The Empire State Trilogy Books in Order

The Empire State Trilogy is one of Louise Bay's earlier connected romances, and it is best read as a true trilogy. A Week in New York, Autumn in London, and New Year in Manhattan all follow the same couple, Anna Kirby and Ethan Scott, as a supposedly temporary fling turns into something much harder to leave behind.

The first book starts with a clean, risky fantasy. Anna is in New York after heartbreak and wants distraction, not commitment. Ethan has rules of his own and does not do complicated. Their agreement is simple, no real names, no future, no mess. That setup gives the series its spark, because the rest of the story is really about watching every one of those rules fail.

Location matters here more than it does in some of Bay's standalones. New York gives the romance its bold beginning. London brings distance, routine, and the hard part of romance, what happens after the excitement wears off and real life wants answers. By the time the story reaches New Year in Manhattan, the question is no longer whether Anna and Ethan want each other. It is whether they can build something that survives geography, timing, and old emotional baggage.

Because the books are novellas, the pacing is tight and the focus stays close to the couple. There is glamour, heat, and travel, but the emotional center is intimate. Bay keeps her attention on trust, communication, and the strain of trying to turn chemistry into an actual shared future.

If you usually know Bay for her standalones, this series shows a slightly different side of her. It is still romantic and escapist, but it has a more serial feel, and that makes the payoff stronger if you read straight through from the first book to the third.