The Recommended Reading Order
Sarah M. Eden’s Victorian historical romances, published under Shadow Mountain's popular "Proper Romance" line, are beloved for their combination of clean, heartfelt love stories, historical detail, and engaging mysteries. If you want to read these books in the order they were published and how they are typically cataloged, follow this sequence:
- Ashes on the Moor (2018) – A standalone Victorian romance set in Yorkshire.
- The Lady and the Highwayman (2019) – Dread Penny Society Book 1.
- The Gentleman and the Thief (2020) – Dread Penny Society Book 2.
- The Merchant and the Rogue (2021) – Dread Penny Society Book 3.
- The Bachelor and the Bride (2022) – Dread Penny Society Book 4.
- The Queen and the Knave (2023) – Dread Penny Society Book 5.
Companion Collection
- The Dread Penny Society: The Complete Penny Dreadful Collection (2023) – An anthology bringing together the short stories written by the characters within the main novels, plus three brand-new stories.
What to Know Before You Start
Before diving into this series, it is helpful to understand how Sarah M. Eden structured her Victorian books. The books fall into two distinct groups: a standalone novel and an interconnected series. While both are categorized under the "Proper Romance Victorian" umbrella by the publisher, they do not share the same storylines or characters.
Eden's writing in this era stands out for its deep focus on social justice and the struggles of the working class. Rather than focusing solely on wealthy aristocrats, she highlights Irish and Russian immigrants, working-class professionals, and individuals striving to make a difference in their communities. Additionally, the Dread Penny Society novels feature a unique "story-within-a-story" format, where the actual penny dreadfuls written by the characters are included as chapters within the book, mirroring the gothic and sensational fiction of the era.
The Standalone Connection: Ashes on the Moor
Published in 2018, Ashes on the Moor is a standalone historical romance that serves as Sarah M. Eden's entry into the Proper Romance Victorian line. The story follows Evangeline Blake, a young woman from a privileged background who is forced to prove her self-reliance by teaching school in Smeatley, a gritty, impoverished cotton mill town in Yorkshire. There, she meets Dermot McCormick, an Irish brick mason who is also an outsider in the community.
While databases frequently group Ashes on the Moor as the first book in the series due to its release date and publisher branding, it has no narrative connection to the Dread Penny Society. Smeatley is a world away from the London settings of the subsequent novels, and none of the characters overlap. However, it remains a fantastic starting point for readers who want to experience Eden's Victorian writing style and themes of class divides and social resilience before beginning the main series. A special Collector's Edition was also released in 2024, featuring a new, never-before-published bonus chapter.
Diving Into the Dread Penny Society Series
The core of this Victorian collection is the Dread Penny Society series, which spans five novels published between 2019 and 2023. The overarching premise centers on a secret fraternity of Penny Dreadful authors in 1860s London. By day, these writers pen cheap, sensationalized stories for the masses. By night, they use their resources, disguises, and wits as vigilantes to fight for the downtrodden, rescue children from street gangs, and combat a criminal mastermind threatening the city.
Book 1: The Lady and the Highwayman (2019)
The series begins with the story of Elizabeth Black, a proper school headmistress who secretly writes sensational penny dreadfuls under the male pseudonym "Mr. King." Her chief rival in the publishing market is Fletcher Walker, a successful author and prominent member of the Dread Penny Society. As their professional rivalry sparks a personal attraction, they find themselves working together to protect London's street children from a dangerous syndicate. This novel won the 2019 Foreword Reviews INDIE Awards Gold Winner for Romance.
Book 2: The Gentleman and the Thief (2020)
The second installment shifts focus to Hollis Darby, a gentleman struggling with financial ruin who secretly writes penny dreadfuls to stay afloat. He crosses paths with Ana Newport, a former music teacher who has turned to stealing from the wealthy to help families in need. Together, they navigate the criminal underbelly of London and the secrets of the Dread Penny Society.
Book 3: The Merchant and the Rogue (2021)
In this novel, the spotlight turns to Brogan Donnelly, an Irish immigrant and member of the Dread Penny Society who works to protect his fellow working-class citizens. He teams up with Vera Sorokina, a Russian immigrant running a print shop. Their alliance brings a mix of romance and political intrigue, exploring the challenges faced by immigrant communities in Victorian London.
Book 4: The Bachelor and the Bride (2022)
This story follows Dr. Barnabus Milligan, the Dread Penny Society's loyal physician, and Gemma Kincaid. The two enter a marriage of convenience to protect Gemma from her family's criminal ties, leading to a slow-burn romance set against the ongoing battle between the society and its criminal adversaries.
Book 5: The Queen and the Knave (2023)
The final book wraps up the series' overarching plot. It follows Móirín Donnelly and Detective Fitz Parkington as they chase down the criminal mastermind who has targeted the Dread Penny Society. This conclusion resolves the overarching mystery of the syndicate and ties up the romantic and developmental arcs of the core cast.
Practical Reader Advice
If you are planning to read these books, here is the best way to approach them:
- Start with the Dread Penny Society: If you are interested in the vigilante-writer plotline, you should start directly with The Lady and the Highwayman. You do not need to read Ashes on the Moor first.
- Read the Main Series in Order: Although each book focuses on a different romantic couple whose love story is resolved by the final page, the overarching mystery involving the London street syndicates and the Dread Penny Society's secret activities builds from book to book. Reading them out of order will spoil the mystery and make the character interactions harder to follow.
- How to Handle the Anthology: The Dread Penny Society: The Complete Penny Dreadful Collection compiles the short gothic stories that the characters write within the novels. It is best read after finishing the main five books to avoid minor character spoilers and to fully appreciate the context of each short story.