Charity Case Books in Order

Charity Case is an early Piper Rayne series of connected contemporary romances set in Chicago. The books follow women who are trying to rebuild after messy personal upheaval, and that gives the whole series a slightly sharper emotional edge than some of the authors' more purely playful rom-com work.

These heroines are not starting from a calm place.

The setup begins with Clean Slate, a prequel that introduces a woman preparing to leave one life behind and head back to Chicago. From there, the main books move through a trio of romances built around old wounds, second chances, and the people who show up at exactly the wrong, or right, time. Manic Monday pairs a divorced mom with a charming lawyer who was the best man at her wedding. Afternoon Delight turns toward the man who broke the heroine's heart and became her ex-husband. Happy Hour raises the temperature again by putting a heroine face to face with the one man she hates even more than her ex, his divorce attorney.

What links the series is not just the city, but the sense that the characters are all trying to get their footing back. Careers, co-parenting, family obligations, and lingering anger all sit beside the romance. That gives the books a nice push and pull. The attraction is strong, but it never floats free of real-life complications.

Chicago matters here too. The books have that urban, busy, just-trying-to-keep-up energy, and the connected friend group helps keep the series feeling cohesive. Readers also get some crossover character links that later feed into other Piper Rayne worlds.

If you want romances where love shows up right in the middle of legal drama, divorce fallout, and hard-earned fresh starts, Charity Case is worth a look. It is funny in places, but it also knows that starting over can be messy work.