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Series · historical romance

The Duchess Diaries

by Karen Hawkins

The Duchess Diaries series by Karen Hawkins has 4 known books (4 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with How to Capture a Countess (2012).

Books
4 known books (4 novels)
Published
4
First published
2012
Status
completed
Last checked

Start here: How to Capture a Countess (2012) — then read straight through in publication order.

Book one

Cover of How to Capture a Countess

How to Capture a Countess (2012)

Reading order

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

  1. How to Capture a Countess

    Novel

    Karen Hawkins opened The Duchess Diaries in 2012 with How to Capture a Countess, running 384 pages and introducing the scandalous diary -- said to have been kept by a duchess with a knack for guiding others into happy marriages -- that keeps falling into the hands of characters trying to engineer their own romantic futures.

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  2. Princess in Disguise

    Novel

    Princess in Disguise followed in 2013 as the second book in The Duchess Diaries; no page count is recorded for this edition, but like its predecessor it uses the titular diary as a lighter, almost fairy-tale connective thread running through mistaken identities and marriage-mart maneuvering.

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  3. How to Pursue a Princess

    Novel

    The same year brought How to Pursue a Princess, the longest recorded entry in the series at 416 pages, continuing Karen Hawkins's Victorian quartet built around royal intrigue and the duchess's diary of matchmaking advice.

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  4. How to Entice an Enchantress

    Novel

    Hawkins closed the series later in 2013 with "How to Entice an Enchantress," its fourth book, three of the four titles published within that single year.

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About The Duchess Diaries

The Duchess Diaries is Karen Hawkins' Victorian-set quartet centered on a scandalous diary, said to have been kept by a duchess with a knack for guiding others into happy marriages, that keeps falling into the hands of characters trying to engineer their own romantic futures. How to Capture a Countess (2012) opens the series, followed within the space of a year by Princess in Disguise, How to Pursue a Princess and How to Entice an Enchantress, all released in 2013.

The shared diary device gives the four books a lighter, almost fairy-tale connective thread -- each heroine or hero consults the duchess's advice at some turning point -- while the plots themselves range across mistaken identities, royal intrigue and marriage-mart maneuvering typical of Hawkins' Victorian and Regency work.

Frequently asked questions

How many books are in The Duchess Diaries series?

Four: How to Capture a Countess (2012), Princess in Disguise (2013), How to Pursue a Princess (2013), and How to Entice an Enchantress (2013).

What is the Duchess Diaries device?

A scandalous diary attributed to a duchess skilled at engineering happy marriages -- characters across the series consult or reference it at key romantic turning points.

Do I need to read The Duchess Diaries books in order?

Not strictly -- each book follows a different couple, with the diary as a shared device rather than a continuing plot, though publication order is the conventional reading sequence.

Is The Duchess Diaries connected to Hawkins' other series?

No -- it's a standalone series, unconnected to her MacLean Curse, Hurst Amulet or Oxenburg Princes books.

Is a fifth Duchess Diaries book planned?

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

Reading order last verified .