Wilinski's Books in Order

Wilinski's is Cara McKenna's sports-romance corner, originally published under her Meg Maguire name, and it has a slightly different feel from her darker work. The series is set around Wilinski's Fight Academy, a shabby Boston boxing and mixed martial arts gym that is more beloved than respectable. It is sweaty, loud, a little run-down, and full of people who understand bodies, competition, and class differences in practical ways.

Place is the real glue here.

The first book, All or Nothing, originally published as Making Him Sweat, kicks things off with Jenna Wilinski inheriting the gym from the estranged father who left it behind. Jenna has plans. She wants to turn this seedy space into the foundation for a new life, maybe even an upscale matchmaking business. Mercer Rowley, a former boxer with his own claims on the place, is not exactly eager to step aside. Their clash gives the series its basic energy: ambition running headfirst into loyalty, pride, and very obvious attraction.

Going the Distance, first published as Taking Him Down, stays in the same orbit but shifts the focus to matchmaker Lindsey Tuttle and fighter Rich Estrada. Rich is charming, physical, and used to motion. An injury forces him to slow down, which gives the book a slightly different rhythm. Instead of two people sparring over turf, this one is about timing, missed chances, and whether an old spark can turn into something steadier once life stops moving at full speed.

The third book, Takedown, first published as Driving Her Wild, follows retired pro MMA fighter Steph Healy and electrician Patrick Doherty. It is probably the clearest example of what McKenna does so well in this series. The setup sounds light, even classic, but the people feel grounded. Steph knows exactly what kind of man she thinks she should avoid. Patrick looks like that man on paper. Then the book lets competence, humor, and bedroom chemistry slowly prove that paper is not always the point.

Across all three books, the tone is sexy and playful, but never flimsy. McKenna likes working people, cramped budgets, bruised egos, and attraction that gets tangled up with pride. The fight-gym setting gives the series a built-in physicality, yet the emotional stakes are usually small-scale in a good way. These are books about people building careers, protecting home turf, and figuring out whether they can trust someone enough to lean on them.

If you want Cara McKenna at her lightest, warmest, and most openly fun, Wilinski's is a good bet. Read it in order if you can. The books share a world and a supporting cast, and that sense of community is part of the charm.