Where to Start Reading Becca Steele
Becca Steele has quickly built a reputation as a powerhouse in contemporary new adult romance, romantic suspense, and M/M romance. Because her catalog spans different romantic configurations—including male/female (M/F), male/male (M/M), and reverse harem (why-choose) polyamorous stories—the best place to start depends heavily on your preferred tropes and pairings.
If you prefer M/F romance, dark academy settings, and high-stakes suspense, you should start with the core trilogy of The Four series, beginning with The Lies We Tell. This storyline sets up the wider Alstone universe and contains some of her most popular character dynamics.
If you prefer M/M college sports romance with lower angst, plenty of banter, and mutual support, start with the London Southwark University (LSU) series, beginning with Blindsided. Alternatively, her standalone novel Savage Rivals is widely praised as an excellent introduction to her enemies-to-lovers sports romance style.
The Alstone Universe: The Four & Alstone High
The Alstone universe is Steele's signature world, blending college drama, dark secrets, and intense romance. The books within this universe are split into two primary series, but they share characters and locations.
The Four Series
The Four series follows an elite group of students at Alstone College. The first three books must be read in chronological and publication order, as they form a continuous trilogy following the relationship between Winter Huntington and Caiden Cavendish. From Book 4 onward, the series transitions to interconnected standalones focusing on other members of the group.
- The Lies We Tell (2020) – Required starting point for the main trilogy. Follows Winter and Caiden's enemies-to-lovers romance.
- The Secrets We Hide (2020) – Trilogy Book 2. Continues Winter and Caiden's story.
- The Havoc We Wreak (2020) – Trilogy Book 3. The conclusion to Winter and Caiden's main arc.
- The Fight In Us (2021) – Standalone. Follows Cassius and Lena.
- The Bonds We Break (2021) – Standalone. Follows Cade and Romy.
- Mayhem (2021) – Standalone. Follows Weston and Lola.
- The Darkness In You (2023) – Standalone. Follows Jaxon and Cora.
Reader Note: A bonus holiday short story, "A Cavendish Christmas," was published by the author and is best enjoyed directly after finishing the third book, The Havoc We Wreak, to wrap up Winter and Caiden's initial romance.
Alstone High Books
Set in the same town as The Four but centered around the local high school, this series features cameos from characters in the main series. The books are written as standalones and can be read independently, though they enrich the overall Alstone experience.
- Trick Me Twice (2020) – Follows Carter Blackthorne and Raine Laurent in a classic enemies-to-lovers high school bully romance.
London Southwark University (LSU) Series
The LSU series is a collection of interconnected M/M college romance novels set in London. The stories focus heavily on rugby players, soccer players, and university students navigating identity, coming out, and finding love. While they all feature recurring characters and shared friendships, they are written as standalones and can technically be read in any order. However, reading them in publication order helps readers follow the character relationships chronologically.
- Blindsided (2022) – Follows rugby players Clay and Carter in a fake-dating, friends-to-lovers bi-awakening romance.
- Sidelined (2022) – Follows Danny and Toby in a teammate, friends-to-lovers story.
- Collided (2023) – Follows Jamie and Tyler. Note that although published third, this book is sometimes referred to as a prequel (Book 0) because the timeline begins slightly before the events of Blindsided.
- Ignited (2024) – Follows Kieran and Noah.
- Tempted (2024) – A spin-off M/M novella continuing the university vibes.
- Dared (2025) – The latest installment in the college football/rugby world.
Gods of Hatherley Hall Series
This series moves into the academy romance space, featuring characters who are loosely inspired by Greek gods and mythology. Each book is a standalone M/F romance focusing on a different couple, but they are best read in order to understand the ongoing mysteries and dynamics within Hatherley Hall.
- Cruel Crypts (2023) – Book 1, focusing on Knox Ashcroft.
- Wicked Waters (2024) – Book 2.
- Sinful Storms (2025) – Book 3, centering on Tristan.
Dark Romance and Co-Authored Work: Boneyard Kings
Co-written with C. Lymari, the Boneyard Kings trilogy is a dark, why-choose (reverse harem) romance. Unlike her standalone romance novels, this trilogy must be read in strict order because it follows a single continuous plot line featuring a queen and her merciless kings.
- Merciless Kings (2021)
- Vicious Queen (2022)
- Ruthless Kingdom (2022)
London Suits & London Players
Before launching her massive university series, Steele wrote shorter contemporary romances focusing on business professionals and athletes in London.
London Suits is a duology consisting of The Truce (2019) and The Deal (2019). These are enemies-to-lovers stories set in the corporate world.
London Players is currently represented by The Offer (2021), a sports romance focusing on professional athletes.
Standalones and Shared World Projects
Becca Steele frequently writes standalones that make great entry points for new readers, as well as contributing to multi-author shared worlds.
- Cross the Line (2020) – A standalone M/M romance set in the sports world.
- Savage Rivals (2021) – A highly acclaimed standalone M/M enemies-to-lovers romance featuring the captains of rival high school soccer teams (Alstone High and Highnam Academy).
- Cirque des Masques (2023) – A dark standalone romantic suspense.
- BTS (2024) – Part of the Blackwell Lake books, providing a cozy small-town M/M setting.
- Reckless (2023) – Book 12 of the multi-author Unlucky 13 shared world series, set at the Black Diamond Resort and Spa. It is a standalone M/M rivals-to-lovers sports romance following two soccer teammates.