Shelly Laurenston Books in Order (Updated April 28, 2026)

Shelly Laurenston writes paranormal romance, shifter romance, urban fantasy romance, and action-heavy romantic comedy. She is also the author behind the G.A. Aiken pen name, but this guide focuses on the books published as Shelly Laurenston.

Shelly Laurenston Books in Order (Updated April 28, 2026)

Her catalog has two main continuity lanes.

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  1. The first is the shifter world: Magnus Pack, Pride Stories, The Honey Badger Chronicles, and related novellas.
  2. The second is the Crow mythology lane: The Gathering and Call of Crows.
  3. The easiest starting point is Pack Challenge if you want the full shifter-world foundation. If you want the most popular modern entry point, start with Hot and Badgered.

Simple Reading Order

For the cleanest shifter-world experience, read:

  1. Pack Challenge
  2. Go Fetch!
  3. Here Kitty, Kitty!
  4. The Mane Event
  5. The Beast in Him
  6. The Mane Attraction
  7. The Mane Squeeze
  8. Beast Behaving Badly
  9. Big Bad Beast
  10. Bear Meets Girl
  11. Wolf with Benefits
  12. Bite Me
  13. Hot and Badgered
  14. In a Badger Way
  15. Badger to the Bone
  16. Breaking Badger
  17. Born to Be Badger
  18. To Kill a Badger

For the Crow/Viking-god side, read:

  1. Hunting Season
  2. The Unleashing
  3. The Undoing
  4. The Unyielding

Magnus Pack Books in Order

The Magnus Pack books are the best foundation for Laurenston’s shifter world. They introduce the early pack dynamics, shifter humor, and relationship style that later carry into the Pride and Honey Badger books.

  1. Pack Challenge (2006): Sara Morrighan is pulled into wolf-shifter danger and romance, making this the natural first step into Laurenston’s shifter universe.
  2. Go Fetch! (2007): Miki Kendrick and Conall Víga-Feilan carry the second pack romance, with danger closing in around Miki and the pack.
  3. Here Kitty, Kitty! (2007): Angelina Santiago lands in the middle of tiger-shifter trouble, bringing the trilogy into a louder cat-and-pack conflict.

Related Magnus Pack Novella

  • Miss Congeniality (2008): A Magnus Pack novella from the anthology When He Was Bad, focused on Irene Conridge and Niles Van Holtz.

Pride Stories Books in Order

The Pride Stories books expand the shifter world beyond the Magnus Pack. They are linked romances with recurring families, packs, prides, and protection groups.

Read them in order for the best continuity, especially because later books rely on a growing supporting cast.

  1. The Mane Event (2007): Two connected stories introduce the lion-shifter side of the world, including Mace and Dez, then Brendon Shaw and Ronnie Lee Reed.
  2. The Beast in Him (2008): Jess Ward and Bobby Ray Smith reunite as adults, turning a high-school history into a wolf-shifter second-chance romance.
  3. The Mane Attraction (2008): Sissy Mae Smith and Mitch Shaw are forced together by danger, family pressure, and shifter politics.
  4. The Mane Squeeze (2009): Gwen O’Neill and Lock MacRyrie bring bear-and-cat chaos into the series while another threat targets hybrids.
  5. Beast Behaving Badly (2010): Blayne Thorpe and Bo Novikov take center stage in a hockey-adjacent shifter romance with dogfight danger in the background.
  6. Big Bad Beast (2011): Dee-Ann Smith and Ric Van Holtz move the series deeper into shifter protection work and hybrid-related investigations.
  7. Bear Meets Girl (2012): Lou “Crush” Crushek and Marcella Malone bring a bear-and-tiger romance into a case involving hunters and shifter danger.
  8. Like a Wolf with a Bone (2012): A prequel novella about Darla Lewis and Eggie Ray Smith, best read after you already understand the Smith family.
  9. Wolf with Benefits (2013): Toni Jean-Louis Parker and Ricky Lee Reed carry a large-family, security-job romance that works better after the earlier Pride books.
  10. Bite Me (2014): Livy Kowalski and Vic Barinov close the Pride sequence while introducing honey badger energy that leads naturally toward the later Honey Badger books.

The Honey Badger Chronicles Books in Order

The Honey Badger Chronicles continues the same broad shifter world after the Pride books. You can begin here, but the family networks and world jokes land better if you already know the earlier shifter series.

