
Smythe-Smith Quartet
historical romance
Series · historical romance
The Hurst Amulet series by Karen Hawkins has 4 books and is best read in publication order, starting with One Night in Scotland (2010).
Start here: One Night in Scotland (2010) — then read straight through in publication order.
The order the books were released — the default way to read the series.
The Hurst Amulet is Karen Hawkins' companion series to The MacLean Curse, following the Hurst family and the powerful, dangerous amulet at the center of their fortunes -- the same object entangled in the MacLean family's curse, first introduced in that series' prequel Much Ado About Marriage. One Night in Scotland (2010) opens the series proper, followed by Scandal in Scotland (2011) and A Most Dangerous Profession (2011) the same year, with The Taming of a Scottish Princess (2012) closing out the four-book run.
Where the MacLean books are shaped around a curse that forces love on the reluctant, the Hurst books are shaped around an amulet that grants power and protection at a cost, giving Hawkins a slightly different magical-object premise to drive the same blend of Highland setting, family secrets and marriage-of-convenience plotting she's known for.
Four core novels: One Night in Scotland (2010), Scandal in Scotland (2011), A Most Dangerous Profession (2011), and The Taming of a Scottish Princess (2012) -- plus Much Ado About Marriage, shared with The MacLean Curse series as its prequel/book zero.
A powerful, dangerous magical amulet belonging to the Hurst family, whose origin is tied to the MacLean family's curse and which drives the romantic plots across the series.
Yes -- both series share the same magical-object mythology, connected through Much Ado About Marriage, which serves as the MacLean Curse's prequel and this series' book zero.
Publication order: One Night in Scotland, Scandal in Scotland, A Most Dangerous Profession, then The Taming of a Scottish Princess.
None has been announced as of August 2026; the series appears complete.
Reading order last verified .