Laura Hile Books in Order (Updated May 10, 2026)

Laura Hile writes sweet Austen-inspired Regency romance with comic plots, mistaken assumptions, and happy endings.

Her bibliography has two main lanes. The first is Mercy’s Embrace, a connected Persuasion continuation about Elizabeth Elliot. The second is a group of lighthearted Pride and Prejudice variations and related Austen novellas.

The important split is simple: read Mercy’s Embrace in order, but treat the Darcy books as separate romps unless a listing says otherwise.

Best Route Through Laura Hile’s Books

1. Start with So Rough a Course if you want Laura Hile’s earliest major Austen continuation.
2. Start with Darcy By Any Other Name if you want her best-known Pride and Prejudice variation.

For a full read-through, use this path:

1. Read the Mercy’s Embrace trilogy.
2. Read Marrying Well for Fun & Profit as a Persuasion side piece.
3. Move into the Pride and Prejudice variations.
4. Add the A Very Austen anthology stories as optional extras.
5. Treat works-in-progress separately until they receive final publication.

Mercy’s Embrace Books in Order

This is Laura Hile’s connected Persuasion sequence, focused on Elizabeth Elliot after Jane Austen’s original novel.

1. So Rough a Course (2009): Elizabeth Elliot faces the consequences of age, pride, and financial insecurity after Persuasion, making this the necessary opening to her transformation.
2. So Lively a Chase (2009): Elizabeth’s prospects become more complicated as romance, money, reputation, and renewed social ambition keep pulling her in different directions.
3. The Lady Must Decide (2010): The trilogy’s final book forces Elizabeth to choose what kind of future she wants and whether she can accept love without the old Elliot vanity controlling her.

Read these three in order. They are not interchangeable standalones, because Elizabeth’s emotional and social arc builds from book to book.

Pride and Prejudice Variations in Order

These books share Austen’s characters and comic Regency style, but they are best treated as separate variations rather than one continuous Darcy-and-Elizabeth timeline.

1. Darcy By Any Other Name (2016): Darcy and Mr. Collins swap places after a lightning-strike premise, forcing Darcy to win Elizabeth while trapped in the most humiliating possible social position.
2. So This Is Love (2020): A sweet Austen-inspired Regency romance that keeps the emphasis on courtship, humor, and emotional discovery rather than dark conflict.
3. As Only Mr. Darcy Can (2020): Darcy takes center stage in another light comic variation where his pride, sense of responsibility, and romantic hopes are tested.
4. In League with Mr. Darcy (2022): A lively Darcy-and-Elizabeth story with the author’s usual comic energy, designed for readers who like a less grim and more talkative Darcy.
5. Step Lively, Mr. Darcy (2022): A Christmas-season variation involving Mrs. Bennet’s lie and the arrival of the Thorpes, making this one of Hile’s more openly farcical Darcy stories.
6. You’ve Got to Kiss the Girl (2023): A novella originally connected with A Very Austen Romance, later made available in audio, and best treated as a short optional Austen romance.
7. In Want of a Wife (2023): A novella from A Very Austen Noel, positioned as an anthology-origin Austen romance rather than a core standalone novel.
8. Sir Walter Takes a Wife (2023): A Persuasion-based comic romance featuring Sir Walter Elliot, best read after knowing both Austen’s Persuasion and Hile’s taste for vain characters.
9. Pretty in Print (2024): Mr. Collins arrives at Longbourn with a secret career writing romance novels, giving Elizabeth and Darcy a mystery-tinged comic premise built around authorship and suspicion.