  1. Hot and Badgered (2018): Charlie Taylor-MacKilligan crashes into Berg Dunn’s life, beginning the MacKilligan sisters’ chaotic run through the shifter world.
  2. In a Badger Way (2019): Stevie MacKilligan and Shen Li move the series forward with a panda-shifter bodyguard, scientific danger, and Stevie’s explosive anxiety.
  3. Badger to the Bone (2020): Max MacKilligan and ZeZé Vargas face kidnapping, criminal enemies, and the discovery of ZeZé’s own shifter identity.
  4. Breaking Badger (2021): Mads and Finn Malone begin the Malone tiger-brother arc, tying honey badger teamwork to a family revenge plot.
  5. Born to Be Badger (2023): Tock Lepstein-Jackson and Shay Malone continue the fight against a dangerous lion-shifter trafficking ring.
  6. To Kill a Badger (2025): Nelle Zhao and Keane Malone push the Malone-brothers storyline further while the badgers keep targeting the de Medici threat.

Long Island Coven Books in Order

The Long Island Coven material is connected to the shifter world but sits more in novella territory. Read these after you know the main shifter setting.

  1. My Kind of Town (2007): Emma Luchessi takes a wrong turn into Smithville, where witches, big cats, and town secrets turn a quiet life into shifter trouble.
  2. The Wolf, the Witch, and Her Lack of Wardrobe (2008): Jamie Meacham and Tully Smith mix witch power with wolf-shifter protection in a short paranormal romance.

The Gathering Books in Order

The Gathering is a Crow/Viking-god story and works as a bridge to Call of Crows. It is not part of the shifter-world order.

  • Hunting Season (2009 / later reissued): Neecy Lawrence, a winged warrior for a Viking goddess, clashes with Raven leader Will Yager in a romance built around warrior duty and old pain.

Call of Crows Books in Order

Call of Crows is a completed trilogy about women resurrected by Skuld and turned into Crow warriors. Read Hunting Season first if you want the earliest Crow-world context, but the trilogy itself begins with The Unleashing.

  1. The Unleashing (2015): Kera Watson is murdered, resurrected, and brought into the violent sisterhood of the Crows.
  2. The Undoing (2016): Jace Berisha’s Crow life collides with ancient-goddess danger and uneasy alliances with rival Viking clans.
  3. The Unyielding (2017): Erin Amsel and Stieg Engstrom face world-ending stakes, making this the trilogy’s final and largest confrontation.

Anthologies and Short Fiction

These are optional for most readers. They matter most if you are completing the shifter world or tracking Laurenston’s Dragon Kin crossover material.

  1. Sun, Sand, Sex (2007): Includes My Kind of Town, the first Long Island Coven story.
  2. When He Was Bad (2008): Includes Miss Congeniality, a Magnus Pack-related novella about Irene Conridge and Niles Van Holtz.
  3. Belong to the Night (2008): Includes The Wolf, the Witch, and Her Lack of Wardrobe, a Long Island Coven / shifter-world novella.
  4. Everlasting Bad Boys (2008): Includes Can’t Get Enough, a Dragon Kin novella written as Shelly Laurenston but connected to the G.A. Aiken dragon world.
  5. Howl for It (2012): Includes Like a Wolf with a Bone, a Pride-world prequel about Darla Lewis and Eggie Ray Smith.

Best Recommended Shelly Laurenston Reading Order

This order is built for continuity, not just release date.

It keeps the shifter world together first, then moves to the Crow books.

