A.C. Arthur Books in Order (Updated 2026-02-05)

A.C. Arthur writes across contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and paranormal romance, and she organizes a lot of her catalog into clearly named series. The easiest way to stay spoiler-safe is to pick one series world and read straight through, then switch to the next.

This page focuses on the series where order is most useful, plus the main “standalone” shelf as the author labels it.

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A quick way to choose your first A.C. Arthur book

• Big, wealthy-family contemporary romance: start with Love Me Like No Other (The Donovans)
• Dragon shifters + futuristic security team: start with Awaken the Dragon (Legion)
• Feline shifters with action and multiple connected arcs: start with Temptation Rising (Shadow Shifters)
• Basketball-star marriage drama (romantic suspense flavor): start with Rules of the Game (Rules of the Game)

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The Donovans core series (best read in order)

A powerful, affluent family where each book spotlights a different couple, with later entries leaning more strongly on prior events.

1. Love Me Like No Other: A guarded Donovan falls hard when love threatens his control.
2. A Cinderella Affair: A “perfect on paper” attraction turns real once secrets stop behaving.
3. Defying Desire: A no-strings approach collapses when feelings grow teeth.
4. Full House Seduction: Family pressure and desire collide in a romance that won’t stay tidy.
5. Touch of Fate: A turning-point romance where timing becomes the biggest antagonist.
6. Holiday Hearts: The season pushes a Donovan into choices he can’t postpone.
7. Desire a Donovan: Chemistry hits fast, but commitment requires honesty.
8. Surrender to a Donovan: Two strong wills fight the inevitable until surrender becomes relief.

Donovan-adjacent novels that continue the main line (read after book 8)

These are commonly treated as the continuation of the Donovan world and are safest in this order.

9. Pleasured by a Donovan: Pleasure turns serious when the emotional stakes show up early.
10. Heart of a Donovan: A romance shaped by family duty and the cost of avoiding truth.
11. Embraced by a Donovan: A protective connection grows into something neither can keep casual.
12. Wrapped in a Donovan: The romance deepens when the “plan” stops working.
13. The Donovans: Uncovered: Hidden truths surface and force relationships into the open.
14. In the Arms of a Donovan: A couple faces the consequences of everything the family kept quiet.
15. Falling for a Donovan: A late-series love story that lands best with the full background.
16. Destiny of a Donovan: The payoff when fate, family, and choice finally align.

Prequel-style entry (optional)

• A Legacy Is Born: A “before the saga” story that works best once you already know what the Donovan name becomes.

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Donovan spin-offs and connected shelves

These share the Donovan orbit, but they’re built to be read separately once you’ve sampled the main family.

Donovan Friends (in order)

1. Guarding His Body: Protection becomes intimacy when danger and desire arrive together.
2. Summer Heat: A hot-season romance where restraint doesn’t survive proximity.
3. Winter Kisses: Cold weather forces closeness that turns into commitment.
4. Under the Mistletoe: A holiday spark becomes the one thing they can’t unfeel.
5. Always My Valentine: A romance that starts as “just for now” and ends as “no going back.”
6. Always in My Heart: A steady relationship grows through real-life pressure.
7. For Always: A forever decision arrives when both stop bargaining.
8. The Winter Wedding: A wedding setup raises the emotional stakes for everyone involved.

Donovan Dynasty (in order)

1. Dane: An international Donovan romance where power meets its match.
2. Roark: A high-heat relationship tested by pride and loyalty.
3. Ridge: A strong pull becomes a serious choice with real consequences.
4. Talaya: A heroine-forward romance where agency matters as much as desire.
5. Suri: A love story shaped by place, family, and stubborn hearts.
6. Cade: The continuation where commitment stops being optional.

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Shadow Shifters universe (read in this order)

This world has multiple arcs. Reading in sequence keeps the timeline clean.

Shadow Shifters: Awakening arc

1. Temptation Rising: Hidden shifters and instant chemistry collide with danger.
2. Seduction’s Shift: Desire escalates while secrets start to unravel.
3. Passion’s Prey: The stakes turn lethal, and love becomes part of survival.

Shadow Shifters: Unveiling arc

4. Shifter’s Claim: Possession and protection blur when the world changes.
5. Hunger’s Mate: Mating instincts meet real emotional risk.
6. Primal Heat: The arc peaks when primal truth can’t be denied.

