Vanessa Kelly Books in Order
Browse Vanessa Kelly books in order, with quick summaries, connected series, and clear suggestions on where to start with her romance and mystery novels.
Last updated: July 4, 2026
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Publication Order
26 books
Mastering the Marquess
by Vanessa Kelly
2009
Meredith Burnley flees her scheming uncle with her half-sister and lands in the middle of family scandal. The Marquess of Silverton is supposed to court the younger sister, but his attention settles firmly on Meredith.
Sex And The Single Earl
by Vanessa Kelly
2010
A practical marriage suits Simon St. James just fine, until his spirited bride refuses to play by his rules. Sophie Stanton has adored him for years, but living together turns old admiration into something much more combustible.
His Wicked Revenge
by Vanessa Kelly
2011
After thirteen years away, Anthony Barnett returns wealthy and determined to punish the woman he once loved. But Marissa is not the villain he remembers, and the secrets between them make revenge a dangerous game.
My Favorite Countess
by Vanessa Kelly
2011
Bathsheba, Countess of Randolph, should be in London fixing her financial mess, not recovering in the country. Dr. John Blackmore is the last man she needs, and exactly the one who sees through her defenses.
His Mistletoe Bride
by Vanessa Kelly
2012
Lucas Stanton inherits an earldom and, unexpectedly, the troublesome Phoebe Linville. A compromising moment forces a Christmas marriage, and life at Mistletoe Manor becomes a battle of wills, attraction, and second chances.
Lost in a Royal Kiss
by Vanessa Kelly
2013
Linnet St. Clare is busy raising siblings and protecting a vulnerable orphan when magistrate Anthony Tait starts paying attention. Set against King George III's court, this prequel mixes family duty, royal politics, and a hard-won romance.
Confessions of a Royal Bridegroom
by Vanessa Kelly
2014
Notorious Griffin Steele finds an abandoned baby on his doorstep and a determined spinster in his path. As Justine Brightmore helps protect the child, royal secrets and growing desire push them toward a risky marriage.
Secrets for Seducing a Royal Bodyguard
by Vanessa Kelly
2014
Spy Aden St. George is assigned to protect Lady Vivien Shaw after a kidnapping attempt. Guarding her is simple compared with resisting her, especially when her own secrets make the mission even more dangerous.
Tall, Dark and Royal
by Vanessa Kelly
2014
Dominic Hunter has spent years loving Chloe Steele from afar, and now she is in danger again. This novella brings old wounds, a shelter for vulnerable girls, and a second chance neither of them expected.
How to Marry a Royal Highlander
by Vanessa Kelly
2015
Returning to the Highlands means facing an unwanted betrothal for Alasdair Gilbride, and escorting troublemaking Eden Whitney only makes things worse. Their journey turns deadly when someone decides Alasdair should never make it home.
How to Plan a Wedding for a Royal Spy
by Vanessa Kelly
2015
War hero Will Endicott is sent to investigate an assassination plot, only to find his former sweetheart at the center of the scandal. Danger and distrust drive them toward a marriage that could save them both.
My Fair Princess
by Vanessa Kelly
2016
Raised in Italy and innocent of English manners, Gillian Dryden is ordered home to find a husband. The proper Duke of Leverton agrees to polish her for society, only to discover she is impossible to manage and impossible to forget.
The Season for Loving
by Vanessa Kelly
2016
After a serious illness, Georgie Gage wants a real life, not more protection. Highlander Fergus Haddon arrives in England for Christmas in a foul mood, then finds himself falling for the very woman he should not want.
The Highlander's Princess Bride
by Vanessa Kelly
2017
Victoria Knight takes a governess post in Scotland expecting children, not a castle full of unruly Highland men. As she grows close to Nicholas Kendrick, secrets from her past threaten the future they both want.
Three Renegades and a Baby
by Vanessa Kelly
2017
An abandoned baby girl throws the Renegade Royals circle into cheerful chaos. This light novella watches three battle-tested husbands scramble to give their wives what they want, while one tiny child steals every scene.
Three Weeks with a Princess
by Vanessa Kelly
2017
Lia Kincaid asks her childhood friend Jack Easton to help her find a suitable protector. Lessons in flirting and kissing quickly blur the line between friendship and desire, with scandal waiting close behind.
A Hero's Guide to Love
by Vanessa Kelly
2018
Widow Clarissa Middleton agrees that a harmless flirtation might help her rejoin society, but she does not expect Captain Christian Archer. Their playful connection deepens when Clarissa needs help that only he can give.
The Buccaneer Duke
by Vanessa Kelly
2018
Former privateer Roman Cantrell returns to London under orders to find a respectable wife. Instead he falls for unconventional Antonia Barnett, whose father is his greatest rival and whose charm makes a safe choice impossible.
The Highlander Who Protected Me
by Vanessa Kelly
2018
Pregnant and hiding from a brutal former fiancé, Lady Ainsley Matthews turns to Royal Kendrick for help. Old feelings flare as they try to protect her child, and a practical arrangement starts looking a lot like love.
