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Series · dark romance

Society of Villains

by L.J. Shen

The Society of Villains series by L.J. Shen has 3 books and is best read in publication order, starting with Bad Bishop (2025). The next book, Fallen Rook, is due 22 September 2026.

Books
3 books
First published
2025
Status
ongoing
Last checked

Start here: Bad Bishop (2025) — then read straight through in publication order.

Cover of Bad Bishop, the first book in Society of Villains

Reading order

The order the books were released — the default way to read the series.

  1. Bad Bishop

    Novel

    View book

  2. Twisted Pawn

    Novel

    View book

  3. Fallen Rook

    Novel

    View book

About the Society of Villains series

Society of Villains is L. J. Shen's newest dark-romance series, launched in late 2025, built around a chess-themed secret society of morally compromised men, each book taking its title from a chess piece or move. Bad Bishop opens the series, with Twisted Pawn and Fallen Rook following through 2026, continuing Shen's trademark mix of anti-hero grovelling, class-conflict tension, and enemies-to-lovers dynamics that built her reputation in earlier series like Sinners of Saint and Boston Belles.

The author's own site lists a total of seven planned entries -- Bad Bishop, Twisted Pawn, Fallen Rook, Corrupt Knight, Heartless King, Wicked Queen and Devil's Gambit -- making this her most ambitious series to date, though only the first three have confirmed publication dates as of this tracking pass.

How to read this series

Publication order: Bad Bishop, Twisted Pawn, Fallen Rook, with four further entries (Corrupt Knight, Heartless King, Wicked Queen, Devil's Gambit) announced by the author but not yet released. As with Shen's other dark-romance series, expect each book to center a different member of the society while sharing a continuing world and cast.

Frequently asked questions

How many books are in the Society of Villains series?

Seven are planned per the author's own reading-order page, of which three -- Bad Bishop (2025), Twisted Pawn (2026) and Fallen Rook (September 2026) -- have confirmed publication. The remaining four (Corrupt Knight, Heartless King, Wicked Queen, Devil's Gambit) are announced titles without confirmed release dates as of this writing.

What order should I read Society of Villains in?

Publication order: Bad Bishop, then Twisted Pawn, then Fallen Rook, continuing with further entries as they're released.

Is Society of Villains connected to L. J. Shen's other series?

No shared characters confirmed as of this writing; it's a new, separate dark-romance world built around a chess-themed secret society.

Is Society of Villains finished?

No, it's an ongoing series with four further titles announced but not yet released.

Reading order last verified .