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LJ Shen Books in Order

Browse LJ Shen books in order, with series reading guides, short summaries, background on her romance worlds, and simple suggestions on where to start.

Last updated: December 25, 2025

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26 books

The Rake

by LJ Shen

2022

Party girl Emmabelle Penrose never planned on kids or commitment, until a late night scare makes her crave a baby on her own terms. Buttoned up English aristocrat Devon Whitehall seems like the perfect donor, until their tidy co parenting deal tangles with very real feelings.

Ruthless Rival

by LJ Shen

2022

As a girl, heiress Arya Roth fell for her housekeeper’s son, only to lose him after one stolen kiss exploded into scandal. Decades later she clashes in court with suave attorney Christian Miller, unaware he is the same boy now back to ruin her father.

Beautiful Graves

by LJ Shen

2022

Caught between the boy she once loved and the man who helps her learn to live again, a young woman must untangle grief, guilt, and years of secrets. Beautiful Graves is a moody, slow burn romance about first love, second chances, and choosing yourself.

The Monster

by LJ Shen

2021

Irish mob enforcer Sam Brennan has always been the monster Aisling Fitzpatrick was warned about and secretly drawn to. Years after a violent night at a Boston carnival bound them together, good girl Aisling must decide if loving him is worth unleashing his darkness.

The Devil Wears Black

by LJ Shen

2021

Wedding dress designer Maddie Goldbloom has moved on from Chase Black, the charming executive who shattered her heart. When his dying father believes they are engaged, Chase begs her to fake a reunion, dragging her into a weekend of lies, desire, and risky second chances.

Bad Cruz

by LJ Shen

2021

In their tiny coastal hometown, Dr. Cruz Costello is the golden boy while Tennessee "Tenn" Turner is the disaster everyone gossips about. A family cruise gone wrong traps them together, forcing old grudges and inconvenient attraction into the open.

The Villain

by LJ Shen

2020

When gentle florist Persephone Penrose begs ruthless billionaire Cillian Fitzpatrick for help, he offers a cold bargain, marriage and an heir in exchange for wiping out her husband’s debts. Their ice bright arrangement turns into a bruising, slow burn fight for real intimacy.

The Hunter

by LJ Shen

2020

After a leaked sex tape scorches his reputation, playboy heir Hunter Fitzpatrick is sentenced to six months of celibacy under the supervision of Olympic hopeful archer Sailor Brennan. Roommates in a Boston apartment, they clash, scheme, and slowly fall hard.

Playing with Fire

by LJ Shen

2020

Once the golden girl of her small Texas town, Grace Shaw now hides behind hoodies and makeup after a tragic fire left her scarred. Bad boy underground fighter West St. Claire bulldozes into her quiet life, daring her to trust him, and herself, again.

Just the Tip

by LJ Shen

2020

This short, cheeky contemporary romance leans into its suggestive title as two adults with plenty of chemistry finally stop flirting around the edges and give in, blurring the line between casual fun and something worth keeping.

Angry God

by LJ Shen

2020

Vaughn Spencer, an untouchable art prodigy with a vicious streak, has spent years tormenting quiet sculptor Lenora Astalis. When a prestigious internship strands them together in a remote English castle, their toxic rivalry unearths buried secrets and an obsessive first love.

The Kiss Thief

by LJ Shen

2019

Sheltered mafia princess Francesca Rossi is meant to marry her childhood crush, heir Angelo Bandini. Instead, ruthless senator Wolfe Keaton uses her father’s sins to force her into marriage, turning her first stolen kiss into a twisted, intoxicating power play.

Pretty Reckless

by LJ Shen

2019

Rich cheerleader Daria Followhill has built a perfect mean girl armor, but it hides a secret betrayal. When Penn Scully, the boy she once wronged, moves into her home, high school turns into a slow burning battle of revenge and desire.

In the Unlikely Event

by LJ Shen

2019

At nineteen, American tourist Aurora Jenkins spends one magical night in a small Irish town with local musician Malachy Doherty, sealing a wild promise on a pub napkin. Years later in New York, fate and heartbreak make good on the bet they never thought would matter.

Broken Knight

by LJ Shen

2019

Wallflower Luna Rexroth and golden boy quarterback Knight Cole grew up side by side, bound by a childhood promise. College pressures and family tragedy push them apart, and their best friends to lovers bond is tested by jealousy, grief, and self destruction.

Dirty Headlines

by LJ Shen

2018

Brooklyn journalism student Jude Humphry never expected her unforgettable one night stand to become her new boss, icy media heir Célian Laurent. In a cutthroat Manhattan newsroom, their battle of barbs and late night headlines turns into an intense, no strings office affair.

Bane

by LJ Shen

2018

Roman "Bane" Protsenko is Todos Santos’s tattooed troublemaker, happy to hustle and surf his way through life until a risky business deal pushes him toward reclusive heiress Jesse Carter. What starts as a calculated arrangement becomes a fierce, healing love neither expected.

The End Zone

by LJ Shen

2017

College roommates Jolie Louis and Sage Poirier have been best friends since childhood, even if Sage is now the campus quarterback heartthrob. Posing as his fake girlfriend to keep other women away turns their easy friendship into something much hotter and far more complicated.

