Syrie James writes historical fiction, historical mystery, romance, romantic suspense, and young adult fantasy. She is especially known for literary reimaginings involving Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë, Mina Harker, and nineteenth-century Gothic traditions.
Her books do not belong to one shared timeline. The key is to separate her literary historical novels, Victorian mystery series, romance series, and YA fantasy series before choosing a starting point.
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For most readers, the best first book is The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen. For mystery readers, begin with The Mysteries of Pendowar Hall. For romance readers, begin with Runaway Heiress or Floating on Air, depending on whether you want historical or contemporary romance.
Where to Start
- Start with The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen if you want Syrie James’s best-known historical fiction style.
- Start with The Mysteries of Pendowar Hall if you want her newer Victorian mystery romance series.
- Start with Runaway Heiress if you want historical romance.
- Start with Floating on Air if you want contemporary romance.
- Start with Forbidden if you want the young adult fantasy series co-written with Ryan M. James.
The Audacious Sisterhood of Smoke & Fire Books in Order
This is Syrie James’s Victorian historical mystery romance series. The books follow a linked sisterhood concept, with each novel centered on a woman confronting danger, secrets, and romance in a Gothic setting.
- The Mysteries of Pendowar Hall (2025): Diana Taylor, a governess at a Cornish estate, investigates a suspicious death while facing family secrets, Gothic atmosphere, and a dangerous attraction to Captain William Fallbrook.
- The Secrets of Thorndale Manor (2025): Athena Taylor opens a girls’ school at Thorndale Manor, only to find herself drawn into a maid’s suspicious death and an older murder connected to Ian Vernon’s family.
- Danger at Darkmoor Park (2025): Selena Taylor is trapped by a Christmas blizzard at a Yorkshire manor, where hidden treasure, murder, threatening notes, and a mysterious doctor turn a house party into a locked-in danger story.
Reading order note: Read these in order. Each book has its own central mystery, but the series identity and sisterhood structure are clearest when followed from book 1 to book 3.
Dare to Defy Books in Order
The Dare to Defy novels are historical romances. They are connected by tone and genre rather than by a single suspense plot, so series order is the cleanest but not as strict as a mystery series.
- Runaway Heiress (2018): A Regency-era romance about an heiress fleeing danger and expectations, with disguise, pursuit, and trust shaping the central relationship.
- Summer of Scandal (2018): A historical romance built around reputation, social risk, and attraction, where scandal threatens to define the heroine before love can.
- Duke Darcy’s Castle (2020): A castle-set historical romance with a Darcy-named duke, a devastating secret, and a heroine drawn into both mystery and desire.
Reading order note: Start with Runaway Heiress if reading the series. The books can be approached individually, but publication order keeps the romance line organized.
Struck by Love Books in Order
The Struck by Love books are contemporary romances. They are currently presented as a two-book series, but they were previously associated with the Harrison Duet under earlier titles.
- Floating on Air (2021): A radio deejay begins a long-distance romance with a charismatic entrepreneur, creating a love story shaped by voice, risk, career ambition, and emotional vulnerability.
- Two Week Deal (2021): A graphic artist works with the headstrong owner of an advertising agency in Lake Tahoe, where a business opportunity becomes a romantic gamble.
Retitle note: Public listings indicate that Floating on Air is connected to the earlier title Songbird, and Two Week Deal is connected to the earlier title Propositions. Some older listings also connect Propositions with The Sky’s the Limit. Treat these as earlier versions or related editions, not separate new storylines unless you are collecting editions.
Forbidden Books in Order
This young adult fantasy/paranormal series is co-written by Syrie James and Ryan M. James.
- Forbidden (2012): Claire Brennan discovers dangerous powers and a forbidden connection to Alec MacKenzie, whose hidden identity and mission make their relationship both romantic and perilous.
- Embolden (2018): Continues Claire and Alec’s story, expanding the supernatural conflict and testing their bond after the revelations of the first book.
Reading order note: Read Forbidden before Embolden. This is a direct two-book sequence, not a set of interchangeable standalones.
Literary and Historical Fiction Novels in Publication Order
These books are standalone historical, literary, or Gothic reimaginings. They are not sequels to one another.
- The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen (2007): Imagines the discovery of Jane Austen’s private memoirs and a secret love story that may have shaped her fiction.
- The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Brontë (2009): Recreates Charlotte Brontë’s inner life, writing career, family burdens, and relationship with Arthur Bell Nicholls through a diary-style historical novel.
