This Rec League request comes from Rose. Thanks, Rose!
I’m looking for a romance series that contains a mystery of some sort that spans the length of the series, i.e. is introduced in the first book in the series, clues and whatnot (say, murder) happen and are given throughout the books in the series, and then it is solved in the last book of the series. BUT, I want the heroine/hero to be different in each book of the series, so that each book is it’s own contained romance with a HEA rather than a slow burn single hero/heroine romance that spans the series and mystery. I can find those easily.
I prefer historicals and know Sabrina Jeffries is currently writing one of these, but it’s a bit lackluster and the series isn’t finished. I’m looking for something that I can binge read, so a completed series would be ideal. I also love m/m romances, so those would be great, and am feeling desperate, so will take contemporary or pretty much anything at this point.
Sarah: The Maiden Lane series by Elizabeth Hoyt and Psy-Changeling series by Nalini Singh ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) would qualify.
OH – Erica Ridley’s Wild Wynchester series ( A | BN | K | AB ) should also fit this request, though there are individual heists and cases in each book.
Shana: KJ Charles has a trilogy like this. Sins of the Cities. ( A | BN | K | AB ) Parts of the mystery are solved in each book but I seem to remember that the final resolution doesn’t happen until book 3. However the third book has a nb/m pairing and I recall mixed reviews of the trans rep.
Which series would you recommend? Let us know!
I agree about Maiden Lane and Wild Wynchesters. And they’re sci-fi, but Jessie Mihalik’s Consortium Rebellion and Starlight’s Shadow series both fit this description.
I think Lucy Score & Claire Kingsley’s Bootleg Springs has a series-long mystery where each book features a different couple. I haven’t gotten around to reading it yet but it sounds like it might be what you’re looking for if you don’t mind the contemporary small-town setting.
THE LAST BINDING trilogy by Freya Marske. Magical, but grounded in a historical setting. I listened to the first two books, m/m and f/f, on audio and LOVED them. I believe the third book is coming out this fall, so it’s about to be a bingable read!
I was coming to mention the Bootleg Springs series, but @Sunflower beat me to it. Claire Kingsley has two other series—The Miles Family and The Bailey Brothers—that follow the requested format: an overarching mystery that spans a number of books, each of which includes a standalone romance.
Multiple Madeline Hunter trilogies fit the ask
I think several series by Shana Galen would fit this (her books are 3-ish stars for me but I think that’s because I don’t tend to enjoy mysteries, spies, etc. in my HR reading).
Also Hoyt’s Legend of Four Soldiers series. Her Maiden Lane series (rec’d above) is better, but also longer, so Four Soldiers is a good option if you don’t want to commit to the 12 books plus novellas that comprise the Maiden Lane series.
Think Lauren Willig’s Pink Carnation series meets these criteria.
I’m not a big mystery person but Lauren Willig’s Pink Carnation series maybe kind of fits? It’s French Revolution spy caper stuff a la the Scarlet Pimpernel (with a romantic comedy vibe that occasionally veers into slapstick, there’s plenty of danger and intrigue but these are not dark or gritty realism).
Each book is a separate romance, and while each book has its own mystery that’s solved in that book, there’s definitely some overarching mysteries that span the series that each book ties into. IMO the romance is mostly very good while the humor is sometimes fun (when I *do* read mystery/crime/spies, I prefer capers and shenanigans to grimdark thrillers or whatever) but sometimes goes a bit too silly for me. No m/m though.
Caveat: I read maybe 10 of them and liked all of them (enough that I still have hard copies) but never read the last few – mainly just bc it was still in progress (it’s complete now) so once I got caught up I had to wait for new releases, got distracted, & never got back to it, and now it would require a whole series reread to get back into it (which I need to do sometime!), not that I didn’t enjoy them or anything – so I don’t actually know how it all wraps up.
Also: the first book is fun and a necessary introduction to everything, but I find the heroine rather annoying and borderline TSTL at times, IMO they improve after that one.
