Anne Stuart has published romantic suspense, Gothic romance, historical romance, contemporary romance, paranormal fiction, and shorter category romances since the 1970s. Her bibliography now contains more than 100 novels and novellas, including recent original historical romances and newly released editions of older short fiction.
There is no single continuity connecting all of her work. The Ice novels, Fire trilogy, House of Rohan, Scandal at the House of Russell, Maggie Bennett books, Catspaw stories, and Demon Count duology are separate reading paths.
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Stuart also wrote the Fallen paranormal series as Kristina Douglas. Those books belong to their own supernatural continuity and are listed separately from her Anne Stuart novels.
Where New Readers Should Begin
Choose a starting point by genre rather than attempting to read the complete bibliography chronologically.
- For romantic suspense: Begin with Black Ice. It launches Stuart’s best-known connected suspense series and introduces the Committee, a covert organization that continues throughout six novels.
- For historical romance: Begin with Ruthless. Readers who want the complete Rohan family chronology can read the prequel novella The Wicked House of Rohan first.
- For a shorter historical mystery arc: Begin with Never Kiss a Rake. The three House of Russell novels follow sisters pursuing the same man responsible for destroying their family.
- For modern action romance: Begin with Consumed by Fire. The Fire trilogy offers a compact three-book route through covert operations and recurring operatives.
- For older Gothic suspense: Select Nightfall, Moonrise, or Lord of Danger. These are standalones and require no series preparation.
Anne Stuart’s Main Series
The principal author-owned sequences are:
- Demon Count
- Catspaw
- Maggie Bennett
- Ice
- House of Rohan
- Scandal at the House of Russell
- Fire
- The Fallen, written as Kristina Douglas
Several retailer-created groupings also collect thematically similar standalones. Labels such as Anne Stuart’s Bad Boys, Greatest Hits, and Short Reads are useful for browsing, but they do not always indicate one continuing storyline.
Ice Books in Order
The Ice series follows operatives working for the Committee, a secret organization that confronts terrorism, arms trafficking, political conspiracies, and international criminal networks.
Each novel introduces a different central couple, but operatives and senior Committee figures return. Later books reveal earlier relationships and changes within the organization, so publication order is recommended.
1. Black Ice
Black Ice (2005): American translator Chloe Underwood accepts a weekend assignment in France and discovers that the supposed business conference is an illegal arms negotiation, leaving Committee operative Bastien Toussaint as both her captor and her most likely means of survival.
The novel establishes the Committee’s morally ambiguous methods and the dangerous, distrustful relationships that define the series.
2. Cold as Ice
Cold as Ice (2006): Manhattan attorney Genevieve Spenser travels to an isolated island to complete a business deal, only to become trapped in a terrorist operation with Committee agent Peter Jensen.
Peter’s apparent emotional detachment follows naturally from the world introduced in Black Ice, although the immediate mission is self-contained.
3. Ice Blue
Ice Blue (2007): Museum curator Summer Hawthorne becomes the target of a Japanese cult after inheriting an ancient ceramic bowl, forcing Committee assassin Takashi O’Brien to decide whether to protect her or complete an assignment that may require her death.
The book broadens the Committee’s international reach and gives returning operative Reno an important supporting role.
4. Ice Storm
Ice Storm (2007): Committee leader Isobel Lambert must confront former operative Josef Serafin, a man she believed dead and whose return is connected to a new international threat.
Because Isobel has appeared throughout the preceding books, her story carries more weight after readers understand the organization she controls and the personal cost of her decisions.
5. Fire and Ice
Fire and Ice (2008): American troublemaker Jilly Lovitz arrives in Japan and becomes entangled with Committee operative Reno, whose dangerous family and professional obligations place them both in the path of violent enemies.
Reno first appears in Ice Blue, making this romance more satisfying when the series is read in order.
6. On Thin Ice
On Thin Ice (2011): Aid worker Elizabeth Pennington is taken hostage in South America and escapes with Committee operative Finn MacGowan as mercenaries pursue them through hostile territory.
This is the sixth full-length Ice novel and the latest main installment in the Committee sequence.
Ice-Connected Short Fiction
Two shorter stories are sometimes placed near the Ice books, but they should not be counted as novels seven and eight.
Risk the Night (2008; released separately in 2013): A dangerous overnight encounter places a woman in the hands of a man whose motives remain uncertain until the threat surrounding them becomes unavoidable.
Dangerous Lover (1999; released separately in 2023): A secret admirer and a man carrying a dangerous past turn an initially intimate situation into a compact romantic-suspense story.
These stories share Stuart’s darker suspense tone, but they are not required bridges between the six Committee novels.
Best Ice Reading Order
- Black Ice
- Cold as Ice
- Ice Blue
- Ice Storm
- Fire and Ice
- On Thin Ice
Read Risk the Night and Dangerous Lover separately as optional shorter suspense stories.
House of Rohan Books in Order
The House of Rohan series follows several generations of an aristocratic family known for scandal, defiance, emotional damage, and dangerous romantic entanglements.
The opening novella is set before the main novels. The later Christmas story revisits multiple generations, so it should be saved until every earlier Rohan book has been read.
0.5. The Wicked House of Rohan
The Wicked House of Rohan (2010): Kathleen Strong enters the orbit of the young Viscount Rohan during one of the Heavenly Host’s notorious gatherings, beginning the family history behind the later novels.
This novella is the chronological beginning of the Rohan continuity and provides background for the family’s reputation.
1. Ruthless
Ruthless (2010): Impoverished Elinor Harriman confronts Viscount Rohan after her unstable mother becomes involved with his decadent circle, drawing Elinor into a battle of will with a man who believes himself incapable of love.
This is the first full-length Rohan novel and the best starting point for readers who prefer to begin with the central series.
2. Reckless
Reckless (2010): Adrian Rohan, heir to the family’s scandalous reputation, encounters Charlotte Spenser at a masquerade where concealed identities give way to a relationship neither can treat as a harmless game.
The story moves the series to the next generation and reveals the outcome of the romance in Ruthless.
3. Breathless
Breathless (2010): Miranda Rohan is abducted by Lucien de Malheur, a man driven by revenge against her family and convinced that she can be used to settle an old grievance.
