Timothy Underwood Books in Order (Updated May 10, 2026)

Timothy Underwood writes Pride and Prejudice variations centered mainly on Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy. His books are usually listed under the broad Elizabeth and Darcy Story label, but they are not one continuous series.

That distinction matters. Underwood’s books mostly reset the Austen premise each time, changing Elizabeth’s family position, Darcy’s past, Wickham’s damage, Georgiana’s circumstances, or the social scandal that pushes the couple together.

The simplest approach is to read in publication order. That gives you the author’s development without forcing a false timeline onto standalone variations.

Reading Map

• Best first book: Mr. Darcy and Mr. Collins’s Widow.
• Best order: Publication order.
• Continuity type: Mostly standalone Pride and Prejudice variations.
• Main exception: None of the main books appear to require a previous Underwood novel before reading.
• Newest confirmed title: A Quiet Affection, listed for 2026.

Reader note: These are closed-door Elizabeth-and-Darcy romances, but the author’s own site says they are not necessarily “clean” or “sweet,” and several books include heavier emotional or social material.

Timothy Underwood Books in Publication Order

1. Mr. Darcy and Mr. Collins’s Widow (2015): Elizabeth has survived a miserable marriage to Mr. Collins and inherited Longbourn, making her guarded independence the main obstacle when Darcy enters her life.
2. The Return (2015): Bingley marries Jane early, forcing Elizabeth to confront Darcy again after blaming him for trying to prevent the match.
3. Mr. Darcy’s Vow (2016): Darcy faces Pemberley’s financial ruin and Georgiana’s scandal, leaving him torn between marrying for money and loving Elizabeth.
4. A Dishonorable Offer (2016): A more morally compromised Darcy considers taking a mistress, while Elizabeth and Jane face a bleak future after Mr. Bennet’s death.
5. Colonel Darcy (2016): Darcy returns from military imprisonment after years of letters from Elizabeth and Georgiana, only to find Elizabeth under pressure to marry another man.
6. The Trials (2017): Elizabeth works as a governess near Rosings while Darcy is trapped by Lady Catherine’s demand that he marry Anne to protect Georgiana.
7. Too Gentlemanly (2017): Darcy’s first impression in Hertfordshire is shaped by Georgiana’s scandal and his own social isolation, giving his pride a more wounded source.
8. The Missing Prince (2018): A fantasy-tinged variation where Elizabeth dreams of an imprisoned man, rescues the memory-lost Darcy, and discovers a magical bond between them.
9. Mr. Bennet’s Illness (2018): A short comic farce in which Mr. Bennet’s illness changes his priorities, and his wish for quiet creates absurd marriage pressure inside Longbourn.
10. A Compromised Compromise (2018): Elizabeth and Darcy are seen kissing at the Netherfield Ball, creating a forced-marriage setup complicated by pride, attraction, and denial.
11. Mr. Bennet’s Daughter (2019): Elizabeth grows up as Mr. Bennet’s specially cherished daughter after Mrs. Bennet leaves Longbourn, until her mother’s return disrupts everything.
12. Elizabeth’s Refuge (2019): Elizabeth, now a governess after Mr. Bennet’s death, turns to Darcy after defending herself from a dangerous employer.
13. Writerly Ambitions (2019): Elizabeth becomes a successful novelist after being sent to London, while Darcy arrives at Netherfield still searching for an impossible ideal wife.
14. Overhearings Less to the Purpose (2020): Darcy overhears Elizabeth’s poor opinion of him at Rosings and tries, with limited skill, to charm her before leaving.
15. Reader, I Married Him (2020): A Jane Eyre-inspired variation where Elizabeth is Darcy’s governess and Pemberley hides the mystery of his first marriage.
16. The Netherfield Fire (2020): Elizabeth is injured while saving a servant during a fire at Netherfield, and Darcy’s rescue changes the emotional weight of their next meeting.
17. Disability and Determination (2022): Darcy’s loss of the use of his legs shapes how society sees him, while Elizabeth treats him as capable, proud, difficult, and worth understanding.
18. Friendship and Forgiveness (2022): Elizabeth is Caroline Bingley’s close friend and tries to help Caroline win Darcy, only to find her own feelings becoming impossible to ignore.
19. Escaping Shadows (2023): Darcy flees scandal after Georgiana’s elopement with Wickham, while Elizabeth sees past his grief and Georgiana faces danger of her own.
20. The Cost of a Kiss (2024): A drunken kiss at Netherfield leads to a witnessed compromise and a marriage neither Elizabeth nor Darcy fully understands at first.
21. Pride, Prejudice, and Parenthood (2024): A widowed Darcy is devoted to his young daughter and determined not to remarry, until Elizabeth’s danger forces him to act.
22. By Virtue, Not Birth (2025): Elizabeth is raised at Longbourn as a poor relation while hiding a painful past, until the truth about her birth changes her place in society.
23. Mr. Wickham’s Widow (2025): Darcy kills Wickham in a duel, only to meet Elizabeth Wickham and her children the next day, turning guilt and responsibility into the heart of the variation.
24. A Quiet Affection (2026): Elizabeth is orphaned, scarred, blind, and raised at Pemberley, where Darcy’s protective affection deepens as they grow older.

