Where to Start with Callie Langridge
For readers looking to dive into Callie Langridge's evocative blend of historical mystery, timeslip romance, and emotional healing, the absolute best place to start is with her bestselling debut, A Time to Change. This novel introduces the central engine of her most famous series: Hill House, an atmospheric estate where the barrier between the past and present is thin, allowing characters to travel through time or experience echoes of history to find hope, resolve trauma, and discover love.
While her novels feature different protagonists and unique mysteries in each installment, they share a recurring cast, ancestral lore, and a deep focus on English social history. Reading them in order allows you to fully appreciate the evolving secrets of Hill House and the legacy of the Mandeville family.
The Mandeville Mystery Series in Publication Order
The Mandeville Mystery books are primarily published by Storm Publishing (which republished the first book in 2023). Here is the recommended publication order:
- A Time to Change (First published in 2017, republished in 2023) – Follows Lou Arnold in the present day as she discovers Hill House and is pulled back in time to 1913, where she attempts to save the Mandeville family from impending tragedy on the cusp of World War I.
- The Mandeville Secret (2023) – Set in 1924, this story follows Nell Potter, a successful romance novelist writing under a pseudonym, who retreats to Hill House to recover from a past trauma and finds herself solving a mystery with a local inspector.
- The Mandeville Shadow (2023) – Set during Halloween week in 1935, this novel follows Kate Durrant, a grieving woman hired as a housemaid at Hill House who possesses the supernatural ability to see and feel the history of objects she touches.
- The Mandeville Curse (January 2025) – A dual-timeline mystery shifting between 1876 and 1937, tracking photojournalist Hettie Turner as she documents Hill House's antiquities and investigates rumors of a family curse.
- A Mandeville Christmas (October 2025) – A festive timeslip novella connecting modern-day caterer Freya Harris with a young woman grieving in the Regency era.
- The Mandeville Affair (Expected late 2026) – The upcoming next entry in the series, following a new publishing deal announced by Storm Publishing.
Standalone Novels
Outside of her primary series, Langridge has also written a standalone historical drama that explores family secrets without the magical timeslip mechanics:
- Keep You By My Side (2018) – A multi-generational family drama set around a cottage in Dorset. The story traces the lives and hidden secrets of three generations of women—Gertie, Rose, and Abi—across the 1940s, 1960s, and 1980s, focusing on mother-daughter dynamics and long-held family mysteries.
Chronological Order vs. Publication Order
Because the Mandeville Mystery series relies on timeslips and dual timelines, the internal chronology of the historical settings differs from the publication order. Here is how the historical eras of the books line up chronologically:
- A Mandeville Christmas (Regency Era segment)
- The Mandeville Curse (1876 segment)
- A Time to Change (1913 segment)
- The Mandeville Secret (1924 segment)
- The Mandeville Shadow (1935 segment)
- The Mandeville Curse (1937 segment)
- A Time to Change / A Mandeville Christmas (Modern day frame stories)
Recommendation: Stick to publication order. The modern frame stories and the gradual revelation of Hill House’s supernatural properties are designed to be uncovered in the order they were written. Reading chronologically would spoil the mystery of how the house's magic works and diminish the emotional impact of the overarching family legacy.
What to Know Before You Start
Callie Langridge’s work stands out in the historical romance genre due to its deep emotional resonance. Her books frequently deal with heavy themes like grief, loss of livelihood, and personal trauma, using Hill House not just as a setting, but as a catalyst for emotional rehabilitation. The focus is as much on social history—the lives of housemaids, estate managers, and local villagers—as it is on the wealthy Mandeville family itself. If you enjoy the atmospheric storytelling of Kate Morton or the sweeping multi-generational dramas of Lucinda Riley, Langridge’s books will be right up your alley.