The conflict depends on Rohan family history, making this a poor standalone entry despite its complete central romance.
4. Shameless
Shameless (2011): Lady Melisande Carstairs campaigns against the exploitation of women and clashes with Benedick Rohan, whose cynicism conceals a greater understanding of the danger surrounding her work.
The fourth novel continues the next-generation family stories and includes established Rohan couples.
5. Heartless
Heartless (2018): Former soldier Brandon Rohan returns from war emotionally and physically scarred, while Emma Cadbury’s presence forces him to confront both his past and a new threat.
The book revisits a character introduced earlier in the series and should be read after Shameless.
6. A Rohan Family Christmas
A Rohan Family Christmas (2024): Members of the extended Rohan family gather for the holidays, allowing old scandals, established relationships, and a new romantic complication to converge under one roof.
This is a reunion story rather than a starting point. It contains updates and spoilers for the previous Rohan couples.
House of Rohan Chronological Order
The chronological and recommended orders are the same:
- The Wicked House of Rohan
- Ruthless
- Reckless
- Breathless
- Shameless
- Heartless
- A Rohan Family Christmas
Readers may omit the prequel novella and start with Ruthless, but the Christmas story belongs firmly at the end.
Scandal at the House of Russell Books in Order
This historical-romance trilogy follows three Russell sisters after their father is accused of financial crimes, dies under suspicious circumstances, and leaves the family ruined.
Each sister enters domestic service while investigating the same larger conspiracy. The romances conclude individually, but the mystery progresses across all three books.
1. Never Kiss a Rake
Never Kiss a Rake (2013): Bryony Russell disguises herself as a housekeeper in the home of Adrian Bruton, a charming rake she suspects may know who destroyed her father and stole the family fortune.
The book establishes the sisters’ investigation and the unresolved question that continues through the trilogy.
2. Never Trust a Pirate
Never Trust a Pirate (2013): Maddy Russell takes a position in the household of sea captain Luca, whose criminal reputation and hidden connections may lead her closer to the family’s enemy.
The central romance stands alone, but the search begun in Never Kiss a Rake remains active.
3. Never Marry a Viscount
Never Marry a Viscount (2014): Sophie Russell enters the home of a dangerous viscount and risks her identity to uncover the final evidence behind her father’s ruin.
This completes both the third sister’s romance and the trilogy’s continuing conspiracy.
Fire Books in Order
The Fire trilogy returns to contemporary covert operations. Its heroes are connected to a secretive intelligence network and work in morally uncertain situations where the women beside them cannot initially tell whether they are rescuers or threats.
The missions are distinct, but agency connections and returning figures make publication order the cleanest route.
1. Consumed by Fire
Consumed by Fire (2015): Schoolteacher Evangeline Morrissey reunites with James Bishop after a brief marriage in Italy, only to discover that the man she knew was an operative using her as part of a dangerous mission.
The story establishes the covert organization and the unstable boundary between protection and manipulation.
2. Driven by Fire
Driven by Fire (2016): Operative Matthew Ryder is drawn into a mission involving Jenny Parker, whose apparent connection to a criminal threat makes her both a suspect and a target.
The second book changes the central couple but continues the same operational world.
3. Wildfire
Wildfire (2017): Former operative Finn MacGowan confronts a new danger connected to the organization’s past, while a woman caught in the operation challenges his instinct to remain detached.
The trilogy concludes with the covert network under direct pressure and should be read after the first two books.
Demon Count Books in Order
The Demon Count duology is an early historical-Gothic sequence involving the same dark aristocratic family.
1. The Demon Count
The Demon Count (1980): A young woman enters the household of a feared count whose reputation suggests cruelty, danger, and secrets that may be more complicated than local legend allows.
The novel establishes the count, the family estate, and the Gothic atmosphere continued in the sequel.
2. The Demon Count’s Daughter
The Demon Count’s Daughter (1980): The next generation faces its own dangerous romance as the count’s daughter becomes involved in a conflict shaped by her family’s reputation and unresolved enemies.
Read it after The Demon Count because the family history and earlier relationship are already established.
Catspaw Books in Order
The Catspaw stories combine theft, deception, romantic suspense, and recurring characters. Bibliographies disagree about whether Night and Day: Night should be counted as a third installment, but it is commonly associated with the same continuity.
1. Catspaw
Catspaw (1985): A resourceful woman becomes involved with an elusive thief and a dangerous scheme in which valuable property, concealed motives, and attraction are closely linked.
The book introduces the central criminal-adventure dynamic.
2. Catspaw II
Catspaw II (1988): The intrigue surrounding the original characters returns through another theft-driven case, bringing past loyalties and unresolved tensions back into play.
This is a direct sequel and should follow Catspaw.
3. Night and Day: Night
Night and Day: Night (2001): A night-centered suspense story revisits the deceptive, dangerous world associated with Catspaw while giving its central relationship a new crisis.
Some catalogs list this as a related work rather than a numbered third novel. It is safest to read it after Catspaw II.
Maggie Bennett Books in Order
The Maggie Bennett books follow a tough intelligence operative through international espionage, political danger, and recurring personal relationships.
Publication records and later reissues sometimes arrange the titles differently. The clearest narrative route begins with Escape Out of Darkness and continues through the three later Maggie cases.
1. Escape Out of Darkness
Escape Out of Darkness (1987): Intelligence operative Maggie Bennett enters a dangerous rescue or extraction mission where professional loyalty collides with the needs of people trapped inside a political conflict.
This introduces Maggie’s hard-edged methods and the espionage world surrounding her.
2. Darkness Before the Dawn
Darkness Before the Dawn (1987): Maggie confronts another international threat while the emotional and professional consequences of her earlier work continue to narrow her choices.
The case can be followed independently, but Maggie’s established history matters.
3. At the Edge of the Sun
At the Edge of the Sun (1987): A mission takes Maggie into an unstable setting where political violence and personal betrayal become impossible to separate.
Later lists occasionally place this book first, but publication sequence and character progression are commonly read with Escape Out of Darkness before it.
