Tal Bauer Books in Order (Updated August 4, 2026)

Tal Bauer writes gay romance across political thrillers, criminal investigations, international suspense, college football, professional hockey, western settings, and emotionally focused contemporary stories.

His bibliography divides sharply into two periods. The earlier novels frequently combine romance with terrorism, espionage, murder investigations, and global political conflict. The later books place more emphasis on athletes, families, friendships, personal recovery, and relationships developing under less extreme circumstances.

Only a few groups require strict order. The Executive Office novels tell one continuing political thriller, Noah and Cole share a two-book murder series, and The Team follows connected college football players. Most of Bauer’s other novels are standalone romances, even when they share themes or make small character connections.

The Reading Decision That Matters Most

Readers should first decide whether they want suspense or contemporary romance.

1. For political romantic suspense, begin with Enemies of the State.
2. For an FBI serial-killer thriller, begin with The Murder Between Us.
3. For college sports romance, begin with The Jock.
4. For professional hockey, begin with Gravity or The Rest of the Story.
5. For a quiet contemporary romance, begin with You & Me.
6. For western romantic suspense, begin with Never Stay Gone.

The safest complete route is to finish each series separately. There is no benefit to forcing every standalone into one fictional chronology.

Tal Bauer’s Continuity Groups

Tal Bauer’s books fall into five practical categories:

1. The Executive Office political universe
2. The Noah and Cole thriller duet
3. The Team college football series
4. Standalone romantic suspense novels
5. Standalone contemporary and sports romances

The Executive Power books grow from characters and political events introduced in Executive Office. They should not be treated as an unrelated series.

Hush and Whisper also belong together. They follow different principal relationships, but Whisper builds directly on characters, losses, and intelligence operations established in Hush.

Executive Office Books in Order

The Executive Office series follows United States President Jack Spiers and Secret Service agent Ethan Reichenbach as their forbidden relationship becomes entangled with terrorism, covert operations, Russian politics, and a conspiracy capable of destabilizing the world.

This is one continuous story. The main novels cannot safely be read out of order.

1. Enemies of the State

Enemies of the State (2016): Newly elected President Jack Spiers falls for Ethan Reichenbach, the agent leading his Secret Service detail, while a rogue black-operations unit moves against the presidency.

The romance and conspiracy begin together. Later books assume complete knowledge of Jack and Ethan’s decisions, so this is the only reliable starting point.

1.5. Interlude: First Noel

Interlude: First Noel (2016): Jack and Ethan attempt to sustain their relationship during their first Christmas apart while public scrutiny, Ethan’s transfer, and a developing international alliance place new pressure on them.

This novella occurs after Enemies of the State and before Enemy of My Enemy. It is optional for the central conspiracy, but it provides important emotional development and introduces political relationships that matter later.

2. Enemy of My Enemy

Enemy of My Enemy (2016): Jack and Ethan make their relationship public as General Madigan expands his campaign against them and the United States moves toward a dangerous alliance with Russia.

The second novel broadens the story beyond the White House and develops supporting characters who later lead the Executive Power books.

3. Enemy Within

Enemy Within (2017): Jack, Ethan, and their allies fight to stop Madigan’s final plan after the conspiracy penetrates the United States government and pushes the conflict into Russia and the Arctic.

This is the conclusion of the principal Executive Office trilogy. It resolves the main political and military conflict begun in Enemies of the State.

Recommended Executive Office Placement

Use this order:

1. Enemies of the State
2. Interlude: First Noel
3. Enemy of My Enemy
4. Enemy Within

Publication order preserves both the political revelations and Jack and Ethan’s relationship.

Placing Interlude: First Noel after the trilogy would not cause confusion, but it would return readers to an earlier stage of the relationship after major later developments have already occurred.

Executive Power Books in Order

Executive Power is a direct spin-off from Executive Office. It follows Russian President Sergey Puchkov and Sasha Andreyev, whose relationship and political circumstances originate in the earlier trilogy.

Readers should complete Executive Office before beginning this series. The opening book assumes knowledge of global events and relationship histories from Enemy of My Enemy and Enemy Within.

1. Ascendent

Ascendent (2018): Russian President Sergey Puchkov and Sasha Andreyev struggle to protect their secret relationship while political enemies and the consequences of the earlier global conflict threaten their future.

