Mary Balogh Books in Order: Complete List & Where to Start

By Anna Marie CarrollRomance

Looking for Mary Balogh books in order? Her Regency and historical romances are full of second chances, marriages of convenience, opposites who cannot stay apart, and families that keep returning from one series to the next.

Most of her novels focus on a different central couple, but many of the series are connected. Characters who begin in the background often return for books of their own, and some later stories bring together families from earlier series.

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Where to Start with Mary Balogh

New to Mary Balogh? I’d start with Slightly Married and continue through the Bedwyn Saga. It’s one of her most accessible family series and opens the door to several connected books.

For the fuller connected order, read One Night for Love, A Summer to Remember, the Bedwyn Saga, the Simply Quartet, the Survivors’ Club, and then “Another Dream”. For the Westcott family, start with Someone to Love and finish the Westcott series before moving to Ravenswood.

Mary Balogh Standalone Books

Balogh’s standalone bibliography begins with A Masked Deception, published in 1985. Many of her early titles were unavailable for years before digital editions brought them back into circulation.

These books can be read independently, so you can choose by premise or work through them in publication order to see how her style developed.

  1. A Masked Deception (1985)
  2. The Double Wager (1985)
  3. Red Rose (1986)
  4. The Constant Heart (1987)
  5. Gentle Conquest (1987)
  6. Secrets of the Heart (1988)
  7. An Unacceptable Offer (1988)
  8. The Ungrateful Governess (1988)
  9. A Daring Masquerade (1989)
  10. A Gift of Daisies (1989)
  11. The Obedient Bride (1989)
  12. Lady with a Black Umbrella (1989)
  13. The Incurable Matchmaker (1990)
  14. An Unlikely Duchess (1990)
  15. A Certain Magic (1991)
  16. Snow Angel (1991)
  17. The Secret Pearl (1991)
  18. Christmas Beau (1991)
  19. Beyond the Sunrise (1992)
  20. A Christmas Promise (1992)
  21. Deceived (1993)
  22. Tangled (1994)
  23. Longing (1994)
  24. Truly (1996)
  25. The Temporary Wife (1997)
  26. Thief of Dreams (1998)
  27. The Last Waltz (1998)
  28. A Matter of Class (2009)

Mary Balogh Books by Series

Denning-Mainwaring Books

This companion duology follows two different couples, but William Mainwaring appears in the first book before taking center stage in the second. I’d read A Chance Encounter first so his story lands the way Balogh intended.

  1. A Chance Encounter (1985)
  2. The Wood Nymph (1987)

Stewart-Frazer Books

The Stewart-Frazer books form another connected duology. The first centers on a marriage forced by scandal, while the second brings former lovers Jack and Isabella back together after years apart.

  1. The First Snowdrop (1986)
  2. Christmas Belle (1994)

Waite Books

The Waite books are best read in publication order because supporting characters become more important as the series continues. Lord Edmond Waite, for example, plays a role early before receiving his own story.

  1. The Trysting Place (1986)
  2. A Counterfeit Betrothal (1992)
  3. The Notorious Rake (1992)

Web Books

The first three books form the core Web trilogy. A Promise of Spring is a connected spinoff, and Balogh places it after the trilogy in her recommended series order.

  1. The Gilded Web (1989)
  2. Web of Love (1990)
  3. The Devil’s Web (1990)
  4. A Promise of Spring (1990)

Precious Jewel Books

The Precious Jewel books follow three connected couples. A Christmas Bride also belongs to the Dark Angel series, so it works as a bridge between the two groups.

  1. The Ideal Wife (1991)
  2. A Precious Jewel (1993)
  3. A Christmas Bride (1997)

Courting Julia Books

This trilogy begins with Julia Maynard choosing among several suitors. Dancing with Clara then follows one of the men she did not marry, and Tempting Harriet turns to another pair from the same circle.

  1. Courting Julia (1993)
  2. Dancing with Clara (1994)
  3. Tempting Harriet (1994)

Dark Angel Books

The Dark Angel books should be read in publication order because choices made in the first novel continue to affect the characters who follow. A Christmas Bride is also part of the Precious Jewel group.

  1. Dark Angel (1994)
  2. Lord Carew’s Bride (1995)
  3. The Famous Heroine (1996)
  4. The Plumed Bonnet (1996)
  5. A Christmas Bride (1997)

Georgian Books

This Georgian-era duology follows two sets of siblings. Heartless introduces Lucas Kendrick and Lady Anna Marlowe, while Silent Melody turns to their siblings, Ashley and Emily.

  1. Heartless (1995)
  2. Silent Melody (1997)

The Horsemen Trilogy Books

The Horsemen Trilogy follows a close group of friends, with the same characters appearing throughout all three books. Publication order gives the relationships and shared history the most room to build.

  1. Indiscreet (1997)
  2. Unforgiven (1998)
  3. Irresistible (1998)

Bedwyn Family Prequels Books

One Night for Love and A Summer to Remember lead directly into the Bedwyn world. “Another Dream” is a later sequel novella featuring Eleanor Thompson and several members of the Bedwyn family.

