Adele Clee Books in Order

Where to Start Reading Adele Clee

With dozens of Regency romance novels blending mystery, danger, and passion, Adele Clee’s bibliography can look intimidating at first glance. Fortunately, her books are organized into distinct series that make finding your footing simple. Where you should begin depends on what flavor of historical romance you prefer:

• For the Ultimate Detective Arc: Start with And the Widow Wore Scarlet, the first book in the Scandalous Sons series. This introduces you to characters who set up "The Order," a secret agency that spans three other major series.
• For Classic Regency Mystery: Start with the Dempsey-Roxbury books (originally published as standalone novels), beginning with Clee's debut novel, To Save a Sinner.
• For Paranormal Romance: Start with Lost to the Night, the opening book of The Brotherhood series, which blends Regency-era society with dark vampire lore.

The Connected "Order" Universe Reading Order

While many of Adele Clee's books can be enjoyed as standalone historical romances, she has built a massive, interconnected universe centered around "The Order"—a secret detective agency run by the mysterious Mr. Lucius Daventry to protect the vulnerable in Regency London. To fully appreciate the recurring characters, overarching plotlines, and Mr. Daventry's evolution, you should read these series in a specific chronological sequence.

1. Scandalous Sons Series

This series introduces the core characters of Clee's Regency world. The final book in this series is particularly critical, as it details the origins of "The Order."

• And the Widow Wore Scarlet (2019)
• The Mark of a Rogue (2019)
• When Scandal Came to Town (2019)
• The Mystery of Mr Daventry (2020)

2. Gentlemen of the Order Series

Following the events of The Mystery of Mr Daventry, Mr. Daventry recruits a team of elite enquiry agents to right societal wrongs. Each book follows one of these specialized agents as they tackle a complex case and fall in love.

• Dauntless (2020) — Featuring Noah "Dauntless" Ashwood.
• Raven (2020) — A second-chance romance featuring Finlay "the Raven" Cole.
• Valiant (2020) — Featuring Evan "Valiant" Sloane.
• Dark Angel (2021) — The dramatic conclusion to the gentlemen's individual missions.

3. Ladies of the Order Series

The investigations continue, but this time the narrative focus shifts to the resilient women who become entangled with the agency's cases and its dashing agents.

• The Devereaux Affair (2021)
• More than a Masquerade (2021)
• Mine at Midnight (2022)
• Your Scarred Heart (2022)
• No Life for a Lady (2022)

4. Scandal Sheet Survivors Series

This series deals with the fallout of high-society gossip and blackmail, with the agency helping targeted individuals escape ruin. It acts as a companion and follow-up to the Ladies of the Order series.

• More than Tempted (2022)
• Not so Wicked (2022)
• Never a Duchess (2023)
• No One's Bride (2023)

The Dempsey-Roxbury Books

When Adele Clee first began publishing, she released several books that were marketed as standalone novels. However, fans and the author have since grouped these together as the Dempsey-Roxbury series because they share recurring characters and a continuous timeline. For the best experience, read them in their exact order of publication:

1. To Save a Sinner (2015)
2. A Curse of the Heart (2015)
3. What Every Lord Wants (2016)
4. The Secret To Your Surrender (2016)
5. A Simple Case of Seduction (2017)

Clee also wrote a festive companion novella, One Winter's Night (2019), which features the Earl of Denham trying to avoid his mother's matchmaking scheme. While it is technically a standalone, it carries the same cozy, suspenseful Regency tone as the Dempsey-Roxbury books.

Other Major Regency Romance Series

If you want to read Clee's work outside of "The Order" universe, she has written several other self-contained series. These series do not cross over with the main detective arc and can be read independently, though you should read the individual books in publication order to follow the character relationships.

Anything for Love Series

A classic, emotionally charged Regency romance series following couples navigating secrets and societal expectations.

• What You Desire (2015)
• What You Propose (2016)
• What You Deserve (2016)
• What You Promised (2017)

Lost Ladies of London Series

This series focuses on independent, mysterious women in London who carry heavy secrets, and the protective, determined men who fall for them.

• The Mysterious Miss Flint (2017)
• The Deceptive Lady Darby (2017)
• The Scandalous Lady Sandford (2018)
• The Daring Miss Darcy (2018)

Avenging Lords Series

Focused on lords seeking vengeance for past betrayals, only to find their dark paths interrupted by unexpected love.

• At Last the Rogue Returns (2018)
• A Wicked Wager (2018)
• Valentine's Vow (2018)
• A Gentleman's Curse (2019)

Rogues of Fortune's Den Series

Set around the dangerous and thrilling atmosphere of Fortune's Den, a notorious gaming club, this series follows rogues, gamblers, and the women who match them step for step.

• A Little Bit Dangerous (2023)
• Temptress in Disguise (2023)
• Lady Gambit (2024)
• My Kind of Scoundrel (2024)
• The Last Chance (2024)

Paranormal Regency Romance: The Brotherhood

For readers who enjoy a supernatural twist to their historical fiction, Adele Clee's Brotherhood series is a must-read. Set against the authentic backdrop of Regency England, it introduces dark paranormal fantasy, following tormented vampire heroes seeking redemption and love.

• Lost to the Night (2015) — Follows Alexander Cole, a vampire struggling with his curse.
• Slave to the Night (2016)
• Abandoned to the Night (2016)
• Lured to the Night (2016)

What to Know Before You Start

Adele Clee’s books are famous for blending witty Regency dialogue and emotional romance with elements of Gothic suspense and detective mystery. Although characters frequently cameo in subsequent books within their respective series, every full-length novel features a self-contained romance with a guaranteed Happy Ever After (HEA). You will not be left on a romantic cliffhanger, but the mystery subplots and the growth of "The Order" often build across books, making sequential reading highly rewarding.

Beyond her main series, Clee has written other companion works such as the Tales from The Burnished Jade series (featuring A Lesson in Scandal and One Wicked Secret) and her newer Rotten Scoundrels series (which began in 2026 with The Sins of Shadowmere). These expand her vibrant, historic world even further for dedicated completionists.