10 Books Like Enola Holmes
Enola is everything readers love in a historical heroine: brilliant, brave, funny, and completely unwilling to be shelved by the men around her. If the Netflix films or Nancy Springer's novels left you wanting more clever young women solving cases (with a little romance along the way), here are ten reads to devour.
The Enola magic is a heroine who trusts her own mind in a world determined to underestimate her — plus mystery, disguise, and a spark of romance that never overwhelms her independence. The picks below chase that combination, from the original series to grown-up historical romance with the same daring, quick-witted leads.
If you want more clever-girl mysteries
1. The Enola Holmes Mysteries — Nancy Springer
Start with The Case of the Missing Marquess. The six books that inspired the films are quick, clever, and full of Victorian atmosphere — and Enola on the page is every bit as sharp and self-possessed as she is on screen.
2. A Study in Scarlet Women — Sherry Thomas
The Lady Sherlock series reimagines Sherlock Holmes as a brilliant, disgraced woman named Charlotte. Smart, atmospheric, and threaded with a slow-burn romance — the perfect step up for Enola fans ready for a grown-up heroine detective.
3. A Curious Beginning — Deanna Raybourn
Veronica Speedwell is a butterfly-hunting, thoroughly modern Victorian adventuress who stumbles into mystery and a deliciously combative partnership. Witty, feminist, and romantic — if you loved Enola's nerve and banter, Veronica is your next obsession.
Want ten clever-heroine romances in one go?
The Margot St. James collection bundles ten full-length Regency romances — wallflower thieves, spies and brilliant strategists — into a single instant download. Less than $1 a book.
$79.90 $9.99 for all 10
Instant download • EPUB & PDF • DRM-free
If you want the daring heroine with a secret
4. Confessions of a Brazen Wallflower — Margot St. James
By day Imogen Carlisle is a shy wallflower; by night she's a thief who can dismantle any vault in London — until she's caught by a lethal dockside kingpin and forced into a high-stakes heist. A quick-witted heroine leading a double life, using her genius to stay a step ahead of everyone: pure Enola energy, aged up into romance. Part of the ten-book Margot St. James collection. See the full bundle →
5. The Rose Code — Kate Quinn
Three women code-breaking at Bletchley Park in WWII — brilliant, brave, and up against a world that won't credit their genius. A little later than Victorian, but the clever-women-who-solve-the-unsolvable spirit is exactly what Enola fans crave.
6. The Spymaster's Lady — Joanna Bourne
A legendary French spy matches wits with the British agent hunting her, all across Napoleonic France. Bourne's heroine is quick, resourceful, and never a damsel — the grown-up spy-romance version of Enola's cleverness and nerve.
If you want the romance to grow up with you
7. A Week to Be Wicked — Tessa Dare
A brilliant, science-obsessed heroine and a charming rogue on a chaotic road trip to a symposium. Funny, warm, and built around a heroine whose intelligence is her superpower — a delightful bridge from Enola to full historical romance.
8. The Earl's Guide to Illicit Pleasure — Margot St. James
Octavia Linfield runs a secret career as Brighton's most scandalous chronicler, her pen more dangerous than any blade — until it strikes too close to a ruined earl. A heroine hiding a clever double life and outmaneuvering the powerful is right in the Enola wheelhouse, with the romance turned up. Also part of the ten-book bundle above.
If you want more Victorian adventure
9. The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels — India Holton
A society of genteel lady pirates, flying houses, and a heroine who takes absolutely no nonsense. Gleefully witty and romantic, it channels Enola's daring and humor into pure delightful escapism.
10. Soulless — Gail Carriger
A tart-tongued, unflappable heroine navigating a steampunk Victorian London of werewolves, vampires, and very good manners. Funny, romantic, and led by a woman who solves her own problems — a perfect blend of mystery, wit, and slow-burn courtship for Enola fans.
How to pick your next read
If you want more heroine-detective mysteries, go straight to Sherry Thomas's Lady Sherlock or Deanna Raybourn's Veronica Speedwell. If it was the daring heroine with a secret, the wallflower thief and scandal columnist of the Margot St. James bundle deliver. If you're ready for the romance to take center stage, Tessa Dare and India Holton keep the wit and add the swoon. And if you want a whole pile of clever-heroine Regency romance without choosing one book at a time, the ten-book collection is the fastest — and cheapest — way to refill the shelf.
Frequently asked questions
What should I read after Enola Holmes?
Reach for clever-heroine historical mysteries with a thread of romance: Deanna Raybourn's Veronica Speedwell, Sherry Thomas's Lady Sherlock, and Nancy Springer's original Enola Holmes novels. For grown-up historical romance with the same brainy heroines, a curated 10-book Regency bundle is a great next step.
Are the Enola Holmes movies based on books?
Yes. The Netflix films are based on Nancy Springer's Enola Holmes Mysteries, a YA series about Sherlock's much-younger sister solving cases in Victorian London. There are six books, all quick, clever, and full of period detail.
Are there romance books with a heroine detective?
Plenty. Deanna Raybourn's Veronica Speedwell and Sherry Thomas's Charlotte Holmes both pair a brilliant investigator heroine with a slow-burn romance. If you want the mystery and the love story in equal measure, these are the sweet spot.