Carsen Taite Books in Order

Where to Start with Carsen Taite

As a former criminal defense lawyer turned award-winning author, Carsen Taite brings unmatched realism and legal drama to her contemporary lesbian romance novels. Because most of her series feature recurring characters, shifting viewpoints, and overarching mystery or legal plots, we highly recommend reading her books in publication order within their respective series. If you are new to her work, here are the best entry points:

• For Legal Thrills & Family Drama: Start with Lay Down the Law, the first book in the Lone Star Law series. It features a sweeping cartel investigation and high-society Texas romance.
• For High-Octane Action: Pick up Slingshot, the opening novel of the Luca Bennett Bounty Hunter series, which follows a cynical bounty hunter tracking down fugitives.
• For Classic Romance & Suspense: Check out her fan-favorite 2009 novel, It Should Be a Crime, which is the perfect standalone introduction to her trademark style.

Lone Star Law Series

Set against the backdrop of Texas legal circles and oil money, the Lone Star Law series is Taite's most famous work. While each book centers on a different couple, the series is tied together by the ongoing federal investigation into the dangerous Vargas drug cartel. Reading them in order is crucial to follow the background plot.

1. Lay Down the Law (2015): Introduces Assistant U.S. Attorney Peyton Davis and wealthy oil heiress Lily Gantry. Their romance is complicated by a high-profile case and Lily's family secrets.
2. Above the Law (2016): Focuses on grieving DEA agent Dale Nelson and investigative reporter Lindsey Ryan as they clash over a cartel story.
3. Letter of the Law (2017): Follows federal prosecutor Bianca Cruz and Jade Vargas, the niece of a cartel boss. They find themselves on opposite sides of the law but unable to resist each other.
4. Outside the Law (2018): Concludes the main cartel arc, pairing FBI Special Agent Tanner Cohen with prosecutor Sydney Braswell, who share a complicated college history.

Luca Bennett Bounty Hunter Series

This action-packed series follows Luca Bennett, a bounty hunter who lives on the edge of the law. It combines gritty investigative work with intense romance. The novella Bow and Arrow fits in as a companion sequel to the core trilogy.

1. Slingshot (2012): Luca takes a job from defense attorney Ronnie Moreno to find a bail-jumping businessman.
2. Battle Axe (2013): Luca is pulled into Dallas's organized crime underground when an old flame reappears asking for help.
3. Switchblade (2014): Continues Luca's dangerous operations as she balances her volatile job with romance.
4. Bow and Arrow (2018): Originally published in the 2016 anthology Girls With Guns, this novella serves as book 3.5. It follows Luca as she tries to settle down with a police officer, only for an old enemy to disrupt her peaceful life.

Legal Affairs Series

The Legal Affairs series focuses on three law school best friends—Campbell Clark, Abby Keane, and Grace Maldonado—who open a boutique law firm in Austin, Texas. It features lighter office dynamics and workplace romances.

1. Practice Makes Perfect (2019): Focuses on defense lawyer Campbell Clark and prosecutor Abby Keane as they navigate competitive friction and romantic tension.
2. Out of Practice (2020): Centers on a new legal challenge and personal hurdles for the firm's partners.
3. Best Practice (2020): Though sometimes listed as a standalone novel in databases, this is actually the third and final installment of the series. It features Grace Maldonado, the firm's office manager, and Perry Clark, Campbell's younger sister, navigating an age-gap office romance.

Courting Danger Series

This series returns to the public defender's office and courtroom drama, focusing on the high-stress professional lives of legal experts in Texas.

1. Trial by Fire (2021): Follows public defender Wren Bishop and prosecutor Lennox Roy as they clash over a suspicious arson case.
2. Trial and Error (2022): Features Judge Nina Aguilar and criminal defense attorney Franco Rossi, whose past relationship is rekindled in Nina's courtroom.
3. Trial Run (2024): Follows Reggie Knoll, who finds herself serving on a high-stakes bribery case jury and clashing with a fellow juror.

Crime & Defense Series

This duology features courtroom drama and intense romantic suspense connected by recurring characters and a shared legal universe.

1. It Should Be a Crime (2009): Follows law professor Morgan Bradley and bartender/student Parker Casey as they work together on a murder trial.
2. The Best Defense (2011): Follows disgraced detective Skye Keaton and socialite Aimee Howard. Characters from the first book make appearance cameos.

Reading Tip: The short story "Love is the Key," published in the 2010 anthology Breathless: Tales of Celebration, takes place immediately after the events of It Should Be a Crime and features the same characters.

Standalone Novels & Anthologies

When you are ready to venture outside of her major series, Carsen Taite has written numerous standalone legal thrillers, romantic suspense stories, and mobster romances. Key standalone books include her debut Truelesbianlove.com (2008), the high-society drama of Rush (2013), and her mafia-themed romance Her Consigliere (2021). Her short fiction can be found in anthologies like Lesbians on the Loose (2015) and Still Not Over You (2020), which contains the reunion novella Double Jeopardy.