Royal Elite Books in Order
Part ofRina Kent Books in OrderBrowse the Royal Elite series by Rina Kent in order, with dark high school bully romance summaries, character arcs, and guidance on how its spin-offs fit into her later books.
Last updated: June 7, 2026
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Publication Order
8 books
Cruel King
by Rina Kent
2019
When Levi King turns his ruthless attention on Astrid Clifford, the overlooked girl at Royal Elite School, his bullying sets off a dangerous chemistry, and the small-town nobody discovers she might be the only one capable of bringing the king to his knees.
Deviant King
by Rina Kent
2019
Elsa Steel only wants to finish Royal Elite School quietly, but one look from Aiden King, the school’s cruel ruler, destroys that plan and drags her into a dark bully romance built on secrets, obsession, and a promise to ruin her.
Steel Princess
by Rina Kent
2019
After Aiden makes good on his threat to destroy her, Elsa refuses to stay down, and their war at Royal Elite intensifies as power shifts, masks slip, and both realize that hatred has twisted into something far more complicated.
Black Knight
by Rina Kent
2020
Once childhood best friends, Xander Knight and Kimberly Reed now trade cruelty instead of smiles, and their second-chance story digs into addiction, self-loathing, and whether love can survive when both people have perfected the art of pretending.
Royal Elite Epilogue
by Rina Kent
2020
Set after the main Royal Elite books, this extended epilogue revisits Levi and Astrid, Aiden and Elsa, Xander and Kimberly, Ronan and Teal, and Cole and Silver as they navigate adulthood, lingering wounds, and the softer moments they fought hard to earn.
Ruthless Empire
by Rina Kent
2020
Perfectionist Cole Nash has always watched Silver Queens from a distance, but when circumstances make them step-siblings, his forbidden obsession explodes into a relentless push-pull where he crosses every moral line to claim the girl he should not want.
Twisted Kingdom
by Rina Kent
2020
The final chapter of Aiden and Elsa’s story forces them to confront buried secrets, family sins, and the cost of obsession, as their dark game at Royal Elite School reaches a breaking point that could shatter them or finally set them free.
Vicious Prince
by Rina Kent
2020
When Teal Van Doren meddles with a marriage contract she was never meant to touch, she becomes the obsession of Ronan Astor, Royal Elite’s wildest prince, turning her quiet, controlled life into a vicious, seductive game neither wants to lose.
Series background & context
Royal Elite is the backbone of the Rinaverse, a long-running series of interconnected books set around an exclusive British school for the children of politicians, aristocrats, and ruthless businessmen. It is where many readers first meet the King, Nash, Astor, and Queens families, and where a lot of the emotional baggage that shows up later in Legacy of Gods begins.
The journey often starts with Cruel King, a prequel that follows Levi King and Astrid Clifford. He is the untouchable "king" of Royal Elite School, she is the girl who becomes the target of his cruelty. Their story sets the template for much of what follows: intense bullying, grudges that blur into desire, and a heroine who refuses to stay broken.
The core trilogy—Deviant King, Steel Princess, and Twisted Kingdom—tracks Aiden King and Elsa Steel from enemies to something far more complicated. Elsa just wants to finish school and escape to university. Aiden is determined to destroy her for reasons she does not understand. Across three books, secrets about their families, shared history, and past trauma come to light, forcing both of them to choose between vengeance and a future together.
Later installments shift the focus to different couples while keeping the same world. Black Knight digs into the ruined friendship and second-chance hate between Xander Knight and Kimberly Reed. Vicious Prince pairs notorious party boy Ronan Astor with guarded, ice-cold Teal Van Doren after she steals a marriage contract that was never meant to be hers. Ruthless Empire zeroes in on perfectionist Cole Nash and Silver Queens, the "perfect" girl whose mask hides more damage than anyone sees.
Royal Elite Epilogue brings all five couples back for one extended goodbye. It shows where they land after school ends, how their relationships evolve beyond the walls of Royal Elite, and hints at the paths their future children will take in later series.
The overall tone is dark bully romance with high emotion and plenty of triggers, from manipulative mind games to physical confrontations. At the same time, the books are about found family and loyalty, with a core friend group that shows up again in Kingdom Duet, Lies & Truths, and eventually Legacy of Gods.
This page lays out the recommended reading order, explains how each couple’s story fits into the larger picture, and helps you see where to branch off next—whether that is into the Kingdom Duet for Jonathan King, the Lies & Truths Duet for the Carson family, or straight into the next generation with Legacy of Gods.
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