4. Seen and Not Heard
Seen and Not Heard (1988): Maggie becomes involved in a case where a vulnerable witness has observed something powerful people are determined to suppress.
This is the latest Maggie Bennett story and should be read after the preceding espionage novels.
It Takes a Thief Books in Order
Anne Stuart’s recent historical series follows a king of thieves and the women drawn into his dangerous criminal world.
1. It Takes a Thief
It Takes a Thief (2022): A determined young woman searches for the childhood companion who became a legendary thief, only to find that he no longer sees himself as the boy she remembers.
The book establishes the criminal network, central relationships, and conflicts continued in the sequel.
2. To Catch a Thief
To Catch a Thief (2025): The world introduced in It Takes a Thief expands through another dangerous pursuit involving theft, concealed identity, and a romance caught between loyalty and survival.
This is a connected sequel rather than an unrelated book with a similar title. Read it after It Takes a Thief.
The Fallen Books in Order
Anne Stuart published the Fallen paranormal-romance series under the name Kristina Douglas.
The series follows fallen angels, demons, supernatural rulers, and human women drawn into an approaching conflict. These books do not connect to the Ice, Fire, or Rohan continuities.
1. Raziel
Raziel (2011): Fallen angel Raziel is ordered to escort Allie Watson to death, but his refusal to complete the task draws both of them into the hidden realm of the Fallen.
The novel establishes the mythology, rebellion, and supernatural hierarchy used by the later books.
2. Demon
Demon (2011): A woman becomes entangled with a ruthless supernatural being whose role in the coming war makes intimacy as dangerous as the enemies pursuing them.
The conflict expands beyond the first couple and develops the threat introduced in Raziel.
3. Warrior
Warrior (2012): A powerful warrior of the Fallen must protect a woman connected to the rebellion while confronting loyalties formed over centuries.
The wider supernatural war is already underway, so the book should remain third.
4. Rebel
Rebel (2013): A defiant immortal and the woman bound to his fate face the consequences of the rebellion as the series’ struggle moves toward resolution.
This is the fourth and latest Fallen novel.
Historical Romance Standalones in Publication Order
The following historical romances are not part of House of Rohan, House of Russell, or the Demon Count sequence.
Demonwood
Demonwood (1979): A young woman enters an ominous estate where the owner’s reputation, the surrounding woods, and long-buried secrets create a traditional Gothic threat.
This is a standalone despite its title resembling the Demon Count books.
Lord Satan’s Bride
Lord Satan’s Bride (1981): A woman is drawn into marriage with a notorious aristocrat whose reputation suggests danger, forcing her to distinguish public scandal from the secrets within his household.
The novel is independent of the Rohan family.
The Spinster and the Rake
The Spinster and the Rake (1982): A socially overlooked woman encounters a practiced rake and discovers that neither of them fits the role society has assigned.
This is a complete standalone Regency romance.
The Houseparty
The Houseparty (1985): Guests gathered at a country estate become entangled in romance, concealed motives, and social maneuvering that turns a respectable visit into something far less orderly.
No continuing series preparation is required.
A Rose at Midnight
A Rose at Midnight (1993): Former aristocrat Ghislaine de Lorgny seeks revenge against the man she blames for destroying her family, only to be stopped by Nicholas Blackthorne and drawn into a darker conflict.
The book is a standalone historical romance with a strong revenge plot.
To Love a Dark Lord
To Love a Dark Lord (1994): Emma Langolet becomes involved with the dangerous James Killoran while attempting to escape an unwanted future and a threat tied to her family.
The novel delivers a complete romance and does not connect to House of Rohan despite its similarly dark aristocratic hero.
Prince of Swords
Prince of Swords (1996): A young woman and an aristocratic thief become caught in a Georgian adventure involving crime, hidden identity, and a hero whose loyalties are deliberately difficult to read.
This is an independent historical romance.
Lord of Danger
Lord of Danger (1997): A woman with a feared supernatural gift becomes bound to a mysterious lord whose political power and reputation make him both protector and potential enemy.
The medieval setting and paranormal atmosphere stand apart from Stuart’s later historical series.
Prince of Magic
Prince of Magic (1998): A woman enters the orbit of a dangerous man associated with forbidden knowledge, while political and supernatural suspicions threaten the relationship growing between them.
This novel is thematically similar to Lord of Danger, but the two do not require a strict shared reading order.
Lady Fortune
Lady Fortune (2000): A young woman’s future becomes tied to a dangerous aristocrat as questions of inheritance, loyalty, and fortune place both of them at risk.
The novel is a standalone historical romance.
Hidden Honor
Hidden Honor (2004): A woman concealing her position or identity becomes involved with a man whose own secrets make trust dangerous in a politically unstable historical setting.
This story stands alone.
The Devil’s Waltz
The Devil’s Waltz (2006): A respectable woman enters a battle of wills with a notorious aristocrat whose plans threaten both her independence and the people she is determined to protect.
The book is unrelated to the Rohan novels despite its similar dark-historical tone.
The Absolutely Positively Worst Man in England, Scotland and Wales
The Absolutely Positively Worst Man in England, Scotland and Wales (2020): A woman is forced into close contact with a man whose dreadful reputation appears fully deserved, only to discover more complicated motives beneath his behavior.
This is an independent historical romance.
The Gunslinger and the Lady
The Gunslinger and the Lady (1995; standalone edition 2023): A woman in the American West becomes involved with a dangerous gunslinger whose violent reputation may be the only thing keeping her alive.
The story was originally published as Dangerous Touch. The two titles should be counted once.
Asking for Trouble
Asking for Trouble (2024): A woman’s refusal to avoid a dangerous man draws her into a historical romance shaped by scandal, mistrust, and consequences neither protagonist can control.
This is a standalone rather than a new Rohan or Russell installment.
Gothic and Romantic-Suspense Standalones
These novels contain murders, secret identities, endangered heroines, isolated locations, or psychologically dangerous heroes but do not form one numbered series.
Barrett’s Hill
Barrett’s Hill (1974): A young woman arrives at an isolated place dominated by family secrets and an atmosphere of Gothic danger, where the man she meets may know more than he admits.
