Cheating at Solitaire Books in Order

The Cheating at Solitaire series is Ally Carter’s early dip into adult contemporary romance, built around Julia James, a woman who has made a brand out of being happily single. Julia writes bestselling self-help books for women and tours the talk-show circuit as proof that you do not need a partner to have a full life.

In Cheating at Solitaire, that carefully crafted image collides with tabloid culture. A chance encounter with aspiring actor Lance Collins turns into a manufactured scandal when his agent spins a fake romance between them. Suddenly Julia, who has spent years advising other people how to live on their own terms, is watching strangers debate whether she is a hypocrite.

The story leans on Julia’s sharp, funny internal voice as she flees the media storm, heads back to her Oklahoma roots, and tries to decide if she can trust Lance outside of staged photo ops. Carter is less interested in fairy-tale glamour than in the small, awkward moments when two people with very different careers and expectations try to figure out if they fit.

Learning to Play Gin picks up after the dust has settled on that first scandal. Julia and Lance are actually together now, but their lives are pulling in opposite directions. His star is rising in Hollywood just as her books slip down the bestseller lists, and the gap between red carpets and small-town coffee shops starts to feel very real.

Across the two books, Carter uses the language and imagery of card games as a loose frame for the risks Julia takes with her heart and her career. The tone stays light and conversational, with plenty of best-friend banter and family complications, but underneath the jokes there is a quieter question: what does happily ever after look like for someone who built her life around not needing anyone?