Bayou Boys is the umbrella over everything Chris Cox writes about Louisiana boys in love. Two series live under it so far, written a decade apart, and you can start with either one.
The current series
Rougarous Hockey Romances
Minor-league hockey in Baton Rouge. A new couple every book, with the teammates, families and friends carrying over, and a guaranteed happily-ever-after. Slow burn with a cinematic fade — all the heat, all the feeling.
Where it began · 2013–2014
Sean & Rusty: The Originals
One couple, six books, New Orleans. Best friends since grade school, lovers since high school — written and published between late 2013 and early 2014, before marriage equality was the law and when being gay could still cost a man his job or his apartment. They run warmer than the hockey books, and they’re the roots the Rougarous grew from.
Reader questions
Are the two series connected?
Same universe, same South Louisiana, same conviction that being gay shouldn’t make a difference — and the same reality that sometimes it does. You don’t need one to follow the other; each series stands on its own.
Where should I start?
For the current series, start with Holiday Face-Off, Rougarous Book 1. To see where it all began, start with Meant To Be or read all five Sean & Rusty stories in one volume, When Sean Loves Rusty.
Why do the older books feel different?
They were written a decade earlier, in a different moment, and they run warmer on the page. The Rougarous books are slow burn with a cinematic fade. The emotional core is the same either way: found family, big feelings, and a happily-ever-after you can count on.
What about the Royal Powers books?
Pauper Prince Saves the Posh Pullet and Our Gay Au Pair, Ell are Chris Cox books, but they aren’t Bayou Boys. They belong to the shared Royal Powers universe — royals with superpowers, a different world entirely.
Bayou Boys is a registered trademark of Chris Cox.