Best Timothy Underwood Reading Order

Use this order if you want the cleanest path through the catalogue without overthinking theme, tone, or subgenre.

1. Mr. Darcy and Mr. Collins’s Widow (2015): Start here because it is the first listed Elizabeth-and-Darcy story and gives a strong example of Underwood’s darker premise followed by emotional repair.
2. The Return (2015): Read next for a lower-angst variation where Jane and Bingley’s early marriage changes Elizabeth’s understanding of Darcy.
3. Mr. Darcy’s Vow (2016): Move here for a duty-versus-love setup built around Pemberley, debt, and Georgiana’s future.
4. A Dishonorable Offer (2016): Read after Mr. Darcy’s Vow if you want one of the more morally difficult early premises.
5. Colonel Darcy (2016): Continue with this longer military-imprisonment variation, where letters and old affection reshape the courtship.
6. The Trials (2017): Place this after Colonel Darcy because it also leans into separation, duty, and heavy family pressure.
7. Too Gentlemanly (2017): Read here for a variation that gives Darcy’s early rudeness a different emotional cause.
8. The Missing Prince (2018): Use this as the fantasy detour in the catalogue, since it adds magic and memory loss rather than a standard Regency-only setup.
9. Mr. Bennet’s Illness (2018): Read this short comic story between heavier books.
10. A Compromised Compromise (2018): Return to a classic compromise-marriage premise with a lighter comic edge.
11. Mr. Bennet’s Daughter (2019): Continue into a family-centered variation where Elizabeth’s bond with her father defines her life.
12. Elizabeth’s Refuge (2019): Read after that for a more dangerous governess-and-rescue story.
13. Writerly Ambitions (2019): Follow with a more independent Elizabeth, now a writer with her own income and ambitions.
14. Overhearings Less to the Purpose (2020): Read this Rosings-centered variation as a contained “Darcy tries to fix himself” story.
15. Reader, I Married Him (2020): Place this after the Rosings variation because its Jane Eyre influence makes it feel like a separate gothic-leaning experiment.
16. The Netherfield Fire (2020): Read this next for a physical-injury premise that changes the emotional consequences of the Netherfield Ball.
17. Disability and Determination (2022): Continue with another disability-centered variation, this time focused first on Darcy’s condition and pride.
18. Friendship and Forgiveness (2022): Read here for a Caroline Bingley friendship variation, which changes the usual social triangle.
19. Escaping Shadows (2023): Move into this Georgiana-and-Wickham-heavy story after the friendship-centered books.
20. The Cost of a Kiss (2024): Read here for a larger, later forced-marriage variation.
21. Pride, Prejudice, and Parenthood (2024): Follow with widower Darcy and his daughter, since the parenting theme gives the romance a different center.
22. By Virtue, Not Birth (2025): Read late because it changes Elizabeth’s identity and social standing more radically.
23. Mr. Wickham’s Widow (2025): Continue with this darker Wickham aftermath variation, where Elizabeth is already Wickham’s widow.
24. A Quiet Affection (2026): Read last among the currently confirmed titles, since it is the newest listing and changes Elizabeth’s childhood, disability, and Pemberley connection from the start.

Are Timothy Underwood’s Books Connected?

They are connected by Austen’s characters, not by one ongoing plot.

The same central names appear repeatedly: Elizabeth Bennet, Fitzwilliam Darcy, Jane Bennet, Charles Bingley, Georgiana Darcy, George Wickham, Mr. Bennet, and Lady Catherine. But each book changes the starting conditions.

