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Desperate Duchesses

by Eloisa James

The Desperate Duchesses series by Eloisa James has 9 known books (9 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with Desperate Duchesses (2007).

Books
9 known books (9 novels)
Published
9
First published
2007
Status
completed
Last checked

Start here: Desperate Duchesses (2007) — then read straight through in publication order.

Book one

Cover of Desperate Duchesses

Desperate Duchesses (2007)

Reading order

The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.

  1. Desperate Duchesses

    Novel

    Desperate Duchesses opens Eloisa James's longest-running series in 2007, introducing the wide, interconnected circle of Georgian dukes, duchesses and their friends that the next eight books continue -- with chess serving as a recurring motif for the strategic games of courtship and reputation the characters play across Georgian London.

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  2. An Affair Before Christmas

    Novel

    An Affair Before Christmas followed the same year, 2007, continuing the ensemble cast James builds across the series' nine interconnected novels.

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  3. Duchess by Night

    Novel

    Duchess by Night , published in 2008, is the third entry in the series, following An Affair Before Christmas and continuing the Georgian social circle's marriage games and scandals.

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  4. When the Duke Returns

    Novel

    When the Duke Returns , also from 2008, runs 384 pages as the fourth of Eloisa James's nine interconnected Desperate Duchesses novels, following Duchess by Night .

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  5. This Duchess of Mine

    Novel

    This Duchess of Mine , published in 2009, is the fifth book in the series, continuing the same web of Georgian dukes and duchesses James built across the earlier volumes.

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  6. A Duke of Her Own

    Novel

    A Duke of Her Own closed out the original six-book run of Desperate Duchesses in 2009, five years before James returned to the world with Three Weeks With Lady X .

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  7. Three Weeks With Lady X

    Novel

    Three Weeks With Lady X , at 512 pages the longest book in the series, marked Eloisa James's return to the Desperate Duchesses world in 2014, five years after A Duke of Her Own , opening a loosely connected spinoff pair within the same social circle.

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  8. Four Nights with the Duke

    Novel

    Four Nights with the Duke , also published in 2014, continues the spinoff pair begun by Three Weeks With Lady X , following the same interconnected Georgian cast.

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  9. Seven Minutes in Heaven

    Novel

    Seven Minutes in Heaven closes out the nine-book Desperate Duchesses series in 2017, three years after Four Nights with the Duke , at 432 pages.

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About the Desperate Duchesses series

Desperate Duchesses is Eloisa James's longest-running series, following a wide circle of Georgian-era duchesses, dukes and their friends across nine interconnected novels centered on chess, scandal and the marriage games of the era's high society. Desperate Duchesses (2007) opens the series, followed the same year by An Affair Before Christmas, then Duchess by Night and When the Duke Returns (both 2008), This Duchess of Mine and A Duke of Her Own (both 2009). Three Weeks With Lady X (2014) and Four Nights with the Duke (2014) form a loosely connected spinoff pair within the same world, and Seven Minutes in Heaven (2017) closes out the series.

Across its nine books the series builds one of James's largest ensemble casts, with chess matches functioning as a recurring motif for the strategic games of courtship and reputation her characters play across Georgian London.

Frequently asked questions

How many books are in the Desperate Duchesses series?

Nine: Desperate Duchesses (2007), An Affair Before Christmas (2007), Duchess by Night (2008), When the Duke Returns (2008), This Duchess of Mine (2009), A Duke of Her Own (2009), Three Weeks With Lady X (2014), Four Nights with the Duke (2014), and Seven Minutes in Heaven (2017).

Why is there a gap between A Duke of Her Own and Three Weeks With Lady X?

Eloisa James returned to the Desperate Duchesses world five years after A Duke of Her Own (2009) to continue the series with three further books connected to the same social circle.

What order should I read Desperate Duchesses in?

Publication order, which is also the order the ensemble cast's storylines unfold in across the nine books.

Is Desperate Duchesses connected to James's other series?

No -- it's a standalone series, unconnected to her Essex Sisters or Fairy Tales books, though it shares her recurring interest in dukes and duchesses.

Is a tenth Desperate Duchesses book planned?

None has been announced as of August 2026; the series appears complete.

Reading order last verified .