The Recommended Reading Path
Avery Keelan has taken the contemporary sports romance world by storm, particularly with her high-heat, high-emotion hockey romances. While almost all of her books are written to be read as standalone stories, they exist in shared worlds with overlapping characters. If you want the most satisfying character crossover experience, we recommend starting with her first-generation characters before moving on to the spinoffs.
Here is the best order to read Avery Keelan's books:
- Rules of the Game Series: Start with Offside (2023) and follow it with Shutout (2023). This introduces the core universe and the initial group of college athletes.
- Lakeside University Hockey Series: Dive into The Enforcer (2022). This spinoff series transitions to the next generation of characters at Lakeside University.
- Standalone Novels: Pick up Otherwise Engaged (2021) for a fun change of pace featuring a fake-engagement trope outside of the ice rink.
Rules of the Game Series
The Rules of the Game series is Avery Keelan's signature college sports romance series. It features intense hockey action, fierce rivalries, and deep emotional stakes. The books in this series are:
- Offside (2023): The book that introduced many readers to Keelan's sports romance world. It follows Bailey, who finds herself caught in a complicated web when she starts falling for Chase Carter—the rival player of her cheating ex-boyfriend. It features the classic "ex's rival" trope and plenty of snarky banter.
- Shutout (2023): The second installment shifts focus to Tyler, a broody hockey goalie, and Olivia, an athletic trainer. The story is highly praised for its forced proximity setup, "grumpy x sunshine" dynamic, and sensitive representation of ADHD and anxiety.
- Overtime (Unreleased): Originally planned as the third book in the series featuring a fake-dating storyline, this book has faced multiple delays and has no official release date. Readers should note that it is currently not available.
Lakeside University Hockey Series
Serving as a spinoff to the Rules of the Game universe, the Lakeside University series features a new generation of college athletes and trainers navigating romance and the pressures of competitive sports.
- The Enforcer (2022): This is the primary published entry in the Lakeside University series. It focuses on the tense, slow-burn relationship between a professional athletic trainer and a protective hockey player. It balances Keelan's signature emotional depth with high-heat romance.
- Note on Lakeside Universe: On platforms like Goodreads, other titles such as The Sniper (2022), The Power Forward, and The Captain (2022) are associated with this universe. Many of these stories originated during the author's early career on serial writing platforms like Wattpad, but The Enforcer remains the cornerstone of the published retail series.
Standalone Novels & Availability Updates
Beyond her main hockey series, Avery Keelan has published standalone contemporary romance novels. However, readers should pay close attention to the current availability of these titles, as some have been retired from digital storefronts.
- Otherwise Engaged (2021): Keelan's debut publication. Unlike her hockey books, this is a contemporary romance centered on Thayer, who invents a fake boyfriend to escape a social predicament, only to end up in a fake engagement with her former high school nemesis, Bennett Bradford. It is fully available and is a must-read for fans of the enemies-to-lovers trope.
- Breakaway (2022): A standalone sports romance following a nursing student and a college hockey captain. Please note: This book is no longer available for retail purchase.
- Top Shelf Series - Playmaker (2023): Although originally intended to launch a series called Top Shelf focusing on a pro hockey star/single dad dynamic, Playmaker is also no longer available for retail purchase.
What to Know Before You Start
Avery Keelan's writing style is defined by an organic, character-driven development process (often referred to as "discovery writing"). This gives her stories a highly realistic, conversational flow. If you are preparing to dive into her books, keep these helpful tips in mind:
- Standalone Flexibility: You do not need to worry about rigid continuity. If a goalie romance sounds more appealing than an ex's rival romance, you can safely read Shutout before Offside without missing critical plot points.
- Wattpad to Amazon Transition: Many of Keelan's concepts were first drafted under her Wattpad handle (averykwrites). The published versions available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited are significantly revised, professionally edited, and contain expanded scenes.
- Content and Tropes: Expect high steam levels, witty banter, and emotional vulnerability. Her books frequently feature tropes like forced proximity, grumpy-meets-sunshine, and fake relationships, alongside sports-centric settings.