NOW AN AMAZON TOP 10 BESTSELLER
An all-new dark standalone romance from the USA Today & Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Shantel Tessier
THE CHOSEN ONE
Barrington University is home of the Lords, a secret society that requires their blood in payment. They are above all—the most powerful men in the world. They devote their lives to violence in exchange for power. And during their senior year, they are offered a chosen one.
I VOW. YOU VOW. WE VOW.
People think growing up with money is freeing, but I promise you, it’s not. My entire life has been planned out for me. I never got the chance to do what I wanted until Ryat Alexander Archer came along and gave me an option for a better life. He offered me what no one else ever had—freedom.
I chose to be his. He made me believe that anyway, but it was just another lie. A way that the Lords manipulate you into doing what they want.
After being sucked into the dark, twisted world of the Lords, I embraced my new role and allowed Ryat to parade me around like the trophy I was to him. But like all things, what started out as a game soon became a fight for survival. And the only way out was death.
Things to know about The Ritual It is MF TW (Please see the author's note on the inside) J/P (jealous/possessive) Hero OTT (over the top) Hero This is a 152K word romance that contains dark themes that may be triggering to some.
This book can be read as a standalone but the timeline of the Lords books is as follows: The Ritual The Sinner The Sacrifice Sabotage (the H isn't a Lord but he works for a Lord)
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8 books in catalog
Dark college romance and dark revenge romance narratives feature prominently in contemporary adult fiction, particularly through interconnected series involving secret societies such as the L.O.R.D.S. series. Shantel Tessier has written numerous popular titles in this subgenre, including The Ritual and Carnage, establishing a broad readership across multiple dark romantic series.
Her fiction frequently explores dark academic environments, secret orders, high-tension revenge plots, and morally complex romantic relationships, drawing readers who seek dramatic character dynamics and intense suspense.
Based in Oklahoma, Tessier began her publishing career after deciding as a New Year's resolution to write her first book, leading to the release of early fiction such as Unbearable in December 2013. Over the following years, she expanded her output across several romance series, including the Undescribable Series, the Dare Series, the Selfish Series, the Seven Deadly Sins Series, and The Dark Kingdom.
Her dark college romance novels achieved widespread commercial popularity, earning spots on bestseller lists compiled by The New York Times, USA Today, and the Wall Street Journal. Tessier continues to write full-time from her home in Oklahoma, where she resides with her high school sweetheart and their two daughters.
Tessier's narrative style is characterized by fast-paced plotting, intense psychological dynamics, and secret-society motifs set within academic or elite collegiate settings. Recurring themes in her work include dark revenge, secret orders, personal loyalty, power dynamics, and moral ambiguity.
