Jennifer Cody Books in Order (Updated March 30, 2026)

Jennifer Cody writes MM romance across paranormal romance, urban fantasy, crack fantasy, and a few standalones, with several books grouped into clear series or shared universes. The main thing to know is that her books are best read by series, not as one giant author-wide chronology.

Her official reading-order page separates the major lanes clearly, especially Diviner’s Game Universe, Murder Sprees and Mute Decrees, Crack Fantasy Adventure, and Hammer and Fist.

A Few Good Entry Points

Because Jennifer Cody has a growing backlist, there is no single perfect first book for everyone.

1. Start with Bishop to Knight One (2020) if you want the most structured fantasy/paranormal entry.
   It opens Diviner’s Game, which then feeds naturally into Shattered Pawns and the wider DGU material.
2. Pick The Trouble with Trying to Date a Murderer (2022) if chaotic paranormal comedy is the goal.
   That begins Murder Sprees and Mute Decrees, which is one of her most visible and fastest-growing series.
3. Go with I Went on an Adventure and All I Got Was This Barbarian Orc: Chapter 1 (2023) if you want full comic-fantasy energy.
   This is the cleanest choice for readers who want the deliberately ridiculous side of her catalog.
4. Try Sledge and Claw (2022) if you want action-heavy fantasy romance with a spinoff-friendly structure.
   That starts the Hammer and Fist: Lextalion branch.
5. Choose The Ashes of Ackonir (2024) if you want a newer standalone with darker fantasy-romance weight.
   It is separate from the big ongoing series and works well as a one-book test of her style.

The Best Route Through the Connected Books

If you want the most coherent long-form path instead of sampling different corners, this is the strongest way in:

1. Diviner’s Game
2. Shattered Pawns
3. Houston Hub stories and novellas
4. The Sons D’Aquino
5. Recovery Road

That is the closest Jennifer Cody has to a major connected reading track, because her official page presents those under the DGU Chronological Order heading.

Jennifer Cody Books in Order

Diviner’s Game Universe

This is the most useful place to begin if you want a connected paranormal/fantasy framework rather than a looser collection of unrelated series.

Diviner’s Game

1. Bishop to Knight One (2020): The true starting point for the DGU, introducing the core world mechanics and the series that later connected books build from.
2. Knight to Castle Two (2021): Continues the same central storyline and deepens the relationships and stakes rather than resetting for a fresh arc.
3. Queen to King Three (2021): Brings the original trilogy to its payoff point and works best after the first two without interruption.

Shattered Pawns

This is the next natural move after Diviner’s Game, especially if you want to stay inside the same broader universe.

4. Pass (2021): Opens the spinoff path by shifting focus while still rewarding readers who already know the DGU world.
5. Capture (2021): Keeps the connected-world momentum going and makes more sense once Pass has already established the new lane.
6. Promote (2022): Expands the spinoff into a fuller series rather than a one-book detour.
7. Shah Mat (2022): Acts as the capstone for the main Shattered Pawns run and lands best in sequence.

Houston Hub shorts and novellas

These sit inside the DGU framework, but they are best treated as optional extras unless you want every branch.

8. Forgotten Fox (2021): A Houston Hub story that adds texture to the wider DGU rather than serving as a first stop.
9. Mr. Monster Kok (2021): Another side entry in the same setting, best read once the universe already feels familiar.
10. A Knot with Santa (2022): A holiday-side novella that works as bonus material instead of essential progression.
11. Genesis (2022): Continues the Houston Hub material with more payoff for established DGU readers.
12. The Kraken’s Mate (2022): Another optional universe-side romance that fits better after the main DGU books.
13. In the Sack with Krampus (2022): A holiday follow-up best saved for readers already comfortable with the tone and world.

The Sons D’Aquino

14. Watching Him (2023): A prequel-style DGU branch that makes the most sense after the main universe groundwork is already in place.

Recovery Road

15. Gentry’s #Doms (2021): One half of the contemporary-romance branch set in the DGU, best approached after the core fantasy/paranormal setup.
16. Forrest’s #Win (2023): The other main Recovery Road novel, following the same side-lane logic within the larger DGU umbrella.

Another Place to Begin: Troubleverse

If the DGU is Jennifer Cody’s most structured connected world, Troubleverse is the easiest one to recommend to readers who want big personality, supernatural chaos, and a stronger comedy pulse.

Murder Sprees and Mute Decrees

1. The Trouble with Trying to Date a Murderer (2022): The starting point for the series and the clearest entry to Jennifer Cody’s chaotic paranormal-comedy style.
2. Fox Recruits a Mute Boy (And Falls in Love) (2022): A short in-between piece that works best after book one rather than as a separate starting point.
3. The Trouble With Trying to Save an Assassin (2022): Continues the same world with stronger series payoff once the opening cast is already in place.
4. The Trouble with Trying to Love a Hellion (2023): Expands the ongoing family-and-creature chaos that makes the series feel cumulative.
5. The Adventure of Sterling Jones (2023): A sidequest entry best read as extra character material, not as a replacement for the numbered books.
6. The Trouble With Trying to Hook a Harbinger (2024): Keeps the same escalating paranormal-household energy and works best in order.
7. The Trouble With Trying to Bag a Blood Witch (2024): The current main numbered endpoint and the most up-to-date full novel in the series.
8. How to Start the New Year Right: According to the Minions (2024): A short story for readers who want more of the cast after the core books.

Troubleverse side title

9. Where Fools Have Tread (2024): A standalone romance set in the Murder Sprees and Mute Decrees universe, best treated as optional side material rather than required series reading.

