Below is the complete list of Cathy Maxwell books in order. For this series, the chronological reading order is the same as the order of publication.
Publication Order of The Brides of Wishmore Books
The Bride Says No (2014)
by Cathy Maxwell
The Bride Says No was published in 2014 and is listed as book #1 in the The Brides of Wishmore series.
The Bride Says Maybe (2014)
by Cathy Maxwell
Published in 2014, The Bride Says Maybe is listed as book #2 in the The Brides of Wishmore series.
The Groom Says Yes (2014)
by Cathy Maxwell
The Groom Says Yes is a 2014 release and appears as book #3 in the The Brides of Wishmore series.
Publication Order of Cameron Sisters Books
Temptation of a Proper Governess (2004)
by Cathy Maxwell
Temptation of a Proper Governess was published in 2004 and is listed as book #1 in the Cameron Sisters series.
The Price of Indiscretion (2005)
by Cathy Maxwell
Published in 2005, The Price of Indiscretion is listed as book #2 in the Cameron Sisters series.
In the Bed of a Duke (2006)
by Cathy Maxwell
In the Bed of a Duke is a 2006 release and appears as book #3 in the Cameron Sisters series.
Bedding the Heiress (2007)
by Cathy Maxwell
In the Cameron Sisters series, Bedding the Heiress is book #4 and was published in 2007.
In the Highlander’s Bed (2008)
by Cathy Maxwell
In the Highlander's Bed was first published in 2008; within the Cameron Sisters series, it is listed as book #5.
Publication Order of The Chattan Curse Books
The Scottish Witch (2012)
by Cathy Maxwell
The Scottish Witch was published in 2012 and is listed as book #1 in the The Chattan Curse series.
Lyon’s Bride (2012)
by Cathy Maxwell
Published in 2012, Lyon's Bride is listed as book #2 in the The Chattan Curse series.
The Devil’s Heart (2013)
by Cathy Maxwell
The Devil's Heart is a 2013 release and appears as book #3 in the The Chattan Curse series.
Publication Order of The Gambler’s Daughters Books
A Kiss in the Moonlight (2023)
by Cathy Maxwell
A Kiss in the Moonlight was published in 2023 and is listed as book #1 in the The Gambler's Daughters series.
One Dangerous Night (2024)
by Cathy Maxwell
Published in 2024, One Dangerous Night is listed as book #2 in the The Gambler's Daughters series.
A Touch of Steele (2025)
by Cathy Maxwell
A Touch of Steele is a 2025 release and appears as book #3 in the The Gambler's Daughters series.
Publication Order of A Logical Man’s Guide to Dangerous Women Books
His Secret Mistress (2020)
by Cathy Maxwell
His Secret Mistress was published in 2020 and is listed as book #1 in the A Logical Man's Guide to Dangerous Women series.
Her First Desire (2021)
by Cathy Maxwell
Published in 2021, Her First Desire is listed as book #2 in the A Logical Man's Guide to Dangerous Women series.
His Lessons on Love (2022)
by Cathy Maxwell
His Lessons on Love is a 2022 release and appears as book #3 in the A Logical Man's Guide to Dangerous Women series.
Publication Order of Marriage Books
Married in Haste (1999)
by Cathy Maxwell
Married in Haste was published in 1999 and is listed as book #1 in the Marriage series.
A Scandalous Marriage (2000)
by Cathy Maxwell
Published in 2000, A Scandalous Marriage is listed as book #2 in the Marriage series.
The Marriage Contract (2001)
by Cathy Maxwell
The Marriage Contract is a 2001 release and appears as book #3 in the Marriage series.
Publication Order of Marrying the Duke Books
A Little Thing Called Love (2015)
by Cathy Maxwell
A Little Thing Called Love was published in 2015 and is listed as book #1 in the Marrying the Duke series.
The Match of the Century (2015)
by Cathy Maxwell
Published in 2015, The Match of the Century is listed as book #2 in the Marrying the Duke series.
The Fairest of Them All (2016)
by Cathy Maxwell
The Fairest of Them All is a 2016 release and appears as book #3 in the Marrying the Duke series.
A Date at the Altar (2016)
by Cathy Maxwell
In the Marrying the Duke series, A Date at the Altar is book #4 and was published in 2016.
Publication Order of Scandals and Seductions Books
A Seduction at Christmas (2008)
by Cathy Maxwell
A Seduction at Christmas was published in 2008 and is listed as book #1 in the Scandals and Seductions series.
The Earl Claims His Wife (2009)
by Cathy Maxwell
Published in 2009, The Earl Claims His Wife is listed as book #2 in the Scandals and Seductions series.
The Marriage Ring (2010)
by Cathy Maxwell
The Marriage Ring is a 2010 release and appears as book #3 in the Scandals and Seductions series.
His Christmas Pleasure (2010)
by Cathy Maxwell
In the Scandals and Seductions series, His Christmas Pleasure is book #4 and was published in 2010.
The Seduction of Scandal (2011)
by Cathy Maxwell
The Seduction of Scandal was first published in 2011; within the Scandals and Seductions series, it is listed as book #5.
Publication Order of Spinster Heiresses Books
If Ever I Should Love You (2017)
by Cathy Maxwell
If Ever I Should Love You was published in 2017 and is listed as book #1 in the Spinster Heiresses series.
A Match Made in Bed (2018)
by Cathy Maxwell
Published in 2018, A Match Made in Bed is listed as book #2 in the Spinster Heiresses series.
The Duke That I Marry (2018)
by Cathy Maxwell
The Duke That I Marry is a 2018 release and appears as book #3 in the Spinster Heiresses series.
Publication Order of Standalone Novels Books
All Things Beautiful (1994)
by Cathy Maxwell
All Things Beautiful was published in 1994 and is listed as book #1 in the Standalone Novels series.
