If you found Shantel Tessier through The Ritual, you already know the pull: a secret society of powerful men, a woman who gets chosen whether she likes it or not, and a book that warns you it's dark and means it. The Shantel Tessier books in order question has one real trap, though: the L.O.R.D.S. series wasn't published in the order it's numbered. Here's the map, plus where the newest book, Chaotic, fits and what she wrote before the Lords.
The quick list: Shantel Tessier books in order
The L.O.R.D.S. series - read by number:
- The Ritual (2021) - Ryat and Blakely
- The Sinner (2022) - Sin and Ellie
- The Sacrifice (2023) - Tyson and Laikyn
- Sabotage (2022) - Colton and Raylee
- Carnage (2023) - Saint and Ashtyn
- Madness (2024) - Haidyn and Charlotte
- Chaotic (January 2026) - Kash
Her other series - separate worlds:
- Dark Kingdom: Code of Silence, Titan, Grave, Cross, Bones (2020-2022)
- Dare: I Dare You, I Promise You, If You Dare (2018-2019)
- Earlier: the Undescribable, Selfish, DASH, and Seven Deadly Sins series, plus standalones like Slaughter and Make You Beg
Do you have to read the L.O.R.D.S. books in order?
Mostly, yes, and by series number rather than release date. Each book follows a new couple and lands its own ending, so you can technically read one alone. But the Lords share one continuous timeline, and the men who are background in one book are the leads in the next. Sabotage came out before The Sacrifice, yet it's numbered fourth because its events happen later. Read in publication order and you'll hit a few reveals early. The series order on Trilogy of Romance matches the numbering above.
Where does Chaotic fit?
Chaotic is book seven, out January 9, 2026 as an indie release, and it belongs to Kash. It's the newest of the Lords books, so read it after Madness. It's also the one most likely to send new readers back to The Ritual, which is why this list exists.
Is Shantel Tessier dark romance?
Yes, firmly. The L.O.R.D.S. books sit at the far end of the dark romance shelf: dubious consent, violence, captivity, and power games are the premise, not the twist. Read the trigger warnings at the front of each book, every time, and take them literally. If you're still working out how dark you like it, our dark romance books list runs from gateway reads to the extreme end, and The Ritual also made our mafia romance list for readers who like their powerful men organized.
How many Shantel Tessier books are there?
Counting every series and standalone, more than thirty. Most readers only need two of those numbers: seven L.O.R.D.S. books and five Dark Kingdom books. The early series (Undescribable, Selfish, Dare) are from before her dark-romance breakout and read differently, so treat them as a separate shelf rather than a prequel.
Where should you start with Shantel Tessier?
Start with The Ritual. It sets up the society, the rules, and the tone, and it's the book the fandom formed around (Goodreads page here). If you want something shorter to test the waters, The Sinner works almost as well. Save Dark Kingdom for after the Lords; it's a different world with a different crew, and readers who love one usually try the other.
What to read after Shantel Tessier
If it was the secret society and the brotherhood, Rina Kent in order is the closest match: powerful men, linked books, one couple at a time. If it was the obsession, the HD Carlton reading order goes even darker. And if you want the danger with jokes attached, Brynne Weaver in order is the dark rom-com version.
Every Lords book closes the same way: the ritual's over, the society goes quiet, and the man who chose you is done talking. That gap is the whole reason Swoony exists: closed-door and romance-only, a bond that climbs through five stages and keeps what you've built. Start with your obsessive ex, who's back - he let you go once and isn't planning to again - or the crime heir, if you want the man the whole society answers to.
The ritual ends at the last page. He doesn't have to.
