s connection with another man develops through creativity and shared emotion, opening a rock-centered romance where private feelings become difficult to hide.
2. Love Song
Love Song (2016): Another music-industry relationship becomes the focus, using performance, artistic ambition, and emotional honesty to complete the two-book series.
The books follow different central romances but share the same broader music world.
Holiday Hearts Books in Order
Holiday Hearts contains four seasonal romances. Each story is complete, while recurring holiday settings and connections give the collection a natural progression.
1. Kiss Me Again
Kiss Me Again (2016): A holiday reunion gives two people another opportunity to act on feelings or repair a relationship that once ended too soon.
2. More Than Words
More Than Words (2016): A seasonal connection challenges its central couple to communicate feelings that ordinary conversation has failed to express.
3. All I Want
All I Want (2016): One character’s holiday wish becomes possible through an unexpected romance, though accepting it requires emotional honesty and a willingness to change existing plans.
4. Marry Me
Marry Me (2017): The fourth Holiday Hearts story moves from seasonal attraction toward lasting commitment and the possibility of marriage.
These stories can be read individually, but the listed order preserves recurring relationships and holiday developments.
The Games We Play Books by Susan Scott Shelley
The Games We Play is a multi-author minor-league hockey universe. All books in each season occur during the same hockey season and can be read in any order.
Susan Scott Shelley has written two connected entries following the Saint Paul Slash and Minneapolis Metros.
Power Move
Power Move (2024): Minor-league center Sage Murray meets injured major-league defenseman Rhys Farrell, and their attraction becomes more serious when both men eventually find themselves in the same Metros lineup.
The story addresses anxiety, family expectations, injury, teammates becoming found family, and the complications of dating another player.
It belongs to season one of The Games We Play.
Game Winner
Game Winner (2025): Drummer Bax Knight becomes involved with hockey players Soren Lindstrom and Tyler Moore, creating an MMM relationship shaped by ambition, repeated injuries, friendship, and the desire to belong.
The story returns to the Saint Paul Slash and Minneapolis Metros from Power Move. It can stand alone, but reading Power Move first provides more team context.
It belongs to season two of The Games We Play.
Love in Maplewood Book
Love in Maplewood is a multi-author low-angst queer romance series. Each book follows a different couple during one of the Vermont town’s festivals.
Something Cryptid This Way Comes
Something Cryptid This Way Comes (2025): Innkeeper Trevor Casal hosts Maplewood’s Cryptid Night and reunites with podcaster Bram Macleod, his longtime best friend and secret love, while reports of the town’s monster increase around them.
The book is Love in Maplewood book nine but functions as a complete standalone. Reading the other authors’ contributions adds town context but is not required.
Bliss Bakery Book
Sugar Crush
Sugar Crush (2019): A bakery-centered romance brings together two people through sweets, work, and an attraction that becomes increasingly difficult to separate from professional life.
Only one confirmed Bliss Bakery novel by Susan Scott Shelley has been published.
The Falling Series
Falling Faster
Falling Faster (2020): A rock musician and an artist begin a whirlwind vacation romance, then must decide whether a connection formed away from ordinary life can survive once the trip ends.
The novella was later reissued after its original release. A newer edition does not represent another story.
Other Shared-World and Anthology Contributions
Susan Scott Shelley has contributed to numerous charity anthologies and multi-author worlds.
Scoring Slater
Scoring Slater (2020): A hockey romance follows Slater as a bachelor event or team connection places him in the path of a man capable of changing his expectations about love.
The book is part of Hockey Allies Bachelor Bid and also connects to Pride of the Bedlam.
Hold on Forever
Hold on Forever (2024): Rock musician London Best helps former boy-band member Maddox Muldoon through a career crisis, turning years of attraction and friendship into a relationship during a music festival.
The story appeared in Love Is All, Volume Seven. It has connections to Shelley’s Philadelphia music world but is not a numbered Rocked by Love novel.
Smitten
Smitten (2025 anthology appearance, 2026 standalone): A mistaken cookie delivery introduces Casimir and Blaze, whose Valentine’s attraction links them to the established Love & Rugby community.
The original anthology and standalone editions contain the same central romance.
Love Is All Anthologies
Love Is All, Volume Two (2019): A charity romance anthology includes a Susan Scott Shelley contribution alongside work by other authors.
Love Is All, Volume Three (2020): The annual charity collection returns with another group of LGBTQ+ romance stories.
Love Is All, Volume Four (2021): A further limited anthology contains a new contribution outside the numbered series.
Love Is All, Volume Five (2022): The fifth charity collection continues the annual multi-author project.
Love Is All, Volume Six (2023): Another group of romance stories supports the anthology’s charitable purpose.
Love Is All, Volume Seven (2024): Includes Hold on Forever, a friends-to-lovers rock romance connected to Shelley’s musician characters.
Love Is All, Volume Eight (2025): The eighth anthology contains another limited-release story among contributions from several authors.