  1. One Night for Love (1999)
  2. A Summer to Remember (2002)
  3. “Another Dream” in Second Chances (2019) (Novella; first published in 2016)

Mistress Trilogy Books

The Mistress trilogy follows Jocelyn, Ferdinand, and Angeline Dudley. Angeline’s story takes place earlier chronologically, but publication order works better because her brothers’ books hint at what happened.

Now a Bride contains bonus scenes from the first two novels and an epilogue that reunites all three couples, so I’d save it for last.

  1. More Than a Mistress (2000)
  2. No Man’s Mistress (2001)
  3. The Secret Mistress (2011)
  4. Now a Bride (2011) (Bonus scenes and series epilogue)

Bedwyn Saga Books

The Bedwyn Saga follows six siblings, beginning with Aidan and ending with Wulfric, Duke of Bewcastle. Each novel has its own romance, but the family story grows from book to book, so publication order is the simplest choice.

  1. Slightly Married (2003)
  2. Slightly Wicked (2003)
  3. Slightly Scandalous (2003)
  4. Slightly Tempted (2003)
  5. Slightly Sinful (2004)
  6. Slightly Dangerous (2004)

Simply Quartet Books

The Simply Quartet takes place after the Bedwyn Saga and follows four teachers at Miss Martin’s School for Girls in Bath. Several characters were introduced in the Bedwyn-connected books, which makes publication order especially satisfying.

  1. Simply Unforgettable (2005)
  2. Simply Love (2006)
  3. Simply Magic (2007)
  4. Simply Perfect (2008)

Huxtable Quintet Books

The Huxtable Quintet follows another large family, with each book focusing on a different romance. The family’s circumstances change across the series, so read these in publication order.

  1. First Comes Marriage (2009)
  2. Then Comes Seduction (2009)
  3. At Last Comes Love (2009)
  4. Seducing an Angel (2009)
  5. A Secret Affair (2010)

Survivors’ Club Books

The Survivors’ Club follows seven people recovering from the physical and emotional wounds of the Napoleonic Wars. The group’s friendships carry through the series, and there are connections to the Bedwyn books.

  1. The Proposal (2012)
  2. The Suitor (2013) (Novella)
  3. The Arrangement (2013)
  4. The Escape (2014)
  5. Only Enchanting (2014)
  6. Only a Promise (2015)
  7. Only a Kiss (2015)
  8. Only Beloved (2016)

Westcott Books

The Westcott series begins with a family scandal revealed after the Earl of Riverdale’s death. Every later romance grows out of that upheaval, so this is one series I would definitely read in publication order.

  1. Someone to Love (2016)
  2. Someone to Hold (2017)
  3. Someone to Wed (2017)
  4. Someone to Care (2018)
  5. Someone to Trust (2018)
  6. Someone to Honor (2019)
  7. Someone to Remember (2019) (Novella)
  8. Someone to Romance (2020)
  9. Someone to Cherish (2021)
  10. Someone Perfect (2021)

Ravenswood Books

The Ravenswood series follows the Ware family as they return to their family estate and rebuild their lives after years of scandal and separation. Each book focuses on a different member of the family.

Remember That Day and A Waltz to Remember also bring Westcott characters into the story. Readers who want every returning-character connection should finish the Westcott series first.

  1. Remember Love (2022)
  2. Remember Me (2023)
  3. Always Remember (2024)
  4. Remember When (2025)
  5. Remember That Day (2026)
  6. A Waltz to Remember (2026)

Mary Balogh Short Fiction & Anthologies

Balogh has written many novellas, and several have appeared more than once in older anthologies and later collections. The lists below focus on the main collections that keep her stories together and the multi-author anthologies highlighted in her official bibliography.

Older anthology editions such as Love’s Legacy, A Regency Summer, Blossoms, Dashing and Dangerous, Angel Christmas, and Once Upon a Dream are not listed separately because Balogh’s stories from those books have been reprinted in the collections below.

Mary Balogh Novella Collections

  1. Under the Mistletoe (2003)
  2. Christmas Gifts (2015)
  3. Christmas Miracles (2015)
  4. A Rogue’s Downfall (2017)
  5. No Ordinary Love (2017)
  6. A Day for Love (2018)
  7. Second Chances (2019)

Multi-Author Anthologies

Some stories in these anthologies were later reprinted in Balogh-only collections. You do not need both editions unless you collect the original anthology appearances.

  1. The Gifts of Christmas (1998)
  2. Christmas Keepsakes (2005)
  3. It Happened One Night (2008)
  4. The Heart of Christmas (2009)
  5. Bespelling Jane Austen (2010)
  6. It Happened One Season (2011)

About Mary Balogh

Mary Balogh began publishing historical romance in 1985 with A Masked Deception. She grew up in Wales and moved to Saskatchewan, Canada, on a teaching contract before settling there permanently.

She taught high school English before becoming a full-time novelist. Her love of historical romance began with Georgette Heyer, and she wrote her first novels longhand before typing the manuscripts.

Balogh often builds a series around one family or close group of friends. That gives supporting characters time to grow before they return as the leads in later books, and it explains why publication order matters in so many of her series.

Book order and publication details were checked against Mary Balogh’s official printable bibliography and Penguin Random House.

Looking for more books in order?

If you want more romance authors and reading-order guides like this one, start with my Romance Books in Order index.

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