Treasured Vows (1996)
by Cathy Maxwell
Published in 1996, Treasured Vows is listed as book #2 in the Standalone Novels series.
You And No Other (1996)
by Cathy Maxwell
You And No Other is a 1996 release and appears as book #3 in the Standalone Novels series.
Falling in Love Again (1997)
by Cathy Maxwell
In the Standalone Novels series, Falling in Love Again is book #4 and was published in 1997.
When Dreams Come True (1998)
by Cathy Maxwell
When Dreams Come True was first published in 1998; within the Standalone Novels series, it is listed as book #5.
Because of You (1999)
by Cathy Maxwell
Because of You was published in 1999 and is listed as book #6 in the Standalone Novels series.
Flanna and the Lawman (2001)
by Cathy Maxwell
Published in 2001, Flanna and the Lawman is listed as book #7 in the Standalone Novels series.
The Wedding Wager (2001)
by Cathy Maxwell
The Wedding Wager is a 2001 release and appears as book #8 in the Standalone Novels series.
The Lady Is Tempted (2002)
by Cathy Maxwell
In the Standalone Novels series, The Lady Is Tempted is book #9 and was published in 2002.
Adventures of a Scottish Heiress (2003)
by Cathy Maxwell
Adventures of a Scottish Heiress was first published in 2003; within the Standalone Novels series, it is listed as book #10.
The Seduction of an English Lady (2003)
by Cathy Maxwell
The Seduction of an English Lady was published in 2003 and is listed as book #11 in the Standalone Novels series.
Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas Books
Nightingale (From The One That Got Away) (2004)
by Cathy Maxwell
Nightingale (From The One That Got Away) was published in 2004 and is listed as book #1 in the Short Stories/Novellas series.
- In a Moonlit Garden (2012)
by Cathy Maxwell
Published in 2012, In a Moonlit Garden is listed as book #2 in the Short Stories/Novellas series.
Publication Order of Busty Bodice Club Books
Curves for the Rakish Duke (2026)
by Cathy Maxwell
Curves for the Rakish Duke was published in 2026 and is listed as book #1 in the Busty Bodice Club series.
About Cathy Maxwell
Cathy Maxwell belongs to the long tradition of historical romance writers who build their careers not around one giant blockbuster concept, but around consistency of voice, emotional reliability, and a clear understanding of what readers return for. Her books sit firmly in the Regency and historical-romance tradition, yet they are not simply exercises in costume, courtship, and familiar aristocratic settings. What gives her bibliography its shape is the way she combines romance with family networks, recurring worlds, and heroines who are often forced to confront expectations larger than themselves. She writes love stories, certainly, but she is also very interested in power, class, marriage as strategy, and the emotional risks that come with trying to live honestly inside rigid social rules.
Her official author biography makes clear that her path to fiction was not especially narrow or literary in the conventional sense. Before becoming known as Cathy Maxwell, she worked as a reporter and also served in naval intelligence, including time at the Pentagon. That background is useful because it helps explain why her novels often feel more purposeful and grounded than generic historical romance can. Even when the books are full of dukes, earls, and heiresses, there is usually a sense that the characters are negotiating real structures of power rather than floating inside pure fantasy. She writes with a strong instinct for stakes, and that may be one of the reasons her books move so cleanly.
Her bibliography is best understood through series clusters. On her official site, the major historical lines include The Gambler’s Daughters, A Logical Man’s Guide to Dangerous Women, Marrying the Duke, The Brides of Wishmore, The Spinster Heiresses, The Chattan novels, The Cameron Sisters novels, the Marriage novels, and other connected groups. That structure matters because Maxwell is not simply producing disconnected standalones. She likes building social worlds where one couple’s story leads naturally toward another, where family ties and earlier emotional history enrich later books, and where readers can remain in a particular romantic atmosphere for several books at a time. Her shelf makes the most sense when read by series rather than as one uninterrupted chronology.
That series-centered structure also helps define her strengths. Maxwell is not mainly a high-concept romance writer in the modern sense. She is a relationship builder. Her novels are interested in what marriage means socially and emotionally, how reputation constrains desire, and how apparently sensible arrangements become unstable once genuine feeling intrudes. A great many titles across her bibliography signal that concern directly: contracts, brides, grooms, heiresses, dukes, dangerous women, scandal. This is not accidental branding. It is a clear map of her recurring subject matter. She writes about the institution of marriage from multiple angles, but always with an eye toward the emotional disorder hiding inside social order.
Her official site and public profiles also identify her as a New York Times bestselling author, and the scale of her bibliography suggests long-term durability rather than a brief commercial peak. She has published well over thirty novels, with several of them appearing in well-defined sub-series that remain easy for romance readers to navigate. That kind of longevity usually points to trust between writer and audience, and Maxwell’s books clearly belong to that kind of career. Readers know the general pleasures they are coming for: historical setting, strong romantic tension, emotionally defended heroes, capable heroines, and a world where social obstacles matter but do not extinguish desire.
Another useful way to understand her work is through tone. Maxwell’s romances are not the darkest or most psychologically experimental books in the historical genre, nor are they feather-light farces. They sit in a middle register that has kept them readable across decades: emotionally direct, polished, and genre-assured. She understands the fantasy of rank and privilege, but she also knows that romance works best when those outer structures are tested by very human needs for trust, love, forgiveness, and freedom.
The best way to understand Cathy Maxwell’s bibliography, then, is as the work of a historical-romance writer who built a substantial, coherent shelf through series craft and emotional consistency. She may not be defined by one single franchise in the way some genre authors are, but that is part of her strength. Her books create recurring worlds of courtship, scandal, inheritance, and hard-won intimacy, and they reward readers who want historical romance not just as setting, but as a continuing social and emotional universe.