This was Anne Stuart’s first published novel.
Cameron’s Landing
Cameron’s Landing (1977): A remote estate and its guarded inhabitants draw a woman into a mystery where family history and present danger overlap.
The book is an independent Gothic romance.
Museum Piece
Museum Piece (1984): A woman connected to a museum becomes entangled in a romance shaped by valuable objects, professional conflict, and a man who disrupts her carefully ordered life.
This is a standalone contemporary romance with mystery elements.
Tangled Lies
Tangled Lies (1984): A relationship built on concealment becomes increasingly unstable when old secrets and conflicting identities begin to surface.
The story is complete within one novel.
Against the Wind
Against the Wind (1985): Two people facing resistance from their circumstances and each other must decide whether their growing connection is worth the risk surrounding it.
This is an independent romantic story.
Banish Misfortune
Banish Misfortune (1985): A guarded woman and a complicated man enter a relationship shaped by family burdens, emotional damage, and the possibility of building a different future.
The novel won a major romance award but does not belong to a continuing series.
Bewitching Hour
Bewitching Hour (1986): A woman’s life is disrupted by a man and a situation that seem to carry an almost supernatural pull, turning attraction into a challenge to her judgment.
This is a standalone romance.
Blue Sage
Blue Sage (1987): A Western setting brings two independent people together as land, family obligations, and personal history complicate their developing relationship.
The book is not connected to the later Fire trilogy.
Cry for the Moon
Cry for the Moon (1988): A woman becomes involved in a threatening situation where isolation and uncertainty make it difficult to determine who is protecting her.
The novel has appeared in publisher-created groupings but remains a complete standalone.
Special Gifts
Special Gifts (1990): A woman with an unusual talent becomes involved with a man who needs her abilities, creating a romance in which the gift that connects them may also place her in danger.
This is an independent paranormal-tinged romance.
Chasing Trouble
Chasing Trouble (1991): A determined heroine follows a dangerous problem rather than avoiding it, bringing her into conflict with a man whose involvement complicates both the case and their attraction.
The story does not continue into another novel.
Night of the Phantom
Night of the Phantom (1991): A woman enters an isolated environment dominated by a mysterious man whose appearance, reputation, and hidden past evoke the legend of a phantom.
This Gothic romance is sometimes grouped with Stuart’s “Greatest Hits,” but that label is thematic rather than continuous.
Heat Lightning
Heat Lightning (1992): A volatile reunion or attraction unfolds against a setting charged with danger, where emotional tension can break as suddenly as a summer storm.
The book is a standalone romantic suspense.
Now You See Him
Now You See Him (1992): A woman becomes involved with a man whose identity and presence are difficult to verify, forcing her to question whether he is protector, threat, or something between the two.
This is an independent romantic mystery.
Rafe’s Revenge
Rafe’s Revenge (1992): Rafe returns with a grievance and a plan, but the woman caught in his pursuit forces him to choose between retaliation and the possibility of a different future.
The novel is self-contained.
One More Valentine
One More Valentine (1993): A Valentine’s Day encounter gives two people another opportunity to confront love, loss, and a relationship that may not be finished.
This shorter romance was later grouped with other paranormal or emotionally unusual stories.
Break the Night
Break the Night (1993): A woman enters a dangerous nighttime world where the man beside her has the skills to protect her but motives she cannot safely assume are honorable.
The novel is a standalone suspense story.
Shadow Dance
Shadow Dance (1993): A relationship develops amid secrets and shifting identities, with both protagonists forced to determine how much of the other person is performance.
This is unrelated to the Ice series.
Falling Angel
Falling Angel (1993): A mysterious man enters a woman’s life with an apparently impossible connection to the supernatural, challenging her understanding of danger and redemption.
The novel is often grouped with paranormal romance collections but has no required sequel.
Cinderman
Cinderman (1994): A familiar Cinderella pattern is reversed or reshaped around a man whose transformation creates an unexpected romance.
This is part of the publisher’s multi-author More Than Men line, not an Anne Stuart-authored continuing series.
Nightfall
Nightfall (1995): Cassidy Roarke enters the household of convicted killer Richard Tiernan after his release, uncertain whether she is living beside an innocent man or someone capable of killing again.
The novel is one of Stuart’s best-known standalone psychological romantic-suspense stories.
The Soldier and the Baby
The Soldier and the Baby (1995): A soldier, a woman with religious or caregiving obligations, and an infant are brought together by danger and responsibility.
Later editions may use the title The Soldier, the Nun and the Baby. Both titles refer to the same underlying story.
Winter’s Edge
Winter’s Edge (1995): A woman enters a cold, isolated setting where a dangerous man and an unresolved crime place her emotional and physical safety at risk.
The novel is a standalone award-winning romantic suspense.
Moonrise
Moonrise (1996): A woman becomes entangled with a former intelligence operative whose secrets and violent past draw them into a conspiracy that becomes more dangerous after dark.
The novel is independent of the Ice series despite its espionage elements.
Ritual Sins
Ritual Sins (1997): A woman investigates a charismatic spiritual leader whose organization may conceal manipulation, violence, and the truth about someone she has lost.
The romance develops inside a psychological suspense plot involving cult influence.
A Dark and Stormy Night
A Dark and Stormy Night (1997): A storm traps a woman with a mysterious man whose apparently supernatural qualities make him an uncertain source of safety.
This is a contribution to the multi-author More Than Men line.
Shadow Lover
Shadow Lover (1999): A man believed lost or absent returns to a wealthy family, forcing Carolyn Smith to determine whether he is the person everyone remembers or an impostor with dangerous intentions.
The novel is a standalone identity mystery.
The Fall of Maggie Brown
The Fall of Maggie Brown (2000): A woman’s orderly life changes when she becomes involved with a man and a situation capable of damaging her reputation, security, and emotional control.
This Maggie is not Maggie Bennett, and the book does not belong to the espionage series.
Shadows at Sunset
Shadows at Sunset (2000): A woman arrives at a California estate connected to an old Hollywood family and becomes drawn into a mystery involving death, memory, and a house burdened by its past.
The novel combines family secrets with Gothic romantic suspense.
