Books by Kennedy Ryan

This Could Be Us

by Kennedy Ryan

“Heart-searing, sensual, and life affirming.” ―EMILY HENRY, #1 New York Times bestselling author
An instant New York Times and USA Today bestseller, featured on The Today Show and CBS Mornings.
Glamour: Best Books for Book Clubs

Soledad Barnes has her life all planned out. Because, of course, she does. She plans everything. She designs everything. She fixes everything. She’s a domestic goddess who's never met a party she couldn't host or a charge she couldn't lead. The one with all the answers and the perfect vinaigrette for that summer salad. But none of her varied talents can save her when catastrophe strikes, and the life she built with the man who was supposed to be her forever, goes poof in a cloud of betrayal and disillusion.

But there is no time to pout or sulk, or even grieve the life she lost. She's too busy keeping a roof over her daughters' heads and food on the table. And in the process of saving them all, Soledad rediscovers herself. From the ashes of a life burned to the ground, something bold and new can rise.

But then an unlikely man enters the picture—the forbidden one, the one she shouldn't want but can't seem to resist. She's lost it all before and refuses to repeat her mistakes. Can she trust him? Can she trust herself?

After all she's lost . . .and found . . .can she be brave enough to make room for what could be?

For fans of Tia Williams and Colleen Hoover comes a deeply moving and personal novel about sacrifice, self-reliance, and finding true happiness from “one of the finest romance writers of our age.” ―Entertainment Weekly

"A gorgeously grown-up romance and a story about self-love and reinvention...a great novel for readers who appreciate multilayered romantic fiction with elements of domestic drama, scandal, and inspiration." ―NPR

Reel

by Kennedy Ryan

A Broadway actress has a chance at stardom when cast by a major Hollywood director, but the role of her dreams may cost her the love of a lifetime in this epic novel from "one of the finest romance writers of our age." (Entertainment Weekly)

For months I stood by, an understudy waiting in the wings, preparing for my time to shine. I never imagined he would watch in the audience that night.
Canon Holt. Famous film director. Fascinating. Talented. Fine.
Before I could catch my breath, everything changed. I went from backstage Broadway to center stage Hollywood. From being unknown, to my name, Neevah Saint, on everyone's lips when Canon casts me in a star-studded Harlem Renaissance biopic.
But stars shine brightest in the dead of night. Forbidden attraction, scandal and circumstances beyond my control jeopardize my dream. Could this one shot—the role of a lifetime, the love of a lifetime—cost me everything?

This beautiful new edition includes a never-before-published bonus epilogue!
Entertainment Weekly Best Romances of the Year Washington Post Best Romances of the Year BookBub's Highest Rated Books of the Year LA Times 50 Best Hollywood Books of All Time

Before I Let Go

by Kennedy Ryan, Marieke Nijkamp

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Marieke Nijkamp (This Is Where It Ends) comes Before I Let Go, an emotional thriller about a suspicious death, a friend desperate for answers, and their small town's sinister secrets.
Best friends Corey and Kyra were inseparable in their tiny snow-covered town of Lost Creek, Alaska. But as Kyra starts to struggle with her bipolar disorder, Corey's family moves away. Worried about what might happen in her absence, Corey makes Kyra promise that she'll stay strong during the long, dark winter.
Then, just days before Corey is to visit, Kyra dies. Corey is devastated―and confused, because Kyra said she wouldn't hurt herself. The entire Lost community speaks in hushed tones, saying Kyra's death was meant to be. And they push Corey away like she's a stranger.
The further Corey investigates―and the more questions she asks―the greater her suspicion grows. Lost is keeping secrets―chilling secrets. Can she piece together the truth about Kyra's death and survive her visit?
Perfect for readers looking for: Mystery books for teens Bipolar teen characters Asexual characters
Praise for Before I Let Go:
A New York Times Bestseller!
2019 ALA Rainbow List
2018 Teen Choice Book of the Year Nominee
"With exceptional handling of everything from mental illness to guilt and a riveting, magic realist narrative, this well wrought, haunting novel will stick with readers long after the final page."―Booklist *STARRED REVIEW*
"Compulsive readability… Intriguingly spooky"―Kirkus Reviews
"This sophomore novel from Nijkamp will haunt readers... The honest reflection of mental illness, suicide, friendship, and being an outsider provides ample topics for book discussion."―School Library Journal
"[A] reflective examination on love and returning home... Nijkamp has an uncommon talent for drawing readers deep into the psyches of her characters."―Publishers Weekly
Also by Marieke Nijkamp:
This Is Where It Ends
Even If We Break

Before I Let Go

by Kennedy Ryan, Marieke Nijkamp

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Marieke Nijkamp (This Is Where It Ends) comes Before I Let Go, an emotional thriller about a suspicious death, a friend desperate for answers, and their small town's sinister secrets.

