September 14, 2026 · 4 min read
The Rivals of Elite Reading Order: He Played Me and They Played Me
The Rivals of Elite by Amalia Brooks in order, with what each book is about, length, content notes and where to read on Kindle Unlimited.
The short answer
The Rivals of Elite is a dark college romance series by Amalia Brooks, and it must be read in order. Start with He Played Me, book one, then continue with They Played Me, book two. Both follow the same couple, Tiffany Sinclair and Tristan Ford, so the second book will not make sense on its own.
- 1. He Played Me — 634 pages, published August 2026
- 2. They Played Me — 499 pages, published September 2026
Book one: He Played Me
Tiffany Sinclair is first in her year, one scholarship away from Paris, and untouchable — except for Tristan Ford, the rival who has matched her mark for mark since the day they met. One mistake pulls her into a world she was never meant to see, and Tristan sets the price for her best friend's life: two months as his property.
Behind the gates of a manor where seven millionaires answer to no law, the rivalry turns into something far more dangerous. The book is built on academic rivals to lovers, dark academia and an obsessive, possessive hero.
Book two: They Played Me
They Played Me picks up after those two months. Tiffany has stopped fighting what she feels, and hate has turned into something far worse. But Tristan Ford never does anything without a reason, and he has been playing a much longer game than she could see.
Read it straight after He Played Me: it continues the same relationship, setting and games rather than starting a new story.
Is the series 18+?
Yes. Amalia Brooks describes The Rivals of Elite as a strict 18+ dark romance. He Played Me includes explicit sexual content, dark obsession and possessive relationship dynamics, and each book carries a full content-warning list in its front matter. Check our 18+ content notice before you start.
Where to read The Rivals of Elite
Both books are available as Kindle ebooks and can be read with Kindle Unlimited. He Played Me is also available in paperback. The buttons on each book page open your own country's Amazon store, and every book has a free sample you can read first.
