Hope and Glory Books in Order

The Hope and Glory trilogy follows the Delacroix siblings as they move through Washington, D.C., at the turn of the twentieth century. Food, diplomacy, and politics are tightly linked in these stories, which trace how one family's choices ripple out into national debates.

In The Spice King, eldest brother Gray Delacroix has spent years building an international spice business and plant collection, often at great cost to his health and to his relationships with his brother and sister. Annabelle Larkin, a Smithsonian botanist sent from Kansas, needs access to Gray's private collection to help secure funding for her family farm. Their uneasy bargain draws Annabelle into the world of trade regulations, food purity campaigns, and shifting alliances in the capital, forcing both of them to decide how much they are willing to risk for conscience and for each other.

A Gilded Lady turns to Caroline Delacroix, whose glamorous job as secretary to First Lady Ida McKinley hides a desperate agenda. Her twin brother has been convicted of treason related to the conflict in Cuba, and Caroline uses her position at the White House to search for any leverage that might save him. Nathaniel Trask, the newly promoted Secret Service chief tasked with guarding the president, views Caroline as a distraction he cannot afford. As anarchist threats grow and the nation edges toward war, their wary partnership deepens into something more complicated.

In The Prince of Spies, youngest sibling Luke Delacroix steps into the spotlight. On the surface he is a charming man about town with a camera and a talent for getting into newsworthy trouble. Behind the scenes he is working to push reforms through Congress, particularly in the area of food safety. His campaign brings him into direct conflict with Congressman Clyde Magruder, the head of a rival food empire and the source of old wounds between their families. Falling in love with Magruder's daughter Marianne, an idealistic government photographer, only raises the emotional and political stakes.

Together the three books sketch out a vivid picture of Washington at a time when the country was wrestling with issues of imperialism, industrial regulation, and the role of the press. Each novel stands on its own, but reading them in order lets readers watch the Delacroix siblings grow from estranged adults into a family that can bear one another's flaws. Political intrigue, court cases, and legislative fights sit alongside quieter scenes in conservatories, kitchens, and train cars.

The tone stays hopeful even when the characters are pushed into hard places, balancing the weight of history with friendships, faith, and the small domestic details that make a life feel real.

For readers who like romance woven tightly into real historical turning points, the Hope and Glory series offers a complete arc that begins with spices on a family table and ends on the floor of Congress.