  1. Pack Challenge (2006): Begin here for the full shifter-world foundation.
  2. Go Fetch! (2007): Continue the Magnus Pack relationships and pack danger.
  3. Here Kitty, Kitty! (2007): Finish the core Magnus Pack trilogy.
  4. Miss Congeniality (2008): Add this novella before moving fully into Pride if you want every shifter-world relationship.
  5. The Mane Event (2007): Start the Pride Stories with the lion-shifter material.
  6. The Beast in Him (2008): Continue with Jess and Smitty’s second-chance romance.
  7. The Mane Attraction (2008): Read next for Sissy Mae and Mitch’s danger-driven pairing.
  8. The Mane Squeeze (2009): Continue into Gwen and Lock’s hybrid-targeting storyline.
  9. Beast Behaving Badly (2010): Read before the protection-group arc gets larger.
  10. Big Bad Beast (2011): Continue with Dee-Ann and Ric’s investigation-heavy romance.
  11. Bear Meets Girl (2012): Read before the final Pride books and honey badger handoff.
  12. Like a Wolf with a Bone (2012): Place this prequel here so the Smith family context is already clear.
  13. Wolf with Benefits (2013): Continue the later Pride run with Toni and Ricky Lee.
  14. Bite Me (2014): Finish Pride and meet the honey badger tone that feeds into the next series.
  15. Hot and Badgered (2018): Start The Honey Badger Chronicles with Charlie and Berg.
  16. In a Badger Way (2019): Continue with Stevie and Shen.
  17. Badger to the Bone (2020): Read third for Max and ZeZé’s arc.
  18. Breaking Badger (2021): Begin the Malone tiger-brother thread.
  19. Born to Be Badger (2023): Continue the lion-trafficking and Malone-family storyline.
  20. To Kill a Badger (2025): Read after Born to Be Badger for the next badger-and-Malone pairing.
  21. My Kind of Town (2007): Add this Long Island Coven novella as shifter-world side material.
  22. The Wolf, the Witch, and Her Lack of Wardrobe (2008): Read after My Kind of Town for the second coven-related story.
  23. Hunting Season (2009): Start the Crow mythology lane.
  24. The Unleashing (2015): Begin the Call of Crows trilogy.
  25. The Undoing (2016): Continue the Crow war and god-related conflict.
  26. The Unyielding (2017): Finish the Call of Crows trilogy.
  27. Can’t Get Enough (2008): Read separately if you also follow the G.A. Aiken Dragon Kin books.

Chronological Order

A strict chronological order is not the best first-read approach for Shelly Laurenston.

Some prequel novellas take place earlier than the main novels, but they work better after you know the families and world. For most readers, publication-by-series order preserves character introductions and recurring jokes more effectively.

Use this practical chronology instead:

Shifter World

  1. Pack Challenge
  2. Go Fetch!
  3. Here Kitty, Kitty!
  4. Miss Congeniality
  5. The Mane Event
  6. The Beast in Him
  7. The Mane Attraction
  8. The Mane Squeeze
  9. Beast Behaving Badly
  10. Big Bad Beast
  11. Bear Meets Girl
  12. Like a Wolf with a Bone
  13. Wolf with Benefits
  14. Bite Me
  15. Hot and Badgered
  16. In a Badger Way
  17. Badger to the Bone
  18. Breaking Badger
  19. Born to Be Badger
  20. To Kill a Badger

Crow / Viking-God World

  1. Hunting Season
  2. The Unleashing
  3. The Undoing
  4. The Unyielding

Side Novellas

  1. My Kind of Town
  2. The Wolf, the Witch, and Her Lack of Wardrobe
  3. Can’t Get Enough

These side novellas are flexible, but they are best after you know Laurenston’s main world style.

Publication Order

Publication order is useful for completionists, especially because Laurenston’s shifter world grew across novels and anthology novellas.

  1. Pack Challenge (2006): The first Magnus Pack book and the earliest full shifter-world starting point.
  2. Go Fetch! (2007): The second Magnus Pack book, continuing the early wolf-shifter setup.
  3. Here Kitty, Kitty! (2007): The third Magnus Pack book, shifting attention toward tiger-shifter chaos.
  4. My Kind of Town (2007): A Long Island Coven story originally published in Sun, Sand, Sex.
  5. The Mane Event (2007): The first Pride Stories book, made up of two linked shifter romances.
  6. The Beast in Him (2008): The second Pride book and a major Smith-family romance.
  7. The Mane Attraction (2008): The third Pride book, continuing the Smith and Shaw shifter connections.
  8. Miss Congeniality (2008): A Magnus Pack-related novella originally published in When He Was Bad.
  9. The Wolf, the Witch, and Her Lack of Wardrobe (2008): A Long Island Coven novella originally published in Belong to the Night.
  10. Can’t Get Enough (2008): A Dragon Kin novella published under Shelly Laurenston but tied to the G.A. Aiken dragon world.
  11. The Mane Squeeze (2009): The fourth Pride book and a major hybrid-focused shifter romance.
  12. Hunting Season (2009 / 2010): The Gathering novel, later reissued, and the earliest Crow-world story.
  13. Beast Behaving Badly (2010): The fifth Pride book, pairing Blayne and Bo in a high-energy shifter romance.
  14. Big Bad Beast (2011): The sixth Pride book, tying romance to shifter protection investigations.
  15. Bear Meets Girl (2012): The seventh Pride book and the Crush / Cella pairing.
  16. Like a Wolf with a Bone (2012): A Pride-world prequel novella from Howl for It.
  17. Wolf with Benefits (2013): The eighth Pride book and a later-series family-centered romance.
  18. Bite Me (2014): The ninth Pride book and the bridge toward the honey badger era.
  19. The Unleashing (2015): The first Call of Crows book.
  20. The Undoing (2016): The second Call of Crows book.
  21. The Unyielding (2017): The third Call of Crows book.
  22. Hot and Badgered (2018): The first Honey Badger Chronicles book.
  23. In a Badger Way (2019): The second Honey Badger Chronicles book.
  24. Badger to the Bone (2020): The third Honey Badger Chronicles book.
  25. Breaking Badger (2021): The fourth Honey Badger Chronicles book.
  26. Born to Be Badger (2023): The fifth Honey Badger Chronicles book.
  27. To Kill a Badger (2025): The sixth Honey Badger Chronicles book.