The novel shifts the center of power from Washington to Moscow while continuing the political world established in Executive Office.

2. Stars

Stars (2019): Sasha enters a dangerous space mission to stop a forgotten Soviet weapon as his hidden relationship with Sergey becomes increasingly difficult to protect.

This is the second Executive Power book and should be read after Ascendent. It combines the continuing romance with an international and orbital crisis.

Secret Places in This Violent World

Included prequel, digital publication

Secret Places in This Violent World: Adam Cooper and Saudi prince Faisal confront a threat to the kingdom while their secret relationship pushes Adam deeper into morally and politically dangerous territory.

The story is published as a digital serial rather than a conventional numbered novel. It takes place before the main Executive Office series, but it is not the best starting point.

Read it after the Executive Office trilogy, or after Executive Power, because Adam and Faisal are introduced more effectively through the published novels. Chronological-first reading would reduce some of the mystery around their loyalties and history.

Interlude: Cavatina

Optional collection

Interlude: Cavatina (2019): Characters and couples from several of Bauer’s earlier novels return in a collection of follow-up stories showing relationships, reunions, and quieter moments beyond their principal endings.

This is not another Executive Office novel. It collects shorter pieces from multiple continuities.

Read the collection only after completing the books associated with the featured couples. Starting with it would reveal romantic outcomes from earlier novels.

Hush and Whisper Reading Order

Hush and Whisper are not always presented as a formally numbered duology, but they share important characters and intelligence-world continuity.

Hush should be read first. Whisper expands the political and personal consequences of the earlier book and includes spoilers for relationships and losses established there.

1. Hush

Hush (2017): Closeted federal judge Tom Brewer begins a relationship with federal marshal Mike Lucciano while presiding over a terrorism trial that places both men inside a dangerous conspiracy.

The book combines a mature romance with courtroom pressure, federal protection, political violence, and Tom’s fear that living openly could destroy his career.

2. Whisper

Whisper (2018): CIA officer Kris Caldera and former military operative Dawood struggle with love, grief, faith, and loyalty while an intelligence operation reaches across the United States and the Middle East.

The novel is broader and more international than Hush. Its emotional and political context depends on events from the first book.

A Time to Rise

Separate continuity

A Time to Rise (2016): Swiss Guard recruit Cristoph Hasse joins battle-scarred Templar Alain Autenberg against supernatural forces threatening the Vatican and the boundary protecting humanity.

This paranormal action romance is independent of Bauer’s political, crime, and sports books.

Later editions may be labeled as revised or second editions. These are updated versions of the same novel, not additional installments.

Hell and Gone

Standalone romantic suspense

Hell and Gone (2019): A lawman and a rancher confront murder, corruption, and old wounds in a harsh western setting where survival requires them to trust each other.

The novel is a self-contained gay western romantic suspense story. It does not belong to the Big Bend Texas Rangers series, despite sharing law-enforcement and rural Texas elements.

Noah and Cole Thriller Books in Order

The Noah and Cole books follow FBI agent Noah Downing and Cole Kennedy. Their relationship develops alongside investigations involving serial murder, trauma, profiling, and threats that become intensely personal.

These are not connected standalones. The second book continues the same couple and reveals the outcome of the first investigation.

1. The Murder Between Us

The Murder Between Us (2021): FBI agent Noah Downing meets Cole during a night away from home, then discovers their connection may become permanent when Cole is drawn into Noah’s search for a serial killer.

The book establishes Noah’s family life, professional pressures, sexuality, and relationship with Cole.

2. The Grave Between Us

The Grave Between Us (2021): Noah and Cole face a killer connected to Noah’s past, forcing their new relationship into a case built around manipulation, buried trauma, and personal revenge.

The second novel assumes that readers know how Noah and Cole met and what they survived together. Read it immediately after The Murder Between Us.

The Team Books in Order

The Team series follows college football players and people connected to their university team. Both novels feature sexuality becoming difficult to hide within a highly visible athletic environment.

The couples change, but the second book grows from characters and relationships introduced in the first.

1. The Jock

The Jock (2021): College football star Wes Van de Hoek falls for Justin during a study-abroad trip, then must decide whether their relationship can survive the expectations waiting for him back in Texas.

