The Daughters of Mannerling
historical romance
Series · historical romance
Splendid Trilogy
The Splendid Trilogy series by Julia Quinn has 4 known books (4 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with Splendid (1995).
- Books
- 4 known books (3 novels + 1 collection)
- Published
- 4
- First published
- 1995
- Status
- completed
- Shelved under
- Romance, Historical Fiction
- Last checked
Start here: Splendid (1995) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
Splendid
Splendid is the novel that opens Julia Quinn's Splendid Trilogy, published in 1995. It's followed here by Dancing at Midnight. It's the natural place to begin the series, which ran to completion between 1995 and 1996 across 4 books. It's the Blydon Family Saga.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Splendid - Book 2:
Dancing at Midnight
Dancing at Midnight is by Julia Quinn, the second novel in the Splendid Trilogy, published in 1995. In the reading order it follows Splendid and precedes Minx.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dancing at Midnight - Book 3:
Minx
Minx is the Splendid Trilogy's third entry, a novel by Julia Quinn, published in 1996, at 400 pages. In the reading order it follows Dancing at Midnight and precedes Where's My Hero?.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Minx - Book 4:
Where's My Hero?
Where's My Hero? is co-written by Julia Quinn, Kinley MacGregor, and Lisa Kleypas, a story collection in the Splendid Trilogy, published in 2003. It follows Minx as the most recent entry in the series so far. It's a later multi-author anthology in which Quinn's contributed novella is set in the Blydon world; it's catalogued here as a companion piece rather than a core trilogy entry.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Where's My Hero?
About the Splendid Trilogy series
The Splendid Trilogy, also known as the Blydon Family Saga, was Julia Quinn's debut series, written while she was still in medical school and published across 1995 and 1996. Splendid follows Emma Dunster, who's spent seasons avoiding marriage, and Alexander Ridgely, the Duke of Ashbourne, whose reputation as a rake makes him the last man her family expects her to fall for. Dancing at Midnight turns to Belle Blydon, Emma's close friend, and Alexander's cousin John Blackwood, a soldier struggling to readjust to civilian life after the Napoleonic Wars, whose growing bond with Belle helps him find his footing again. Minx completes the trilogy with Henry Barrett — raised as a boy in the countryside and forced into London society as a young woman for the first time — and William Dunford, the family friend tasked with guiding her through her first season, who finds his feelings for her far from brotherly.
As Quinn's first published books, the Splendid Trilogy already carries her signature blend of banter-driven courtship and genuine emotional stakes, though the interconnected social world she'd later build across Bridgerton and Bevelstoke was still several years away.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in the Splendid Trilogy?
Three: Splendid, Dancing at Midnight, and Minx.
What order should I read the Splendid Trilogy in?
Publication order: Splendid, Dancing at Midnight, Minx.
Is the Splendid Trilogy also called the Blydon Family Saga?
Yes — that's an alternate name used for the same three-book series, named for the Blydon family who connect the books' overlapping cast.
Was the Splendid Trilogy Julia Quinn's first published series?
Yes — Splendid, published in 1995, was Julia Quinn's debut novel, written while she was in medical school.
Is the Splendid Trilogy connected to Bridgerton?
No, it's Julia Quinn's earliest, standalone series, predating the Bridgerton universe.
If you like the Splendid Trilogy series
Reading order last verified .