Scandalous

by LJ Shen

2017

Stoic single father Trent Rexroth has built an empire from nothing, but his partner’s rebellious teenage daughter, Edie Van Der Zee, threatens to unravel it all. Blackmail forces her close to him, and their forbidden attraction explodes into a scandal neither family can contain.

Ruckus

by LJ Shen

2017

Good time rich boy Dean Cole has always chased the one girl he cannot have, Rosie LeBlanc, his ex’s younger sister who is quietly fighting a serious illness. When fate finally throws them together, partying and denial give way to a raw, heartbreaking second chance.

Vicious

by LJ Shen

2016

As a teen, Emilia LeBlanc lived in the servants cottage on the Spencer estate and endured years of cruelty from Baron "Vicious" Spencer. A decade later in New York, the ice cold lawyer offers her a job, dragging their love hate obsession into dangerous new territory.

Sparrow

by LJ Shen

2016

South Boston fixer Troy Brennan forces quiet neighborhood girl Sparrow Raynes into a sudden marriage to settle murky debts. Trapped in his penthouse and tangled in mob politics, Sparrow must decide whether to fight her cage or fall for the dangerous man who built it.

Midnight Blue

by LJ Shen

2016

Broke and desperate, Indie Bellamy signs on as sober companion for notorious British rock star Alex Winslow on a grueling world tour. Keeping him clean means resisting the broken, magnetic man behind the headlines, even as life on the road pulls them together.

Defy

by LJ Shen

2016

When jaded teacher Melody Greene lands a job at elite All Saints High, the last thing she expects is to be seduced by star quarterback Jaime Followhill. Their forbidden fling in a privileged California town risks both her career and the fragile new life she is trying to build.

Blood to Dust

by LJ Shen

2016

After crossing the wrong drug lord, Prescott is dumped, bound and bruised, into the basement of a stranger called Beat. Using him as her unexpected ally, she plots an escape and a bloody revenge road trip that blurs the line between captor and accomplice.

Tyed

by LJ Shen

2015

College slacker Blaire Stern just wants to pass journalism, not fall for her assignment, cocky MMA star Ty Walker. Interview sessions turn into dates, and the underachieving twin and the undefeated fighter have to decide if they can risk their carefully guarded hearts.

Where should I start?

If you want the main LJverse in order: ViciousRuckusScandalousBanePretty RecklessBroken KnightAngry God.
If you love dark high school drama: Pretty RecklessBroken KnightAngry God.
If you want Boston and mafia vibes: SparrowThe HunterThe VillainThe MonsterThe Rake.
If you prefer standalones you can dip into: The Kiss ThiefPlaying with FireRuthless RivalBeautiful Graves.
If you want something a little lighter and sporty: TyedThe End ZoneBad Cruz.

Author bio

LJ Shen writes the kind of contemporary and new adult romance that people stay up too late for, telling themselves "just one more chapter" even when they know better.

She is a multi list bestseller whose books have appeared on the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Washington Post, and major retailer charts. Readers know her for angsty stories, morally gray or downright infuriating heroes, and heroines who learn how to draw their own lines even when love gets messy.

Before she settled into life as a full time author, she spent years traveling and collecting friends from all over the world. Those trips show up in her work, whether it is an Irish bar in In the Unlikely Event, a London art school in Angry God, or rock tours and Boston backstreets in books like Midnight Blue, Sparrow, and the Boston Belles series.

She lives in the United States near the coast with her family and a famously lazy cat. At home she keeps things simple, preferring quiet evenings with her husband and son, a glass of wine, and whatever show or documentary she is currently binging. When she talks about her own habits, she is quick to joke that she forgets birthdays, does not send enough holiday cards, and has very strong opinions about ugly shoes.

Books are still her favorite escape. She reads several novels a week across romance and beyond, and it shows in how she builds stories. Her work leans hard into big emotions, but there is usually a streak of humor, a sharp bit of banter, or a weird little detail that keeps things from getting too heavy.

Some readers find her first through the small California town of Todos Santos, home to the Sinners of Saint and All Saints High books. Others arrive by way of standalone hits like The Kiss Thief, Playing with Fire, Midnight Blue, Bad Cruz, or her corporate and legal romances such as Dirty Headlines and Ruthless Rival. However you get there, you end up in the same loose universe of connected families, rivalries, and cameos that fans call the LJverse.

Certain themes come up again and again. Privileged kids and outsiders smashing into each other. Found families that are as important as blood. Second chances that only arrive after people have done real damage. Her heroes are often the first to admit they are not nice men, and her heroines have to decide when, and if, someone that flawed deserves another shot.

Off the page, she stays close to her readers through a newsletter and a busy reader group, where inside jokes about "alphaholes" and "sassy sparrows" fly around with every new release. The energy is casual and self aware. She is proud of writing romance that feels a little bit like a guilty pleasure and a little bit like a punch to the chest, and she has no plans to slow down.

Edited by

Richard Reis

Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.

Anurag Ramdasan

Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.

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All 26 LJ Shen Books in Order (Complete List 2026)