Where to Start Reading D. Kelly
If you are new to D. Kelly’s emotionally charged contemporary romance novels, you have two main entry points depending on your favorite romance subgenre. For fans of high-drama rockstar romance, the best starting point is Just an Illusion - Side A. This begins her most famous multi-part saga, featuring love triangles, family secrets, and the music industry. If you prefer deep, tissue-ready emotional journeys dealing with healing after tragedy, start with Breaking Kate, the first book of the Acceptance Series.
The Illusion Series: B.A.D. Rockstar Romance
The Illusion series is D. Kelly’s signature rockstar romance series. The books revolve around the lives of characters connected to the fictional band Bastards and Dangerous (B.A.D.). The series is divided into a main five-book arc focused on a single love triangle, followed by three spin-off novels focusing on different characters in the band's inner circle.
The Amelia, Noah, and Sawyer Arc
The first five books must be read in strict order, as they follow a continuous, cliffhanger-heavy story of bestselling author Amelia Greyson and her complex relationship with the rockstar twins, Noah and Sawyer Weston. Read them in this order:
- Just an Illusion - Side A (2016): Introduces Amelia as she gets caught in the orbit of the Weston twins.
- Just an Illusion - The B Side (2017): Continues the intense emotional fallout and romantic dilemma.
- Just an Illusion - EP (2017): A shorter installment that deepens the stakes for the main trio.
- Just an Illusion - Unplugged (2018): The drama intensifies as personal and professional lives collide.
- Just an Illusion - Encore (2018): Provides the emotional resolution to Amelia's central story.
The B.A.D. Band Spin-Offs
After completing the main arc, you can read the spin-off novels, which focus on other band members and their families. While they feature different couples, reading them in publication order is highly recommended to avoid spoilers for the main arc:
- Interlude (2019): Focuses on Jordan Weston's romance.
- Broken Beats (2019): Focuses on the story of band member Darren.
- Fade-Out (2023): Focuses on Eli's path to love and healing.
The Acceptance Series: Healing and Second Chances
The Acceptance series is a deeply emotional contemporary romance sequence that deals with grief, recovery, and finding love after devastating tragedy. The books follow the emotional journey of Kate, along with Michael and Daniel. They should be read in chronological order:
- Breaking Kate (2014)
- Catching Kate (2014) - A companion novella (often labeled Book 1.5) that bridges the events of the first and second novels.
- Releasing Kate (2014)
- Loving Kate (2015)
- Christmas with the Houstons (2015) - A festive holiday companion story that catches up with the characters.
Standalone Novels & Companion Connections
D. Kelly has written several standalone contemporary romance novels. While they do not require reading a full series, some of them share loose character connections:
The Stafford Twins Duology
While not a formal series, these two novels are companion books that focus on the Stafford twins, Zachary and Rylee. They can be read independently, but reading them in order of release provides the best experience:
- Chasing Cassidy (2015): Follows Zachary Stafford as he chases his childhood sweetheart Cassidy Pope after she runs away from their wedding due to past trauma.
- Sharing Rylee (2016): Follows Zachary’s twin sister, Rylee Stafford, as she navigates a non-traditional romance with Pete and Nick.
Other Standalones
- The Evolution of Us (2017): A second-chance romance about college sweethearts Holly Ryan and Declan James.
- Dating Roulette (2019): A lighthearted, friends-to-lovers romance featuring Bexley and Tristan.
Collaborative Universes & Anthologies
In addition to her solo books, D. Kelly participated in The Last Resort Motel series, a multi-author collaborative project in 2018. Each author wrote a standalone story set in a different room of the same mysterious motel. While other books in the series like Fighting for This, Room 519, Room 419, and Room 15 were written by authors Gwyn McNamee, S. Van Horne, Ann Mayburn, and Verlene Landon, D. Kelly wrote Room 13. This novella features Sage Garcia, a character who originally appeared in D. Kelly’s standalone novel The Evolution of Us, making it a great companion read for fans of that book.
D. Kelly also contributed the story Backed by Love to a multi-author romance anthology in 2023.