Elle Kennedy is known for her steamy yet heartwarming novels, and whether you’re a die-hard fan or a newcomer to her writing, this guide is the perfect way to explore her vast collection!
From sizzling hot sports romance and LGBTQ+ fiction to highly-emotional, slow-burn love stories and suspenseful romantic thrillers, Kennedy’s novels can be enjoyed by anyone and everyone! So, keep reading to discover the best Elle Kennedy books–ranked from best to worst!
About Elle Kennedy
Elle Kennedy was born on December 30th,1979, and graduated from York University with a B.A. in English in 2005. She began publishing her novels in 2008 and has seen major success ever since!
With a fondness for writing strong heroines, alpha males, and plenty of steam between the two, she’s amassed a major reader base! Her novels often contain plenty of humor, wit, charm, and sensuality.
Her books are usually fast-paced and totally immersive, so they’re great for those who like to sit and read them all in one go. Does that sound like you? Awesome! Then keep reading to see all her novels ranked from best to worst!
Best Elle Kennedy Books – All Her Novels Ranked
The Agent (Standalone)
In one of Kennedy’s most acclaimed novels, The Agent, DEA agent Caleb Ford is tasked with surveilling Marley Kincaid, who is the subject of temptation for her drug-dealing ex.
Ford struggles to keep his cover as Kincaid proves to be too irresistible, putting the investigation and his own resolve at risk.
This omnibus edition of two of Kennedy’s fan-favorite sports novels had to be high up on the list of Kennedy’s best books!
In Time Out, NHL coach Mark Diego is coaching teenage girls in his hometown during the off-season, but he didn’t expect to work with childhood friend Rainey Saunders, whom he’s always been attracted to.
Despite their disagreements, Mark and Rainey’s chemistry ignites, and their passion intensifies.
In Body Check, Hockey star Brody Croft is instantly drawn to good girl Hayden Houston when he sees her at a bar.
Determined to leave his bad-boy reputation behind, Brody sets his sights on convincing Hayden to settle down with him. After a passionate night together, Brody knows she’s the one but has to convince her of it.
Fans of the fake-dating trope are going to love this one!
The daughter of Briar’s head hockey coach is in need of an internship and is forced to ask Harvard’s star forward, Jake Connelly, to be her fake boyfriend. Problem number one is that he’s the enemy–her father will kill her if he finds out, her friends will have a riot, and even her post-college career is on the line.
Problem number two is that for every fake date, he wants a real one.
Brenna may be a bad girl who likes to take risks, but she can’t afford to fall for Jake’s charms. A relationship with him is the one risk she’s not willing to take.
Jamie Canning’s closest friend, Ryan Wesley, cut him off four years ago without any explanation, but with their college teams set to face off at the national championship, Wesley wants to apologize for pushing the boundaries of their relationship–and thus, changing it forever.
When the two have to coach for one more hot summer at camp, their feelings for each other intensify, and the past mixes with the present as the steam level between the two is turned up to the max.
In the second book of the beloved Him series, Ryan Wesley is now a successful NHL rookie and in a happy relationship with his former best friend turned boyfriend, Jamie Canning.
The only problem is that they have to keep their relationship hidden from the media, and it’s taking a toll on their relationship.
The only place they can be themselves is in apartment 10B, but when Wes’s nosiest teammate moves in upstairs, their secret starts, and they are forced to face the challenges of their relationship in the public eye.
The final book in the popular series is a seven-chapter novella called Epic.
Jamie and Wes are having a blast living and working in Toronto. Until a scout for another team swoops in to make one of them an offer that might complicate the life they’ve built together.
In this romantic suspense, Eva Dolce will stop at nothing to save her son, even if it means murdering the feared Hector Cruz.
But she’s going to need the help of special ops captain Robert Tate–whose brother died at Cruz’s hand–if she wants to have any chance of getting the job done.
Together they seek revenge, but the chemistry between them is explosive, and neither of them is able to resist the other. However, Eva’s secrets could soon lead to their downfall.
One of Kennedy’s most exciting thrillers, Killer Instincts follows the complicated relationship between Jim and Noelle. The book’s summary speaks for itself!
“Ex–army ranger Jim Morgan leads a team of elite mercenaries, but eighteen years ago in Paris, he was part of a black ops unit whose mission was to hunt down a rogue operative.
In order to trap the criminal, Jim seduced Noelle, the man’s daughter—a ruthless act that cost him the love of his life and turned her into a mortal enemy. Now he can’t trust her, but he still desires her. He also needs her help…
Older, wiser, and unwilling to play the fool again, Noelle runs a group of highly skilled assassins. And she’s just been offered the hit of the century: Eliminate Jim Morgan.
History gives them no reason to trust each other, but with their lives in jeopardy at the hands of a common enemy, the lines between love and hate are soon blurred. Now Noelle and Jim must face the past if they want to have a future—let alone a future together.”
In the mood for some passionate New Adult romance? The Deal is the perfect one to read when you’re in need of some heat!
Hannah wants to catch the attention of her crush, but she’ll have to step out of her comfort zone to make him notice her. She enlists the help of Garrett Graham, the cocky captain of the hockey team.
Garrett needs to get his GPA up if he wants any chance of playing professional hockey after graduation, so in exchange for Hannah tutoring him, he agrees to help her make her crush jealous.
But it doesn’t take long before unwanted sparks are flying between the two of them instead.
Lennox and Jamie used to live in a paradise on earth until a deadly attack forces them to take up with Connor Mackenzie’s band of Outlaws. Lennox has always believed he’s the man for Jamie, but she refuses to let sex ruin their friendship.