Wild Thing
Wild Thing (2000): A woman searching for an unusual or isolated man discovers that the supposed wild figure at the center of her assignment is more intelligent and dangerous than expected.
This is an independent contemporary romance.
The Widow
The Widow (2001): A woman whose husband has died becomes the focus of suspicion and danger when questions about the marriage and the death refuse to remain buried.
The book is a standalone suspense novel.
Still Lake
Still Lake (2002): A woman operating an inn near a quiet lake becomes involved in an old murder and a new threat that disturb the apparent calm of the community.
The story’s central mystery concludes within the novel.
Into the Fire
Into the Fire (2003): A woman enters a dangerous situation connected to a man whose history and loyalties make him difficult to trust, forcing both of them deeper into an escalating threat.
This predates and is unrelated to Stuart’s Fire trilogy.
Silver Falls
Silver Falls (2009): Photographer Rachel de Luca becomes suspicious of a charming man in an isolated Pacific Northwest town as a series of murdered women suggests a predator is operating nearby.
The novel is a self-contained romantic thriller.
Return to Christmas
Return to Christmas (2019): A return to a familiar place during the holiday season reopens a relationship and the unresolved choices that separated the central couple.
This is a standalone Christmas romance.
Return to Mariposa
Return to Mariposa (2024): A woman goes back to a place tied to her past and encounters the man, memories, and unresolved dangers she left there.
The novel is an original later romantic-suspense release rather than a simple reissue.
Contemporary Romance Standalones
These books lean more heavily toward relationships, family conflict, workplace tension, or second chances than toward sustained suspense.
Chain of Love
Chain of Love (1983): A relationship develops through obligations and emotional links that neither protagonist can easily break, forcing them to decide whether connection is a burden or a choice.
This is an independent early romance.
Heart’s Ease
Heart’s Ease (1984): A guarded couple finds temporary comfort in each other, only to discover that emotional safety requires more honesty than either expected.
The novel is self-contained.
Housebound
Housebound (1985): Circumstances confine two people to the same home, intensifying conflict and attraction until neither can maintain the distance they intended.
This is sometimes included in the Anne Stuart’s Bad Boys collection, but it has no continuing plot with the other books in that grouping.
Rocky Road
Rocky Road (1985): A difficult journey or relationship forces two strong-willed characters through repeated setbacks before they can decide what they want from each other.
The book is a standalone contemporary romance.
Hand in Glove
Hand in Glove (1987): Two people whose skills or circumstances fit together become partners in a situation where cooperation creates an intimacy neither planned.
Later packaging connects it thematically with Stuart’s “Bad Boys,” not through shared continuity.
Partners in Crime
Partners in Crime (1988): A man and woman become unlikely collaborators in a scheme or investigation that blurs the line between criminal complicity and romance.
This is a complete standalone caper.
Glass Houses
Glass Houses (1989): A woman living behind carefully constructed emotional defenses meets a man capable of exposing the weaknesses in both her private life and public image.
The book is not a sequel to Hand in Glove despite being grouped with it in some editions.
Crazy Like a Fox
Crazy Like a Fox (1990): A clever, unpredictable man disrupts a woman’s plans and draws her into a relationship where apparent recklessness may conceal a deliberate purpose.
The novel appeared in a multi-author regional series but can be read independently.
Rancho Diablo
Rancho Diablo (1990): A ranch setting brings a woman into conflict with a difficult man and a family situation shaped by land, history, and attraction.
This contribution to a multi-author continuity does not require Stuart’s other books.
Angels Wings
Angels Wings (1990): A romance set against the challenges of the 1930s follows characters trying to build security and hope during an economically difficult period.
The book belongs to a multi-author decade-themed project.
Lazarus Rising
Lazarus Rising (1991): A man returns from apparent death, disappearance, or personal ruin and confronts the woman and life he left behind.
This is part of a publisher-created multi-author series but has a complete central story.
Anne Stuart Short Reads
The Anne Stuart Short Reads program republishes novellas and anthology stories as individual digital editions. Their recent release dates should not be mistaken for the dates when the stories were first written.
The Monster in the Closet
The Monster in the Closet (1992; standalone edition 2023): A childhood fear or hidden threat becomes real enough to place a woman in danger, forcing her to rely on a man who may understand the darkness better than she does.
This is a short paranormal or suspense romance.
Saints Alive!
Saints Alive! (1993; standalone edition 2023): A Valentine-season romantic complication receives an unusual intervention, giving the central couple another chance to recognize what they mean to each other.
The story first appeared in a multi-author Valentine anthology.
The High Sheriff of Huntingdon
The High Sheriff of Huntingdon (1993; standalone edition 2023): A woman becomes entangled with the powerful sheriff of a historical English community, where authority, attraction, and conflicting loyalties shape a compact romance.
This is an independent historical novella.
Under an Enchantment
Under an Enchantment (1993; standalone edition 2023): Magic or the appearance of magic draws two people together in a historical romance where ordinary explanations are not enough.
The story was originally published in a multi-author collection.
Dark Journey
Dark Journey (1995; standalone edition 2023): A journey places a woman beside a dangerous stranger as isolation, attraction, and uncertain motives turn travel into a romantic-suspense ordeal.
This is a novella rather than a full-length series novel.
Goddess in Waiting
Goddess in Waiting (2000; standalone edition 2023): A woman approaching motherhood or a major transformation finds her life altered by a man and circumstances that challenge her sense of identity.
The story first appeared in a Valentine-themed anthology.
The Gunslinger and the Lady
The Gunslinger and the Lady (1995; standalone edition 2023): A lady in the American West must rely on a feared gunslinger when danger makes his violent skills more useful than his reputation is reassuring.
This is the retitled edition of Dangerous Touch.
Kissing Frosty
Kissing Frosty (1996; standalone edition 2024): A New Year’s romance develops through a wintry encounter that turns a temporary resolution into a more lasting emotional possibility.
The story was originally published in a holiday anthology.
Sultry
Sultry (1997; standalone edition 2024): Summer heat intensifies a short romance in which attraction and danger become difficult to separate.
This is a reissue of an earlier anthology story.
