Sugar & Vice Books in Order

The Sugar & Vice trilogy moves away from the 1920s books and into a contemporary alternate Seattle where empaths are real, feared, and tightly policed. The series centers on Reece Davies, a pacifist empath who sometimes consults with police, and Evan Grayson, the government agent known as the Dead Man, whose job is hunting dangerous empaths. That pairing tells you a lot about the series right away: attraction and mistrust arrive at the same time.

Seattle matters here as more than scenery. Therin builds a wet, tense, slightly off-kilter version of the city, one shaped by public fear, political pressure, and a legal system ready to crack down on people with unusual powers. The first book opens with a brutal murder and an anti-empathy bill, so the world always feels like it could tip from prejudice into outright panic.

Reece and Evan are a strong central contrast. Reece is empathetic, stubborn, and trying hard not to give in to the darker pull of his own abilities. Evan has been trained into something close to a weapon, efficient and emotionally guarded, yet he keeps getting pulled off course by Reece. Their romance is a slow burn, and the books get a lot of mileage out of how much they resist needing each other.

Nobody in this series gets to stay simple for long.

The trilogy arc grows steadily across Liar City, Twisted Shadows, and Edge of Mercy. A murder case turns into disappearances, hidden programs, and a conspiracy that reaches into the deepest rules of this version of society. The danger is both external and personal, because the same forces threatening Seattle also keep pressing on Reece's powers and on Evan's loyalty to the system that made him. The stakes rise fast, but the emotional thread stays just as important.

In tone, these books blend urban fantasy, mystery, and enemies-to-lovers romance with a noir edge. Expect action, secrecy, morally messy choices, and plenty of tension before the characters can say what they feel. If you want Allie Therin in a more modern key, with banter, suspense, and a city full of bad politics and stranger magic, this is the series to pick up.