Best friends Corey and Kyra were inseparable in their tiny snow-covered town of Lost Creek, Alaska. But as Kyra starts to struggle with her bipolar disorder, Corey's family moves away. Worried about what might happen in her absence, Corey makes Kyra promise that she'll stay strong during the long, dark winter.
Then, just days before Corey is to visit, Kyra dies. Corey is devastated―and confused, because Kyra said she wouldn't hurt herself. The entire Lost community speaks in hushed tones, saying Kyra's death was meant to be. And they push Corey away like she's a stranger.
The further Corey investigates―and the more questions she asks―the greater her suspicion grows. Lost is keeping secrets―chilling secrets. Can she piece together the truth about Kyra's death and survive her visit?
Perfect for readers looking for: Mystery books for teens Bipolar teen characters Asexual characters
Praise for Before I Let Go:
A New York Times Bestseller!
2019 ALA Rainbow List
2018 Teen Choice Book of the Year Nominee
"With exceptional handling of everything from mental illness to guilt and a riveting, magic realist narrative, this well wrought, haunting novel will stick with readers long after the final page."―Booklist *STARRED REVIEW*
"Compulsive readability… Intriguingly spooky"―Kirkus Reviews
"This sophomore novel from Nijkamp will haunt readers... The honest reflection of mental illness, suicide, friendship, and being an outsider provides ample topics for book discussion."―School Library Journal
"[A] reflective examination on love and returning home... Nijkamp has an uncommon talent for drawing readers deep into the psyches of her characters."―Publishers Weekly
Also by Marieke Nijkamp:
This Is Where It Ends
Even If We Break

Before I Let Go

by Kennedy Ryan, Marieke Nijkamp

“Real, raw, magnificent—Before I Let Go is the beautiful angst I love to read.” —Colleen Hoover, #1 New York Times bestselling author

A Good Morning America Book Buzz Pick!
Their love was supposed to last forever. But when life delivered blow after devastating blow, Yasmen and Josiah Wade found that love alone couldn’t solve or save everything.

It couldn’t save their marriage.

Yasmen wasn’t prepared for how her life fell apart, but she’s is finally starting to find joy again. She and Josiah have found a new rhythm, co-parenting their two kids and running a thriving business together. Yet like magnets, they’re always drawn back to each other, and now they’re beginning to wonder if they’re truly ready to let go of everything they once had.

Soon, one stolen kiss leads to another…and then more. It's hot. It's illicit. It's all good—until old wounds reopen. Is it too late for them to find forever? Or could they even be better, the second time around?

Award-winning and bestselling "powerhouse" author Kennedy Ryan is at her absolute best in this compelling, scorching novel about hope and healing, and what it truly means to love for a lifetime (USA Today).

Book of the Month Club selection
NPR Best Books of 2022
Entertainment Weekly Best Romances of 2022
Washington Post 10 Best Romances of the Year
Women's Health Best Books of the Year
Publishers Weekly Best Romance Books of 2022

Can't Get Enough

by Kennedy Ryan

None

Hook Shot (Hoops, 3)

by Kennedy Ryan

From award-winning author Kennedy Ryan comes the emotional final installment of the Hoops trilogy.
She's not the plan he made, but she's the risk he has to take.
A single, divorced dad in the final years of his basketball career, Kenan Ross's perfect life has blown up in his face. He's still picking up the pieces when he meets Lotus DuPree. A wildflower. A storm. A kick to his gut and a wrench in his plans from the moment their eyes meet. He promised himself he'd never trust a woman again, but he's never wanted anyone the way he wants Lo.
At twenty-five, Lotus is finally living out her dream, becoming a force in New York's fashion scene. Focused on her future and not looking for love, she's seen where trusting a man leaves you. Kenan is the last thing she needs. But from the moment they meet, she's drawn in, even if he's eleven years her senior and her opposite in every way.
When Kenan moves to New York for the summer to be near his daughter, Lotus can no longer avoid the attraction that pulses between them―but she still won't let him in. Not after what she's been through. Except Kenan wants her so badly, he'll do anything to knock down her defenses.
He won't give up on her…and soon, she's no longer sure she wants him to.

The Rebel King (All The King's Men, 2)

by Kennedy Ryan

From beloved, RITA-award-winning author Kennedy Ryan comes the gripping, passionate finale of the All the King's Men duology.
Though surrender is what Maxim Cade demanded of Lennix Hunter's body and heart, she had other plans. They were fast-burning fascination and combustible chemistry, the son of an oil baron and the Apache daughter at war with his family, but she trusted him, and he turned out to be a thief who stole her love.
Still, if what they had was a lie, why had it felt so real?
Now, the man she swore to hate is about to have it all, and he wants Lennix at his side. But when the two of them are forced to face the unthinkable, their rocky foundation is tested, as is the invisible thread that seems to wind their fates together. As they navigate a treacherous political landscape in their quest for justice, Maxim and Lennix soon learn that power is a game, and they are merely the pawns and players. Facing insurmountable odds, will they win the world, or will they lose it all?

