The Best Way to Experience Mounts Bay
Welcome to Mounts Bay, a fictional coastal city where high-society privilege clashes with a deadly criminal underworld. Author J. Bree has crafted a dark, addictive universe filled with suspense, mafia politics, and intense reverse harem romance. While the setting hosts several interconnected series and standalones, the absolute best starting point for any reader is the flagship series: Hannaford Prep.
This series centers on Eclipse 'Lips' Anderson, a street-smart teenager trying to escape a gritty gang past by attending the elite Hannaford Preparatory Academy on a scholarship. However, the school's wealthy students have no idea that the girl they are targeting and bullying is actually a legendary underworld figure known as "The Wolf." To survive, Lips must outwit her classmates, navigate complex alliances, and face the dangerous figures of Mounts Bay's streets.
If you want to experience the overarching storylines, character crossovers, and plot threads in the most satisfying way, we recommend following the publication order. This allows you to discover the mysteries of Mounts Bay alongside Lips before diving into the prequels and spin-offs that expand on the city's history and other key players.
The Core Hannaford Prep Reading Order
The main narrative of Hannaford Prep is told across a four-book run published between 2019 and 2020. These books must be read in order, as they follow a continuous timeline:
- Just Drop Out (2019): Lips Anderson enters the elite Hannaford Academy. Instantly targeted by the school's ruthless golden boys and the cruel queen bee Avery, Lips must play the role of a helpless scholarship student to keep her true identity hidden.
- Make Your Move (2019): The stakes rise as Lips' past begins to catch up with her. Her connections to the academy's ruling trio—Harley, Ash, and Blaise—grow deeper and more complex as she balances school drama with street violence.
- Play the Game (2019): The slow-burn romance begins to ignite in this third volume. As gang rivalries heat up, Lips is forced to step into her role as the Wolf to protect those she has come to care about.
- To the End (2020): The action-packed finale of Lips' high school journey. This book ties up the main conflicts, seals the bonds of her reverse harem, and establishes her place at the top of the Mounts Bay underworld.
Prequels and Companion Stories
Once you finish the main quartet, you can expand your understanding of the world with J. Bree's prequels and alternate perspective books:
- Make My Move (2021): This is a companion novel that retells the events of the second book, Make Your Move, entirely from the perspectives of the male characters (Harley, Ash, and Blaise). It offers deep insight into their motivations and feelings before they fully aligned with Lips.
- The Butcher of the Bay Duet (2020): Composed of The Butcher of the Bay: Part I and The Butcher of the Bay: Part II, this prequel duet focuses on the origins of Illi and Odie, two key figures in the Mounts Bay underworld. While these events take place chronologically before Hannaford Prep, reading them first can spoil some of the mysteries of the main series. We highly recommend reading this duet immediately after finishing To the End.
The Sequels and Standalones
After wrapping up the main series and the prequels, you are ready to see how Mounts Bay evolves in the aftermath of Lips' ascent:
- The Queen Crow Trilogy (2020–2021): This series consists of All Hail (2020), The Ruthless (2021), and Queen Crow (2021). It follows Avery Beaumont, Lips’ chief rival turned close friend. Avery's story picks up right after the events of Hannaford Prep, detailing her struggle to survive and claim her own power in the Mounts Bay underworld.
- Angel Unseen (2020): Set within the same shared universe, this standalone novel introduces the Unseen Motorcycle Club. It provides a look at a different corner of the Mounts Bay world, blending the familiar gritty tone with new characters and dynamics.
Publication Order vs. Chronological Order
For the absolute best reading experience, we strongly advise sticking to the publication order rather than chronological order. Here is the recommended path:
- Just Drop Out (Hannaford Prep Book 1)
- Make Your Move (Hannaford Prep Book 2)
- Play the Game (Hannaford Prep Book 3)
- To the End (Hannaford Prep Book 4)
- The Butcher of the Bay: Part I (Prequel Duet)
- The Butcher of the Bay: Part II (Prequel Duet)
- Angel Unseen (Unseen MC Standalone)
- All Hail (Queen Crow Book 1)
- The Ruthless (Queen Crow Book 2)
- Queen Crow (Queen Crow Book 3)
- Make My Move (Hannaford Prep Companion - can be read anytime after Book 2, but works best as a revisit after the main quartet)
If you read chronologically, you would start with The Butcher of the Bay duet. However, because the duet assumes familiarity with the world and its characters, starting there can feel confusing and robs the main Hannaford Prep series of its best surprises.
What to Know Before You Start
Before diving in, keep in mind that Hannaford Prep is a dark romance series. It features themes of severe bullying, gang violence, trauma, and explicit reverse harem relationships. The romance is a true slow burn, with the romantic elements not fully coming together until the third book, allowing the plot and individual character development to take center stage first.