Scandalous Books in Order

The Scandalous books are tied together by one deliciously dangerous idea: a wildly popular erotic serial called 50 Ways to Sin that is being passed around polite society behind fans, gloves, and closed doors. That running thread gives the series its spark. The books are not only about who falls in love, but also about what people are reading, whispering, hiding, and daring to want in public and private.

The first novel, Love and Other Scandals, sets the mood beautifully. Joan Bennet is clever, observant, and painfully aware that she does not fit the fashionable ideal. Tristan Burke is charming, restless, and far too interested in her. Their story is funny, sensual, and surprisingly sweet, with the sort of back-and-forth that makes the whole series easy to sink into. From there the books widen to include siblings, friends, neighbors, and old family connections.

It Takes a Scandal shifts the balance toward mystery, with wounded veteran Sebastian Vane and wealthy Abigail Weston drawn together by suspicion and a disappearance. Love in the Time of Scandal brings Penelope Weston and Benedict Lennox into a marriage shaped by old injuries, social pressure, and real danger. The novellas deepen the web. A Study in Scandal follows Samantha Lennox and artist George Churchill-Gray. All's Fair in Love and Scandal gives Douglas Bennet a chance to chase both adventure and Madeline Wilde. The Secret of My Seduction and How to Get Away with Scandal act more like a coda and an expansion, showing that this world keeps humming even after the central mysteries start to resolve.

Gossip is practically a character in these books.

That said, the series is not just built on rumor. What keeps it going is the way scandal rubs up against loneliness, family duty, and the hope of being known clearly by another person. Linden writes people who can be witty and messy at the same time. Some are bold, some are bruised, some have spent years performing a role, and some are just now figuring out they want more from life than a safe match. By the time Six Degrees of Scandal arrives, the larger questions about Olivia, James, and the identity behind 50 Ways to Sin give the series a genuine payoff.

The setting is Regency London, but not the polished postcard version. There are balls and drawing rooms, of course, yet also booksellers, bad reputations, artistic circles, damaged families, and streets where a wrong move can have real consequences. The tone is witty, sexy, and a little more emotionally tangled than it first appears. If you like interconnected historical romance with recurring characters, social comedy, and a strong thread of secrets, Scandalous is probably the Caroline Linden series to start with.