Penelope Douglas is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling romance author whose books have been translated into twenty languages.
As a child, Douglas was shy and quiet, afraid of making mistakes or causing ripples. They were afraid of being disliked or abandoned. Eventually, though, they realized that they didn’t want to live life in the shadows. They got an education and traveled the world, and realized they were much happier living an adventurous, authentic life.
Later, unhappy in their career, Douglas started reading YA, paranormal, and romance as an escape and discovered they loved New Adult. When they read Fallen Crest High, they wanted more books like it, but couldn’t find any. So, they started writing their own and Bully was born.
Douglas’s books fall under the New Adult, Erotica, and Contemporary romance categories, and are known for their taboo storylines. The advice they have for their readers is “Be yourself, and OWN it…Nurture who you are and good things will come. Most importantly, your happiness.”
Below is a list of all of Penelope Douglas’s books, ranked by series; each book within the series is ranked as well. Although this lists the books out of order, Douglas highly recommends you read their books in order, so as not to be confused.
Be warned though, Douglas’s books are not for the faint of heart. If you love dark, twisted, and taboo romance, Douglas is the author for you. If not, you’ve been warned!
Stand-Alone Novels (19 books total)
Birthday Girl
Thirty-eight-year-old Pike is more than willing to let his son and his son’s nineteen-year-old girlfriend Jordan move in with him. After all, he’s desperate to repair the relationship between himself and his son.
It isn’t long though, before the fatherly affection he feels for Jordan becomes something more. He can’t stop thinking about her, and Jordan longs deeply for the solid protection Pike provides her–something she’s never had. Filled to the brim with slow-burning angst, this forbidden romance will have you turning pages and wanting more. Find Birthday Girl here.
Punk 57
Misha and Ryen have been pen pals since their teachers mistakenly paired them up in fifth grade. Over the years, through letters written back and forth, they’ve built a powerful friendship.
Now a young adult, Ryen knows something is very wrong–Misha hasn’t written in months. Ryen is determined to find and help Misha; she is lost without him. There is one problem though: They’ve kept their true identities a secret over the years. Ryan doesn’t even know what Misha looks like. Can she find and save him? Or will she be too late? Find Punk 57 here.
Tryst Six Venom
Although she’s from the poor side of town, Olivia treks to the prestigious Catholic school Marymount each day with a few goals in mind: not care what anyone thinks, avoid the merciless bully Clay Collins, and get into an Ivy League college.
So when Olivia discovers the truth about Clay–that her bullying is just a way to hide the feelings she has for Olivia–Olivia finds herself hurtled into a world of secret trysts and deep desires that may swallow them both whole. Find Tryst Six Venom here.
Misconduct
Easton Bradbury wants nothing more than to leave her tennis-playing past behind her. So she throws herself headlong into a high school teaching career, doing everything she can to help students.
Then she meets Tyler Marek during a parent-teacher conference. Easton knows better than to strike up a romance with a student’s parent, and getting involved with Tyler could also dig up her past. But one thing is for certain: Easton can no longer ignore the spark of desire burning between her and Tyler. Find Misconduct here.
Credence
Tiernan de Haas has always been a survivor. As the only child of a Hollywood power couple, she was given everything she could ever want–except love. So when she is suddenly orphaned two months before her 18th birthday, she’s anything but sad. Tiernan is used to being alone.
But her father’s stepbrother, Jake Van der Berg, and his two sons, Noah and Kaleb, have taken her in, welcoming Tiernan into their home in the Colorado mountains. And as the young men teach Tiernan how to love again, long-buried feelings rise to the surface. Find Credence here.
Devil’s Night Series
A series of suspenseful romances and lots of steamy scenes, the Devil’s Nightseries tells the stories of Michael, Kai, Will, and Damon. These boys, known as the Four Horseman, were infamous for terrorizing their small town every year on Devil’s Night, aka Halloween Eve.
One year everything goes wrong and all the boys but Michael end up in prison for three years. The series begins upon the release of the boys (now young men), and all four of the Four Horsemen have a deep desire to get revenge against the women who put them in jail.
Of course, they also want to take these same women to bed, and that is where things get deliciously dark and complicated. Here are the Devil’s Night books in order of most to least-loved by readers.
Kill Switch (Book 3)
When Winter sent Damon to prison five years ago, she always knew he would come for her. What she didn’t expect was that he would use her sister to get to her.
Damon has a plan. One by one he will take down everyone Winter loves, leaving her for last. Only then will his vengeance be satisfied. Find Kill Switch here.
Corrupt (Book 1)
Michael Crist has been waiting patiently for his friends to get out of prison. Once reunited, the group will seek revenge on Erika Fane, the young woman who put them there in the first place.
Erika has harbored secret desires for Michael–her boyfriend’s bad boy older brother–for years. And now that he’s finally noticed her, she’s finding it harder than ever to conceal her true feelings. But when the real reasons behind his attention come to light, their relationship takes a dark turn. Find Corrupt here.
Hideaway (Book 2)
Kai met the beautiful and feisty Banks years ago in a confessional booth. Since then, he’s been obsessed with her.
Now, as Michael, Will, and Kai hunt down the elusive Damon to protect Rika, the trail takes them to an abandoned hotel, and Banks. And as the remaining three Horsemen get closer to their target, the dark tension between Kai and Banks steadily rises. Find Hideaway here.
