Liz Tomforde is a New York Times bestselling American author of sports romance, best known for her Windy City series, which began with Mile High in 2022. Born and raised in Northern California, she has published eight novels since her 2021 debut, Becoming Selfish, and her next series, Wilder Woods, is set to start in 2027.
Key Takeaways
Liz Tomforde writes contemporary sports romance about hockey, basketball and baseball players.
Her Windy City series has five main books (2022 to 2025) plus the 2026 spinoff In Her Own League.
She started with the two-book Selfish series in 2021 and 2022.
She has worked as a flight attendant, the same job as the heroine of Mile High.
Cardinal Rule, the first Wilder Woods book, is expected in 2027.
Her books follow professional athletes and the people who fall for them. Each story centers on a healthy, supportive relationship, mixed with sharp banter and plenty of heat. You can read more stories about famous people on the GrandPeoples.com biography library.
Who is Liz Tomforde?
Liz Tomforde grew up in Northern California as the youngest of five children. She played and watched sports from a young age, and hockey is still one of her favorites. Outside of writing, she loves travel, dogs and audiobooks, and she often walks her golden retriever, Luke.
Before her books took off, she worked as a flight attendant. That job shows up directly in her best-known novel. Stevie, the heroine of Mile High, works as a flight attendant on the team plane of a Chicago hockey club.
Her stories mix humor, found family and romance, and she has said she only writes heroes who fall hard for the women they love. Her official author website lists every book in her catalog, including upcoming releases.
Liz Tomforde books in order
Here is every novel Liz Tomforde has published, in release order, plus the book she has announced next. Years are first publication years.
Book
Series
Year
Becoming Selfish
Selfish, book 1
2021
Staying Selfless
Selfish, book 2
2022
Mile High
Windy City, book 1
2022
The Right Move
Windy City, book 2
2023
Caught Up
Windy City, book 3
2023
Play Along
Windy City, book 4
2024
Rewind It Back
Windy City, book 5
2025
In Her Own League
Windy City spinoff
2026
Cardinal Rule
Wilder Woods, book 1
Expected 2027
That makes eight published novels as of late 2026. You can see the full list, including special editions and translations, on her Goodreads author page.
What is the Windy City series about?
The Windy City series is set in Chicago, and each book follows a different pro athlete. The characters live in the same world, so couples from earlier books keep showing up later. That crossover is a big reason readers stick with the whole series.
Mile High (2022)
The first book pairs Stevie, a flight attendant, with Evan Zanders, a star defenseman for Chicago’s hockey team. She works on the team plane, and he does everything he can to get under her skin.
The Right Move (2023)
Book two moves to basketball. Ryan Shay, a Chicago point guard and Stevie’s twin brother, fakes a relationship with his roommate, Indy, and the arrangement starts to feel real.
Caught Up (2023) and Play Along (2024)
The next two books switch to baseball. Caught Up follows pitcher and single dad Kai Rhodes, who hires a pastry chef named Miller Montgomery as his son’s summer nanny. Play Along follows his brother, shortstop Isaiah Rhodes, and team trainer Kennedy Kay, who agree to a one-season marriage after a Las Vegas wedding.
Rewind It Back (2025)
The fifth and final main book returns to hockey. Rio DeLuca, a fan favorite from the earlier books, gets a second chance at love with Hallie, his childhood sweetheart.
In Her Own League is a standalone spinoff of the Windy City series, released on March 3, 2026. Reese Remington becomes the first female owner of a Major League Baseball team, and she clashes with her field manager, Emmett Montgomery.
You can read it on its own, but it shares its Chicago baseball setting with Caught Up and Play Along, so Windy City readers will spot familiar faces.
What came before Windy City?
Liz Tomforde’s first books were the Selfish series. Becoming Selfish came out in 2021 and Staying Selfless followed in 2022. They sit outside the Windy City world, with their own separate cast.
These two books are much smaller in reach than her later work. Mile High, released the same year as Staying Selfless, is the book that made her name.
What is Liz Tomforde writing next?
Her next project is Wilder Woods, a planned four-book series set in Northern California, where she grew up. It follows the Wilder family. The first book, Cardinal Rule, is up for preorder and expected in 2027.
Moving the setting from Chicago to her home region is a fresh start after five Windy City books and a spinoff.
Where should you start reading Liz Tomforde?
Most readers start with Mile High and read the Windy City books in order. A simple plan looks like this:
Read Mile High first to meet the core group of characters.
Continue with The Right Move, Caught Up, Play Along and Rewind It Back, in that order.
Read In Her Own League after the five main books, since it is a spinoff.
Try the Selfish books any time, since they stand apart from Windy City.
Each Windy City book has its own couple and a complete ending, so you can technically jump in anywhere. Reading in order just makes the cameos more fun.
Conclusion
Liz Tomforde is a New York Times bestselling sports romance author from Northern California. She debuted with Becoming Selfish in 2021, found her big audience with Mile High in 2022, and finished the five-book Windy City series with Rewind It Back in 2025. In Her Own League followed in 2026 as a baseball spinoff. Her next chapter is the Wilder Woods series, which starts with Cardinal Rule, expected in 2027. More biographies of famous people are available on GrandPeoples.com.
Frequently asked questions
How many books has Liz Tomforde written?
Liz Tomforde has published eight novels as of late 2026. They are the two Selfish books, the five Windy City books and the spinoff In Her Own League. Her ninth book, Cardinal Rule, is expected in 2027 as the start of the Wilder Woods series.
What is the first Liz Tomforde book?
Her first published book is Becoming Selfish, released in 2021 as book one of the Selfish series. Her best-known starting point is Mile High from 2022, which opens the Windy City series and is the book most readers pick up first.
Do you need to read the Windy City books in order?
No, each Windy City book has its own couple and a full ending. Reading them in order is still the best choice, because characters from earlier books return later and small storylines carry across the series.
Was Liz Tomforde a flight attendant?
Yes. Liz Tomforde has worked as a flight attendant, and that job inspired Mile High. The heroine, Stevie, works as a flight attendant on the team plane of a Chicago hockey club, so the setting comes from real experience.
Is In Her Own League part of the Windy City series?
In Her Own League is a standalone spinoff of the Windy City series, released on March 3, 2026. It follows baseball team owner Reese Remington and field manager Emmett Montgomery, and it can be read without the other books.
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