Mandrake Company Books in Order

Mandrake Company is Ruby Lionsdrake's big space-mercenary series. The books center on Captain Viktor Mandrake and the crew of the Albatross, a large mercenary outfit that takes dangerous jobs on the rougher edges of civilized space. Bounties, rescue missions, pirate trouble, government pressure, and rumors of ancient alien treasures all feed the action.

What makes the series easy to sink into is its structure. The setting and crew stay connected, but each main novel shifts the spotlight to a different couple. One book follows Viktor and Ankari Markovich, another turns to Val Calendula and Gregor Thatcher, and later stories give other crew members their turn. That means there is an ongoing found-family feel, but each romance gets its own payoff.

The ship is the home base, but the books rarely stay still for long.

Readers bounce from ruined worlds and jungle expeditions to quarantined space stations and pirate fights. The science fiction side is adventurous rather than heavily technical. Ancient artifacts, bounty hunters, corrupt power brokers, and rival crews keep the pressure on. The universe feels wide enough for treasure hunts and firefights, but small enough that past choices keep circling back to the crew.

Tone is a big part of the appeal. These are action-forward romances with humor, banter, and protagonists who are usually competent at something very specific. Viktor is tough and taciturn. Gregor is brilliant and socially awkward. Sedgwick Thomlin brings intelligence work and a memorable list of allergies. Tick is the reliable tracker who quietly notices everything. Around them are pilots, scientists, treasure hunters, and outsiders who do not always fit neat military molds, which is part of the fun.

Love stories happen faster here than in Lindsay Buroker's slower-burn books, but the series still cares about missions, teamwork, and the odd ethics of soldiers for hire who are often better people than the institutions around them. Mandrake's crew takes jobs for money, yet they keep running into situations where doing the right thing matters just as much as getting paid. That gives the books a sturdy backbone beneath the flirting and explosions.

If you want science fiction romance with a strong crew dynamic, this is the place to start. Read it for the attraction, stay for the Albatross, and expect every stop along the route to bring one more complication than the crew planned for. It is a one-couple-per-book setup, but the ship, the friendships, and the trouble carry forward from story to story.