This page lists Ilsa Madden-Mills books in publication order, series order, co-written order, anthology placement, and recommended reading paths.
Quick Index
- Scope: Ilsa Madden-Mills contemporary romance, new adult romance, sports romance, co-written books, novellas, and anthology entries
- Default Order: Publication order by series
- Best Starting Point: Very Bad Things or I Dare You
- Order Matters: Lightly; most books use new central couples
- Core Series: Waylon University, Briarcrest Academy, British Bad Boys, The Game Changers, The Darlings
- Main Genres: Contemporary romance, new adult romance, sports romance
- Also Listed As: Briarcrest Academy is also listed as Briarwood Academy; British Bad Boys is also listed as English in some reader databases
- Not to be confused with: Ilsa J. Bick or Lila Monroe
The author’s reading-order page states that the books are standalone stories with new couples, while still grouping them by series.
Reading Paths
1. Publication Order
Use this route for the full release sequence across Madden-Mills’s catalog.
- Very Bad Things
- Very Wicked Beginnings
- Very Wicked Things
- Very Twisted Things
- Dirty English
- Filthy English
- Fake Fiancée
- The Last Guy
- Spider
- I Dare You
- The Right Stud
- I Bet You
- Boyfriend Bargain
- I Hate You
- Dear Ava
- The Revenge Pact
- Not My Romeo
- I Promise You
- Not My Match
- Beauty and the Baller
- Boyfriend Material
- Princess and the Player
- My Darling Bride
- Christmas Cupid
- My Darling Jane
- The Kiss Lottery
Fantastic Fiction lists the same core series groups and includes The Kiss Lottery as a 2025 standalone title.
2. Chronological Order
No single author-wide chronology is required.
- Read Briarcrest Academy in series order.
- Read British Bad Boys in numbered order.
- Read Waylon University in numbered order.
- Read Hawthorne University as a two-book campus sequence.
- Read The Game Changers as a two-book sports-romance sequence.
- Read Strangers in Love as a two-book sports-romance sequence.
- Read The Darlings after Strangers in Love for release-era flow.
- Place standalone, co-written, and anthology entries by publication year.
3. Beginner Path
Direct route through Madden-Mills’s college and sports-romance lane.
- I Dare You
- I Bet You
- I Hate You
- I Promise You
4. Early New Adult Path
Best for readers starting with the first major series.
- Very Bad Things
- Very Wicked Beginnings
- Very Wicked Things
- Very Twisted Things
5. British Bad Boys Path
Short route through the British Bad Boys sequence.
- Dirty English
- Filthy English
- Spider
6. Sports Romance Path
Focused route for football, hockey, and athlete-centered books.
- Fake Fiancée
- I Dare You
- I Bet You
- I Hate You
- I Promise You
- Boyfriend Bargain
- Boyfriend Material
- The Revenge Pact
- Not My Romeo
- Not My Match
- Beauty and the Baller
- Princess and the Player
- My Darling Bride
- My Darling Jane
7. Standalone Path
Useful for readers avoiding series order.
- Fake Fiancée
- Dear Ava
- Christmas Cupid
- The Kiss Lottery
8. Completionist Path
Full checklist route.