Laura Hile Books in Publication Order

1. So Rough a Course (2009): Elizabeth Elliot begins her post-Persuasion story with pride, insecurity, and the need for a future she cannot command as easily as she once assumed.
2. So Lively a Chase (2009): The second Mercy’s Embrace book raises the romantic and financial stakes around Elizabeth’s next choices.
3. The Lady Must Decide (2010): Elizabeth’s trilogy reaches its decision point as she must choose between old habits and a more honest future.
4. Darcy By Any Other Name (2016): A body-swap-style Pride and Prejudice variation that places Darcy inside Mr. Collins’s life and makes humility unavoidable.
5. Marrying Well for Fun & Profit (2017): A comic nonfiction-style Persuasion spin-off in which Sir Walter Elliot offers absurdly self-important advice on status, marriage, and social climbing.
6. A Very Austen Christmas (2017): A multi-author anthology that includes Laura Hile’s Christmas Austen material and should be read as optional seasonal fiction.
7. A Very Austen Valentine (2018): A multi-author anthology that includes Hile’s Persuasion-related Sir Walter Takes a Wife.
8. So This Is Love (2020): A standalone Austen-inspired Regency romance, useful for readers who want Hile’s lighter courtship style without beginning a trilogy.
9. As Only Mr. Darcy Can (2020): A Darcy-focused variation that belongs with the author’s comic Pride and Prejudice shelf.
10. A Very Austen Romance (2020): A multi-author anthology that includes Hile’s You’ve Got to Kiss the Girl.
11. The Complete Mercy’s Embrace Trilogy (2021): An omnibus collecting So Rough a Course, So Lively a Chase, and The Lady Must Decide.
12. In League with Mr. Darcy (2022): A humorous Darcy-and-Elizabeth variation with a livelier version of Darcy than readers may expect from stricter canon retellings.
13. Step Lively, Mr. Darcy (2022): A Christmas comic variation with Mrs. Bennet’s deception and outside disruption pushing the plot into high energy.
14. A Very Austen Noel (2022): A multi-author holiday anthology that includes Hile’s In Want of a Wife.
15. You’ve Got to Kiss the Girl (2023): A short Austen romance tied to the anthology shelf and later highlighted in audio form.
16. In Want of a Wife (2023): A holiday-linked Austen novella from A Very Austen Noel, best treated as an optional short work.
17. Sir Walter Takes a Wife (2023): A comic Persuasion story that brings Sir Walter Elliot’s vanity into romantic territory.
18. Pretty in Print (2024): Hile’s latest confirmed novel, centered on Mr. Collins’s secret authorship and the suspicion it creates at Longbourn.

Recommended Laura Hile Reading Order

This order keeps connected continuity together and places the shorter anthology material after the main novels.

1. So Rough a Course (2009): Start here for the beginning of Elizabeth Elliot’s complete arc.
2. So Lively a Chase (2009): Continue directly because the trilogy builds on Elizabeth’s changing prospects.
3. The Lady Must Decide (2010): Finish Mercy’s Embrace before switching Austen worlds.
4. Marrying Well for Fun & Profit (2017): Read next as a comic Persuasion side piece, especially while Sir Walter Elliot is still fresh.
5. Darcy By Any Other Name (2016): Move into Hile’s Pride and Prejudice variations with her most distinctive premise.
6. So This Is Love (2020): Continue with a lighter standalone Regency romance.
7. As Only Mr. Darcy Can (2020): Stay with the Darcy-focused material before moving into the later 2022 titles.
8. In League with Mr. Darcy (2022): Read here for a more energetic and comic Darcy variation.
9. Step Lively, Mr. Darcy (2022): Place this near the end of the main Darcy shelf because its holiday-chaos setup works well after several earlier variations.
10. Pretty in Print (2024): Read last among the current novels because it is the newest confirmed full-length title.
11. The Christmas Matchmaker (2017 anthology story): Add this if you are reading the A Very Austen Christmas material.
12. Sir Walter Takes a Wife (2018 anthology story / 2023 listing): Read after Marrying Well for Fun & Profit if you enjoy Sir Walter as a comic lead.
13. You’ve Got to Kiss the Girl (2020 anthology story / 2023 listing): Read as a short romantic extra rather than a main continuity entry.
14. In Want of a Wife (2022 anthology story / 2023 listing): Save with the holiday anthology material or read after the main Darcy novels.

The Complete Mercy’s Embrace Trilogy

• The Complete Mercy’s Embrace Trilogy (2021): This omnibus collects the three Elizabeth Elliot books in one volume.

It is not a fourth book. Readers who already own So Rough a Course, So Lively a Chase, and The Lady Must Decide do not need the omnibus for story continuity.

Austen Anthologies

Laura Hile has contributed to the A Very Austen anthology line. These are optional if you are following only her main novels.

