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The Six Sisters

by M. C. Beaton

The Six Sisters series by M. C. Beaton has 6 known books (6 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with Minerva (1983).

Books
6 known books (6 novels)
Published
6
First published
1983
Status
completed
Last checked

Start here: Minerva (1983) — then read straight through in publication order.

Book one

Cover of Minerva

Minerva (1983)

Reading order

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

  1. Minerva

    Novel

    Minerva opens The Six Sisters in 1983, introducing the eldest Armitage daughter as she catches a marquess's eye while quietly holding her chaotic, genteel-poor household together. Written under M. C. Beaton's Marion Chesney name, it sets the pattern the other five novels follow: a Regency courtship complicated by pride and gossip, resolved only once the sister in question stops performing what's expected of her. At 336 pages, it's the longest entry in the series.

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  2. The Taming of Annabelle

    Novel

    The second Armitage sister gets her turn in The Taming of Annabelle, published later the same year as Minerva. Like the rest of the series, it pairs a mismatched Regency courtship with the family's running comic backdrop -- their scheming mother and vague, sermon-writing father -- resolved once Annabelle says what she actually wants. At 192 pages, it's a brisker read than the series opener.

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  3. Deirdre and Desire

    Novel

    Deirdre and Desire follows The Taming of Annabelle in 1984, giving the third Armitage sister her own Regency courtship shaped by misunderstanding and pride, in keeping with the pattern Beaton set from Minerva onward. It precedes Daphne in the reading order and runs 206 pages.

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  4. Daphne

    Novel

    Published later in 1984, Daphne carries the Armitage family's genteel poverty and their mother's matchmaking further into the series, giving the fourth sister her own courtship complicated by gossip and pride before its resolution. It sits between Deirdre and Desire and Diana the Huntress, and at 271 pages is one of the longer entries.

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  5. Diana the Huntress

    Novel

    Diana the Huntress moved the series into 1985 with the fifth Armitage daughter's turn at a Regency match, continuing the comic friction supplied by the sisters' formidable mother and their sermon-writing father. It follows Daphne and precedes the closing volume, Frederica in Fashion, running 192 pages.

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  6. Frederica in Fashion

    Novel

    Frederica in Fashion closes out The Six Sisters in 1985, giving the youngest Armitage daughter the last of the family's six Regency courtships and wrapping up a series built less around one continuous plot than a consistent family voice. Written under the Marion Chesney name before Beaton's mystery career began, it runs 233 pages.

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About The Six Sisters

The Six Sisters follows the daughters of the impoverished Armitage family of Hopeworth -- Minerva, Annabelle, Deirdre, Daphne, Diana and Frederica -- as their formidable mother maneuvers each one, in turn, toward a well-married future despite the family's chronic lack of money. Beginning with Minerva, in which the eldest sister catches the eye of a marquess while quietly managing her chaotic household, each novel gives one sister her own Regency romance: a mismatched courtship, a misunderstanding rooted in pride or gossip, and a resolution that usually requires the sister in question to stop performing what's expected of her and say what she actually wants.

Written under the Marion Chesney name in the early-to-mid 1980s, before Beaton's mystery career began, the series is an early showcase for the mix of social comedy and genuine sentiment that would carry through her later work -- the sisters' scheming mother and vague, sermon-writing father provide a steady source of comic friction across all six books, even as each daughter's story stands on its own. It's a good entry point for readers who want a classic multi-sibling Regency series with a consistent family voice rather than one continuous plot.

Frequently asked questions

How many books are in M.C. Beaton's Six Sisters series?

Six, published between 1983 and 1985, starting with Minerva.

What connects the Six Sisters books?

Each novel follows one of six Armitage sisters from a genteel but poor Regency family as their mother tries to marry them off well, and each sister gets her own complete romance.

What order should I read the Six Sisters books in?

Publication order: Minerva, The Taming of Annabelle, Deirdre and Desire, Daphne, Diana the Huntress, and Frederica in Fashion.

Is Six Sisters connected to any of Beaton's other Regency series?

No shared characters -- it's a self-contained sextet from the same early Marion Chesney Regency period as School for Manners and A House for the Season.

Were these books originally published under a different name?

Yes, originally as Marion Chesney; later editions have been reissued under the better-known M.C. Beaton byline.

Reading order last verified .