Anaverse
The Suggested Reading Order of Ana Huang Books, From ‘Twisted Love’ to ‘The Defender’
Whether you’re scrolling through BookTok or browsing at your local bookstore, we’re sure you’ve heard Ana Huang, the romance author who is taking the literary world by storm, one morally gray billionaire at a time.
While it’s hard to believe anyone who loves romance hasn’t picked up at least one of Huang’s novels, we know that from the outside looking in, Huang’s four interconnected series can be pretty daunting. With 14 published books and (at least) four more on the way, it can get a little hard to know where to start. But don’t worry, if you haven’t ventured into the Anaverse yet, we’re here to help.
Best known for her viral billionaire romance novel, Twisted Love, which is currently being adapted for television by Netflix, Huang has four series: Twisted, Kings of Sin, If Love, and Gods of the Game. While all of her series are connected through settings and characters, each one has a different vibe and spicy content, meaning every reader may be drawn to a different collection.
From our suggested reading order for Anaverse newbies to what avid Anaverse readers can expect from upcoming releases, scroll for a breakdown of all 14 of Ana Huang’s books!
Do Ana Huang’s book series need to be read in order?
No, Huang’s books do not need to be read in order. Since her debut in 2020, the author has published four series. All of Huang’s books are interconnected, which means that they belong to the same universe and share characters. However, except for her first two novels (If We Ever Meet Again and If the Sun Never Sets), all of Huang’s books follow the romance of two new main characters. This means that (almost) every book can be read as a standalone novel.
Personally, when we first picked up Twisted Love, the first book in Huang’s sophomore series, we had expected to enjoy it as a standalone romance. That was until we found out that the next book would follow our favorite secondary character from Twisted Love. Fourteen books later, and we’re counting down the days until we can read Huang’s next release.
What is the suggested reading order for Ana Huang’s books?
Ana Huang suggests reading her books chronologically in order of publication. As Huang puts it on her website, “All Ana Huang books exist in the same universe. However, every series can be read on its own, though they may contain Easter eggs and cameos from other series.” This means that readers who want to get the full, unadulterated Anaverse experience should begin with the If Love series and then move on to the Twisted series, as those series were published one at a time. Things get a little more complicated with the two series Huang is currently writing, Kings of Sin and Gods of the Game.
If you’re looking for a pretty tame romance series, If We Ever Meet Again may be the place to start. However, if sports romances are more your cup of tea, you might want to start with The Striker. While the Anaverse presents readers with the potential to choose their own adventure, here’s our suggested reading order for Huang’s current series.
If Love
Published before Huang’s morally gray billionaire kick, the If Love series is the least steamy collection of books within the Anaverse. If you’re looking to ease into spicy romance, this is the place to start. As Huang warns, “If you start with the If Love series, please note it has a different vibe (less intense and spicy, but still steamy) than my more recent works. It is also written in third-person POV; my other series are all in first-person POV.”
The If Love, series follows the love lives of a group of friends who are early in their careers. The series introduces central Anaverse characters (like movie star Nate Reynolds) and iconic locations (like Crumble & Bake), which set the stage for the rest of Huang’s books. However, a quick heads up, this is her debut series, so if you’re not quite getting the Ana Huang hype, just you wait for Twisted Love. That’s where the real magic happens.
Here’s the order you should read the If Love series:
If We Ever Meet Again (Book 1, Farrah & Blake)
If the Sun Never Sets (Book 2, Farrah & Blake, 5 years later)
If Love Had a Price (Book 3, Kris & Nate)
If We Were Perfect (Book 4, Olivia & Sammy)
Twisted
Huang’s most popular series is Twisted, a collection of steamy and suspenseful college/new adult romances that are beloved by the BookTok community. If the If Love series didn’t match your spice level needs, let’s just say that once you meet Alex Volkov in Twisted Love, that will no longer be a problem. Twisted introduces readers to the Huang’s billionaire-only Valhalla Club, the Genovia-esque country of Eldorra, and, of course, Mr. Unicorn.
If you want to start out of order or only aim to pick up one series to get a taste of the Ana Huang experience, we would definitely recommend Twisted. From an enemies-with-benefits agreement to tracking down a stalker, the series contains some of Huang’s most unique tropes and gripping sideplots.
Here’s the order you should read the Twisted series:
Twisted Love (Book 1, Ava & Alex)
Twisted Games (Book 2, Bridget & Rhys)
Twisted Hate (Book 3, Jules & Josh)
Twisted Lies (Book 4, Stella & Christian)
Kings of Sin & Gods of the Game
Here’s where the Anaverse gets a little complicated. The Kings of Sin series immediately follows Twisted, overlapping with an event from Twisted Lies. However, as Huang continued writing the Kings of Sin series, she also began building her sports romance series, Gods of the Game. Starting with King of Sloth, Huang’s publishing schedule has been rotating between a Kings of Sin release in April and a Gods of the Game release in October.
While Gods of the Game is a little bit less morally gray than Huang’s billionaire romances, the series launched the “London Branch” of the Anaverse, following a British Premier League football team. However, if you’re wondering if the Gods of the Game is still connected to the rest of her books, rest assured. Readers first met Asher, the MMC of The Striker, all the way back in Twisted Hate.
Here’s the order you should read the Kings of Sin and Gods of the Game series (so far):
King of Wrath (Kings Book 1, Vivian & Dante)
King of Pride (Kings Book 2, Isabella & Kai)
King of Greed (Kings Book 3, Alessandra & Dominic)
King of Sloth (Kings Book 4, Sloane & Xavier)
The Striker (Gods Book 1, Scarlett & Asher)
King of Envy (Kings Book 5, Ayana & Vuk)
What is Ana Huang’s next book?
Ana Huang’s next book is The Defender, the second book in the Gods of the Game series, which comes out October 28, 2025. After that, Huang will be releasing King of Gluttony in April 2026. While the publication dates for her next two novels are unconfirmed, we expect the third Gods of the Game book to come out in October 2026 and the final Kings of Sin book, King of Lust, to come out in April 2027.
What is The Defender about?
In May 2025, Huang revealed that the next book of her Gods of the Game series, The Defender, will be about Brooklyn Armstrong and Vincent DuBois, the best friend and brother of The Striker‘s FMC. Forced into close proximity, Brooklyn and Vincent make a bet to see who will give in to temptation first, knowing all too well that any kind of relationship between them is forbidden. As Huang teased, “No matter how many sparks fly between them, a relationship between the captain and the coach’s daughter could never work…could it?”
Be sure to check out our character map and explainer for a more in-depth look at how Huang’s stories are connected, and comment below with your pick for the greatest Anaverse book of all time!
The Defender by Ana Huang hits shelves October 28, 2025.
