Cat Sebastian Books in Order: The Complete Reading Guide

Q: Do I need to read Cat Sebastian's books in order?

Mostly no. Nearly every Cat Sebastian book is a standalone romance with its own couple and happy ending. Within a series the characters do cross over and cameo, so reading each series in order is the nicest way to catch those threads, but you can pick up almost any book cold. The one place order really matters is the London Highwaymen duology, where the second book directly continues the story of the first.

Q: Where should I start with Cat Sebastian?

For Regency, The Soldier's Scoundrel or Unmasked by the Marquess are both excellent, low-commitment entry points. If you would rather try her acclaimed 20th-century work, start with We Could Be So Good, a 1950s New York newspaper romance that has become many readers' favourite of hers.

Q: Are Cat Sebastian's books connected?

Yes, loosely. Her Regency series share a world and occasionally trade cameos, so long-time readers spot familiar faces. But each series stands on its own, and the midcentury books (We Could Be So Good, Peter Cabot Gets Lost) are set in a completely different era from the Regency titles.

Updated for 2026 • Reading order guide

Cat Sebastian writes some of the warmest, most emotionally generous queer historical romance around — Regency scoundrels, wounded soldiers, forgers, highwaymen, and, more recently, midcentury New Yorkers falling quietly in love. If you are new to her work, the good news is that almost every book stands alone. Here is every series in order, what actually needs to be read in sequence, and the best place to start.

Does the order matter with Cat Sebastian? Mostly it does not. Each book is a self-contained love story with its own couple and its own happily ever after, so you can wander in almost anywhere. Reading a series in order simply lets you enjoy the cameos and callbacks — a side character in one book quietly gets the spotlight in the next. The single exception is the London Highwaymen duology, which tells one continuous story across two volumes. Here is the full map.

The Turner series (in order)

Sebastian's debut series and still a brilliant entry point: three Regency-set romances built around the enigmatic Turner siblings, plus a shorter follow-up novella.

The Soldier's Scoundrel (2016) — A fixer who solves problems for the ton and the buttoned-up gentleman who hires him. Class-crossed, slow-burning, and the book that launched her career.
The Lawrence Browne Affair (2017) — A reclusive, allegedly mad earl and the charming con artist sent to swindle him. Opposites attract at a crumbling Cornish estate.
The Ruin of a Rake (2017) — A scandalous rake hires a rigid, respectable gentleman to rehabilitate his reputation. Enemies-to-lovers with real bite.
A Little Light Mischief (2019) — A novella pairing a lady's companion with a reformed thief. A charming shorter coda to the series.

Seducing the Sedgwicks (in order)

Three tender, low-angst romances centred on the bookish, chaotic Sedgwick family. Gentle, cosy, and full of found-family warmth.

It Takes Two to Tumble (2017) — A free-spirited vicar and a gruff naval captain, often described as a Regency Sound of Music. Utterly charming.
A Gentleman Never Keeps Score (2018) — A pub owner and a former boxer team up over a delicate matter of stolen paintings and old wrongs.
Two Rogues Make a Right (2020) — Childhood friends to lovers, with one nursing the other back to health in the countryside. A beloved comfort read.

The Regency Impostors (in order)

Three romances centred on disguise, hidden identities, and characters who refuse to fit the boxes society hands them.

Unmasked by the Marquess (2018) — A person living as a man and the marquess who falls for them regardless. A landmark of the genre and a wonderful place to begin.
A Duke in Disguise (2019) — A printer, a possible lost heir, and a revolution simmering in the background. Friends to lovers with a political edge.
A Delicate Deception (2019) — A reclusive woman and a grieving engineer meet on a country walk. The quietest, most introspective of the three.

The London Highwaymen (read in order)

This is the one place order truly matters. The two books tell a single continuous story — read them back to back.

The Queer Principles of Kit Webb (2021) — A retired highwayman turned coffeehouse owner is drawn back into one last job by a duke's son. Witty, romantic, thrilling.
The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes (2022) — Picks up directly from the first book, following a duchess on the run and the blackmailer she is stuck travelling with. Read Kit Webb first.

The 20th-century standalones

In recent years Sebastian has moved into mid-twentieth-century American settings, and these have become some of her most loved books. They stand entirely apart from her Regency work.

Peter Cabot Gets Lost (2021) — A cross-country road trip romance between two 1960 college graduates. Opposites attract, one glorious summer.
We Could Be So Good (2023) — A 1950s New York newspaper romance between a working-class reporter and the publisher's son. Widely considered a modern classic of the genre.
You Should Be So Lucky (2024) — A companion novel set in the same 1960s New York world, pairing a struggling baseball player with a grieving journalist.

Sebastian also writes a cosy 1940s-set mystery-romance series (Page & Sommers, beginning with Hither, Page) for readers who enjoy a whodunit alongside the love story. If any title feels unfamiliar, always double-check against her official site, as her backlist keeps growing.

Where to start

If you want quintessential Cat Sebastian Regency, begin with The Soldier's Scoundrel or Unmasked by the Marquess — both are complete in themselves and show off her voice at its best. If you would rather sample the books everyone has been raving about lately, start with We Could Be So Good. And if you only read one Regency? Make it The Queer Principles of Kit Webb — just be ready to reach straight for its sequel.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to read Cat Sebastian's books in order?

Mostly no. Almost every book is a standalone romance. Reading a series in order lets you catch the cameos, but the only titles that truly require sequence are the London Highwaymen duology, where The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes continues The Queer Principles of Kit Webb.

Where should I start with Cat Sebastian?

For Regency, try The Soldier's Scoundrel or Unmasked by the Marquess. For her acclaimed midcentury work, start with We Could Be So Good.

Are Cat Sebastian's books connected?

Loosely. Her Regency series share a world and swap cameos, but each stands alone, and the midcentury standalones sit in a completely separate era.