The Stokehursts Books in Order

The Stokehurst books blend English historical romance with Russian politics, gothic atmosphere and a touch of the supernatural. Spanning two linked novels, they follow a powerful English family whose fate becomes entwined with exiled Russian aristocrats.

Midnight Angel opens with Lady Anastasia "Tasia" Kaptereva awaiting execution in a Russian prison, accused of murdering her fiancé in a crime she cannot remember. After faking her death, she flees to England under an assumed name and finds work as governess to Emma, the spirited adolescent daughter of widowed Lord Lucas Stokehurst. Lucas, scarred physically by the fire that killed his wife and emotionally by grief, is wary of the mysterious young woman in his household, but their attraction becomes impossible to ignore as danger from Tasia’s past draws ever closer.

In Prince of Dreams, Emma is grown and very much her own person, devoted to rescuing stray animals and quietly baffled by society’s expectations for her. She enters a marriage of convenience with Nikolas Angelovsky, a Russian prince in exile whose charm masks deep emotional damage. When Nikolas’s behaviour turns increasingly cold and self‑destructive, an unusual twist—linking him to a tragic love story in his family’s distant past—forces him to confront patterns he does not fully understand.

These novels are more overtly dramatic than many of Kleypas’s later works. They feature amnesia, prison breaks, political intrigue, prophecies and even time‑slip elements, all layered over passionate central romances. The settings shift between London, English country estates and vividly drawn Russian landscapes, giving the series a larger, slightly fairy‑tale scope.

For readers who enjoy brooding heroes, heroines in mortal danger, and plots where love and fate are closely tied, the Stokehursts are an intriguing, moody corner of the Kleypas backlist. They also lay the groundwork for some side characters who pop up in other series, making them a fun deep‑cut read for long‑time fans.