Lisa Kleypas Books in Order (Updated 2026-02-05)

Lisa Kleypas writes in two main modes: historical romance (her best-known work) and modern contemporary romance. The “right” reading order depends on whether you want to stay inside one social circle (where cameos and family ties matter) or hop around by premise.

To keep surprises intact, treat each named series as its own lane and read top to bottom.

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A reader’s shortcut to choosing your first book

If you want the most famous gateway series: start with Secrets of a Summer Night (Wallflowers).
If you want a family-focused binge with strong continuity: start with Mine Till Midnight (Hathaways).
If you want Victorian/Edwardian energy with crossovers: start with Cold-Hearted Rake (Ravenels).
If you want contemporary Texas romance: start with Sugar Daddy (Travis).
If you want contemporary Pacific Northwest: start with Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor (Friday Harbor).

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The “connected core” of Kleypas historicals

These three series are the most commonly read as a progression because characters and families echo forward:

1. Wallflowers → 2) Hathaways → 3) Ravenels

You don’t have to read them that way, but it’s the smoothest experience for returning characters and references.

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Wallflowers (read in order)

A friend-group series where each book’s couple becomes part of the next book’s background.

1. Again the Magic (prequel): A long separation turns into a second chance that sets the emotional tone for the era.
2. Secrets of a Summer Night: A determined wallflower makes a practical marriage plan, and catches real feelings instead.
3. It Happened One Autumn: A sharp-tongued heroine and a rigid aristocrat clash until attraction overwhelms etiquette.
4. The Devil in Winter: A notorious rake offers a bargain marriage that becomes unexpectedly tender and protective.
5. Scandal in Spring: A shy heroine faces the one match she never wanted, and discovers she may have been wrong.
6. A Wallflower Christmas (holiday epilogue novel): A seasonal house party delivers one more romance and closure for the circle.

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The Hathaways (read in order)

A newly elevated family learning what power, money, and society can’t fix.

1. Mine Till Midnight: A responsible eldest sister meets a man who sees through her “I’ve got this” mask.
2. Seduce Me at Sunrise: A long-simmering love finally gets its chance, along with all the fear it carries.
3. Tempt Me at Twilight: A hard bargain marriage forces both leads to confront what they’re willing to trade away.
4. Married by Morning: A teasing battle turns serious when devotion shows up in daily, unglamorous ways.
5. Love in the Afternoon: Letters and longing create a bond that reality then has to live up to.
   2.5 A Hathaway Wedding (novella): A shorter return that’s best read after you know the family’s full arc.

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The Ravenels (read in order)

A generation shift with higher social stakes and direct ties back to earlier favorites.

1. Cold-Hearted Rake: An inheritance disrupts a family, and a new earl discovers duty has teeth.
2. Marrying Winterborne: A self-made businessman and a sheltered aristocrat fight for a marriage on their own terms.
3. Devil in Spring: A cautious heroine and a charming rake are forced into a marriage that quickly becomes a partnership.
4. Hello Stranger: An independent woman in medicine and a man with secrets collide in danger and desire.
5. Devil’s Daughter: A widowed mother and a reformed troublemaker find love where neither expected trust.
6. Chasing Cassandra: A brilliant, emotionally guarded magnate meets the one woman who insists on tenderness.
7. Devil in Disguise: A capable young widow and a dangerous man with a hidden past get pulled into high-risk intimacy.

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Earlier historical series and sets

Gamblers of Craven’s (read in order)

Two romances tied to the same notorious gambling club.

1. Then Came You: A scandal-prone heroine takes control of the narrative, and collides with a man who won’t be managed.
2. Dreaming of You: A quiet writer steps into a dangerous world and falls for its most untouchable man.

Bow Street Runners (read in order)

Investigation-forward historical romance with recurring figures.

1. Someone to Watch Over Me: A rescue draws two strangers together while danger tightens around them.
2. Lady Sophia’s Lover: A determined woman and a dangerous man bargain for help, and get more than they asked for.
3. Worth Any Price: A quest for something lost turns into a romance that refuses to stay transactional.

Capitol Theatre (read in order)

A theatre-world historical duo.

1. Somewhere I’ll Find You: A marriage built on distance becomes intimate when the truth finally arrives.
2. Because You’re Mine: A powerful performer and a determined man test whether love can survive ambition.
   Also exists: a related shorter story is sometimes listed with this set in collections; treat it as optional.

Vallerands (read in order)

A compact historical pair.

1. When Strangers Marry: A forced marriage creates a tense partnership that slowly turns protective.
2. Only With Your Love: A widow and a man with complicated motives push a reluctant romance into the open.

The Stokehursts (read in order)

A two-book historical set.

1. Midnight Angel: A guarded household romance with danger at the edges.
2. Prince of Dreams: Love and loss are reshaped through a more sweeping, fate-tilted storyline.

Berkeley-Falkner (read in order)

Early historical romances.

1. Where Passion Leads: A young woman is swept into a ruthless aristocratic world where desire has consequences.
2. Forever My Love: A bargain made too young becomes a lifetime problem, and a lifetime pull.

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Other historical romances (standalone)

These are not part of a numbered series, so you can read them whenever the premise appeals.

• Suddenly You: A woman hires a man for one night and discovers the consequences are very real.
• Stranger in My Arms: A marriage is shaken when the husband returns changed, and the truth is not what it seems.
• Where Dreams Begin: A wary heroine faces a hero who won’t accept half-truths or half-love.

(If you want a full standalone list formatted the same way, tell me and I’ll expand this section.)

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Contemporary romance series

The Travis Family (read in order)

Modern Texas romances with cameos and family ties.

1. Sugar Daddy: A difficult upbringing leads to reinvention, and a love that doesn’t fit the plan.
2. Blue-Eyed Devil: A woman rebuilds after a devastating relationship and finds strength with the right partner.
3. Smooth Talking Stranger: A surprise responsibility forces a heroine to accept help from the last man she expected.
4. Brown-Eyed Girl: A long-buried connection turns into the relationship that finally feels like home.

Friday Harbor (read in order)

A small community series with gentle crossover.

1. Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor: A grieving guardian and a woman with her own scars create a fragile new family.
2. Rainshadow Road: Old loyalties and new desire collide in a story about letting go of what no longer fits.
3. Dream Lake: A broken man and a resilient woman rebuild trust one honest step at a time.
4. Crystal Cove: A complicated past returns, and love has to prove it can handle the whole truth.

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A reading plan that’s less linear (and still spoiler-safe)

If you want variety without tripping over reveals:

1. Read Wallflowers #1-#4 (plus the holiday epilogue if you want it).
2. Switch to Travis #1-#2 for a modern palate change.
3. Come back for Hathaways #1-#5.
4. Finish with Ravenels #1-#7 when you’re ready for crossovers and long-payoff references.

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FAQs

Do I need to read everything in publication order across her entire career?
No. The series groupings matter more than a whole-career timeline.

Which series is most sensitive to reading out of order?
Wallflowers and Ravenels, because later books casually confirm earlier couples’ outcomes.

Can I start with a “fan favorite” like The Devil in Winter?
You can, but you’ll enjoy it more if you’ve met the friend group and seen the lead-up.

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Best default choice

If you want one clean recommendation: start with Secrets of a Summer Night and read the Wallflowers in order. From there, you can either continue into the Hathaways and Ravenels, or switch to her contemporary books whenever you want a different pace.