- Briarcrest Academy
- British Bad Boys
- Waylon University
- Hawthorne University
- The Game Changers
- Strangers in Love
- The Darlings
- Standalone novels
- Co-written books with Tia Louise
- Multi-author series contributions
- Anthologies and short fiction
- Foreign-language editions and special editions
Publication Order Master List
Main Publication Order
- Very Bad Things (2013) – Novel – Briarcrest Academy #1
- Very Wicked Beginnings (2014) – Novella – Briarcrest Academy #1.5
- Very Wicked Things (2014) – Novel – Briarcrest Academy #2
- Very Twisted Things (2015) – Novel – Briarcrest Academy #3
- Dirty English (2015) – Novel – British Bad Boys #1
- Filthy English (2016) – Novel – British Bad Boys #2
- Fake Fiancée (2017) – Novel – Standalone
- The Last Guy (2017) – Novel – Co-written with Tia Louise
- Spider (2017) – Novel – British Bad Boys #3
- I Dare You (2018) – Novel – Waylon University #1, also listed under Hook Up
- The Right Stud (2018) – Novel – Co-written with Tia Louise
- I Bet You (2018) – Novel – Waylon University #2, also listed under Hook Up
- Boyfriend Bargain (2019) – Novel – Hawthorne University #1
- I Hate You (2019) – Novel – Waylon University #3
- Dear Ava (2020) – Novel – Standalone
- The Revenge Pact (2020) – Novel – Kings of Football #1, multi-author series contribution
- Not My Romeo (2020) – Novel – The Game Changers #1
- I Promise You (2020) – Novel – Waylon University #4
- Not My Match (2021) – Novel – The Game Changers #2
- Beauty and the Baller (2022) – Novel – Strangers in Love #1
- Boyfriend Material (2022) – Novel – Hawthorne University #2
- Princess and the Player (2022) – Novel – Strangers in Love #2
- My Darling Bride (2023) – Novel – The Darlings
- Christmas Cupid (2023) – Novella – Standalone
- My Darling Jane (2024) – Novel – The Darlings
- The Kiss Lottery (2025) – Novella – Standalone
FictionDB lists Very Bad Things as Madden-Mills’s first book in April 2014, while Fantastic Fiction lists the original year as 2013. This page uses 2013 in the master list and notes the later database date variation.
Series Order Checklists
Briarcrest Academy
- Very Bad Things (2013) – Novel – Briarcrest Academy #1
- Very Wicked Beginnings (2014) – Novella – Briarcrest Academy #1.5
- Very Wicked Things (2014) – Novel – Briarcrest Academy #2
- Very Twisted Things (2015) – Novel – Briarcrest Academy #3
Official author navigation uses the Briarwood Academy label, while Fantastic Fiction and FictionDB use Briarcrest Academy.
British Bad Boys
- Dirty English (2015) – Novel – British Bad Boys #1
- Filthy English (2016) – Novel – British Bad Boys #2
- Spider (2017) – Novel – British Bad Boys #3
Goodreads also groups these books under the English series label.
Waylon University
- I Dare You (2018) – Novel – Waylon University #1
- I Bet You (2018) – Novel – Waylon University #2
- I Hate You (2019) – Novel – Waylon University #3
- I Promise You (2020) – Novel – Waylon University #4
The official reading-order page groups these four books as Waylon University; Fantastic Fiction also lists the same four titles under Hook Up.
Hawthorne University
- Boyfriend Bargain (2019) – Novel – Hawthorne University #1
- Boyfriend Material (2022) – Novel – Hawthorne University #2
The Game Changers
- Not My Romeo (2020) – Novel – The Game Changers #1
- Not My Match (2021) – Novel – The Game Changers #2
Strangers in Love
- Beauty and the Baller (2022) – Novel – Strangers in Love #1
- Princess and the Player (2022) – Novel – Strangers in Love #2
The Darlings
- My Darling Bride (2023) – Novel – The Darlings
- My Darling Jane (2024) – Novel – The Darlings
Fantastic Fiction lists The Darlings with My Darling Bride and My Darling Jane, but without visible series numbers on the author page.
Kings of Football
- The Revenge Pact (2020) – Novel – Kings of Football #1, multi-author series contribution
Kings of Football is a multi-author series. Madden-Mills’s contribution is The Revenge Pact.
Standalone Novels and Novellas
- Fake Fiancée (2017) – Novel – Standalone
- Dear Ava (2020) – Novel – Standalone
- Christmas Cupid (2023) – Novella – Standalone
- The Kiss Lottery (2025) – Novella – Standalone
Fantastic Fiction lists The Kiss Lottery as a 2025 title, and Book Notification reports its release date as February 11, 2025.