A Midnight Clear
A Midnight Clear (1997; standalone edition 2024): A New Year or Christmas encounter offers two people a moment of clarity about love, family, and an unexpected future.
The story first appeared in a multi-author holiday collection.
Blackheart’s Long Night
Blackheart’s Long Night (2024): A dangerous man known as Blackheart faces a long night of threat, reckoning, and attraction with a woman who cannot safely ignore him.
This is a newer Short Reads release and should be treated as an individual novella rather than a full-length series book.
Claus and Effect
Claus and Effect (2008; standalone edition 2024): A Christmas disruption creates unintended romantic consequences when holiday plans, mistaken assumptions, and attraction collide.
The story originally appeared in a seasonal anthology.
The Right Man
The Right Man (1999; new edition 2025): A woman is transported or drawn into the world of the 1940s, where she meets a man whose place in another era complicates any possibility of a shared future.
The 2025 edition is a rerelease of an earlier time-travel romance, not a newly written novel.
Collaborative Novels and Anthology Stories
The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes
The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes (2007): Three magical sisters face a family curse, romantic complications, and a supernatural threat in a collaborative novel written with Jennifer Crusie and Eileen Dreyer.
Stuart wrote part of the shared narrative rather than a separate detachable story.
Dogs and Goddesses
Dogs and Goddesses (2009): Three women, several unusually communicative dogs, and an awakened ancient goddess collide in a collaborative paranormal romance written with Jennifer Crusie and Lani Diane Rich.
The book is a complete standalone collaboration.
The Road to Hidden Harbor
The Road to Hidden Harbor (2002): A journey toward an isolated harbor becomes a short suspense story involving concealed danger and a relationship formed under pressure.
The novella originally appeared in the multi-author collection What Lies Beneath.
Burning Bright
Burning Bright (2004): A holiday or winter story brings two people together at a moment when hope and danger are both unusually intense.
The story appeared in the multi-author collection Star Light, Star Bright.
Blind Date from Hell
Blind Date from Hell (2004): A disastrous blind date develops into something more dangerous and supernatural than ordinary romantic incompatibility.
This short story was first published in Date with a Devil and later released independently.
Ardath
Ardath (1998): A woman’s story unfolds amid family secrets, danger, and a relationship that tests the loyalties connecting sisters or close female relatives.
It originally appeared in a multi-author collection.
Omnibus Editions and Themed Collections
Collections do not create new continuity. Check their contents before purchasing so that previously read novels are not counted twice.
Now or Never
Now or Never (1999): A collection that packages previously published Anne Stuart romantic stories around characters facing urgent emotional choices.
Status: Reprinted material.
Looking for Trouble
Looking for Trouble (2000): A themed volume containing earlier romances featuring dangerous, difficult, or disruptive heroes.
Status: Reprinted material rather than a new series.
Anne Stuart’s Out-of-Print Gems
Anne Stuart’s Out-of-Print Gems (2007): A digital or collected edition that returned selected older stories to circulation.
Status: Reissues of earlier work.
Date with a Devil
Date with a Devil (2008): A collection built around dangerous romantic encounters, including material published earlier in anthology form.
Status: Collected short fiction.
Star Light, Star Bright
Star Light, Star Bright (2007 edition): A holiday anthology or reissue that includes Stuart’s Burning Bright with stories by other writers.
Status: Multi-author collection.
Return to Christmas
Return to Christmas (2019): A holiday volume or release centered on a second-chance Christmas story.
Status: Count the central story once even when it appears in more than one seasonal edition.
Alternate Titles and Duplicate Editions
Several Anne Stuart books have appeared under more than one title.
The Soldier and the Baby / The Soldier, the Nun and the Baby: These are editions of the same story.
Dangerous Touch / The Gunslinger and the Lady: The newer title republishes the earlier novella.
High Sheriff of Huntingdon / The High Sheriff of Huntingdon: The article may be omitted in some listings, but the records refer to the same story.
On Thin Ice dates: The novel first appeared in 2011 in some markets, while later editions carry a 2013 date.
The Right Man: The 2025 release is a new edition of the 1999 time-travel romance.
Short Reads: Dates from 2023–2025 often describe new standalone editions of stories first published in 1990s or 2000s anthologies.
House of Rohan numbering: The Wicked House of Rohan is a prequel, while A Rohan Family Christmas is a later reunion story. Depending on whether the novella is counted, numbered totals may differ.
Anne Stuart Books in Broad Publication Order
This compact list follows the first known publication of each distinct novel or story. Later reissues are not counted as new narratives.
- Barrett’s Hill (1974): A woman enters an isolated Gothic setting dominated by family secrets.
- Cameron’s Landing (1977): A remote estate draws its heroine into concealed danger.
- Demonwood (1979): An ominous house and surrounding woods conceal a Gothic mystery.
- The Demon Count (1980): A feared count becomes the center of a dangerous historical romance.
- The Demon Count’s Daughter (1980): The next generation inherits the family’s dark reputation.
- Lord Satan’s Bride (1981): A notorious aristocrat’s bride confronts the truth behind his name.
- The Spinster and the Rake (1982): A disregarded woman challenges an experienced rake.
- Chain of Love (1983): Emotional obligations bind a reluctant couple together.
- Heart’s Ease (1984): Two guarded people search for comfort and lasting trust.
- Museum Piece (1984): A museum setting brings professional tension and romance together.
- Tangled Lies (1984): A relationship begins to fracture beneath accumulated deception.
- Catspaw (1985): Theft and concealed motives drive a romantic caper.
- Housebound (1985): Forced proximity turns domestic confinement into romance.
- Banish Misfortune (1985): Two emotionally burdened people attempt to build a different future.
- The Houseparty (1985): A country gathering becomes a setting for romance and intrigue.
- Against the Wind (1985): A couple pursues a relationship despite personal resistance.
- Rocky Road (1985): Repeated setbacks test a difficult romance.
- Bewitching Hour (1986): An unusually compelling attraction disrupts a woman’s judgment.
- Escape Out of Darkness (1987): Maggie Bennett enters an international intelligence mission.
- Hand in Glove (1987): An unlikely partnership develops into romance.