Nightfall (Book 5)
Back in high school, Will Grayson loved torturing the nerdy Emory. So when she had the chance to lock him up, she took it.
Sent away to Blackchurch, a mansion-turned-prison for rich kids, Will is becoming the animal they always said he was. Now, Emory is here and Will is unlocked–free to roam the mansion grounds. He’s not sure why, but what he does know is that his chance for revenge has arrived. Find Nightfall here.
Fire Night (Book 6)
In this fiery epilogue to the Devil’s Night series, the Four Horseman take on Fire Night, the winter solstice celebration in Thunder Bay.
But it’s not all fun and games for Michael, Kai, Will, and Damon. Something wicked is afoot. Find Fire Night here.
Conclave (Book 4)
Things are falling apart for the Devil’s Night crew. Will is missing, and Rika, Michael, Kai, and Damon are hiding at sea. Damon knows Rika is keeping something from him, and he’ll do what it takes to get the truth from her.
As they work through the final plan, all secrets will be revealed. Find Conclave here.
The Fall Away Series
Opening with the story of Tate Brandt and Jared Trent, the Fall Away series follows an interconnected web of family and neighbors as they navigate love/hate relationships, growing up, and family drama.
Bully (Book 1)
Jared and Tate were best friends when they were young, taking on the world together. But something happened to Jared–something no one knows about–and he’s turned on Tate. The boy who used to be her best friend is now a bully who seeks pleasure by making Tate’s life a living hell.
After spending some time away from Jared, Tate is stronger than ever. She’s done being a victim and is ready to fight back. And as she tears down Jared’s walls to find his deepest darkest truths, she begins to question everything. Find Bully here.
Aflame: A Fall Away Novella
An intermediary between Bully and Until You, this novella fills in gaps by telling Tate and Jared’s tale from both points of view. As each character grows and changes and finds their way back to the other, Aflame adds a satisfying finale to a hard-won love story. Find Aflame here.
Until You (Book 2)
Utilizing a longer timeline than Bully, this is Jared’s side of the story. With new insights into their childhood friendship, and more revealed about what Jared went through in the year Tate was away, Until You answers all the lingering questions you may have after reading Bully.
Despite the ups and downs of Tate and Jared’s relationship, one thing is for certain: the more they push each other away, the stronger their desire grows. Find Until You here.
Falling Away (Book 4)
As a rule-follower, K.C. has always managed to stay away from trouble, until a massive mistake while away at college lands her back home to serve community service. What’s worse, she’s once again in the sights of Jaxon Trent, the neighbor she constantly avoided in high school.
Jaxon still remembers K.C. as the girl who said no–and the one he can’t stop thinking about. And now that she’s back living next door, he will stop at nothing to get her to say yes. Find Falling Away here.
Adrenaline (Bonus Content Collection)
A book of 36,000 words of bonus content, Adrenaline was put together by Penelope Douglas as a way to answer some of their fans’ most asked questions. Also included are bonus scenes, deleted scenes, and previously unpublished character conversations. Find Adrenaline here.
Rival (Book 3)
Jared’s best friend Madoc and Madoc’s stepsister Fallon are at the center of Book 3 in the series. The story begins when Fallon returns after being sent away to boarding school by her mother for two years.
They never got along, even when they lived together before. But now that Fallon is back, their dangerous game of push and pull is getting even more intense. Find Rival here.
Next to Never: A Fall Away Novella
Quinn Caruthers is tired of her overprotective father and older brothers. What she wants more than anything is to fall into the arms of the handsome older family friend, Lucas Morrow. The problem is, Lucas has left town and Quinn is getting tired of waiting.
So when a mysterious package full of family secrets turns up on Quinn’s doorstep, Quinn realizes she needs to make a choice: give up Lucas forever, or go out into the world and find him. Find Next to Never here.
Hellbent Series
The most recent of Douglas’s series, Hellbent is a Falls Boys spin-off that continues the steamy drama of Falls Boys, but with the next generation.
As of now, Douglas has published the first of the series, with at least five more books in the work. You can read more about the planned series here.
Falls Boys (Book 1)
When notorious bad girl Aro and squeaky clean Hawke end up in a crime scene together, they have no choice but to join forces and run away together.
While in hiding they get to know each other–and realize that neither of them is what they seem. Passion rises between the two, while at the same time an old town secret is uncovered. Falls Boys Find Falls Boys here.
FAQs
In what order should I read Penelope Douglas books?
Yes, yes, and yes. Douglas loves writing about taboo topics, so you will encounter lots of gray areas, forbidden love, and plenty of steamy scenes. Their books are almost all rated as ages 18+.
What is Douglas working on now?
They are currently writing Pirate Girls, the second book in the Hellbent series.
Will any of PD’s books become movies?
Douglas has said that they’d be happy to let a production company take on the task of turning one of their books into a movie, but they would rather not do it themselves. They want to write quality books, and so that’s where they’ll keep their focus for now.
Allison Fitzpatrick taught middle school English for fifteen years before leaving the classroom to dabble in writing and bookselling. She adores reading young adult books, and her current favorite is Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. She lives in Southern California with her family. You can find her on Instagram @happybookbag.