Co-Written Books
- The Last Guy (2017) – Novel – Co-written with Tia Louise
- The Right Stud (2018) – Novel – Co-written with Tia Louise
The author’s official reading-order page separates these two titles under co-written books.
Anthology and Collection Entries
- Breathless (2014) – Anthology – Listed in Book Notification as an anthology appearance
- Team Player 2 (2019) – Collection – Multi-author sports romance anthology
- A Year of Love (2021) – Anthology – Multi-author short-story collection
- Two More Days (2021) – Collection – Multi-author collection
- Nightingale (2022) – Anthology – Anthology for Ukraine
- Stuck on You (2023) – Anthology – Multi-author anthology, verify exact Madden-Mills contribution before adding as a main entry
Fantastic Fiction lists Team Player 2 and Two More Days as collections, and it lists Nightingale as a book containing work by Madden-Mills. A Year of Love is documented as a multi-author anthology including Madden-Mills.
Book-by-Book Placement Notes
Very Bad Things
- Year: 2013
- Format: Novel
- Series Placement: Briarcrest Academy #1
- Reading Status: Earliest main-series entry
- Notes: Best starting point for the early new adult path.
Very Wicked Beginnings
- Year: 2014
- Format: Novella
- Series Placement: Briarcrest Academy #1.5
- Reading Status: Optional but placed after Very Bad Things
- Notes: Use before Very Wicked Things in a completionist read.
Very Wicked Things
- Year: 2014
- Format: Novel
- Series Placement: Briarcrest Academy #2
- Reading Status: Read after Very Wicked Beginnings
- Notes: Second full novel in the Briarcrest Academy path.
Very Twisted Things
- Year: 2015
- Format: Novel
- Series Placement: Briarcrest Academy #3
- Reading Status: Read third among the full novels
- Notes: Final listed Briarcrest Academy title.
Dirty English
- Year: 2015
- Format: Novel
- Series Placement: British Bad Boys #1
- Reading Status: Start of British Bad Boys
- Notes: Also appears under English in some reader databases.
Filthy English
- Year: 2016
- Format: Novel
- Series Placement: British Bad Boys #2
- Reading Status: Read after Dirty English
- Notes: Second British Bad Boys title.
Fake Fiancée
- Year: 2017
- Format: Novel
- Series Placement: Standalone
- Reading Status: Flexible placement
- Notes: Sports-romance standalone.
The Last Guy
- Year: 2017
- Format: Novel
- Series Placement: Co-written standalone
- Reading Status: Optional for main Madden-Mills-only paths
- Notes: Co-written with Tia Louise.
Spider
- Year: 2017
- Format: Novel
- Series Placement: British Bad Boys #3
- Reading Status: Read after Filthy English
- Notes: Final listed British Bad Boys title.
I Dare You
- Year: 2018
- Format: Novel
- Series Placement: Waylon University #1
- Reading Status: Best sports-romance starting point
- Notes: Also listed under Hook Up.
The Right Stud
- Year: 2018
- Format: Novel
- Series Placement: Co-written standalone
- Reading Status: Optional for main solo-author paths
- Notes: Co-written with Tia Louise.
I Bet You
- Year: 2018
- Format: Novel
- Series Placement: Waylon University #2
- Reading Status: Read after I Dare You
- Notes: Second Waylon University entry.
Boyfriend Bargain
- Year: 2019
- Format: Novel
- Series Placement: Hawthorne University #1
- Reading Status: Start of Hawthorne University
- Notes: Hockey sports-romance path.
I Hate You
- Year: 2019
- Format: Novel
- Series Placement: Waylon University #3
- Reading Status: Read after I Bet You
- Notes: Third Waylon University entry.
Dear Ava
- Year: 2020
- Format: Novel
- Series Placement: Standalone
- Reading Status: Flexible placement
- Notes: The author’s site lists Dear Ava under standalones.
The Revenge Pact
- Year: 2020
- Format: Novel
- Series Placement: Kings of Football #1
- Reading Status: Optional outside the main solo-author series
- Notes: Madden-Mills contribution to a multi-author series.
