Where to Start Reading Cara Maxwell
Cara Maxwell has been a notable voice in historical and Regency romance since her debut in 2019. Known for blending wit, passion, and adventure, her books feature independent women and complex men navigating high society, horse racing, and undercover royal missions. While most of her books can be enjoyed as standalones, many of her series share characters and timelines, making a structured reading path highly rewarding.
For the best experience, we recommend starting with The Hesitant Husbands series. This is her debut series and establishes the foundation of her fictional Regency world. If you prefer high-stakes sports romance, starting with the horse racing-themed Racing Rogues series is an excellent alternative.
The Connected Worlds: Series Breakdown
1. The Hesitant Husbands & League of Lady Rebels
This series represents the heart of Maxwell's early writing. It follows Regency-era rogues and bold heroines navigating love and society scandal. The series began with Meant to Be Mine in 2019 and features fan favorites like A Love Match for the Marquess.
There is a direct generational link to the League of Lady Rebels series: the latter focuses on the rebellious daughters of the characters introduced in The Hesitant Husbands. Notably, the crossover book The Duchess Who Dared acts both as the fifth entry in the Hesitant Husbands family saga and the official launch of the League of Lady Rebels.
2. Racing Rogues
Set against the high-stakes backdrop of Regency-era horse racing, the Racing Rogues series mixes sports, high society, and romantic intrigue. The series kicks off with One Race to Ruin, featuring a secret-identity plot where a fiery heroine disguises herself as a jockey. It follows with high-speed romantic pursuits through a series of six novels.
3. Lady Knights
For readers who enjoy a touch of spycraft and adventure, the Lady Knights series follows bold, daring heroines who secretly serve the British Crown. It offers a slightly different tone from her traditional domestic romances, packing in action along with steam.
4. The Rake Review
Launched in 2024, The Rake Review is a collaborative, multi-author project structured around the months of the year. The books revolve around the gossip columns of a fictional London publication ranking the city's most notorious bachelors. Cara Maxwell set the stage for the collaboration by writing the very first installment, Jilted in January, featuring a second-chance romance between a lady and a half-Chinese hero considered unmarriageable by society.
5. Wicked Widows' League
The Wicked Widows' League is a large-scale, multi-author Regency romance project originally created by Dawn Brower. The series focuses on a network established by the Dowager Countess of Wyndam to help widows regain independence. Cara Maxwell contributed directly to the series under her own name, most notably with Rogue Awakening (Book 4), and also published two novels in the series—My Lady Rake and A Scoundrel Under Mistletoe—under the pseudonym Ari Thatcher.
Complete Cara Maxwell Book Lists by Series
The Hesitant Husbands Books
- Meant to Be Mine (2019)
- Love Once Lost (2021)
- A Love Match for the Marquess (2021)
- A Very Viscount Christmas (2021)
Lady Knights Books
- In Bed with a Blackguard (2023)
- Lost to Lady Scandal (2023)
- A Spinster's Last Stand (2023)
- The Last Refuge of a Scoundrel (2023)
League of Lady Rebels Books
- The Duchess Who Dared (2022)
Racing Rogues Books
- One Race to Ruin (2021)
- The Speed of Seduction (2022)
- To Please a Princess (2022)
- The Secret of the Surviving Earl (2022)
- Riding with a Rake (2022)
- First Lady to the Finish (2022)
Wicked Widows' League Books
While this is a shared-world multi-author project, below is the chronological publication order of the books associated with Maxwell's writing network as tracked in our database:
- Wicked Widows' League (2022)
- Her Rogue for One Night (2023)
- To Bargain with a Rogue (2023)
- Rogue Awakening (2023)
- My Lady Rake (2023) (Published under the pen name Ari Thatcher)
- A Scoundrel in Gentlemen's Clothing (2023)
- Rogue for the Taking (2023)
- Scoundrel for Sale (2023)
- Scandalizing the Scoundrel (2023)
- To Woo a Rake (2023)
- A Widow's Perfect Rogue (2023)
- Stealing a Scoundrel's Heart (2023)
- Kiss The Rake Hello (2023)
- Seducing The Scoundrel (2023)
- Season of the Rake (2023)
- How to Choose the Perfect Scoundrel (2023)
- A Scandal with a Scoundrel (2023)
- Kiss Me Like a Rogue (2023)
- A Scoundrel All the Way (2024)
- Buon Natale, My Wicked Rogue (2024)
- It's not a Rendezvous Without a Rogue (2024)
- A Scoundrel Under Mistletoe (2024) (Published under the pen name Ari Thatcher)
- Tempted by a Rake (2024)
- Her Christmas Scoundrel (2024)
- All I Want for Christmas is a Rogue (2024)
- The Rogue's Christmas Gift (2024)
- A Very Roguish Boxing Day (2024)
- Her Rogue for Christmas (2024)
- The Widow's Christmas Challenge (2024)
- The Widow's Christmas Rogue (2024)
The Rake Review Books
- Jilted in January (2024)
- The Fake February Rake (2024)
- Mad Duke March (2024)
- It's Raining Rakes in April (2024)
- One Fine May (2024)
- The Scot Who Made June Hot (2024)
- A Scandal in July (2024)
- An Heiress for August (2024)
- Seducing September's Scoundrel (2024)
- The Hunt for Mr. October (2024)
- Mr. Notorious and the Nefarious November (2024)
- Tall, Dark and December (2024)
Short Stories, Novellas & Anthologies
- The Art of Loving You (2021) (Novella)
- Wicked Widows' Guide (2022) (Anthology)
- From a Scoundrel with Love (2023) (Anthology)