For the full connected Rinaverse, start with Cruel King and keep going in Rina Kent's official recommended order.
If you only want one corner of the universe, you do not have to read all 38 books. Rina Kent says each series can work independently, as long as you stay in order within that series.
The official order below starts with the new adult books. There is also a dedicated mafia-first route if that is the tone you want most.
About the Rinaverse
The Rinaverse is one of those reading universes that makes you want to grab someone by the shoulders and say, “No, listen, this is bigger than it looks.” You might come in for one possessive antihero or one chaotic couple and then suddenly realize half the families know each other, the next generation is already waiting in the wings, and side characters you barely clocked in one book end up wrecking you later in another. That is the fun of it. The books do not feel random. They feel like one messy, dramatic, addictive world that keeps opening outward.
The only thing that trips readers up is the structure. Rinaverse is not one straight numbered series. It is a cluster of connected subseries with different flavors: school romance, mafia romance, college romance, and a few male/male romance books. If you want the fullest experience, the official order below works well. If you already know which flavor you want most, it also helps to know what each branch is doing.
What The Subseries Feel Like
The best place to start if you want the original heartbeat of the universe. Dark school romance, vicious social politics, obsession, revenge energy, and the first generation of characters who keep echoing through later books.
These feel like the bridge from the school-world drama into the larger family web. Still romance-first, but with more secrets, power plays, and the sense that the universe is getting wider.
This is the mafia-heavy side of the Rinaverse. More criminal empires, arranged marriages, identity games, and higher-stakes danger. If you want the darkest and most power-driven stretch, this is the lane.
Connected standalones with older, wealthier, more established characters. Still dramatic, still intense, but often with a more adult-world feel than the academy and college books.
The second-generation branch. These are the children and heirs of earlier characters, so the emotional payoff is huge if you have already read the older books. College-age chaos, elite families, and big connected-world rewards.
MM means male/male romance. In this universe, that mainly points readers toward God of Fury and the Villain books, with Tempting Venom also continuing that side of the world. If that is your favorite dynamic, you do have a clear lane here.
The newest branch and a more glamorous, secret-society hockey corner of the universe. It still has the dark edge, but the setting feels slicker, newer, and a little more like the Rinaverse opening a fresh chapter.
Where to start
Cruel King, then Deviant King. This is the official recommended path if you want the whole connected universe to unfold in the cleanest order.
God of Malice works if you mainly want the newer Legacy of Gods books first. It is a valid entry point, but it is not the best full-Rinaverse introduction.
Throne of Power. Use this if you want darker mafia energy first and plan to follow the official mafia-first alternative afterward.
God of Fury or the Villain series if your main interest is the MM side of the universe. For the cleanest context, still read within that lane in order.
What you can skip
Rule of a Kingdom and Dark Deception are omitted from the official order because each only contains one prequel chapter.
Entire branches of the universe, if you are not doing the full project. You can read one duet, trilogy, or series on its own and come back later if you want more.
The internal order inside a duet, trilogy, or numbered series. Once you pick a lane, read that lane straight through.
Official recommended reading order
This follows the official recommended order on Rina Kent's site, which begins with the new adult books before moving through the mafia and newer-generation branches.
- Cruel King (2019) · Amazon
- Deviant King (2019) · Amazon
- Steel Princess (2019) · Amazon
- Twisted Kingdom (2020) · Amazon
- Black Knight (2020) · Amazon
- Vicious Prince (2020) · Amazon
- Ruthless Empire (2020) · Amazon
- Reign of a King (2020) · Amazon
- Rise of a Queen (2020) · Amazon
- Royal Elite Epilogue (2020) · Amazon
- Empire of Desire (2021) · Amazon
- Empire of Sin (2022) · Amazon
- Empire of Hate (2022) · Amazon
- Empire of Lust (2022) · Amazon
- Vow of Deception (2021) · Amazon
- Tempted by Deception (2021) · Amazon
- Consumed by Deception (2021) · Amazon
- Blood of My Monster (2023) · Amazon
- Lies of My Monster (2023) · Amazon
- Heart of My Monster (2023) · Amazon
- God of Malice (2022) · Amazon
- God of Pain (2022) · Amazon
- God of Wrath (2022) · Amazon
- God of Ruin (2023) · Amazon
- God of Fury (2023) · Amazon
- God of War (2024) · Amazon
- Kiss the Villain (2025) · Amazon
- Hunt the Villain (2026) · Amazon
- Crave the Villain (2027, expected) · Amazon
This order does not include Rule of a Kingdom or Dark Deception. The official note is that both only add one prequel chapter, so they are not required for the main pass.
Your reading progress
Check off books as you finish them. Your progress is saved in your browser.
Reading Progress
0 of 38 read- Cruel KingReading
- Deviant KingReading
- Steel PrincessReading
- Twisted KingdomReading
- Black KnightReading
- Vicious PrinceReading
- Ruthless EmpireReading
- Reign of a KingReading
- Rise of a QueenReading
- Royal Elite EpilogueReading
- All the LiesReading
- All the TruthsReading
- Throne of PowerReading
- Throne of VengeanceReading
- Red ThornsReading
- Black ThornsReading
- Empire of DesireReading
- Empire of SinReading
- Empire of HateReading
- Empire of LustReading
- Vow of DeceptionReading
- Tempted by DeceptionReading
- Consumed by DeceptionReading
- Blood of My MonsterReading
- Lies of My MonsterReading
- Heart of My MonsterReading
- God of MaliceReading
- God of PainReading
- God of WrathReading
- God of RuinReading
- God of FuryReading
- God of WarReading
- Kiss the VillainReading
- Hunt the VillainReading
- Crave the VillainReading
- Beautiful VenomReading
- Sweet VenomReading
- Tempting VenomReading
Mafia-first alternative
Rina Kent also provides an alternative order that starts with the mafia side of the universe. Since that path is a full book-by-book route, it now lives on its own page instead of being squeezed into a summary block here.
Open the dedicated Mafia-first guide for the full list, Amazon links, and a separate progress tracker that follows that exact route.
Open the Mafia-first reading order →That route begins with Throne of Power, then Throne of Vengeance, then moves into the Deception and Monster books before circling back to Royal Elite.
What to expect
Dark romance first. Expect possessive characters, family dynasties, revenge energy, and a lot of emotional intensity rather than light comfort-reading vibes.
More connected than it first appears, but not so rigid that you must read all 38 books. The main rule is to protect the internal order of whichever branch you choose.
Check the author's content warnings if you are sensitive to darker material. These are adult books and the edge is part of the appeal.
FAQ
Do I have to read all Rinaverse books in order?
No. Rina Kent says each series, duet, and standalone can be read independently. If you only want one lane, stay inside that series and read its books in order.
What is the first book in the full Rinaverse order?
If you want the full recommended path through the connected universe, start with Cruel King and then move into Deviant King.
Can I start with Legacy of Gods?
Yes. Rina Kent says you can start there. It works best if you want the newer second-generation books first, but Royal Elite is still the cleaner starting point for the whole world.
Is there a mafia-first reading order?
Yes. Rina Kent provides an alternative order that starts with Throne of Power and the mafia-connected books before circling back to Royal Elite and the rest of the universe.
Do I need Rule of a Kingdom or Dark Deception?
Not for the main recommended pass. Rina Kent omits both from the official order because each only contains one prequel chapter.
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