Eloisa James Books in Order (Updated 2026-02-05)

Eloisa James writes historical romance in several distinct story worlds. Some are tightly woven (with recurring friends, siblings, and society circles), while others are designed to be picked up anywhere.

If you want the fewest spoilers and the smoothest introductions, choose one series and read it straight through before switching to another.

---

Start here if you don’t want to plan much

• For a modern entry point with a short list: begin with Viscount in Love (Accidental Brides).
• For witty Regency romance with “fairy-tale” flavor: begin with A Kiss at Midnight (Fairy Tales).
• For a long, interconnected society saga: begin with Desperate Duchesses.

---

Accidental Brides (read in order)

1. Viscount in Love: A grumpy aristocrat’s practical problem turns into a marriage plan he didn’t expect to want.
2. Hardly a Gentleman: A forced match sparks when a desperate escape and a Scottish laird collide.
3. The Last Lady B: A notorious wife, a gruff solicitor, and a ghost story tangle into an inconvenient romance.

---

Would-Be Wallflowers (best with the prequel first)

Optional prequel that pays off in Book 1

0. My American Duchess: A duke aiming for a “proper” bride keeps getting outmaneuvered by a bold American heiress.

Main series (read in order)

1. How to Be a Wallflower: A determined heiress tries to disappear into the background and instead ends up in a wager with a magnetic outsider.
2. The Reluctant Countess: A proper nobleman meets the one woman who makes “sensible” feel impossible.
3. Not That Duke: An unconventional heroine challenges a duke who thought he could control every outcome.

---

The Seduction series (read in order)

1. Two Dances and a Duke: A miserable first Season turns into triumph when a duke sees past cruelty and gossip.
2. Two Vows and a Viscount: A woman boxed in by family duty finds leverage, and love, where she least expects it.
3. Two Masquerades and a Major: Disguises and misunderstandings turn a risky night into a real claim on the heart.
4. Two Lies and a Lord: A quick lie meant to protect a child spirals into a marriage that becomes surprisingly right.

---

Wildes of Lindow Castle (read in order)

Optional prequel novella

0. My Last Duchess: A past marriage and a bold new possibility set up the Wilde family’s larger orbit.

Main series

1. Wilde in Love: A duke and a smart, stubborn heroine clash until admiration becomes unavoidable.
2. Too Wilde to Wed: A determined heroine forces a man who fears commitment to choose bravery over comfort.
3. Born to Be Wilde: A dazzling match tests whether reputation can survive real intimacy.
4. Say No to the Duke: A daring wager pushes a cautious romance into the open.
5. Say Yes to the Duke: A painfully shy heroine faces the difference between fantasy and the man who’s actually right for her.
6. Wilde Child: A runaway with theater dreams meets a duke who wants to save her, and can’t resist her.

---

Fairy Tales (read in order)

These are set in “fairy-tale time,” so the tone is playful even when the stakes are serious.

1. A Kiss at Midnight: A Cinderella-shaped meeting becomes a battle of wills between a clever heroine and a prince with plans.
2. Storming the Castle: A short, punchy romance that adds extra shine to the series’ world.
3. When Beauty Tamed the Beast: A strong-minded heroine meets a brilliant, prickly man and refuses to be frightened off.
4. Winning the Wallflower: A quick, high-chemistry story built around seeing the quiet woman everyone overlooks.
5. The Duke Is Mine: A betrothal becomes a problem when the wrong man is the right match.
6. The Ugly Duchess: A marriage tested by time and distance forces both partners to confront what they broke.
7. Once Upon a Tower: A couple’s split sends one spouse into retreat and the other into a determined pursuit.
8. Seduced by a Pirate: A shorter adventure-romance that revisits the “fairy-tale” mood with sharper edges.

---

Essex Sisters (read in order)

1. Much Ado About You: The eldest sister tries to manage a family crisis while her own romance keeps slipping off script.
2. Kiss Me, Annabel: A young woman determined to be chosen learns that desire doesn’t care about polite timing.
3. The Taming of the Duke: A bold heroine challenges a duke’s control until he admits he wants more than order.
4. Pleasure for Pleasure: A practical woman and a tempting man negotiate what passion costs, and what it’s worth.
5. A Gentleman Never Tells: A later novella that returns to the world with a redemption arc and a hard-earned tenderness.

Companion guide (optional, not a novel)

• Essex Sisters Companion Guide: Behind-the-scenes essays and an extra novella for readers who like historical details and bonus fiction.

---

Duchess Quartet (Esme & Friends) (read in order)

1. Duchess in Love: A long-abandoned marriage forces a duchess to decide whether she wants freedom or the husband who vanished.
2. A Fool Again: A short add-on romance that fills in side-character history and adds extra context.
3. Fool for Love: A private letter turns public, and the fallout forces a romance into daylight.
4. A Wild Pursuit: A chase across society exposes exactly what the heroine has been refusing to want.
5. Your Wicked Ways: A marriage shaped by restraint finally collides with the desire both leads kept locked away.

---

Desperate Duchesses (best read in order)

This is a larger, more interconnected society story, with friendships and rivalries that echo across books.

1. Desperate Duchesses: Scandal, matchmaking, and power games set the tone for a group that refuses to behave.
2. An Affair Before Christmas: A marriage in trouble becomes a battleground for pride, desire, and forgiveness.
3. Duchess by Night: Disguise and freedom spark a romance that starts in mischief and turns serious.
4. When the Duke Returns: A neglected wife takes control of her own story when her husband finally reappears.
5. This Duchess of Mine: A runaway duchess returns to face the husband, and the truth, she left behind.
6. A Duke of Her Own: A notorious rake meets the one woman who can match him move for move.
7. Three Weeks with Lady X: A self-made man tries to become “marriageable” with help from the one woman he can’t outmaneuver.
8. Four Nights with the Duke: A long-standing clash turns into a marriage bargain that quickly becomes personal.
9. Seven Minutes in Heaven: A brilliant, guarded heroine meets an inventor who won’t accept half-answers, or half-feelings.

---

Reading order that works for most people

If you want a calm, low-regret path:

1. Accidental Brides (short and current)
2. Would-Be Wallflowers (include the prequel if you like seeing the family lines set up)
3. Fairy Tales (for the most “romance-with-a-wink” experience)
4. Desperate Duchesses (when you’re ready for a longer, more layered society saga)

---

Latest release status

• Next announced novel: The Last Lady B (scheduled for May 12, 2026).

---

FAQs

Do Eloisa James books have to be read in order?
Only within a series. If you jump into the middle, you’ll still understand the romance, but you may lose cameos and learn earlier couples’ outcomes.

Which series is most sensitive to spoilers?
Desperate Duchesses is the most interconnected, so it benefits most from reading in sequence.

Is there a “chronological timeline” order that differs from publication order?
Not in a way that helps most readers. These stories are built to be read by series order, not by an overall historical timeline.

---

Best simple choice

If you want the easiest on-ramp, start with Viscount in Love and continue through Accidental Brides. If you want the biggest, richest society world, start with Desperate Duchesses and read straight through.