Below is the complete list of Bootleg Springs books in order of publication. This is the recommended reading sequence for the series by Lucy Score.
Bootleg Springs Series
with Claire Kingsley
- Whiskey Chaser (2018)
- Sidecar Crush (2018)
- Moonshine Kiss (2018)
- Bourbon Bliss (2019)
- Once Upon A Wager (2019)
- Gin Fling (2019)
- Highball Rush (2019)
About Bootleg Springs Series
Lucy Score’s Bootleg Springs books are a true linked small-town romance series, and publication order matters here more than it does in many romance lines because the books share not just a setting, but an ongoing mystery and a deeply connected family world. Claire Kingsley’s official reading order states plainly that Bootleg Springs, the collaborative series written with Lucy Score, is meant to be read in order. Her official books page also describes it as a town full of shenanigans, a messy family, and an active mystery running underneath the romances.
That shared mystery is one of the main reasons the series stands out. Bootleg Springs is not simply six separate love stories set in the same charming location. From the first book onward, the disappearance of Callie Kendall hangs over the town and over the Bodine family in particular. Each romance has its own central couple and emotional payoff, but the larger series gains momentum because every new book adds another angle on the same buried history. By the time later books arrive, readers are not only returning for the next love story. They are returning for more answers.
The Bodines are the emotional spine of the series. What makes Bootleg Springs work so well is that it feels like a family saga disguised as a string of romantic comedies. The books are full of attraction, banter, and heat, but they are also about sibling loyalty, inherited reputation, old grief, and the way one unresolved tragedy can shape an entire town for years. That gives the series more depth than a simple connected-standalone structure. The romances are satisfying on their own, but the family continuity is what makes reading in order especially rewarding.
The first book, Whiskey Chaser, is the right beginning because it introduces the town’s tone and the Bodine world so effectively. From there, Sidecar Crush and Moonshine Kiss deepen both the romantic and mystery elements. Moonshine Kiss in particular makes clear how closely the romance line and the Callie Kendall investigation are intertwined. Then Bourbon Bliss, Gin Fling, and Highball Rush keep widening the emotional and family stakes until the series feels much larger than a six-book run might suggest.
Another strength of the series is setting. Bootleg Springs is very much a small-town romance world, but it is not only cozy. It is noisy, nosy, messy, and full of people who know too much about one another. That gives the books warmth, but it also gives them pressure. Secrets do not stay secret for long in this town, and that makes the romantic tension sharper. Love in Bootleg Springs never belongs only to two people. It belongs to a whole community that is always watching, remembering, and interfering.
For readers who already have the list above, the best way to think about Bootleg Springs is as a six-book small-town romance sequence with a genuine serial core. Read in publication order, the books offer more than a set of connected couples. They build one full town, one unforgettable family, and one mystery that makes every romance hit a little harder.