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Series · historical romance

The Essex Sisters

by Eloisa James

The Essex Sisters series by Eloisa James has 5 known books (5 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with Much Ado About You (2005).

Books
5 known books (4 novels + 1 novella)
Published
5
First published
2005
Status
completed
Last checked

Start here: Much Ado About You (2005) — then read straight through in publication order.

Book one

Cover of Much Ado About You

Much Ado About You (2005)

Reading order

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

  1. Much Ado About You

    Novel

    Much Ado About You opens The Essex Sisters in 2005, introducing the close-knit set of Regency sisters who each navigate the marriage mart in her own distinct way -- bookish, reckless, or pragmatic -- across the five-book series.

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  2. Kiss Me, Annabel

    Novel

    Kiss Me, Annabel , also published in 2005, is the second Essex Sisters novel, following a different sister's courtship within the same shared household James builds across the series.

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  3. The Taming of the Duke

    Novel

    The Taming of the Duke , published in 2006 at 398 pages, is the third entry, continuing the sisters' contrasting personalities and opinions on love that thread through the family series.

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  4. Pleasure for Pleasure

    Novel

    Pleasure for Pleasure , at 576 pages the longest book in the series, followed later in 2006 as the fourth Essex Sisters novel.

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  5. A Gentleman Never Tells

    Novella

    A Gentleman Never Tells returned to the Essex family a decade after Pleasure for Pleasure , closing out the series in 2016 with a shorter, 160-page novella entry.

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About The Essex Sisters

The Essex Sisters follows a close-knit set of Regency sisters as each navigates the marriage mart in her own distinct way. Much Ado About You (2005) opens the series, followed the same year by Kiss Me, Annabel, then The Taming of the Duke and Pleasure for Pleasure (both 2006). A Gentleman Never Tells, published a decade later in 2016, returned to the same family to close out the series with a fifth entry.

As with several of James's family-centered series, the sisters' shared household and each other's opinions on love provide the connective thread between otherwise self-contained courtships, letting James contrast markedly different personalities -- bookish, reckless, or pragmatic -- within one family.

Frequently asked questions

How many books are in The Essex Sisters series?

Five: Much Ado About You (2005), Kiss Me, Annabel (2005), The Taming of the Duke (2006), Pleasure for Pleasure (2006), and A Gentleman Never Tells (2016).

Why did A Gentleman Never Tells arrive so much later than the other books?

Eloisa James returned to the Essex family a decade after Pleasure for Pleasure to give the series a fifth entry in 2016.

What order should I read The Essex Sisters in?

Publication order: Much Ado About You, Kiss Me Annabel, The Taming of the Duke, Pleasure for Pleasure, then A Gentleman Never Tells.

Is The Essex Sisters connected to James's other series?

No -- it's a standalone series, unconnected to her Duchess Quartet or Desperate Duchesses books.

Is a sixth Essex Sisters book planned?

None has been announced as of August 2026.

Reading order last verified .