The official site also lists The Trouble with Trying to Marry a Reaper as upcoming, so it is best treated as announced but not yet placed in a finished reading order.

For Readers Who Want the Silliest Fantasy Lane

Crack Fantasy Adventure

This is the branch to choose if you want the most openly playful, serial-adventure side of Jennifer Cody’s work.

1. I Went on an Adventure and All I Got Was This Barbarian Orc: Chapter 1 (2023): Opens the serial fantasy with the clearest introduction to its comic quest tone.
2. I Went on an Adventure and All I Got Was This Barbarian Orc: Chapter 2 (2023): Continues the same adventure directly rather than standing alone.
3. I Went on an Adventure and All I Got Was This Barbarian Orc: Chapter 3 (2023): Keeps the party dynamic and serial structure moving forward.
4. I Went on an Adventure and All I Got Was This Barbarian Orc: Chapter 4 (2023): Builds on the earlier chapters without changing lanes or focus.
5. I Went on an Adventure and All I Got Was This Barbarian Orc: Chapter 5 (2024): Brings the currently released arc to its latest point.

If Action-Heavy Fantasy Is the Better Fit

Hammer and Fist

Jennifer Cody’s official page splits this universe into two sub-series, so the easiest way to read it is by branch.

Hammer and Fist: Lextalion

1. Sledge and Claw (2022): The main entry point to the Hammer and Fist world and the best first test of this action-fantasy lane.
2. Brick and Brass (2023): Continues the same branch with better payoff after the opening book.

Hammer and Fist: Geminatus

3. Inferno (2022): Starts the Geminatus side of the universe and fits best after you already know the broader Hammer and Fist setup.
4. Gale (2023): Continues the Geminatus branch and works most smoothly in sequence.

The official reading-order page also lists War and Club and Blood as upcoming entries in these branches.

Shorter and Smaller Branches

These are easier to slot in once you know which side of the catalog you prefer.

Banshee House

#NotJason (2023): A one-book universe entry and one of the shortest Jennifer Cody on-ramps if you want something compact.

Corvin’s Crows

(Never) Feed the Crows (2024): A short paranormal romance about the crow king and his mate, best treated as a self-contained side read.

Standalone novels

1. The Ashes of Ackonir (2024): A darker steampunk-fantasy romance with palace politics, power imbalance, and vampiric elements, standing apart from the major series.
2. Gael’s Favorite (2025): A later standalone novel and, based on the sources I checked, the newest confirmed Jennifer Cody full-length standalone.

Other separate or collaboration material

1. Poison Hearts (2024): Jennifer Cody’s contribution to the multi-author The Elite project, best treated as separate continuity rather than part of her internal series order.
2. The Straight Script (2025 or later site-listed release context): Listed prominently on the official site as a contemporary MM romance, and safest to treat as standalone unless a fuller series framework is later confirmed.

A Simple Way to Choose

If you do not want the full bibliography first, use this shortcut:

• Read Bishop to Knight One for the most organized connected universe.
• Read The Trouble with Trying to Date a Murderer for the funniest supernatural chaos.
• Read Barbarian Orc: Chapter 1 for comic fantasy adventure.
• Read The Ashes of Ackonir for a darker standalone fantasy romance.
• Read #NotJason if you want a much shorter test run.

The Safest Recommended Reading Order

For most new readers, this is the best balance between clarity and variety:

1. Bishop to Knight One (2020): Start here for the cleanest worldbuilding entry.
2. Knight to Castle Two (2021): Continue the main DGU line.
3. Queen to King Three (2021): Finish the first trilogy.
4. Pass (2021): Move into the DGU spinoff.
5. Capture (2021): Stay in the same connected lane.
6. Promote (2022): Continue the spinoff sequence.
7. Shah Mat (2022): Finish the main Shattered Pawns run.
8. The Trouble with Trying to Date a Murderer (2022): Then switch to the strongest alternate entry lane.
9. Continue Murder Sprees and Mute Decrees in order.

That route gives you one connected universe first, then one of the author’s biggest comedy/paranormal series second.

Latest Release Status

The newest confirmed Jennifer Cody title I could verify in the main bibliography is Gael’s Favorite (2025), with The Trouble with Trying to Marry a Reaper, War and Club, and Blood listed on the official reading-order page as upcoming rather than released.

Common Questions

What is Jennifer Cody’s main series?

There is not one single dominant series in the way some authors have, but Diviner’s Game Universe and Murder Sprees and Mute Decrees are the two clearest starting lanes.

Do I need to read all the DGU extras?

No. The safest core DGU path is Diviner’s Game followed by Shattered Pawns. The Houston Hub stories, Watching Him, and Recovery Road work better as add-ons.

What should I read first if I want comedy?

Start with The Trouble with Trying to Date a Murderer or Barbarian Orc: Chapter 1, depending on whether you want paranormal chaos or comic fantasy questing.

Is Where Fools Have Tread required for Murder Sprees and Mute Decrees?

No. It is set in that universe, but the official page presents it as a standalone side title.

Is Jennifer Cody mostly fantasy or romance?

Both. Her catalog sits in the overlap between MM romance and fantasy/paranormal storytelling, with different series leaning harder toward one side or the other.

Final Recommendation

For the cleanest Jennifer Cody reading order, begin with Bishop to Knight One, finish Diviner’s Game, then continue into Shattered Pawns. If that feels too structured and you want something louder and funnier, switch instead to The Trouble with Trying to Date a Murderer and read the Murder Sprees and Mute Decrees books in order.