This is the foundation of The Team. It introduces the university, football program, and emotional conflict surrounding public identity.

2. The Quarterback

The Quarterback (2021): Injured quarterback Colton Connors becomes involved with Nick, the father of his friend and teammate, creating an age-gap romance complicated by football, family loyalty, and public attention.

The book can be followed on its own, but it contains returning characters and established couples from The Jock. Read The Jock first to avoid spoilers.

Big Bend Texas Rangers Books

Never Stay Gone

Never Stay Gone (2021): Texas Ranger Dakota Jennings reunites with Shane Walker while investigating murders that force them to confront both a dangerous killer and the relationship they abandoned years earlier.

This is listed as the first Big Bend Texas Rangers novel. As of August 4, 2026, no second published installment has been confirmed.

The novel has a complete central romance and investigation, so it does not end as an unfinished first half of a larger story.

Political Romantic Suspense Standalones

These books use presidents, agents, national security, or government investigations but do not continue Jack and Ethan’s Executive Office storyline.

They should remain outside the Executive Office numbering.

The Night Of

The Night Of (2021): Secret Service agent Sean Avery investigates the apparent suicide of a president after Vice President Jonathan Sharp, Sean’s former lover, insists that the official explanation is wrong.

The murder investigation forces Sean and Jonathan to revisit their relationship while uncovering secrets inside the highest levels of government.

Secret Service

Secret Service (2022): Secret Service agent Reese Theriot becomes drawn to President Brennan Walker while a threat against the administration exposes secrets neither man can safely ignore.

The premise resembles Enemies of the State, but the characters and political continuity are separate. Readers do not need to complete Executive Office first.

Other Romantic Suspense Standalones

Soul on Fire

Soul on Fire (2019): A doctor and an aid or security professional become involved during a deadly humanitarian crisis where political violence and disease place entire communities at risk.

This is a standalone international romantic thriller. It does not belong to Executive Office or the Hush and Whisper continuity.

Splintered

Splintered (2019): Two men become trapped in a psychologically dangerous relationship involving violence, obsession, and moral boundaries that are much darker than Bauer’s conventional romances.

The novel was published within the multi-author Criminal Delights collection. It is separate continuity and carries substantially darker themes than most of Bauer’s bibliography.

Contemporary Romance Standalones

These novels focus primarily on relationships, families, personal identity, and rebuilding a life. They require no earlier series reading.

You & Me

You & Me (2022): Widowed father Luke Hale volunteers with his son’s football team and falls for Landon Larsen, the confident single father whose son is his child’s closest friend.

The novel combines a slow-building friends-to-lovers romance with Luke’s attempt to repair his relationship with his teenage son.

How to Say I Do

How to Say I Do (2023): A man fleeing a public wedding disaster meets a Texas rancher whose steady presence turns an unexpected escape into a relationship neither expected to need.

This is a standalone opposites-attract romance. It shares a Texas setting with several other Bauer books but has its own continuity.

Professional Hockey Romances

Tal Bauer’s hockey novels are generally presented as standalones rather than one formally numbered series.

The safest approach is to read them in publication order. They explore different teams and couples, though small connections or a shared professional-hockey atmosphere may reward readers familiar with the earlier books.

Gravity

Gravity (2022): Canadian hockey star Bryce Michel falls for teammate Hunter while both men face the professional and personal cost of acknowledging a relationship inside elite hockey.

The novel is a complete romance and does not require The Team, which follows college football rather than hockey.

The Rest of the Story

The Rest of the Story (2023): Morgan Elsher is traded to the struggling Rocky Mountain Outlaws and falls for co-captain Shea Darling while trying to rebuild a team damaged by its past.

The story focuses on leadership, abuse within professional sports, team recovery, and the relationship growing between two captains.

The Fall

The Fall (2025): A professional hockey player loses the previous year of his memory and wakes to a successful career and a loving partner he cannot remember meeting.

The romance becomes a reconstruction of the missing year as he hides his amnesia and tries to preserve the life he fears losing.

Is The Fall Connected to Gravity or The Rest of the Story?

The Fall is presented as a standalone hockey romance.