- Dracula, My Love (2010): Retells Bram Stoker’s Dracula from Mina Harker’s perspective, turning the familiar vampire story toward desire, temptation, and Mina’s divided loyalties.
- Nocturne (2011): A romantic suspense novel about Nicole, a woman stranded in a snowstorm with the mysterious Michael Tyler, whose isolation hides a dangerous supernatural secret.
- The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen (2012): Follows the discovery of a lost Jane Austen manuscript and gives readers a novel-within-a-novel shaped by literary mystery and Austen homage.
- Jane Austen’s First Love (2014): Imagines Jane Austen as a young woman experiencing first love, using the historical Edward Taylor connection as the emotional center of the story.
Reading order note: These standalones can be read in any order. Publication order works best if you want to follow Syrie James’s development through Austen, Brontë, Gothic, vampire, and literary-mystery material.
Publication Order for Syrie James Books
This list places Syrie James’s major book-length works by publication or current widely listed release year. Retitled contemporary romances are handled in notes rather than counted twice as separate stories.
- The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen (2007): A historical reimagining of Jane Austen’s private life, centered on a discovered memoir and an invented love story.
- The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Brontë (2009): A diary-style historical novel about Charlotte Brontë’s creative life, family struggles, and late-blooming romance.
- Dracula, My Love (2010): A Mina Harker-centered retelling of Dracula, shifting the classic story toward passion, danger, and hidden desire.
- Nocturne (2011): A snowbound romantic suspense story involving a woman on the run and a mysterious man with a supernatural secret.
- The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen (2012): A literary mystery about a lost Austen manuscript and the story contained inside it.
- Forbidden (2012): The first YA fantasy novel co-written with Ryan M. James, introducing Claire Brennan, Alec MacKenzie, and a dangerous supernatural inheritance.
- Songbird (2012): The earlier Harrison Duet edition of the romance later associated with Floating on Air, centered on a radio deejay and a long-distance love affair.
- Propositions (2012): The earlier Harrison Duet edition of the romance later associated with Two Week Deal, involving an advertising artist, a casino campaign, and a risky workplace attraction.
- Jane Austen’s First Love (2014): A historical novel about young Jane Austen and the romantic awakening that may have influenced her imagination.
- Embolden (2018): The second Forbidden book, continuing Claire and Alec’s supernatural and romantic conflict.
- Runaway Heiress (2018): The first Dare to Defy historical romance, using flight, danger, and disguise to launch the series.
- Summer of Scandal (2018): The second Dare to Defy historical romance, built around reputation, social pressure, and romantic defiance.
- Duke Darcy’s Castle (2020): The third Dare to Defy historical romance, combining a castle setting, a brooding duke, and buried secrets.
- Floating on Air (2021): The current Struck by Love edition of the radio-deejay romance originally connected to Songbird.
- Two Week Deal (2021): The current Struck by Love edition of the graphic-artist romance connected to earlier Propositions listings.
- The Mysteries of Pendowar Hall (2025): The first Audacious Sisterhood of Smoke & Fire novel, launching the Victorian Gothic mystery romance series.
- The Secrets of Thorndale Manor (2025): The second Audacious Sisterhood of Smoke & Fire novel, involving a girls’ school, a suspicious death, and an older murder.
- Danger at Darkmoor Park (2025): The third Audacious Sisterhood of Smoke & Fire novel, using a snowbound Christmas house party, hidden treasure, and murder.
Recommended Reading Order
A new reader should not try to mix every Syrie James book into one master sequence. This order gives a balanced path through her strongest categories without confusing separate continuities.
- The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen (2007): Begin here for her signature literary-historical style and Austen connection.
- The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen (2012): Follow with another Austen-centered novel, this time framed through literary discovery.
- Jane Austen’s First Love (2014): Complete the Austen-focused group with the younger Jane Austen story.
- The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Brontë (2009): Move next to another nineteenth-century literary figure, with a stronger Brontë emotional frame.
- Dracula, My Love (2010): Shift into Gothic reimagining through Mina Harker’s perspective.
- Nocturne (2011): Read this after Dracula, My Love if you want another romantic suspense story with paranormal elements.
- The Mysteries of Pendowar Hall (2025): Begin the Victorian mystery series once you are ready for Gothic suspense with a clearer series structure.
- The Secrets of Thorndale Manor (2025): Continue the mystery sequence with the second sister and a darker school-and-manor investigation.
- Danger at Darkmoor Park (2025): Finish the current trilogy with the snowbound Christmas mystery.
- Runaway Heiress (2018): Start the historical romance line after the mysteries if you want a lighter romance-forward track.