1. A Very Austen Christmas (2017): A multi-author Christmas anthology that includes Hile’s seasonal Austen work.
2. A Very Austen Valentine (2018): A multi-author Valentine anthology that includes Sir Walter Takes a Wife.
3. A Very Austen Romance (2020): A multi-author romance anthology that includes You’ve Got to Kiss the Girl.
4. A Very Austen Noel (2022): A multi-author holiday anthology that includes In Want of a Wife.

Anthology stories should be filed as extras. They are useful for completionists but not required before the main Laura Hile novels.

Nonfiction and Comic Advice

• Marrying Well for Fun & Profit (2017): Sir Walter Elliot of Persuasion becomes the comic “advisor,” offering vain and status-obsessed guidance on marriage and social advancement.

This is not a traditional nonfiction guide. It is best understood as Austen-character humor built around Sir Walter’s voice.

Chronological Order

There is no single chronology for all Laura Hile books.

Mercy’s Embrace has its own post-Persuasion sequence and should be read in order. The Pride and Prejudice variations reset the premise each time, so they do not belong to one continuous Darcy-and-Elizabeth life story.

Use this limited chronological order only for the connected trilogy:

1. So Rough a Course (2009): Elizabeth Elliot’s post-Persuasion story begins.
2. So Lively a Chase (2009): Elizabeth’s arc continues after the first book.
3. The Lady Must Decide (2010): Elizabeth’s story reaches its conclusion.

For the Darcy books, publication order or recommended order is clearer.

Upcoming and Work-in-Progress Titles

Laura Hile’s official site currently lists two works in progress.

1. Elizabeth By Any Other Name: Listed as in production for 2026, but not yet a confirmed published book for reading-order purposes.
2. Mr. Darcy’s Christmas Rescue: Listed as an early-stage work in progress, with no confirmed publication date found during this update.

These should not be placed in the main bibliography until final release details are available.

Latest Laura Hile Book

The latest confirmed Laura Hile novel I found is Pretty in Print, released in 2024.

It belongs with her Pride and Prejudice variation shelf and should be read after the earlier Darcy books if you are doing a full author read-through.

Do Laura Hile’s Books Need to Be Read in Order?

Only Mercy’s Embrace needs strict order.

The Darcy variations can be read independently because each one starts from a separate comic premise. Readers who already know Pride and Prejudice can choose whichever setup sounds most appealing.

The anthologies and anthology-origin novellas are optional. They should not be mistaken for missing chapters in the main novels.

Where to Start

• Start with Darcy By Any Other Name if you want the fastest sample of Laura Hile’s comic Pride and Prejudice style.
• Start with So Rough a Course if you prefer a connected series and want to follow Elizabeth Elliot from the beginning.
• Start with Pretty in Print if you want the newest confirmed novel and do not mind reading outside publication order.

FAQ

What is Laura Hile’s first book?

So Rough a Course is Laura Hile’s first listed book and the opening volume of Mercy’s Embrace.

What order should I read Mercy’s Embrace?

Read So Rough a Course, So Lively a Chase, and The Lady Must Decide.

Is Mercy’s Embrace based on Pride and Prejudice?

No. Mercy’s Embrace is a Persuasion continuation focused on Elizabeth Elliot.

Which Laura Hile book should I read first for Pride and Prejudice?

Start with Darcy By Any Other Name.

Are Laura Hile’s Darcy books connected?

They are connected by Austen’s characters and comic Regency style, not by one continuing plotline.

Is The Complete Mercy’s Embrace Trilogy a new book?

No. It is an omnibus collecting the three Mercy’s Embrace novels.

What is Laura Hile’s latest book?

Pretty in Print is the latest confirmed novel I found.

Is Elizabeth By Any Other Name published?

Not as a confirmed final book as of this update. It is listed as a work in progress for 2026.

Conclusion

Laura Hile’s reading order is easiest when divided by Austen source.

Read Mercy’s Embrace in order for the Persuasion continuation. Then move to Darcy By Any Other Name and the later Pride and Prejudice variations for her comic Regency style. Keep the A Very Austen anthology stories as optional extras, and hold works-in-progress outside the main list until they are officially published.