Readers can begin with it without reading Gravity or The Rest of the Story. Publication order remains a reasonable route for readers who want to follow Bauer’s development within professional hockey romance, but it is not a strict continuity requirement.

All Your Tomorrows

Supplemental story connected to The Rest of the Story

All Your Tomorrows: Morgan, Shea, or members of the Rocky Mountain Outlaws receive additional material extending the world and relationships established in The Rest of the Story.

This shorter work is commonly listed as a fractional entry connected to that novel rather than a separate full-length book.

Read it only after The Rest of the Story. Its availability and format have varied, so it should be treated as bonus material rather than a required main installment.

His First Time

Optional short-story collection

His First Time (2019): A collection of gay romantic stories centered on first experiences, emotional discoveries, and men crossing personal boundaries they had not previously confronted.

The collection does not continue one single couple across every story. It can be read independently, although its shorter format differs from Bauer’s full-length romantic suspense novels.

The Complete Tal Bauer Series Order

Readers who want only books with required continuity should use the following sequence.

Executive Office and Executive Power

1. Enemies of the State (2016): President Jack Spiers and Secret Service agent Ethan Reichenbach begin a forbidden relationship during an attack on the presidency.
2. Interlude: First Noel (2016): Jack and Ethan navigate their first Christmas and the strain of separation under public scrutiny.
3. Enemy of My Enemy (2016): Their public relationship becomes part of an expanding international conflict.
4. Enemy Within (2017): Jack, Ethan, and their allies confront the conspiracy’s final global threat.
5. Ascendent (2018): Sergey and Sasha take the central roles as Russian politics threatens their hidden love.
6. Stars (2019): Sasha joins a space mission against a Soviet weapon while his relationship with Sergey remains at risk.
7. Secret Places in This Violent World: Adam and Faisal’s pre-series relationship is explored through an online serial.

Hush and Whisper

1. Hush (2017): A federal judge and marshal fall in love during a dangerous terrorism trial.
2. Whisper (2018): Intelligence operatives confront grief, faith, and global violence after the earlier events.

Noah and Cole

1. The Murder Between Us (2021): Noah and Cole meet as an FBI serial-killer case becomes personal.
2. The Grave Between Us (2021): A killer from Noah’s past targets the life he has begun building with Cole.

The Team

1. The Jock (2021): A college football star falls in love during a trip away from the pressures of home.
2. The Quarterback (2021): A quarterback develops an age-gap relationship with his teammate’s father.

Tal Bauer Standalone Books by Reading Mood

For Action and Global Stakes

1. A Time to Rise (2016): A Swiss Guard and Templar battle supernatural forces beneath Rome.
2. Hush (2017): A judge and marshal confront terrorism and a forbidden relationship.
3. Whisper (2018): Intelligence operatives face an international conflict shaped by faith and loss.
4. Soul on Fire (2019): A romance develops during a dangerous humanitarian crisis.
5. The Night Of (2021): An agent investigates a president’s suspicious death with his former lover.
6. Secret Service (2022): A president and protective agent become involved during a threat to the administration.

For Crime and Rural Suspense

1. Hell and Gone (2019): Murder and corruption bring two men together in a western setting.
2. The Murder Between Us (2021): An FBI agent’s new relationship becomes tied to a serial-killer case.
3. The Grave Between Us (2021): A personal enemy returns to threaten Noah and Cole.
4. Never Stay Gone (2021): Former lovers reunite during a Texas murder investigation.

For Sports Romance

1. The Jock (2021): A college football star falls for a man outside the life expected of him.
2. The Quarterback (2021): An injured quarterback becomes involved with an older man connected to his team.
3. You & Me (2022): Two single fathers grow close through their sons’ high-school football team.
4. Gravity (2022): Two professional hockey players fall in love while protecting their careers.
5. The Rest of the Story (2023): Co-captains rebuild a damaged hockey team and fall for each other.
6. The Fall (2025): An amnesiac hockey player tries to preserve a relationship he cannot remember beginning.

For Relationship-First Contemporary Romance

1. You & Me (2022): A widowed father finds love while rebuilding trust with his son.
2. How to Say I Do (2023): A runaway groom and Texas rancher turn an unexpected refuge into a lasting relationship.
3. The Fall (2025): A man rediscovers his partner and identity after losing a year of memories.

