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Elsie Hawkins

by Janet Evanovich

The Elsie Hawkins series by Janet Evanovich has 4 known books (4 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with Back to the Bedroom (1989).

Books
4 known books (4 novels)
Published
4
First published
1989
Status
completed
Shelved under
Romance
Last checked

Start here: Back to the Bedroom (1989) — then read straight through in publication order.

Book one

Cover of Back to the Bedroom

Back to the Bedroom (1989)

Reading order

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

  1. Back to the Bedroom

    Novel

    Back to the Bedroom (November 1989, 250 pages) opens the Elsie Hawkins series, one of four standalone late-1980s category romances in which the sharp-tongued, matchmaking Elsie nudges a different mismatched couple together -- the character Janet Evanovich has said directly inspired Grandma Mazur in the Stephanie Plum books.

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  2. Smitten

    Novel

    Smitten (April 1990, 256 pages) followed five months later as the second entry, pairing a new mismatched couple while Elsie Hawkins returns as the series' connective, matchmaking thread.

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  3. Wife for Hire

    Novel

    Wife for Hire (September 1990, 224 pages), the shortest entry, continues the series' quick-succession release pace with another standalone couple nudged together by Elsie Hawkins.

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  4. The Rocky Road to Romance

    Novel

    The Rocky Road to Romance (March 1991, 249 pages) closes out the series, released at the same roughly six-month cadence as its predecessors, before Evanovich reinvented herself with One for the Money in 1994.

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About the Elsie Hawkins series

Before Stephanie Plum, there was Elsie Hawkins: a sharp-tongued, matchmaking older woman who turns up in four early Evanovich category romances, nudging a different mismatched couple together in each one. Back to the Bedroom, Smitten, Wife for Hire, and The Rocky Road to Romance are all standalone romances with their own hero and heroine, but Elsie recurs across all four as a connective thread, and Evanovich has said the character was the direct inspiration for gun-toting, foul-mouthed Grandma Mazur in the Stephanie Plum books -- reading Elsie in action makes that lineage obvious.

These are short, breezy late-1980s category romances rather than the crime-comedy Evanovich is now known for, but the comic timing and voice that would define Plum are already fully formed here. Published in quick succession between 1989 and 1991, before Evanovich reinvented herself with One for the Money in 1994, the series is really the missing link between her early romance-writing years and the Plum era. Long out of print, the four books were later repackaged and reissued as ebooks, introducing them to Plum fans curious about Evanovich's roots.

Frequently asked questions

How many Elsie Hawkins books are there?

Four: Back to the Bedroom (1989), Smitten (1990), Wife for Hire (1990), and The Rocky Road to Romance (1991).

What order should I read them in?

Original publication order works well, though each book has a self-contained romance plot and can be read alone.

Who is Elsie Hawkins?

A recurring matchmaking older woman who appears across all four books, nudging along a different couple in each; Evanovich has cited her as the inspiration for Grandma Mazur in the Stephanie Plum series.

Is Elsie Hawkins connected to Stephanie Plum?

Not directly -- different characters and no shared plot -- but Evanovich has said Elsie was the model for Grandma Mazur.

Is this series complete?

Yes, all four books were published between 1989 and 1991 and the series has not continued since.

Reading order last verified .