Not My Romeo
- Year: 2020
- Format: Novel
- Series Placement: The Game Changers #1
- Reading Status: Start of The Game Changers
- Notes: Professional sports-romance entry.
I Promise You
- Year: 2020
- Format: Novel
- Series Placement: Waylon University #4
- Reading Status: Final Waylon University entry
- Notes: Read after I Hate You.
Not My Match
- Year: 2021
- Format: Novel
- Series Placement: The Game Changers #2
- Reading Status: Read after Not My Romeo
- Notes: Final listed Game Changers title.
Beauty and the Baller
- Year: 2022
- Format: Novel
- Series Placement: Strangers in Love #1
- Reading Status: Start of Strangers in Love
- Notes: Sports-romance series opener.
Boyfriend Material
- Year: 2022
- Format: Novel
- Series Placement: Hawthorne University #2
- Reading Status: Read after Boyfriend Bargain
- Notes: Second Hawthorne University title.
Princess and the Player
- Year: 2022
- Format: Novel
- Series Placement: Strangers in Love #2
- Reading Status: Read after Beauty and the Baller
- Notes: Final listed Strangers in Love entry.
My Darling Bride
- Year: 2023
- Format: Novel
- Series Placement: The Darlings
- Reading Status: Start of The Darlings
- Notes: The author’s site labels it a standalone novel while also grouping it with The Darlings.
Christmas Cupid
- Year: 2023
- Format: Novella
- Series Placement: Standalone
- Reading Status: Seasonal optional entry
- Notes: Listed as a novella on the official reading-order page.
My Darling Jane
- Year: 2024
- Format: Novel
- Series Placement: The Darlings
- Reading Status: Read after My Darling Bride for series grouping
- Notes: FictionDB lists My Darling Jane as a November 2024 title.
The Kiss Lottery
- Year: 2025
- Format: Novella
- Series Placement: Standalone
- Reading Status: Most recent known release
- Notes: Listed by Fantastic Fiction and Book Notification as a 2025 release.
Related Works and Where They Fit
Briarcrest Academy
- Placement: Earliest main series.
- Status in reading order: Optional starting point.
- Notes: Also appears as Briarwood Academy in the author’s own reading order.
British Bad Boys
- Placement: After Briarcrest Academy by publication order.
- Status in reading order: Read in numbered order.
- Notes: Some reader databases use the English series label.
Waylon University
- Placement: Main college sports-romance path.
- Status in reading order: Strong beginner path.
- Notes: Use the author’s Waylon grouping rather than splitting the early books into Hook Up.
Hawthorne University
- Placement: Separate two-book campus sports-romance series.
- Status in reading order: Read after or outside Waylon University.
- Notes: Start with Boyfriend Bargain.
The Game Changers
- Placement: Later professional sports-romance series.
- Status in reading order: Read as a two-book set.
- Notes: Use Not My Romeo before Not My Match.
Strangers in Love
- Placement: After The Game Changers by release-era flow.
- Status in reading order: Two-book sports-romance branch.
- Notes: Read Beauty and the Baller before Princess and the Player.
The Darlings
- Placement: Later romance branch.
- Status in reading order: Read My Darling Bride before My Darling Jane.
- Notes: The author’s site labels My Darling Bride as a standalone but also lists The Darlings as a series group.
Kings of Football
- Placement: Shared multi-author series section.
- Status in reading order: Optional.
- Notes: The Revenge Pact is the Madden-Mills contribution.
Co-Written Books with Tia Louise
- Placement: After solo-author series or by release year.
- Status in reading order: Optional.
- Notes: The Last Guy and The Right Stud should be marked with Tia Louise.
Anthologies
- Placement: After the main novel and novella list.
- Status in reading order: Completionist only.
- Notes: Team Player 2, A Year of Love, Two More Days, Nightingale, and other anthology listings should not be counted as primary Madden-Mills novels.
Foreign-Language Editions
- Placement: Edition tracking only.
- Status in reading order: Not separate English-language titles.