Anthology availability may be temporary. These collections should not be counted as new full-length entries in the author’s principal series.
Boxed Sets and Complete Collections
Susan Scott Shelley has issued several complete-series editions.
Love & Rugby: The Complete Collection: Contains Spiral, Spark, Smolder, Shine, Surprise, and Swoon.
A Buffalo Bedlam collection may package the five main hockey romances in series order.
Other bundles may combine Holiday Hearts, Game of Love, or connected Philadelphia stories.
Collections contain previously released books unless the contents specifically identify an exclusive bonus scene. Purchasing a complete collection and the individual novels will usually duplicate the same stories.
Broad Publication Order
A complete date-by-date sequence mixes unrelated worlds, but the progression below helps identify original publication periods.
2014 to 2015
- Flirting on Ice (2014): Begins Atlantic City Hustlers.
- Simmering Ice (2015): Completes the two-book hockey series.
- Rekindled (2015): Opens Game of Love through a second-chance relationship.
- Captivated (2015): Adds another connected contemporary romance.
2016 to 2017
- Love Notes (2016): Begins Rocked by Love.
- Love Song (2016): Completes the musician series.
- Kiss Me Again (2016): Opens Holiday Hearts.
- More Than Words (2016): Continues the seasonal romances.
- All I Want (2016): Adds the third holiday story.
- Marry Me (2017): Completes Holiday Hearts.
- Enamored (2017): Finishes Game of Love.
- Making His Move (2017): Opens Buffalo Bedlam.
- Fighting for More (2017): Continues the hockey team.
- Taking His Shot (2017): Adds the third Bedlam relationship.
2018 to 2020
- Skating on Chance (2018): Continues Buffalo Bedlam and leads into Pride of the Bedlam.
- Holding On Tight (2018): Completes the main Buffalo sequence.
- Mad Scramble (2018): Opens Philadelphia Frenzy.
- Hometown Hero (2019): Completes Philadelphia Frenzy.
- Sugar Crush (2019): Begins Bliss Bakery.
- Falling Faster (2020): A musician and artist begin a fast vacation romance.
- Scoring Slater (2020): Continues the Bedlam hockey world through a shared project.
2021 to 2022
- Spiral (2021): Introduces the Love & Rugby community.
- Spark (2022): Begins its numbered sequence.
- Smolder (2022): Continues the rugby group.
- Shine (2022): Adds a third numbered relationship.
- Surprise (2022): Expands the community through an unexpected development.
- Swoon (2022): Completes the original rugby series.
- Savor (2022): Opens Season of Love.
- Seduce (2022): Continues the overlapping holiday timeline.
2023 to 2026
- Stay (2023): Reunites former college boyfriends in a florist-shop romance.
- Against the Rush (2023): Begins Philadelphia Power.
- Over the Top (2023): Adds the second professional hockey relationship.
- Behind the Mask (2023): Continues the Power team.
- From the First (2024): Completes the current Philadelphia Power sequence.
- Power Move (2024): Connects minor-league and major-league hockey players in The Games We Play.
- Something Cryptid This Way Comes (2025): Brings best friends together during Maplewood’s Halloween festival.
- Game Winner (2025): Forms an MMM relationship among a drummer and two hockey players.
- Smitten (2026): A cookie delivery mistake sparks a Valentine’s romance in the rugby world.
Anthology appearances and later reissues are excluded when they would count the same story twice.
Chronological Order
Susan Scott Shelley’s full bibliography does not share one timeline. Buffalo Bedlam, Atlantic City Hustlers, Game of Love, and the multi-author shared worlds should remain separate.
The connected Philadelphia timeline is the only area where chronology differs slightly from a simple series list.
The practical order is:
- Spiral
- Spark
- Smolder
- Shine
- Surprise
- Swoon
- Savor
- Seduce
- Stay
- Against the Rush
- Over the Top
- Behind the Mask
- From the First
- Smitten
Some Season of Love and Philadelphia Power books overlap by month. Publication order remains the least confusing approach because it preserves introductions and relationship reveals.
Recommended Reading Order
For a representative introduction to Susan Scott Shelley, begin with the Philadelphia-connected romances.
Read the six Love & Rugby stories first. Continue through Season of Love, then move to Philadelphia Power. This gives the largest recurring cast and the clearest example of the author’s found-family storytelling.
Afterward, choose Buffalo Bedlam for an earlier hockey series or Rocked by Love for musicians.
Readers wanting newer shared worlds can read Power Move before Game Winner. Something Cryptid This Way Comes stands separately and requires no previous books.
Latest Susan Scott Shelley Book
The latest confirmed standalone release is Smitten, published in February 2026.
Smitten (2026): Baker Casimir Costas meets brewery owner Blaze Santora after a cookie order mix-up, and their unexpected birthday connection develops into a Valentine’s romance within the Love & Rugby community.
The story previously appeared in Candy Hearts, Volume Two in February 2025. The 2026 edition made it available as its own book.