Tal Bauer Books in Publication Order

The publication-order list shows Bauer’s movement from political and supernatural suspense toward crime, sports, family, and relationship-focused romance.

1. A Time to Rise (2016): A Swiss Guard and Templar defend Rome from supernatural enemies.
2. Enemies of the State (2016): A president and Secret Service agent fall in love during a political conspiracy.
3. Enemy of My Enemy (2016): Jack and Ethan’s public relationship collides with an expanding international threat.
4. Interlude: First Noel (2016): The couple faces separation and scrutiny during their first Christmas.
5. Enemy Within (2017): The Executive Office conspiracy reaches its final confrontation.
6. Hush (2017): A federal judge and marshal become involved during a terrorism trial.
7. Whisper (2018): Intelligence agents face love, loss, faith, and a global operation.
8. Ascendent (2018): Sergey and Sasha’s hidden relationship becomes central to Russian political conflict.
9. Hell and Gone (2019): A western murder case brings two men together amid corruption and danger.
10. Stars (2019): Sasha joins an emergency space mission against a Soviet-era weapon.
11. Soul on Fire (2019): An international crisis places a developing relationship inside humanitarian danger.
12. Splintered (2019): A dark relationship tests violence, obsession, and moral limits.
13. His First Time (2019): Short stories explore first experiences and romantic awakenings.
14. Interlude: Cavatina (2019): Earlier couples return in a cross-continuity follow-up collection.
15. The Murder Between Us (2021): FBI agent Noah meets Cole while investigating a serial killer.
16. The Grave Between Us (2021): Noah and Cole confront a killer tied to Noah’s past.
17. The Night Of (2021): A Secret Service agent investigates a president’s apparent suicide with his former lover.
18. The Jock (2021): A college football star’s private romance conflicts with his public future.
19. The Quarterback (2021): A quarterback falls for an older man connected to his teammate.
20. Never Stay Gone (2021): A Texas Ranger reunites with his former love during a murder case.
21. Secret Service (2022): An agent falls for the president he is assigned to protect.
22. You & Me (2022): Two single fathers become friends and then fall in love through high-school football.
23. Gravity (2022): Professional hockey teammates risk their careers for a relationship.
24. The Rest of the Story (2023): Two co-captains fall in love while rebuilding a damaged hockey team.
25. How to Say I Do (2023): A wedding escape leads to an unexpected romance with a Texas rancher.
26. The Fall (2025): A hockey player wakes without the memory of the man and life he loves.

Which Books Have a Different Chronological Order?

The Executive Office interlude creates the main difference between simple publication lists and story chronology.

Interlude: First Noel belongs between Enemies of the State and Enemy of My Enemy, even though some catalog records place it after other trilogy titles.

Secret Places in This Violent World occurs before Executive Office, but recommended order differs from chronological order. Reading it first exposes characters and loyalties that are more effective when discovered through the main novels.

Interlude: Cavatina belongs after the featured couples’ novels, not at one fixed point inside a single series.

The Recommended Tal Bauer Reading Order

A complete reader should begin with one of two tracks.

Suspense-First Route

1. Read Executive Office in full.
2. Continue with Executive Power.
3. Read Hush followed by Whisper.
4. Read the Noah and Cole duet.
5. Add The Night Of, Secret Service, Never Stay Gone, Hell and Gone, and Soul on Fire as separate stories.
6. Read Interlude: Cavatina only after becoming familiar with its returning couples.

This route preserves the major conspiracies, relationship developments, and political revelations.

Romance-First Route

1. Read The Jock followed by The Quarterback.
2. Read You & Me.
3. Read Gravity.
4. Read The Rest of the Story, followed by any related bonus material.
5. Read How to Say I Do.
6. Read The Fall.

This route moves from college sports to family-centered romance and professional hockey without requiring the heavier political thrillers.

Latest Tal Bauer Book

The Fall (2025): A professional hockey player wakes after an on-ice injury with the previous twelve months missing from his memory, including the entire history of the man who loves him.

It was released on September 13, 2025, and is Tal Bauer’s latest verified full-length novel as of August 4, 2026.

The book is a standalone. No previous Tal Bauer title is required before reading it.

