Ruby Red Books in Order

The Ruby Red series opens with a great bait and switch. Everyone in Gwyneth Shepherd's family expects her polished cousin Charlotte to inherit the rare time-travel gene. Charlotte has had the lessons, the languages, and the preparation. Then Gwen starts slipping into the past instead, and the family secret becomes her problem overnight.

From there, the books move between present-day London and earlier centuries, where manners matter, clothes are complicated, and one wrong step can leave Gwen badly out of place. She is pulled into the Circle of Twelve, a secret society built around a line of time travelers, old prophecies, and a device called the chronograph. The fun of the series is that Gwen is never the polished chosen one. She is learning on the fly, usually while everyone older than her assumes she should already understand the rules.

A lot of the series energy comes from Gwen's partnership with Gideon, the boy who has been trained for this work all his life. He is capable, secretive, and often infuriating, which makes him a very Kerstin Gier love interest. Their relationship gives the trilogy its romantic pull, but the books never turn into romance alone. Gwen also has her sharp, loyal best friend Lesley, plenty of suspicious adults, and a family history full of missing pieces.

Nothing about this setup stays simple for long.

London matters here. The modern city gives Gwen school stress, family drama, and everyday teenage life, while the older versions of the city bring church crypts, drawing rooms, formal dances, and dangerous meetings. Gier uses that contrast for both humor and tension. Gwen can be laughing at the absurdity of period clothing one minute and wondering who is manipulating her the next.

Across Ruby Red / Girl About Time, Sapphire Blue, and Emerald Green, Gwen has to figure out who is telling the truth, why certain dates and identities were hidden from her, and what the Circle really wants from its final traveler. The bigger story links blood rituals, secret agendas, and the shadow of Count Saint-Germain, whose plans reach far beyond polite historical visits. If you like YA fantasy that balances mystery with banter, and historical adventure with a central slow-burn romance, this trilogy is an easy one to fall into.