In one book Elizabeth may be Mr. Collins’s widow. In another, she may be a governess, a novelist, Wickham’s widow, or an orphan raised at Pemberley. Those versions do not belong to a shared timeline.

Should You Read in Publication Order?

Yes, publication order is the best default.

It lets you move from the earliest Underwood variations into the later books without having to sort every title by premise. It also keeps short stories, fantasy-leaning variations, and heavier emotional setups in the same order readers originally encountered them.

Because the books are mostly standalone, you can also choose by trope. Forced marriage, disability, widowhood, Georgiana scandal, Wickham danger, and altered family history all appear across the catalogue.

Chronological Order

There is no useful chronological order for Timothy Underwood’s full book list.

Each variation resets the Pride and Prejudice world. Darcy and Elizabeth do not move from one book into the next as the same married couple or the same version of themselves.

The only meaningful “order” is publication order, or a theme-based order if you are choosing by premise.

Shorter Works, Bundles, and Audiobooks

Mr. Bennet’s Illness (2018): This is a short comic story rather than a full-length novel, so readers who want only the longer romances may treat it as optional.

Timothy Underwood’s Pride and Prejudice Variations: Collection 1 (2021): This bundle collects The Return, A Dishonorable Offer, and Mr. Darcy’s Vow, so it is a convenience edition rather than a new story.

Author-store bundles: The official shop lists several ebook bundles, including larger Elizabeth-and-Darcy bundles and audiobook bundles. These should be treated as grouped editions, not separate books in the reading order.

Audiobooks: Several Underwood titles have audiobook editions, including Colonel Darcy, The Return, Too Gentlemanly, Friendship and Forgiveness, Disability and Determination, Writerly Ambitions, A Compromised Compromise, and The Netherfield Fire. Audio release order does not replace original book publication order.

Tone and Content Notes

Underwood’s books vary in intensity.

Some are comic or low-angst, such as The Return, Mr. Bennet’s Illness, and Overhearings Less to the Purpose. Others use heavier premises involving coercion, abuse, disability, grief, scandal, or violence.

Readers who want the gentlest route should start with The Return, A Compromised Compromise, or Overhearings Less to the Purpose. Readers comfortable with darker emotional premises can begin with Mr. Darcy and Mr. Collins’s Widow, Elizabeth’s Refuge, By Virtue, Not Birth, or Mr. Wickham’s Widow.

Latest Release Status

The newest confirmed Timothy Underwood title in the checked listings is A Quiet Affection, listed for March 2026.

The most recent confirmed 2025 titles are By Virtue, Not Birth and Mr. Wickham’s Widow. No later original title beyond A Quiet Affection was reliably confirmed during research.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the first Timothy Underwood book?

The first listed Elizabeth-and-Darcy title is Mr. Darcy and Mr. Collins’s Widow, published in 2015.

What Timothy Underwood book should I read first?

Start with Mr. Darcy and Mr. Collins’s Widow for publication order. Start with The Return if you want a lighter first sample.

Are Timothy Underwood’s books a series?

They are usually grouped as Elizabeth-and-Darcy stories, but they are mostly standalone Pride and Prejudice variations rather than one continuous series.

Do I need to read Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice first?

Yes. Underwood’s books assume you already understand Elizabeth, Darcy, Wickham, Georgiana, Jane, Bingley, and the original social conflicts.

Can I skip around Timothy Underwood’s books?

Yes. Because the stories reset, you can read by trope or mood. Publication order is still the best complete-reading method.

Which Timothy Underwood books are lighter?

The Return, Mr. Bennet’s Illness, A Compromised Compromise, and Overhearings Less to the Purpose are better starting points for readers looking for humor or lower angst.

Which Timothy Underwood books are darker?

Mr. Darcy and Mr. Collins’s Widow, Elizabeth’s Refuge, Escaping Shadows, By Virtue, Not Birth, and Mr. Wickham’s Widow involve heavier emotional or social stakes.

Is The Missing Prince a normal Regency variation?

No. The Missing Prince includes magic, enchantment, and a stronger fantasy element than most of Underwood’s other books.

What is Timothy Underwood’s newest book?

The newest confirmed title is A Quiet Affection, listed for 2026.

Conclusion

Read Timothy Underwood in publication order if you want the clearest overall path: begin with Mr. Darcy and Mr. Collins’s Widow, continue through the 2015-2025 variations, and place A Quiet Affection last among the confirmed titles.