Shelly Laurenston and G.A. Aiken

Shelly Laurenston also writes as G.A. Aiken.

The Dragon Kin and Scarred Earth Saga books belong to the G.A. Aiken side of her catalog. They should not be mixed into the Shelly Laurenston shifter reading order unless you are building a full all-pen-names bibliography.

The one exception to remember is Can’t Get Enough, which is a Dragon Kin novella written under the Shelly Laurenston name. Treat it as G.A. Aiken / Dragon Kin material for continuity.

Latest Release Status

At the time of writing such as April 28, 2026, the newest Shelly Laurenston novel is To Kill a Badger, book six in The Honey Badger Chronicles, released in 2025.

The author has also announced a two-book Honey Badger contract focused on an earlier generation connected to Mads’s aunt and her friends. Those books are still planning-stage material, with no confirmed titles or release dates.

There is also current activity under the G.A. Aiken name, including work on more Scarred Earth Saga material, but that belongs to the separate pen-name catalog.

FAQs

What Shelly Laurenston book should I read first?

Start with Pack Challenge if you want the full shifter-world order. Start with Hot and Badgered if you want the most direct modern entry point into the Honey Badger books.

Do Shelly Laurenston’s shifter books need to be read in order?

Yes, for the best experience. Each romance has its own couple, but the families, jokes, enemies, and world structure build across the series.

Are Magnus Pack, Pride Stories, and Honey Badger Chronicles connected?

Yes. They share the same broader shifter world. Magnus Pack comes first, Pride Stories expands the world, and The Honey Badger Chronicles follows later.

Can I start with Hot and Badgered?

Yes. Hot and Badgered works as a modern entry point. You will understand the main story, but earlier shifter-world references are clearer if you have read Magnus Pack and Pride Stories.

Is Call of Crows connected to the shifter books?

No, not in the same main continuity. Call of Crows belongs with The Gathering and the Viking-god / Crow mythology side of Laurenston’s work.

Should I read Hunting Season before Call of Crows?

It helps, but it is not mandatory. Hunting Season gives earlier Crow-world context, while The Unleashing begins the main Call of Crows trilogy.

Where does Like a Wolf with a Bone fit?

It is a Pride-world prequel novella about Darla Lewis and Eggie Ray Smith. Read it after Bear Meets Girl or after the main Pride books, not as your first Laurenston story.

Are the anthology stories required?

Only for completionists. Miss Congeniality and Like a Wolf with a Bone are the most useful shifter-world anthology stories, while Can’t Get Enough matters more for G.A. Aiken / Dragon Kin readers.

Conclusion

The best Shelly Laurenston reading order starts with Pack Challenge, continues through Magnus Pack, then moves into Pride Stories, and finally reaches The Honey Badger Chronicles.

For the Crow mythology books, read Hunting Season before The Unleashing, The Undoing, and The Unyielding.

If you want the fastest entry point, begin with Hot and Badgered. If you want the full continuity, begin with Pack Challenge and let the shifter world build in order.

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Frank is the editor of BookSeries.blog, focusing on publication order, chronological timelines, and spoiler-free reading guides for book series and fictional universes.

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