Connie Brockway Books in Order: The Complete Reading Guide
Connie Brockway writes the kind of lush, emotionally intelligent historical romance that wins awards — a RITA for Best Historical Romance among them — and inspires fierce re-reading loyalty. Her books span Georgian, Regency and Victorian England, plus a memorable detour to Egypt, and they arrive in a handful of loosely linked series. Here is every one sorted into order, with the smartest place to begin.
Does the order matter? Not much. Brockway builds series around a family or a shared setting, but each novel follows a different couple to its own happy ending, so none of them leave you stranded. Read a trilogy in sequence and you get the pleasure of returning faces; pick a standalone and you lose nothing. The series below are listed in publication order.
McClairen's Isle
A brooding, gothic-tinged Georgian trilogy about three siblings and a ruthless father on a windswept Scottish isle — many readers' favourite Brockway.
- The Passionate One (1999) — Ash Merrick and the woman he is sent to betray.
- The Reckless One (2000) — The most swashbuckling of the three, with a privateer hero.
- The Ravishing One (2000) — Fia Merrick, the family's dangerous beauty, gets her story.
The Bridal series
Lighter and funnier, set among Victorian wedding preparations gone charmingly wrong.
- The Bridal Season (2001) — A con artist poses as a wedding planner in a sleepy village.
- Bridal Favors (2002) — A spy and a determined organiser spar over a country house wedding.
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The Rose Hunters trilogy
Three foster brothers, raised together and scattered by war, each hunting a stolen treasure and finding love instead. Lushly Regency.
- My Seduction (2004) — A Scottish widow and the guide she hires for a dangerous journey.
- My Pleasure (2004) — A fencing master and the heiress he is guarding.
- My Surrender (2005) — The most dangerous brother, and the woman who matches him.
Standalones and other series
Beyond the trilogies, Brockway has written some of her best-loved books as standalones. My Dearest Enemy (1998) — the RITA winner — is a witty epistolary-flavoured romance between a suffragist and the man who will inherit her fortune if she fails. She also wrote the Braxton pair (As You Desire, set among archaeologists in Victorian Egypt, and The Other Guy's Bride) and the Regency-spy Rose Hunters' companion books, plus the collaborative saga Once Upon a Pillow.
Where to start
For a single, self-contained taste of what makes Brockway special, start with My Dearest Enemy — sparkling, sharp, and complete in one volume. If you would rather sink into a series, begin with The Passionate One and read the McClairen's Isle trilogy in order for the full gothic sweep, or try the sunnier As You Desire if Egypt and banter appeal. Whichever you choose, you are in the hands of one of the genre's most celebrated stylists.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to read Connie Brockway's books in order?
No. Her novels are standalone romances, and even her series follow different couples in each book, so you can start almost anywhere. Reading a series in order simply lets you enjoy the recurring characters and shared settings.
What is the best Connie Brockway book to start with?
My Dearest Enemy, her RITA Award winner, is a beloved standalone. If you prefer a series, The Passionate One opens the atmospheric McClairen's Isle trilogy.
Did Connie Brockway win any awards?
Yes — she won the RITA Award for Best Historical Romance for My Dearest Enemy and has been a multiple RITA finalist and a New York Times bestseller.