However, after one thrilling night, Jamie’s unexpected desires for Lennox awaken, and she’s not sure she can ever give him up.
Hot and Heavy is a combination of three stories that’ll leave you aching for more when all is said and done!
In Heat It Up, Becker and Jane end up trapped in a confined space–an elevator, to be exact–and the sexual tension between the two of them is undeniable.
In Heat of the Night, after a breakup with her longtime fiance, Annabelle’s long list of sexual fantasies ends up in the hands of Ryan, who is happy to help her check off every last item on the list.
In The Heat is On, Matt and Savannah end up in bed together after a bank robbery brings them together.
Hunter Davenport, the captain of his hockey team, decides to go celibate after his distractions led to the team’s failure last season.
He befriends Demi Davis, an attractive classmate who happens to have a boyfriend, but when she ends up single and shows interest in him, he finds it impossible to resist her.
He tries, due to their different backgrounds and goals, as well as her parents’ disapproval, but with them being paired up for a year-long project, how long can he last before he finally gives into temptation?
Allie is lost and heartbroken after a breakup with her longtime boyfriend, and it doesn’t help that graduation is quickly approaching, and she still has no idea what to do with her life.
Hockey star Dean, the school’s biggest playboy, is impossible to resist at a time like this.
However, she’s only willing to spend one night with him. Dean, who always gets what he wants, is in full pursuit, but Allie just wants to be friends.
As life-changing events begin to occur, Dean must decide whether it’s time to focus on love instead of just scoring.
In this summer romance, twenty-one-year-old Cassie returns to Avalon Bay for the first time in years to enjoy her summer vacation, spend time with family, and maybe find a summer fling.
She meets Tate, the town’s golden boy, who is always down for a good time, and they quickly become friends, but Tate realizes he has feelings for Cassie and wants more.
As they explore their feelings for one another, they discover that Avalon Bay is full of secrets that may threaten their relationship.
Abby Sinclair is a skilled assassin who was trained by a retired army ranger to be cunning and fearless.
She uses everything she has to come out on top every time–resilience, strength, and even sex–and her latest assignment takes her to Columbia to take down an arms dealer involved in the underground sex trade.
When Abby blows her cover to rescue victims, deadly mercenary Kane Woodland is sent to rescue her. Kane unexpectedly feels a primal attraction to Abby, and they join forces to complete the mission, risking their lives and those of their team.
Isabel Roma is a master of disguise, but mercenary Trevor Callaghan sees through all her identities.
Their dangerous line of work puts them in peril, but Trevor enlists Isabel’s talent for deception to save their team.
As they attempt to navigate a world where the stakes are high and the danger is grave, Trevor must convince Isabel that the woman beneath all the disguises is the one worth having.
Ethan Hayes, the rookie of an elite mercenary team, teams up with master thief Juliet Mason on a mission gone wrong. Despite their rivalry, they make a good team, and their most difficult task may be fighting their growing passion for each other in snowy Eastern Europe.
In Midnight Captive, Bailey Jones, a former CIA agent, tries to forget her night of passion with reckless Irish mercenary Sean Reilly, but when Sean is implicated in a bank robbery in Dublin, Bailey believes that he is innocent.
As Bailey agrees to help Sean, she finds herself torn between two brothers and wedged right in the middle of a life-threatening conspiracy.
In book seven of the vastly popular series, Derek “D” Pratt, the most intimidating mercenary in Jim Morgan’s black ops organization, comes out of hiding to rescue his teammate who was mistakenly captured in his place.
He risks everything–including his life–to save his friend and is unintentionally caught up in a life-threatening rescue mission with Sofia Amaro, the feisty doctor he had a one-night stand with months ago.
To complicate matters even more, one of the people he must take out is carrying his child.
In the eighth and final book of the series, Cate–the daughter of a supersoldier–lives a dangerous life as a freelance photographer.
When she links a South American politician to a drug cartel leader, her mercenary father and his team rescue her, but when he gets critically wounded, the team goes on a revenge mission.
Cate has to work with her ex, Ash, while Liam and Sullivan also resurface to deal with unresolved issues. As the cartel and the mercenaries go to war, the two couples get caught in the middle.
Elle Kennedy is one of the most established romance writers today. Her novels are known for their swoon-worthy characters, intense plotlines, and unforgettable romances, so they are definitely must-reads!
Hopefully, this ranking can act as the perfect guide for anyone looking to dive into her work or revisit old favorites.
FAQs
Is Him by Elle Kennedy LGBTQ?
Yes! Him is a (former) friends-to-lovers, sports romance. The love interests are Jamie and Ryan–and they’re both males.
In what order should I read Elle Kennedy’s books?
Elle’s standalone novels can be read in any order. The novels that are part of her series can be read in the order in which they were first published.
Did Elle Kennedy go to college?
Yes! She attended York University and graduated in 2005. She graduated with a B.A. in English.
What is Elle Kennedy’s most popular series?
Kennedy’s Off-Campus series is arguably her most popular. Several of the novels in the series have been published worldwide in over twenty countries. The novels in the series have also frequented The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal Bestselling lists.
Her Him and Killer Instincts series are also incredibly popular!
Tia has been writing since she first learned how to spell. A shy kid turned introverted adult, she’s been using books as a way to express herself for as long as she can remember. Whether building her own intricate worlds and crafting kooky characters of her own or diving into the captivating universes created by other authors, Tia’s passion for books always manifests itself in some way. When she isn’t reading or writing, she can be found studying Korean, watching anime, maladaptive daydreaming, or losing her mind over BTS with her best friends.