- Summer of Scandal (2018): Continue the Dare to Defy sequence.
- Duke Darcy’s Castle (2020): Finish the Dare to Defy sequence.
- Floating on Air (2021): Move to contemporary romance through the first Struck by Love title.
- Two Week Deal (2021): Finish the contemporary romance pair.
- Forbidden (2012): Begin the YA fantasy series when you want a different age category and supernatural mythology.
- Embolden (2018): Read last if following Claire and Alec’s story through its second book.
Anthologies and Extra Material
- Jane Austen Made Me Do It (2011): A multi-author anthology containing Syrie James’s short story Jane Austen’s Nightmare, best treated as optional extra reading for Austen fans.
- The Harrison Duet: A two-in-one edition collecting Songbird and Propositions, useful if you want the older contemporary-romance versions together.
- The Sky’s the Limit: An earlier title connected in public listings to Propositions and the later Two Week Deal; treat it as an alternate/earlier edition rather than a separate required novel.
Buying note: Check contents carefully when purchasing Songbird, Propositions, Floating on Air, Two Week Deal, The Harrison Duet, or The Sky’s the Limit. The title history can create duplicate purchases.
Chronological Order
A single chronological order is not useful for Syrie James.
Her books move between Jane Austen’s life, Charlotte Brontë’s life, Bram Stoker’s fictional vampire world, contemporary romance, YA fantasy, and Victorian mystery. These are separate settings and continuities.
Use chronological order only inside direct series:
Forbidden:
- Forbidden (2012): Introduces Claire and Alec’s supernatural conflict.
- Embolden (2018): Continues that conflict and relationship.
Audacious Sisterhood of Smoke & Fire:
- The Mysteries of Pendowar Hall (2025): Starts the Victorian mystery series.
- The Secrets of Thorndale Manor (2025): Continues with the second book.
- Danger at Darkmoor Park (2025): Completes the currently listed trilogy.
Dare to Defy:
- Runaway Heiress (2018): Opens the historical romance line.
- Summer of Scandal (2018): Follows as book 2.
- Duke Darcy’s Castle (2020): Follows as book 3.
Struck by Love:
- Floating on Air (2021): Current book 1.
- Two Week Deal (2021): Current book 2.
Latest Syrie James Book
As of May 10, 2026, the latest confirmed Syrie James book is Danger at Darkmoor Park, released on October 28, 2025.
It is book 3 in The Audacious Sisterhood of Smoke & Fire series. I did not find a newer confirmed Syrie James novel with a publication date after that title.
FAQs
What Syrie James book should I read first?
Start with The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen if you want the best introduction to her literary historical fiction. Start with The Mysteries of Pendowar Hall if you want her current historical mystery series.
Are Syrie James’s books connected?
Some are connected by series, but the full bibliography is not one shared continuity. Forbidden, Dare to Defy, Struck by Love, and The Audacious Sisterhood of Smoke & Fire each have their own order.
What is the order of The Audacious Sisterhood of Smoke & Fire?
Read The Mysteries of Pendowar Hall, then The Secrets of Thorndale Manor, then Danger at Darkmoor Park.
What is the order of the Forbidden series?
Read Forbidden first, then Embolden. This series is co-written with Ryan M. James.
What is the order of the Dare to Defy books?
Read Runaway Heiress, then Summer of Scandal, then Duke Darcy’s Castle.
What is the order of Struck by Love?
Read Floating on Air, then Two Week Deal.
Are Songbird and Floating on Air the same story?
They appear to be connected through retitling/rebranding history. Treat Songbird as the earlier Harrison Duet version and Floating on Air as the current Struck by Love title.
Are Propositions and Two Week Deal the same story?
Public listings connect Propositions with the later Two Week Deal, and some older listings also connect Propositions with The Sky’s the Limit. Treat these as alternate-title or earlier-edition material unless you are collecting.
Does Syrie James write Jane Austen books?
Yes. Her Austen-related novels include The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen, The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen, and Jane Austen’s First Love.
What is Syrie James’s newest book?
The newest confirmed book is Danger at Darkmoor Park, book 3 in The Audacious Sisterhood of Smoke & Fire.
Conclusion
Syrie James’s books are easiest to read by category.
Begin with The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen for her literary historical fiction, or The Mysteries of Pendowar Hall for the Victorian mystery series. Read Forbidden before Embolden, read Dare to Defy in publication order, and use the current Struck by Love titles unless you specifically want older Harrison Duet editions.
Frank is the editor of BookSeries.blog, focusing on publication order, chronological timelines, and spoiler-free reading guides for book series and fictional universes.