Rival Love Books in Order

The Rival Love series drops readers into two neighboring lake towns that have turned high school football into a full scale feud. It is contemporary romance with a strong sports backbone, written for readers who like their angst wrapped in small town detail.

Glenmont and Alleghany sit on opposite sides of the water, close enough to share a shoreline and far enough apart to treat each other like sworn enemies. Kids grow up knowing exactly which colors they are supposed to wear on Friday nights. Families build their social lives around the game schedule. Every win or loss lingers long after the season ends.

Kiss Now, Lie Later opens the world through Maeve Stevens and Weston Cole. Maeve is the coach's daughter in Glenmont, twin sister to the starting quarterback, and the girl who is supposed to hate Alleghany's star player. Weston is that player, carrying the weight of his team's expectations and a reputation for arrogance. A chance meeting shows them sides of each other that do not fit the stories their towns have told, and a quiet connection grows in the shadows of a very public rivalry.

For Now, Not Forever shifts the spotlight to Maeve's twin, Liam, and Alleghany cheerleader Natalie Jacobs. Liam leaves for college haunted by the way his high school career ended and by the fact that his sister is dating his former rival. Natalie is spending a difficult summer back home when a weekend trip to the Cape throws her into close quarters with the quarterback she grew up cheering against. Their story pushes the tension into early adulthood, where new settings do not erase old loyalties.

Across both books the series plays with familiar tropes: forbidden romance, rivals to lovers, and second chances, while keeping the conflicts rooted in family ties and community history rather than simple misunderstanding. Parents, siblings, and teammates all have a stake in the outcome, which raises the emotional stakes every time a character takes a risk.

Each novel works as an interconnected standalone, told in dual point of view and focused on one couple's journey. Reading them in order lets you watch the feud evolve, catch cameos from earlier characters, and feel how one season on the field can echo through years of someone's life. Expect football, sharp banter, strong chemistry, and an emphasis on characters figuring out who they want to be once the stadium lights go dark.