Where to Start Reading Carly Phillips
With a career spanning over two decades and more than 80 books, Carly Phillips has mastered the art of the steamy, emotional contemporary romance. If you are new to her work, deciding where to start depends on what flavor of romance you prefer. For readers who love massive, modern, interconnected family sagas filled with wealthy alpha heroes and strong-willed women, the Dare to Love series is the perfect entry point. If you prefer classic, lighthearted, early-2000s romance with sibling dynamics, start with the fan-favorite Chandler Brothers trilogy. Both paths showcase her signature blend of high heat and deep emotional bonds.
The Interconnected Dare, Kingston, and Sterling Universe
One of the most rewarding aspects of reading Carly Phillips is diving into her massive shared universe. The Dare, Kingston, Knight, and Sterling families all inhabit the same world, with characters crossing over, making guest appearances, and even getting their own spin-off series. While every single book features a complete romance with a happily-ever-after and can technically be read as a standalone, reading them in order allows you to watch the families grow and spot all the recurring character cameos.
1. The Dare to Love Series
This is the foundation of Phillips's modern interconnected universe, introducing the wealthy and powerful Dare family. It begins with Ian Dare finding love and rolls through the stories of his siblings and extended family.
- Dare to Love (2013)
- Dare to Desire (2014)
- Dare to Surrender (2014)
- Dare to Submit (2014)
- Dare to Touch (2015)
- Dare to Hold (2015)
- Dare to Rock (2015)
- Dare to Seduce (2015)
- Dare to Take (2016)
- A Very Dare Christmas (2017)
2. Dare Nation
A direct spin-off of the Dare to Love series, focusing on a new generation of Dares who are just as passionate and protective as their predecessors.
- Dare to Resist (2020)
- Dare to Tempt (2020)
- Dare to Play (2020)
- Dare to Stay (2021)
- Dare to Tease (2021)
3. The Knight Brothers Series
The Knight Brothers series introduces a new set of siblings but is directly tied to the Dare family through Sienna Dare, whose story takes place in book four.
- Take Me Again (2019)
- Take the Bride (2019)
- Take Me Down (2019)
- Dare Me Tonight (2019)
- Take Me Now (2019)
4. The Kingston Family Series
This series centers on the Kingston siblings and features heavy crossovers with the Dare universe, including a dedicated crossover book (Just One Dare) that bridges both families together.
- Just One Night (2021)
- Just One Scandal (2021)
- Just One Chance (2021)
- Just One Spark (2022)
- Just One Wish (2022)
- Just One Dare (2022)
- Just One Kiss (2022)
- Just One Taste (2022)
- Just Another Spark (2023)
- Just One Fling (2023)
- Just One Tease (2023)
5. The Sterling Family Series
Serving as a direct continuation of the Kingston Family saga, this series follows the Sterling siblings in another set of sizzling romance adventures.
- Just One More Moment (2024)
- Just One More Dare (2024)
- Just One More Mistletoe (2024)
- Just One More Temptation (2025)
6. Dare Crossover & Dirty Dare Books
These books explicitly bridge the gaps between her major family sagas, bringing characters together across different family trees.
- Just a Little Hookup (2023)
- Just a Little Secret (2023)
- Just a Little Promise (2024)
- Just a Little Chase (2024)
- Just One Summer (2024)
The Serendipity Series: Publication vs. Chronological Order
The Serendipity series is a charming small-town romance saga that follows the Barron brothers and the town's close-knit community. While reading in publication order is standard, the timeline of events differs slightly because some stories overlap or serve as prequels. If you want to follow the timeline of the town's events as they happened, you can choose the chronological path.
Publication Order
- Serendipity (2011)
- Fated (2012)
- Destiny (2012)
- Karma (2012)
- Kismet / Suddenly Love / The Playboy’s Second Chance (2013)
Chronological Order
- Fated (2012)
- Serendipity (2011)
- Kismet / Suddenly Love / The Playboy’s Second Chance (2013)
- Destiny (2012)
- Karma (2012)
After finishing the main series, you can jump straight into the spin-off series, Serendipity's Finest, which continues the town's legacy with new couples:
- Perfect Fit (2012)
- Perfect Fling (2013)
- Perfect Together (2014)
- Perfect Strangers (2023)
Classic Carly Phillips Favorites
Before launching her massive independent publishing empire in 2013, Carly Phillips wrote several traditional contemporary romance series that helped define her career. These series are standalone in their own right and offer fantastic starting points for readers who enjoy sport romance, sibling rivalry, and classic tropes.
The Chandler Brothers
This is the iconic trilogy that solidified Phillips's place on bestseller lists, famously featured as Kelly Ripa's first romance book club selection.
- The Bachelor (2002)
- The Playboy (2003)
- The Heartbreaker (2003)
The Simply Series
Her sizzling debut series for Harlequin, combining investigative mysteries with passionate love stories.
- Simply Sinful (2000)
- Simply Scandalous (2000)
- Simply Sensual (2001)
- Body Heat (2001)
- Simply Sexy (2002)
The Hot Zone Series
A fun, high-energy sports romance series following the lives and loves of competitive sports agents.
- Hot Stuff (2004)
- Hot Number (2005)
- Hot Item (2006)
- Hot Property (2008)
Billionaire Bad Boys
This series features wealthy, commanding alpha heroes. Note that the series officially launched in 2016 with Going Down Easy, but Phillips retroactively added her 2003 classic novel Going all the Way as a prequel/book one due to thematic similarities.
- Going all the Way (2003)
- Going Down Easy (2016)
- Going Down Fast (2016)
- Going Down Hard (2017)
- Going in Deep (2017)
- Going Down Again (2020)
What to Know Before You Start
Carly Phillips's books are known for their high heat levels, strong family dynamics, and emotional depth. When she transitioned to self-publishing in 2013, she began writing slightly shorter, faster-paced novels and novellas while maintaining her signature style. Because so many of her series are set in the same universe, the best strategy is to pick a family (like the Dares or the Kingstons) and read that specific series in publication order before moving on to the next branch of the family tree.