Block Shot (Hoops, 2)

by Kennedy Ryan

From award-winning author Kennedy Ryan comes the steamy, powerful second installment of the Hoops trilogy.
If Jared Foster had a dollar for every time Banner Morales made his heart skip a beat―the heart everyone assumes is frozen over―he'd be richer than he already is. He's found success as a sports agent by always assuming "no" means "I'll think about it." And he knows Banner's thinking about him. Her simmering anger? The way she puts him in his place? Foreplay. She thinks she's won the game, but they're just getting started.
If Banner had a dollar for every time Jared broke her heart, she'd have exactly one dollar. One epic failure of a night. After parting on such bad terms, Banner has no intention of ever giving Jared a second chance. She's found success in a field ruled by men like him. She's learned to call the shots and block them when she has to.
So she'll ignore the way he makes her heart pound. Sure, he seems carved from her most private fantasies, but she can get past that.
She's got her one dollar, and Jared won't have her.

The Kingmaker (All The King's Men, 1)

by Kennedy Ryan

From beloved, RITA-award-winning author Kennedy Ryan comes the first in her gripping All the King's Men duology.
In a world of haves and have-nots, Maxim Cade's family and their oil empire have it all…and he wants nothing to do with it. At odds with his mogul father, he's determined to build his own empire, even if it means traveling far from home, painted as the black sheep.
Lennix Hunter is the exception to every one of Maxim's rules. At a protest for the oil pipeline that threatens to mar her ancestral land forever, they meet in a flurry of stars and sparks, and that one moment changes everything. But Maxim's family is the one stealing from hers, and his father is the man she hates most. He has to lie in order to have her once, and despite the truth, he'll do anything to keep her.
Even though Lennix tries to hate Maxim, too, their hearts are pointed in the same direction. The inexorable pull between them, across miles and years, will not be denied.
And neither will Maxim.

Long Shot (Hoops, 1)

by Kennedy Ryan

From award-winning author Kennedy Ryan comes the soul-gripping, unforgettable first installment of the Hoops trilogy.
Iris DuPree meets August West in a sports bar during her last semester of college. It's the conversation of a lifetime and sends sparks flying in every direction. The connection is undeniable…but the timing is all wrong. August is poised for the NBA draft, and Iris belongs to another man―basketball's "golden boy" and August's long-time rival.
The two go their separate ways, but they often recall that electric night and what could have been. While August has embarked on his all-star life, studded with wealth and fame, Iris's perfect public relationship has become a nightmare behind closed doors. A tarnished dream of fool's gold.
When August re-enters her life, the world seems briefly bright again, but Iris's darkest nights are not over yet. To survive, she must build her own strength and trust that her bond with August can endure after all this time.
Even when her fraudulent prince has vowed never to let her go.

Queen Move (All the King's Men Series)

by Kennedy Ryan

From Wall Street Journal, USA Today Bestselling and RITA® Award-winning Author Kennedy Ryan, comes a captivating second chance romance like only she can deliver...
The boy who always felt like mine is now the man I can't have…
Dig a little and you'll find photos of me in the bathtub with Ezra Stern.
Get your mind out of the gutter. We were six months old.
Pry and one of us might confess we saved our first kiss for each other. The most clumsy, wet, sloppy . . . spectacular thirty seconds of my adolescence.
Get into our business and you'll see two families, closer than blood, torn apart in an instant.
Twenty years later, my "awkward duckling" best friend from childhood, the boy no one noticed, is a man no one can ignore.
Finer. Fiercer. Smarter.
Taken.
Tell me it's wrong.
Tell me the boy who always felt like mine is now the man I can’t have.
When we find each other again, everything stands in our way--secrets, lies, promises.
But we didn't come this far to give up now.
And I know just the move to make if I want to make him mine.

Score (Hollywood Renaissance, 2)

by Kennedy Ryan

None

Queen Move (Special Edition)

by Kennedy Ryan

From Wall Street Journal, USA Today Bestselling and RITA(R) Award-winning Author Kennedy Ryan, comes a special edition of this captivating second chance romance...

The boy who always felt like mine is now the man I can't have...

Dig a little and you'll find photos of me in the bathtub with Ezra Stern.

Get your mind out of the gutter. We were six months old.

Pry and one of us might confess we saved our first kiss for each other. The most clumsy, wet, sloppy . . . spectacular thirty seconds of my adolescence.

Get into our business and you'll see two families, closer than blood, torn apart in an instant.

Twenty years later, my "awkward duckling" best friend from childhood, the boy no one noticed, is a man no one can ignore.

Finer. Fiercer. Smarter.

Taken.

Tell me it's wrong.

Tell me the boy who always felt like mine is now the man I can't have.

When we find each other again, everything stands in our way--secrets, lies, promises.

But we didn't come this far to give up now.

And I know just the move to make if I want to make him mine.

*Includes a bonus epilogue.