No later 2026 novel with a firmly confirmed release date was identified at the time of this update.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was Susan Scott Shelley’s first book?
Flirting on Ice was published in 2014 and was co-written with Veronica Forand.
Flirting on Ice (2014): A hockey romance begins the Atlantic City Hustlers series through attraction complicated by professional sport and public pressure.
What Susan Scott Shelley book should I read first?
Begin with Spiral for the author’s largest connected world.
Spiral (2021): An early rugby-community romance introduces characters and connections that continue through Love & Rugby and Season of Love.
Begin with Making His Move when hockey is the priority.
Can Susan Scott Shelley’s books be read as standalones?
Yes. Her books provide complete romantic endings.
Reading a later series book may reveal that earlier couples are together, married, or otherwise settled. Publication order is preferable when completing an entire series.
Do Love & Rugby books follow the same couple?
No. Each story features a different central relationship.
The rugby players, friends, relatives, and previous couples remain part of the recurring community.
Should Spiral be read before Spark?
Yes.
Spiral takes place in 2019, before Spark, and serves as the earliest introduction to the Love & Rugby group.
Where does Swoon fit?
Swoon comes after Surprise and completes the original six-book Love & Rugby sequence.
It should be read before Season of Love.
Does Season of Love connect to Love & Rugby?
Yes. It continues the same extended community.
Begin Season of Love with Savor only after reading the original series when full character context matters.
Are Savor, Seduce, and Stay chronological?
Their stories overlap during the holiday season of late 2022.
The recommended order is Savor, Seduce, and Stay, matching the official series numbering.
Where does Smitten belong?
Smitten is Love & Rugby: Season of Love book four.
It takes place in February 2025 and should be read after Stay.
Is Smitten a new story or an anthology reissue?
It is the same central story that appeared in Candy Hearts, Volume Two in 2025.
The February 2026 edition is its standalone release.
Are Philadelphia Power and Philadelphia Frenzy the same series?
No.
Philadelphia Frenzy contains Mad Scramble and Hometown Hero. Philadelphia Power is a later four-book hockey series co-written with Chantal Mer.
Should Philadelphia Power be read after Love & Rugby?
Yes, for the fullest connected-world experience.
The series share Philadelphia sports and social connections, although Against the Rush can still introduce the Power team independently.
Are Buffalo Bedlam and Pride of the Bedlam connected?
Yes.
Skating on Chance and Holding On Tight appear in both series classifications because they help form the transition into Pride of the Bedlam.
Do not buy duplicate copies solely because a catalog lists them under two series.
Is Scoring Slater part of Buffalo Bedlam?
It belongs to the connected Bedlam world and is commonly listed as Pride of the Bedlam book three.
It was also published through the Hockey Allies Bachelor Bid shared project.
Do Power Move and Game Winner connect?
Yes.
Both return to the Saint Paul Slash and Minneapolis Metros teams in The Games We Play shared world.
Game Winner can stand alone, but Power Move introduces the teams and several recurring connections.
Does The Games We Play need to be read in order?
No. All books in each season run concurrently and are designed to be read in any order.
Susan Scott Shelley’s two contributions have a direct setting connection, so reading Power Move before Game Winner is still preferable.
Is Something Cryptid This Way Comes a paranormal romance?
It uses cryptid sightings and a town monster as part of its Halloween setting.
The central story is a low-angst best-friends-to-lovers romance. Readers do not need to treat it as part of a continuing paranormal plot.
Is Love in Maplewood one-author series?
No. It is a multi-author shared world.
Something Cryptid This Way Comes is Susan Scott Shelley’s contribution and is numbered ninth in the wider series.
Are the Love Is All anthologies required?
No.
They are charity collections containing work by multiple authors. Some stories connect loosely to Shelley’s existing characters, but they do not change the order of her main series.
Is Falling Faster part of Rocked by Love?
It shares a musician-centered premise, but it is presented as its own novella rather than a numbered third Rocked by Love book.
What is Susan Scott Shelley’s latest book?
Smitten is the latest confirmed standalone edition, released in February 2026.
It follows Casimir and Blaze in the continuing Love & Rugby community.
Conclusion
Begin with Spiral and follow the complete Love & Rugby sequence through Swoon. Continue with Savor, Seduce, Stay, and Smitten for the Season of Love romances.
Philadelphia Power fits naturally after those books, although its four hockey romances can also be read as their own series. Buffalo Bedlam and Philadelphia Frenzy provide separate earlier hockey settings.
For recent shared-world books, read Power Move before Game Winner. Choose Something Cryptid This Way Comes when you want a self-contained small-town Halloween romance.
Publication order is the simplest rule within every series. It preserves recurring-character introductions while keeping the separate hockey, music, holiday, and shared-world continuities clearly divided.
Frank is the editor of BookSeries.blog, focusing on publication order, chronological timelines, and spoiler-free reading guides for book series and fictional universes.