- Notes: The Ex Boyfriend Game is a French edition of Boyfriend Material, not a separate original novel.
Dependencies & Notes
- Madden-Mills’s books are generally connected by setting, school, sport, or series label rather than by one continuous cliffhanger plot.
- The author’s own reading-order page says the books are standalone stories with new couples.
- Series order remains the cleanest method for catalog navigation.
- Briarcrest Academy and Briarwood Academy refer to the same practical reading path.
- British Bad Boys and English refer to the same practical three-book path in many reader databases.
- Waylon University and Hook Up overlap in bibliography listings. Use Waylon University for the full four-book path.
- Co-written titles should not be treated as Madden-Mills-only series entries.
- The Revenge Pact belongs to a multi-author series and should be marked that way.
- Christmas Cupid is a novella, not a full-series entry.
- The Kiss Lottery is treated here as a standalone novella.
- The Kiss Lottery is the newest known title in the checked romance-bibliography sources, even though FictionDB’s page currently lists My Darling Jane as the latest book and reports no near-term upcoming release.
- Stuck on You appears in some reader databases and anthology references, but it should be verified against the author’s contribution before becoming a primary master-list item.
FAQs
What is the first Ilsa Madden-Mills book?
Very Bad Things is the first main Ilsa Madden-Mills book. Fantastic Fiction lists it as 2013, while FictionDB lists April 2014.
What Ilsa Madden-Mills book should I start with?
Start with Very Bad Things for the early new adult path or I Dare You for the college sports-romance path.
Do Ilsa Madden-Mills books need to be read in order?
Series order is recommended, but the author notes that the books are standalone stories with new couples.
What is the order of Briarcrest Academy?
Read Very Bad Things, Very Wicked Beginnings, Very Wicked Things, then Very Twisted Things.
Is Briarcrest Academy the same as Briarwood Academy?
Yes for practical reading-order purposes. The series appears under both names in different listings.
What is the order of British Bad Boys?
Read Dirty English, Filthy English, then Spider.
Is British Bad Boys the same as English?
Yes for practical cataloging. Goodreads lists the three-book sequence under English, while Fantastic Fiction uses British Bad Boys.
What is the order of Waylon University?
Read I Dare You, I Bet You, I Hate You, then I Promise You.
What is the order of The Game Changers?
Read Not My Romeo, then Not My Match.
What is the order of Strangers in Love?
Read Beauty and the Baller, then Princess and the Player.
What is the order of The Darlings?
Read My Darling Bride, then My Darling Jane.
Is The Revenge Pact part of a series?
Yes. It is Madden-Mills’s contribution to the multi-author Kings of Football series.
Which books did Ilsa Madden-Mills write with Tia Louise?
The Last Guy and The Right Stud were co-written with Tia Louise.
Is The Kiss Lottery part of a series?
No. It is listed as a standalone title.
What is Ilsa Madden-Mills’s newest book?
The Kiss Lottery is the newest known release included here. Book Notification lists it with a February 11, 2025 release date.
Does Ilsa Madden-Mills have a confirmed upcoming book?
No confirmed upcoming title was found in the checked primary bibliography sources. FictionDB currently states that no new book is coming out soon, but that page does not include The Kiss Lottery as the latest release, so future updates should be checked against the author’s site and retailer pages.
Change Log
- Last checked: June 17, 2026
- What changed: Rebuilt as a fuller single-author article with expanded reading paths, series checklists, co-written book placement, anthology notes, alternate-series labels, and latest-release clarification.
- Most recent known release included: The Kiss Lottery (2025)
- Most recent known series release included: My Darling Jane (2024), The Darlings
- Most recent standalone novella included: The Kiss Lottery (2025)
- Current upcoming-title status: No confirmed upcoming Ilsa Madden-Mills book was identified in the checked primary bibliography sources.
- Verification note: Stuck on You appears in some reader and anthology listings, but the exact Madden-Mills contribution should be confirmed before treating it as a primary master-list item.