- Darkness Before the Dawn (1987): Maggie faces another politically dangerous assignment.
- At the Edge of the Sun (1987): Espionage and betrayal carry Maggie into a volatile setting.
- Blue Sage (1987): Land and family obligations shape a Western romance.
- Seen and Not Heard (1988): Maggie protects a witness connected to a dangerous secret.
- Partners in Crime (1988): Two unlikely collaborators enter a romantic caper.
- Cry for the Moon (1988): Isolation and uncertainty intensify a suspenseful relationship.
- Catspaw II (1988): The original theft-driven intrigue returns.
- Glass Houses (1989): Emotional defenses begin to collapse under romantic pressure.
- Crazy Like a Fox (1990): A seemingly reckless man disrupts a woman’s plans.
- Special Gifts (1990): An unusual ability draws a woman into romance and danger.
- Rancho Diablo (1990): Ranch history and family conflict shape a Western relationship.
- Angels Wings (1990): A 1930s romance follows characters seeking hope during hardship.
- Lazarus Rising (1991): A man’s return forces an old relationship to confront the past.
- Night of the Phantom (1991): An isolated woman meets a man surrounded by Gothic mystery.
- Chasing Trouble (1991): A determined heroine follows danger into a complicated romance.
- Heat Lightning (1992): A volatile attraction develops against gathering danger.
- Now You See Him (1992): A mysterious man’s identity becomes central to a romantic mystery.
- Rafe’s Revenge (1992): A plan for retaliation is disrupted by an unexpected relationship.
- The Monster in the Closet (1992): An old fear becomes a present romantic-suspense threat.
- One More Valentine (1993): A Valentine encounter offers another chance at love.
- A Rose at Midnight (1993): Revenge draws a former aristocrat toward a dangerous man.
- Saints Alive! (1993): Unusual intervention complicates a Valentine romance.
- The High Sheriff of Huntingdon (1993): Authority and attraction collide in a historical novella.
- Break the Night (1993): A dangerous nighttime world forces a woman to trust an uncertain protector.
- Shadow Dance (1993): Concealed identities shape a suspenseful romance.
- Falling Angel (1993): A supernatural stranger offers danger and redemption.
- Under an Enchantment (1993): Magic complicates a historical romance.
- Cinderman (1994): A male Cinderella transformation produces an unexpected love story.
- To Love a Dark Lord (1994): A young woman becomes involved with a dangerous aristocrat.
- Nightfall (1995): A woman lives beside a man convicted of murder and questions his innocence.
- The Soldier and the Baby (1995): A soldier and an infant reshape a woman’s future.
- Winter’s Edge (1995): An isolated winter setting conceals danger and emotional risk.
- Dangerous Touch (1995): A gunslinger becomes a lady’s uncertain protector.
- Dark Journey (1995): Travel with a dangerous stranger becomes a suspense ordeal.
- Kissing Frosty (1996): A wintry New Year encounter creates an unexpected romance.
- Moonrise (1996): A former operative and a woman confront an espionage conspiracy.
- Prince of Swords (1996): An aristocratic thief leads a Georgian romantic adventure.
- A Midnight Clear (1997): A holiday encounter clarifies an unexpected future.
- Lord of Danger (1997): A gifted woman becomes bound to a feared medieval lord.
- Sultry (1997): Summer heat intensifies a compact romance.
- Ritual Sins (1997): A woman investigates a charismatic spiritual leader and possible killer.
- A Dark and Stormy Night (1997): A storm traps a woman with a possibly supernatural man.
- Ardath (1998): Family secrets and danger drive a shorter romance.
- Prince of Magic (1998): Forbidden knowledge surrounds a dangerous historical hero.
- Dangerous Lover (1999): A secret admirer’s return creates a compact suspense story.
- The Right Man (1999): Time travel carries a woman into a 1940s romance.
- Shadow Lover (1999): A returning heir may be an impostor with deadly intentions.
- The Fall of Maggie Brown (2000): A respectable woman’s life is unsettled by scandal and attraction.
- Goddess in Waiting (2000): A major life transition brings an unexpected romance.
- Lady Fortune (2000): Inheritance and hidden loyalty drive a historical relationship.
- Shadows at Sunset (2000): An old Hollywood estate conceals family secrets and death.
- Wild Thing (2000): A supposedly wild man becomes the subject of an unexpected romance.
- The Widow (2001): A husband’s death leaves his widow surrounded by suspicion.
- Night and Day: Night (2001): Nighttime intrigue revisits the world associated with Catspaw.
- Still Lake (2002): A quiet lakeside community conceals an old murder.
- The Road to Hidden Harbor (2002): A dangerous journey leads toward an isolated harbor.
- Into the Fire (2003): A woman follows an uncertain man into escalating danger.
- Blind Date from Hell (2004): A disastrous date becomes a supernatural threat.
- Hidden Honor (2004): Concealed identity shapes a historical romantic conflict.
- Burning Bright (2004): A winter story places hope and danger side by side.
- Black Ice (2005): A translator is trapped inside an illegal arms negotiation.
- The Devil’s Waltz (2006): A notorious aristocrat challenges a respectable woman.
- Cold as Ice (2006): An attorney is stranded with a covert operative during a terrorist plot.
- Ice Blue (2007): A museum curator becomes the target of a deadly cult.
- The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes (2007): Three magical sisters confront a curse in a collaborative novel.
- Ice Storm (2007): The Committee’s leader faces a man she believed dead.
- Risk the Night (2008): One dangerous night forces a woman to trust an uncertain man.
- Fire and Ice (2008): Reno protects an American woman from enemies in Japan.
- Claus and Effect (2008): Holiday plans create unintended romantic consequences.
- Dogs and Goddesses (2009): Women, talking dogs, and an ancient goddess collide.
- Silver Falls (2009): A photographer suspects a charming man may be a serial killer.
- The Wicked House of Rohan (2010): A notorious gathering begins the Rohan family history.
- Ruthless (2010): Elinor challenges a viscount who believes himself beyond redemption.
- Reckless (2010): A masquerade brings the next Rohan heir into a dangerous romance.