The Highlander's Christmas Bride
by Vanessa Kelly
2019
Jilted and fresh from a failed convent life, Donella Haddon heads home under Logan Kendrick's protection. Kidnappers, old gossip, and Logan's lonely household turn the journey into a Christmas romance with real stakes.
The Highlander's English Bride
by Vanessa Kelly
2020
After a failed rendezvous ends with Lady Sabrina Bell in the Serpentine, Graeme Kendrick keeps turning up to rescue her. His work for the king's spymaster pulls them into danger, and sparks fly all the way to Edinburgh.
The Highlander's Irish Bride
by Vanessa Kelly
2021
Independent Kathleen Calvert is packed off to Scotland after a scandal, with the steady Grant Kendrick as her escort. When thieves attack, her supposedly boring Highlander proves far more interesting, and much more dangerous to resist.
The Highlander's Holiday Wife
by Vanessa Kelly
2022
At Christmas in Edinburgh, Lady Samantha Penwith is hunting the men who murdered her husband when she rescues Dr. Braden Kendrick. Their attraction grows as danger closes in and both must face old grief.
The Highlander's Kilted Bride
by Vanessa Kelly
2023
Charlie Stewart would rather ride in a kilt than behave like a proper bride, until a collision with Kade Kendrick changes everything. He is now a musician and spy, and she is suddenly in the middle of danger and desire.
Murder in Highbury
by Vanessa Kelly
2024
Less than a year after marrying George Knightley, Emma finds Mrs. Elton dead on the church steps. Her social instincts become detective tools as she tries to protect the innocent and uncover a killer in Highbury.
Murder at Donwell Abbey
by Vanessa Kelly
2025
Emma Knightley's quiet January shatters when a death at Donwell Abbey is dismissed as an accident. With family changes already unsettling her world, she starts asking questions that point to something much darker.
Where should I start?
If you want royal intrigue and spies: Lost in a Royal Kiss → Secrets for Seducing a Royal Bodyguard → Confessions of a Royal Bridegroom
If you want witty Regency heroines with royal ties: My Fair Princess → Three Weeks with a Princess → The Highlander's Princess Bride
If you want Scottish family romance: The Highlander Who Protected Me → The Highlander's Christmas Bride → The Highlander's English Bride
If you want classic Regency romance: Mastering the Marquess → Sex And The Single Earl → My Favorite Countess → His Mistletoe Bride
If you want mystery with an Austen twist: Murder in Highbury → Murder at Donwell Abbey
Author bio
Vanessa Kelly writes historical romance and historical mystery, and most of her work circles back to the Regency period she clearly loves. Her novels mix courtship, family trouble, danger, and humor, whether the setting is a London ballroom, a Highland estate, or the village lanes of Highbury. Even when the plot turns serious, there is usually a lively exchange of words close at hand.
She did her homework.
Kelly earned an MA in English literature from Rutgers University and then spent several years in the PhD program at the University of Toronto, studying women writers of the eighteenth century. Before fiction became her full-time lane, she worked as a researcher for many years. That combination, literary study and practical research work, helps explain why her books feel grounded without turning stiff.
Reading mattered just as much as studying. Kelly has said that Georgette Heyer first pulled her into the Regency world, and Jane Austen became a lasting favorite. That long interest in the period eventually turned into novels of her own, beginning with Mastering the Marquess in 2009 and then growing into several linked series.
She likes outsiders.
In books like Secrets for Seducing a Royal Bodyguard, My Fair Princess, and The Highlander Who Protected Me, she keeps returning to characters who do not fit neatly into polite society. Her heroines may be governesses, widows, women with awkward family histories, or women trying to outrun scandal. Her heroes are often spies, soldiers, doctors, magistrates, or Highland lairds, men with authority on paper and trouble in real life.
That mix of romance and momentum is a big part of her appeal. The Renegade Royals books lean into espionage, hidden parentage, and the dangerous edges of Regency life. The Clan Kendrick novels shift toward Scotland, with a large family at the center and plenty of protective older brothers, sharp-tongued heroines, and looming threats. Even when Kelly changes the backdrop, she tends to keep the same pleasures in view, quick banter, emotional pull, and couples who have to work for trust.
She also knows how to stretch her range without abandoning what readers come to her for. Murder in Highbury takes Jane Austen's Emma after marriage and turns her into an amateur sleuth, which feels surprisingly natural once Emma starts applying her curiosity and social insight to murder instead of matchmaking. It is still a period novel full of manners and observation, but now there is a body on the church steps and real danger moving under the polite surface.
Kelly has also written contemporary romance and romantic suspense with her husband under the pen name V.K. Sykes. Between the two names, she has built a bibliography that moves from dukes and governesses to spies, widows, and modern love stories. What connects the books is her interest in smart heroines, capable heroes, and plots that never sit still for long.
Her work has won multiple awards, including the Maggie Medallion for best historical romance, and her books have been published in eleven languages. She now lives in Ottawa, Canada, with her husband, and she continues to write across both historical romance and mystery.
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