The Recommended Reading Order for Sex & Mayhem
The Sex & Mayhem series by the writing duo K.A. Merikan is a collection of dark, contemporary LGBT romances set in the dangerous world of outlaw motorcycle clubs. Because each novel is a self-contained story focusing on a different couple, you can technically read them as standalones in any order. However, characters frequently cross over, and events in one book are occasionally referenced in later ones. To get the best reading experience and appreciate the cameos, callbacks, and character growth, we highly recommend reading the series in publication order.
Publication Order of the Sex & Mayhem Books
- Road of No Return (2014): Introduces readers to Stitch, a closeted biker, and Zak, a tattoo artist. This book is set around the Hounds of Valhalla MC and deals with heavy themes of homophobia and the violent outlaw lifestyle.
- The Devil's Ride (2014): Centers on the Coffin Nails MC, focusing on Tooth, the club's vengeful vice president, and Lucifer (Lucky), a young man seeking escape and love.
- Stripped Raw (2015): An M/F romance featuring Sam, a trans male member of the California branch of the Coffin Nails MC, and Jolie, a baker trying to survive financial trouble.
- No Matter What (2015): An M/M romance following Ghost, a biker who falls in love with Laurent (Luca), whom he met online under the impression Luca was a woman named Zara.
- Red Hot (2015): Features closeted Coffin Nails biker Red Jack and Loki, a terminally ill young man who decides to live wild and pursue Jack.
- One Step Too Close (2015): A highly taboo M/M romance between stepbrothers Jed and Ryder, both deeply embedded in the hyper-masculine Coffin Nails MC.
- Split (2016): An M/F romance featuring Asty and Hunter, which begins with an unexpected demonic ritual meet-cute. It also introduces Asty's younger brother, David.
- His Favorite Color Is Blood (2016): A dark M/M romance where Grim, a gay assassin and biker, rescues and protects a traumatized young man named Misha.
- Heart Ripper (2016): Follows Raja, a brash biker, and David (from Split), a devout Catholic youth, as they clash and connect.
- Outlaw Girls (2019): A standalone F/F romance involving Mona, a mafia princess, and Rain, a rebellious biker chick, navigating a forbidden love in the Nevada desert.
- Straight as a Wheel (2019): Shifts focus to the Smoke Valley MC, following the relationship between shop owner Zolt and biker Leo.
- Gutter Mind (2020): An age-gap, femme/masc romance involving Smoke Valley MC biker Mike and Arden, a guarded young man.
- Guardian Angel in Leather (2023): A second-chance romance where Coffin Nails biker Trig protects El, a punk in debt to a cartel, from the shadows.
Motorcycle Clubs and Subseries Breakdown
While the Sex & Mayhem series shares a single, gritty universe, the books are grouped by the specific motorcycle clubs they feature. Understanding these divisions can help you navigate the series if you want to focus on a particular club:
The Coffin Nails MC
The majority of the series centers on the Coffin Nails MC. Starting with The Devil's Ride, this group dominates the middle section of the series up to Heart Ripper, returning in the final installment, Guardian Angel in Leather. This subseries features some of K.A. Merikan's most popular characters, including Grim, Misha, Tooth, and Lucky.
The Smoke Valley MC
Books 11 and 12 (Straight as a Wheel and Gutter Mind) shift the setting to the Smoke Valley MC. While still sharing the same gritty contemporary biker universe, these novels introduce a fresh cast of characters and a slightly different club dynamic, making them a great micro-series to read together.
What to Know Before You Start
K.A. Merikan is the pen name of Kat and Agnes Merikan, a queer writing duo known for their dark, emotional, and unapologetic romances. The Sex & Mayhem series features a diverse range of LGBT relationships. Although it is predominantly M/M romance, it also includes F/F romance (Outlaw Girls), M/F romance (Split), and M/F romance with trans representation (Stripped Raw).
As these books are contemporary dark romances, they explore heavy themes such as organized crime, physical violence, trauma recovery, and homophobia within the motorcycle club community. Readers who are sensitive to intense themes should check specific content warnings, particularly for titles like His Favorite Color Is Blood and One Step Too Close, before diving in.
Importantly, there is no overlap between Sex & Mayhem and K.A. Merikan's other popular biker series, Kings of Hell MC. The latter is a paranormal romance series containing supernatural elements and demons, whereas Sex & Mayhem is strictly contemporary.