- Breathless (2010): Revenge leads Lucien to abduct Miranda Rohan.
- Shameless (2011): Melisande’s reform work draws her toward Benedick Rohan.
- On Thin Ice (2011): A hostage and a Committee operative flee mercenaries.
- Never Kiss a Rake (2013): Bryony Russell investigates her father’s ruin from inside a rake’s household.
- Never Trust a Pirate (2013): Maddy Russell pursues the family conspiracy through a sea captain.
- Never Marry a Viscount (2014): Sophie Russell seeks the final truth behind the family’s destruction.
- Consumed by Fire (2015): A teacher discovers her former husband is a covert operative.
- Driven by Fire (2016): An agent and a suspected woman become targets of the same mission.
- Wildfire (2017): A former operative confronts a threat tied to his organization’s past.
- Heartless (2018): A scarred Rohan veteran faces love and renewed danger.
- Return to Christmas (2019): A holiday homecoming reopens an unfinished relationship.
- The Absolutely Positively Worst Man in England, Scotland and Wales (2020): A disgraced man’s reputation becomes the starting point for romance.
- It Takes a Thief (2022): A woman searches for the boy who became a king of thieves.
- Blackheart’s Long Night (2024): A feared man faces danger and attraction over one decisive night.
- Return to Mariposa (2024): A homecoming revives old relationships and unresolved danger.
- Asking for Trouble (2024): A woman deliberately enters the orbit of a scandalous man.
- A Rohan Family Christmas (2024): The extended Rohan family reunites for the holidays.
- To Catch a Thief (2025): The historical thief continuity continues through another dangerous pursuit.
Latest Anne Stuart Book
The latest confirmed original Anne Stuart book is To Catch a Thief, published in July 2025.
It follows It Takes a Thief and continues the same historical world of thieves, dangerous loyalties, and concealed identities. Readers should begin that sequence with the 2022 novel.
The Right Man received a new edition in August 2025, but the story was originally published in 1999. It should be treated as a rerelease rather than a later original novel.
Several Anne Stuart titles received new digital editions in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Most belong to the Short Reads program and reintroduce novellas that first appeared in older anthologies.
No original novel with a later confirmed publication date had been announced by July 19, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was Anne Stuart’s first book?
Barrett’s Hill was published in 1974.
It is a standalone Gothic romance and does not begin one of Stuart’s later named series.
What is the first Ice book?
Black Ice is the first Ice novel.
It introduces the Committee and should be read before Cold as Ice, Ice Blue, Ice Storm, Fire and Ice, and On Thin Ice.
How many Ice novels are there?
There are six full-length Ice novels.
Short stories such as Risk the Night should not be counted as additional numbered Committee novels unless an edition explicitly identifies a connection.
Do the Ice books need to be read in order?
Yes.
Each mission and romance concludes within its book, but Committee personnel, earlier couples, and organizational developments recur.
What is the first House of Rohan book?
The Wicked House of Rohan is the chronological prequel.
Readers who want to begin with a full-length novel can start with Ruthless and return to the novella later.
How many House of Rohan books are there?
There are five principal full-length historical romances through Heartless, plus the prequel novella The Wicked House of Rohan and the reunion story A Rohan Family Christmas.
That produces seven distinct Rohan stories.
Is A Rohan Family Christmas a good starting point?
No.
It revisits established couples and later generations, so it contains continuity spoilers for the earlier books.
Do the House of Russell books need to be read in order?
Yes.
The three sisters pursue one continuing conspiracy involving their father’s death and the theft of the family fortune.
Is the Fire trilogy connected to the Ice series?
Both involve covert operatives and morally ambiguous missions, but they are cataloged as separate series.
No combined reading order is required.
Are the Maggie Bennett books in order?
The most stable reading route is:
- Escape Out of Darkness
- Darkness Before the Dawn
- At the Edge of the Sun
- Seen and Not Heard
Some bibliographies arrange the middle books differently, but the sequence above keeps Maggie’s published cases together without treating them as standalones.
What name did Anne Stuart use for the Fallen series?
She published the Fallen novels as Kristina Douglas.
The order is Raziel, Demon, Warrior, and Rebel.
Are the Short Reads new stories?
Most are not newly written.
They are standalone digital editions of novellas first published in multi-author anthologies during the 1990s and 2000s. Blackheart’s Long Night is among the more recent individual releases.
Is The Right Man a 2025 novel?
The current edition was released in 2025, but the story was originally published in 1999.
It should appear at its original position in a chronology of distinct works.
Is The Gunslinger and the Lady the same as Dangerous Touch?
Yes.
The Gunslinger and the Lady is the later title used for the story originally published as Dangerous Touch.
Are Anne Stuart’s Bad Boys books a real series?
They are primarily a themed reissue grouping.
Housebound, Hand in Glove, Partners in Crime, Glass Houses, and Angels Wings do not form one continuous storyline and can be read independently.
What is Anne Stuart’s latest original novel?
To Catch a Thief, published in July 2025, is the latest confirmed original novel as of this article’s update date.
Recommended Anne Stuart Reading Plan
Readers looking for suspense should begin with the Ice series and read all six novels consecutively. That route offers the clearest continuing organization and introduces Stuart’s recurring style of dangerous operatives, mistrust, and international threats.
For historical romance, read the House of Rohan sequence from The Wicked House of Rohan through A Rohan Family Christmas. Follow it with the House of Russell trilogy for a shorter family mystery built around three sisters.
The Fire trilogy works well as a separate modern-suspense block. The Fallen books should also remain separate because they were written as Kristina Douglas and use their own supernatural mythology.
Readers exploring Stuart’s standalones do not need a master chronology. Choose Nightfall for psychological suspense, Lord of Danger for medieval atmosphere, A Rose at Midnight for historical revenge, or Silver Falls for a modern serial-killer story.
The central ordering rule is to preserve the Ice, Rohan, Russell, Fire, Fallen, Maggie Bennett, Catspaw, and thief sequences internally. Everything else can be selected by premise without creating a continuity problem.
Frank is the editor of BookSeries.blog, focusing on publication order, chronological timelines, and spoiler-free reading guides for book series and fictional universes.