A Touch of Taboo
erotic romance
Series · romance
The Betrothed series by Kiera Cass has 2 known books (2 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with The Betrothed (2020). The latest book with a fully recorded publication date is The Betrayed.
Start here: The Betrothed (2020) — then read straight through in publication order.
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
Kiera Cass returned to royal-court YA romance with The Betrothed in May 2020, an entirely new medieval-flavored world in which Hollis Brite finally wins the attention of King Jameson of Coroa -- only to meet Silas, an exiled noble who sees her as a person rather than a future crown.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The BetrothedThe Betrayed closed the duology in July 2021, a shorter 304-page follow-up that picks up directly from the first book's cliffhanger as Hollis travels into the more brutal neighboring kingdom of Isolte.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The BetrayedThe Betrothed is Kiera Cass's return to royal-court YA romance after The Selection, set in an entirely new medieval-flavored world rather than a shared universe or continuation. Hollis Brite has spent her youth angling for the attention of King Jameson of Coroa, and when he finally chooses her, it looks like every ambition she's ever had is about to come true. Then a family of exiled nobility arrives from the neighboring, more brutal kingdom of Isolte seeking refuge -- among them Silas, a quiet, unassuming young man who sees Hollis as a person rather than a future crown, and who complicates a courtship Hollis thought she wanted without question.
The duology follows Hollis from the glittering expectations of the Coroan court into Isolte itself in the second book, trading the first book's palace-intrigue romance for a darker, more dangerous look at what she finds there. As with The Selection, Cass builds the story around a young woman caught between the crown she's been promised and the person she actually loves, but strips out the dystopian and competition-format elements entirely in favor of a more traditional royal-romance fantasy setting.
Two: The Betrothed (2020) and The Betrayed (2021). The story is complete as a duology.
No -- it's a separate world with its own characters, kingdoms, and rules. It shares Cass's interest in a young woman torn between royal expectation and real love, but there's no shared universe or crossover.
Yes. The Betrothed and The Betrayed were written as one continuous story split across two books, so The Betrayed should be read immediately after.
Yes, it concluded with The Betrayed in 2021, and Kiera Cass has not announced further books in this world.
Reading order last verified .