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Series · historical romance

The Duchess Diaries

by Karen Hawkins

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

Books
4 books
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, the first book in The Duchess Diaries

How to Capture a Countess (2012)

Reading order

The order the books were released — the default way to read the series.

  1. How to Capture a Countess

    Novel

    View book

  2. Princess in Disguise

    Novel

    View book

  3. How to Pursue a Princess

    Novel

    View book

  4. How to Entice an Enchantress

    Novel

    View book

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 .