Shadow Shifters: Damaged Hearts (a younger generation)

7. Mine to Claim: A college-age shifter romance with a fierce protective edge.
8. Part of Me: A relationship grows where trust is the hardest currency.
9. Hunger for You: Want becomes commitment when both stop resisting.

Shadow Shifters: Rebellion

10. A Lion’s Heart: A new generation fights for a future worth loving in.
11. A Cougar’s Kiss: Romance intensifies in a world that won’t stay safe.

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Legion (dragon shifters) (read in order)

1. Awaken the Dragon: A dragon-led security world opens, and destiny hits fast.
2. Claim the Dragon: Claiming love means claiming responsibility, too.
3. Tempt the Dragon: Temptation becomes a threat when enemies close in.

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Royal Weddings (read in order)

A contemporary romance quartet set around a Caribbean royal family.

1. To Marry a Prince: Duty and desire clash under a crown’s expectations.
2. Loving the Princess: A princess fights for a love that doesn’t fit tradition.
3. Prince Ever After: A romantic payoff where “happily” has to be earned.
4. Taming the Prince: A stubborn prince meets the one person he can’t outmaneuver.

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After Hours (law-firm romantic suspense) (read in order)

These can be read alone, but the atmosphere builds best in sequence.

1. After Hours: Office power games turn personal when danger appears.
2. Laws of Attraction: Attraction and ambition collide inside a high-pressure case.
3. Corporate Seduction: Seduction is easy; surviving betrayal is the real test.
4. Office Policy: Rules break, secrets spill, and love becomes the risk worth taking.

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Rules of the Game (read in order)

1. Rules of the Game: A marriage is shaken, and survival means learning new rules.
2. Revelations: The truth hits harder when everyone has something to hide.
3. Redemption: Redemption costs more than apologies, it demands change.

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Rumors (read in order)

1. Rumors: Old friends, one death, and a secret that refuses to stay buried.
2. Revealed: The cover-up cracks, and the consequences finally arrive.

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Temptation series (Temptation, Virginia) (read in order)

A small-town run with holiday and event romances that share a setting.

1. One Mistletoe Wish: A holiday wish turns into a love story with real staying power.
2. One Unforgettable Kiss: One kiss rearranges priorities and exposes old wants.
3. One Perfect Moment: A single moment becomes the start of something permanent.
4. One Christmas Song: The season brings romance, and forces honesty.
5. Six More Minutes: Six minutes becomes the space where everything changes.
6. One Perfect Night: A perfect night turns into an imperfectly real relationship.
7. 12 Days of Passion: A countdown of passion turns into a commitment test.
8. Jingle Bell Hearts: Holiday romance with big feelings and bigger choices.

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Other notable A.C. Arthur series (in author-listed order)

Platinum Ryders

1. Come Ride With Me: A biker brotherhood romance where loyalty runs deep.
2. Raphael’s Tale: A character-focused continuation with heavier emotional stakes.

Mystyx (YA paranormal, written as Artist Arthur)

1. Manifest: Powers awaken, and friendship becomes survival.
2. Mystify: The mystery deepens as alliances shift.
3. Mutiny: Trust fractures when the threat grows sharper.
4. Mayhem: Chaos hits, and control becomes an illusion.
5. Mesmerize: The arc turns toward its endgame.

Sweetland

1. Homecoming: A return home becomes a reset, and a romance.
2. Just Like Heaven: Small-town comfort meets a love that surprises.
3. Summer’s Moon: Summer closeness turns into real attachment.
4. The Sweetest Valentine & Christmas in Sweetland: Seasonal stories with familiar faces.
5. Christmas in Sweetland: Holiday warmth with town-wide ties.

Standalone shelf (as the author labels it)

• The After Party: A one-night ripple effect becomes a full-life complication.

Lacey Baker standalones (a separate, uplifting-feel shelf)

• Lethal Reunion: A reunion exposes danger, and forces hard choices.
• Snow Place Like Home: A winter return becomes the start of healing.
• Petals and Playlists: A music-and-flowers romance built on second chances.

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The cleanest “do-this-next” reading plan

If you want a smooth experience without juggling timelines:

1. The Donovans (books 1-8), then continue through the later Donovan titles
2. One paranormal lane: either Shadow Shifters (start at Temptation Rising) or Legion (start at Awaken the Dragon)
3. Pick a suspense lane: After Hours, Rules of the Game, or Rumors
4. Use the standalone shelf anytime you want a one-book break