Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Muscle | - | Michelle St. James | N/A |
| 2 | The Muscle: The Complete Story | 2015 | Michelle St. James | Buy |
The Muscle centers on a man whose job description is force and whose personal life is considerably more complicated. As an enforcer in a criminal organization, he operates at the edges of the world Michelle St. James builds across her mob and syndicate series, and the story gives readers a closer look at the kind of man who does the dangerous work others avoid. The romance that develops pushes back against his professional persona in ways that make for good tension.
The series exists in two forms: the original The Muscle and the collected The Muscle: The Complete Story, published in 2015. For most readers, the complete version is the simpler path through the material. At just two entries, it’s among the shorter items in St. James’s catalog, but it covers the character’s arc fully and doesn’t leave threads hanging. Readers who enjoy the enforcer-type hero common in dark romance will find the setup here delivers on that premise without a lot of extra complication.