Upcoming Tal Bauer Books

No new Tal Bauer novel with a confirmed title and publication date could be reliably verified as of August 4, 2026.

The author’s official bibliography continues to list The Fall as the newest release. Unconfirmed retailer placeholders, social-media speculation, or unrelated books with similar promotional wording should not be treated as announced Tal Bauer titles.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is Tal Bauer’s First Book?

A Time to Rise (2016): Swiss Guard recruit Cristoph Hasse and Templar Alain Autenberg fight supernatural forces threatening Rome and the Vatican.

It is Tal Bauer’s earliest published novel, but it is separate from his better-known political thrillers.

What Is the Best Tal Bauer Book to Start With?

Start with Enemies of the State for political suspense.

Start with You & Me for a relationship-focused contemporary romance. Choose The Jock for college sports, Gravity for professional hockey, or The Murder Between Us for an FBI thriller.

Do the Executive Office Books End on Cliffhangers?

The trilogy tells one continuous conspiracy and should be approached as a complete sequence.

Individual books resolve parts of the story, but the political threat and several relationship arcs continue directly into the next installment.

When Should I Read Interlude: First Noel?

Read it after Enemies of the State and before Enemy of My Enemy.

It is Book 1.5 and follows Jack and Ethan during the months between the first two main novels.

Is Executive Power a Separate Universe?

No. It is a direct Executive Office spin-off.

Sergey and Sasha emerge from the earlier political storyline, and their books contain major spoilers for the Executive Office trilogy.

Should Ascendent Be Read Before Stars?

Yes.

Stars continues Sergey and Sasha’s relationship and assumes readers understand the political situation established in Ascendent.

Are Hush and Whisper Connected?

Yes.

They follow different central characters, but Whisper continues important intelligence, political, and emotional developments from Hush.

Is The Grave Between Us a Standalone?

No.

It is the second Noah and Cole thriller and continues both their relationship and Noah’s personal history. Begin with The Murder Between Us.

Are The Jock and The Quarterback Connected?

Yes.

They take place within the same college football network, and The Quarterback includes characters and romantic outcomes from The Jock.

Is You & Me Part of The Team Series?

No.

It also involves football, but the sport belongs to a high-school setting and the main characters are fathers rather than college players. Its continuity is separate.

Are Gravity and The Rest of the Story in the Same Series?

They are both professional hockey romances, but they are presented as standalone novels rather than numbered installments in one formal series.

Reading Gravity first is optional.

Is All Your Tomorrows a Full-Length Novel?

No. It is supplemental material connected to The Rest of the Story.

Read it after the novel rather than counting it as a separate principal hockey release.

Is The Fall a Sequel?

No.

The Fall is a standalone hockey romance with an amnesia storyline. Readers can begin with it without knowing Bauer’s other athletes or teams.

Is Secret Service Connected to Enemies of the State?

No.

Both feature a romance involving a United States president and a protective agent, but they use different characters and separate political continuities.

Are Hell and Gone and Never Stay Gone Connected?

No confirmed series connection links them.

Both use rural law-enforcement and western suspense elements, but Hell and Gone is a standalone, while Never Stay Gone is labeled as the first Big Bend Texas Rangers book.

What Is Secret Places in This Violent World?

It is a digital Executive Office prequel following Adam and Faisal.

Although it takes place before Enemies of the State, it is better read after the main trilogy because it relies on interest in characters introduced there.

What Is Tal Bauer’s Latest Book?

The Fall is his latest verified novel.

It was published in September 2025 and follows a professional hockey player who loses a year of memories after an on-ice injury.

Conclusion

The correct Tal Bauer reading order depends on whether you begin with suspense or contemporary romance.

For the main political continuity, start with Enemies of the State, place Interlude: First Noel before Enemy of My Enemy, complete Enemy Within, and then move to Ascendent and Stars. This order protects the conspiracy reveals and allows the supporting relationships to develop naturally.

For crime fiction, read The Murder Between Us before The Grave Between Us. For college football, read The Jock before The Quarterback.

The remaining books are largely independent. You & Me, Gravity, The Rest of the Story, How to Say I Do, and The Fall can each serve as an entry point for readers who prefer romance without first completing Bauer’s earlier political thrillers.