Kate and Ian Books in Order

The Kate and Ian series blends contemporary romance with cyber suspense. It begins with Heart-Shaped Hack, where Kate Watts has left her law career behind to run a food pantry in Northeast Minneapolis. The work matters deeply to her, but it is also a constant struggle to keep the shelves stocked and avoid turning people away.

Anonymous monthly donations help keep the pantry going, and Kate is determined to thank the person behind them. Her search leads her to Ian Bradshaw, a skilled hacker whose methods are far from ordinary. Ian has a Robin Hood streak, quick instincts, and a habit of pushing boundaries, including boundaries Kate has every reason to protect. Their first encounters set up a romance built on attraction, skepticism, and an ongoing question: can Kate trust a man who is so comfortable living behind a screen and outside the rules?

Neither of them gets an easy answer.

Kate is practical, compassionate, and not interested in being rescued. Ian is charming and intensely capable, but his past has left him with enemies and secrets that do not disappear just because he wants a different life. As their relationship deepens, the series keeps the danger close to home. The threats are tied to hacking, identity, surveillance, and the uncomfortable fact that a person's online life can be used against them.

The second book, White-Hot Hack, picks up with Kate and Ian trying to build a life together after the upheaval of the first story. They relocate to Virginia, where Ian is working to establish a legitimate security business. Domestic plans do not stay quiet for long. His old world, including cybercriminals and high-stakes hacking, pulls at him again, testing both the safety they want and the teamwork that has carried them through before.

At its heart, this is a two-book romance about a couple learning how to be honest when trust is hard-won. The tone moves between flirty, steamy scenes and genuine suspense, with the technology plot adding pressure rather than replacing the relationship. Kate and Ian's banter and mismatched strengths are a big part of the appeal.

Read Heart-Shaped Hack first, then continue with White-Hot Hack. The first novel introduces their history and the risks around Ian, while the sequel works best as the next chapter of their shared story.