Boston Belles
romance
Series · romance
Sinners of Saint
The Sinners of Saint series by L.J. Shen has 5 books and is best read in publication order, starting with Defy (2016).
- Books
- 4 novels + 1 novella
- First published
- 2016
- Status
- completed
- Last checked
Start here: Defy (2016) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The order the books were released — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
Defy
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Defy - Book 2:
Vicious
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Vicious - Book 3:
Ruckus
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Ruckus - Book 4:
Scandalous
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Scandalous - Book 5:
Bane
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Bane
About the Sinners of Saint series
Sinners of Saint is L. J. Shen's dark, angsty bully-romance series set among a group of wealthy, morally compromised friends in the fictional town of Todos Santos, California. Each book follows one member of the friend group — a group defined by money, cruelty, and buried trauma — as he collides with a heroine who refuses to be steamrolled by him. Expect grovelling anti-heroes, revenge plots, class-conflict tension, and the enemies-to-lovers/bully-romance tropes that made Shen a staple of dark New Adult romance well before BookTok turned her backlist into a fresh wave of bestsellers.
The books are marketed as "interconnected standalones": each has its own complete romance and can technically be read alone, but the friend group's history and running feuds accumulate across the series, and the darkest reveals land hardest if you've read the earlier books first.
How to read this series
Start with Defy (a free/cheap prequel novella introducing the friend group) if you want the full backstory, then read Vicious, Ruckus, Scandalous and Bane in publication order. Defy isn't required — most readers jump straight into Vicious — but it sets up character history that pays off later, especially for Vicious and Ruckus's dynamic. Each numbered book stands alone romantically, but the shared timeline and recurring cast reward reading in order.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in the Sinners of Saint series?
Five: the prequel novella Defy, plus Vicious, Ruckus, Scandalous and Bane.
What order should I read Sinners of Saint in?
Defy (prequel novella, optional), then Vicious, Ruckus, Scandalous and Bane in publication order.
Do I need to read Defy before Vicious?
No — Defy is an optional prequel novella. Vicious is the first full-length novel and works fine as a starting point, though Defy adds backstory for the friend group.
Is Sinners of Saint finished?
Yes, it's a complete five-book series with no further installments announced as of August 2026.
Is Sinners of Saint connected to L. J. Shen's other series?
It shares Shen's fictional Todos Santos, California setting with several of her other books (including the Boston Belles and Vicious brothers extended universe), but Sinners of Saint's five books form their own self-contained story about one friend group.
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Reading order last verified .