Caroline Linden Books in Order: The Complete Reading Guide

Good news first: you do not have to read Caroline Linden's whole catalogue in a strict line. Each novel is a complete standalone romance. But she builds her books into families and friend groups, so a series read in order rewards you with recurring characters, running jokes, and the occasional long-game secret. Below is every major series in reading order, followed by the book we would hand a brand-new reader.

Reece Family Trilogy

Her earliest series and a lovely place to meet her voice — three siblings, three romances, one scandal-prone family.

1. What a Gentleman Wants — a duke, a runaway bride, and a case of mistaken identity that spirals delightfully out of control.
2. What a Rogue Desires — the rakish brother gets his reckoning when a pickpocket relieves him of more than his wallet.
3. A Rake's Guide to Seduction — a widow and the rogue who never forgot her, in the most emotional book of the three.

The Truth About the Duke

Three brothers, one explosive secret about their late father's marriage, and the women who upend their carefully guarded lives. Start with the novella prequel if you like a running head start.

1. I Love the Earl (novella prequel) — a short, sweet lead-in to the trilogy.
2. One Night in London — the eldest brother needs a solicitor and finds a very inconvenient attraction instead.
3. Blame It on Bath — a marriage of convenience that becomes anything but convenient.
4. The Way to a Duke's Heart — the secret comes to a head, with a bluestocking heroine at the centre of it.

Scandals series

Interlinked London romances built around gossip, ruined reputations, and the notorious "50 Ways to Sin" pamphlet that half the ton is reading in secret.

1. Love and Other Scandals — a wallflower, her brother's best friend, and a scandalous pamphlet neither can put down.
2. It Takes a Scandal — a charming rogue, the girl next door, and a fortune everyone wants.
3. Love in the Time of Scandal — enemies to lovers with a hero you will not trust until, suddenly, you do.

The Wagers of Sin

A card table at the Vega Club changes fortunes — and love lives — in this glittering, high-stakes series. Widely considered the best entry point into Linden's writing.

1. My Once and Future Duke — a woman wins a duke's company for a week at the gaming tables, and neither of them recovers.
2. An Earl Like You — a merchant's daughter, an earl in need of a fortune, and a bargain that gets complicated by real feelings.
3. When the Marquess Was Mine — an amnesia romance with a hero who wakes up sweeter than the rake he was.
4. Fortune Favors the Viscount — the long-awaited return to the Vega Club, worth the wait.

Desperately Seeking Duke

A missing heir, a family estate, and the search for who truly deserves a dukedom — a connected series with novellas woven between the main books.

1. About a Rogue — a swapped engagement and a pottery heir make for a sparkling opener.
2. About a Kiss (novella) — a short bridge between the first two novels.
3. A Scot to the Heart — a soldier suddenly in line for a dukedom, and the woman keeping his feet on the ground.
4. How the Scot Was Won (novella) — another sweet interlude.
5. All the Duke I Need — the series resolves its mystery with a warm, satisfying finale.

Where to start

If you want the surest bet, begin with My Once and Future Duke. It is the entry point most readers rave about, and it stands completely alone. Loved it? Read the rest of The Wagers of Sin, then work backward through The Truth About the Duke for more of Linden's secret-and-scandal plotting. Prefer to read a backlist in strict order? Start at the very beginning with What a Gentleman Wants and let the Reece family win you over first.