The Lion and the Mouse Books in Order
Part ofKenya Wright Books in OrderSee The Lion and the Mouse books by Kenya Wright in order, with summaries, world background, and guidance on the best place to start.
Last updated: June 7, 2026
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Publication Order
12 books
Dirty Kisses
by Kenya Wright
2018
Kazimir comes to Harlem hunting the killer of his top money washer and lands on Emily's doorstep. To save her brother, she agrees to work for a Russian mob boss she absolutely should not want.
Dirty Love
by Kenya Wright
2018
Emily and Kazimir are together now, but love does not slow the violence around them. From Harlem to Prague to Moscow, they face blood debts, hidden enemies, and a war that refuses to end quietly.
Dirty Desires
by Kenya Wright
2019
Misha has been obsessed with Ava, the lone Black ballerina in the Mariinsky, for far too long to let her slip away. But the closer he gets, the more danger surrounds her rising place in the company.
Dirty Hearts
by Kenya Wright
2019
After one war ends, Kazimir wants peace with Emily, but peace never lasts long in their world. Fresh threats rise from the shadows and put their fragile happiness on the line.
Dirty Minds
by Kenya Wright
2019
Misha finally has Ava, but bringing her into his underworld opens the door to killers, hackers, and revenge-driven oligarchs. Their new love has to survive the darkness that comes with his name.
Dirty Obsessions
by Kenya Wright
2020
Kazimir and Emily are still standing, but murder, betrayal, and old rivals keep circling. Just when they think one enemy is gone for good, the danger comes roaring back.
Dirty Passions
by Kenya Wright
2020
When the Corsican takes Emily, Kazimir tears through Paris to get her back. The rescue is brutal, the enemies are vicious, and their love gets tested in the middle of another war.
Dirty Cravings
by Kenya Wright
2021
In Italy, Kazimir and Emily hunt for a traitor while every new clue makes their reality shakier. The deeper they dig, the more dangerous the game becomes.
Dirty Macking
by Kenya Wright
2022
A temporary peace deal sends Maxwell and Boris off with the French on a side mission that turns deadly, chaotic, and darkly funny. This Lion and Mouse entry is less romance and more dangerous detour.
Dirty Flowers
by Kenya Wright
2023
Parenthood brings a brief hope of peace, then darkness smashes straight through it. This bridge story pushes Kazimir and Emily into grief, rage, and the next phase of their long fight.
Dirty Wars
by Kenya Wright
2023
Kazimir and Emily head into a larger war in Italy, where secrets threaten to either break them apart or bind them tighter. Every alliance feels shaky and every answer comes with blood on it.
Dirty Pleasures
by Kenya Wright
2024
Kazimir and Emily go to New Orleans hoping for healing, only to find fresh danger waiting for them. The city offers atmosphere, magic, and the threat of yet another war.
Series background & context
The Lion and the Mouse is Kenya Wright's biggest and most recognizable romance world. If you only know one of her series, it is probably this one.
The central pairing is Kazimir and Emily. Kazimir is a feared Russian mafia boss, the Lion of the title. Emily is the Mouse, a sharp Harlem washer and hustler who gets pulled into his orbit after a murder turns his world sideways. From the start, the relationship is built on danger, distrust, and the awkward fact that they are almost perfect for each other.
That setup gives the series its first hook, but the reason readers stay is the scale. These books do not sit in one apartment or one neighborhood. The story stretches from Harlem to Paris, Moscow, Italy, New Orleans, and beyond. Crime families, hidden enemies, blood debts, kidnappings, betrayals, and fragile peace deals keep changing the shape of the world around the couple.
It is a big family saga as much as it is a romance series. Misha and Ava bring in the Russian ballet world. Maxwell adds humor, pain, and chaos. Jean-Pierre and the Corsican connection widen the danger. Later books deepen the sense that Kazimir and Emily are not surviving alone. They are standing inside a whole network of dangerous people who love hard and fight harder.
Tone is important here. These books are dark, but they are not humorless. Wright makes room for banter, found family energy, tenderness, and wild side characters without taking the threat away. That balance is one reason the series feels so bingeable. You get bloodshed and obsession, but you also get warmth.
Reading order matters. Start with Dirty Kisses and keep going forward. Even the side stories hit better when you already know the world. If you like sprawling mafia romance with one core couple, a growing cast, and enough twists to keep the world feeling unstable, this is the series to pick up first.
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