The Footmen's Club Books in Order

The hook for The Footmen's Club is almost too much fun to ignore: what if a set of noblemen decided the best way to solve their romantic and personal problems was to pretend to be servants? That is the kind of premise Valerie Bowman can really run with, and she does. The series is Regency romance with disguises, wagers, house-party games, and the constant risk that one lie is about to topple everything.

The first book, The Footman and I, sets up the whole engine. A newly titled earl wants to know whether any woman might love him for himself rather than for rank or money, so he poses as a footman at a country house party. It is a ridiculous plan in the best possible way, because it immediately creates class tension, romantic confusion, and a hero who cannot reveal himself without losing the very thing he wants to win honestly.

That opening trick spills into the next books. Duke Looks Like a Groomsman takes the disguise even further by turning it into a bet, then throwing an ex-fiancee into the mix. The Valet Who Loved Me folds in a spy plot, which tells you a lot about how flexible this series is willing to be. Bowman likes the comedy of aristocrats fumbling around below stairs, but she also sees how useful disguise can be for raising the stakes. When identity becomes unstable, flirtation gets sharper and trust becomes harder to earn.

Later books widen the series beyond the first country house caper while keeping the same spirit. Save a Horse, Ride a Viscount shifts toward neighboring estates and a heroine whose determination disrupts a carefully ordered life. Earl Lessons pairs a newly inherited title with a heroine teaching him how society works. The Duke is Back adds presumed-dead drama and family secrets. By that point, the series is not only about men dressing as servants. It is about people trying on roles, titles, and futures that do not sit quite right until love forces a correction.

Disguise is the gimmick, but identity is the real subject.

The tone stays lively even when the stakes climb. There are class differences, hidden agendas, old wounds, and the occasional brush with danger, but Bowman never loses the social comedy underneath. Servants overhear things. Former lovers recognize one another too quickly. Plans made late at night in a spirit of confidence turn out to be terrible by morning.

If you like Regency romance that is a little sillier, a little more theatrical, and very comfortable with contrived setups that lead to genuine feeling, The Footmen's Club delivers. It has the pleasure of a good costume drama and the pacing of a romantic caper. Read in order if you can, because the friendships, bets, and returning characters are a big part of the fun.