Sharon Sala’s Secrets and Lies trilogy. First book is WILD HEARTS
Shiloh Walker’s Ash trilogy. First book is IF YOU KNOW HER
If you’re willing to go into historical fantasy, I’d recommend The Saint of Steel by T. Kingfisher. There’s an overarching serial killer they’re attempting to find over the course of 3 books. Setting is classic medieval fantasy but is between Game and Thrones and Lord of the Rings as far as magic goes. First two books are f/m, last book is m/m.
You might like Manda Collins books. The tagline on her website says “Nancy Drew + Jane Austen with more kissing”. I’ve read a couple from the Studies in Scandal series and have enjoyed them.
The Truth About the Duke series by Caroline Linden is a three-book series where the duke’s three sons are trying to find a blackmailer spreading rumours they are illegitimate. The sons find romance on the way.
The Company of Rogues series by Jo Beverley is a long book series but it starts with a group of friends who do some spying on the side.
Stephanie Laurens has some series that would qualify. The Devil’s Brood trilogy starts with The Lady by His Side, followed by An Irresistable Alliance and The Greatest Challenge of Them All. This is a subset of Cynsters Next Generation but can be read as a stand-alone group.
Madeline Hunter’s A Duke’s Heiress series is the only one of her series that I have read and can rec.
Most of Nora Roberts’ trilogies work this way, although most of them are contemporaries there is usually an underlying historical mystery. You might like her Black Dahlia trilogy which gets seriously creepy in places.
I have some for this!! Strongly agree with Psy-Changeling and Manda Collins and Caroline Linden series!
Holt Sisters Trilogy by Julie Anne Long (includes Beauty and the Spy, Secret to Seduction and Ways to be Wicked) follows this format—overarching mystery of the identity of three sisters and each book follows their individual romances.
Christi Caldwell’s Lost Lords of London and subsequent Scandalous Affairs series
Diane Duvall’s Immortal Guardians Series — complicated overarching plot/mystery with stand-alone couples
Rebecca Zanetti Deep Ops has an over-arching serial killer plot but it’s pretty in the background til you finally get to Angus’s book
I feel like a lot of Anna Hackett Sci-fi qualifies
If you would enjoy something that’s more spies than mystery, I recommend the All the Queen’s Spies trilogy by Sharon Cullen. Elizabethan era spies in the Scottish Court of Queen Mary. Really strong characters and lots of action. Likewise Michelle Diener’s Regency London trilogy, the first book is The Emperor’s Conspiracy.
Annabeth Albert’s Safe Harbor SeriesM/m series set in contemporary Oregon and built around a 20-year old mystery of the disappearance of one of the side character’s mother seems to hit all points. The third in the series is scheduled to appear in Sept of this year. Consistent pacing, well written, thoughtful representations. Read the first two this week (BRING ME HOME and MAKE ME STAY) and I’m really looking forward to the next one.
For an old school historical series – Patricia Veryan’s GOLDEN CHRONICLES set in 1740s Scotland/England. Starting with PRACTICE TO DECEIVE, it concerns the hunt for Jacobite refugees and treasure. The follow-up series TALES OF THE JEWELLED MEN was also good, although LOOSER plot wise. I read them 20+ years ago, so YMMV.
As mentioned above, Madeline Hunter’s “A Duke’s Heiress” trilogy (“Heiress for Hire”/“Heiress in Red Silk”/“The Heiress Bride”) is a great contender for a binge. I just finished the last one and am pretty satisfied with the outcome of the overarching mystery. But what I really loved was the relationship between the three male cousins who are the leads, the growing friendships among the women they become involved with (and who are the unknowing beneficiaries of bequests by the late Duke, who was the cousins’ uncle…), and the ensuing group chemistry as the series progresses. Each character is well-defined (the women are older and independent – by choice or necessity), and there are a lot of LOL moments, especially when the men gather together.
These are HRs – Regencies – although I didn’t quite grasp the exact time period. However, they are refreshingly not steeped in the usual abundant London balls/Covent Gardens/the silly Regent.
I think you’d enjoy these. Madeline Hunter always delivers a quality read.
I think the multiple Katie Ruggle series may fit, but contemporary and m/f
Tessa Dare’s Stud Club trilogy fits if you like historicals. The owner of a racehorse is murdered, and each of the three men who owned shares has their own book and background story but it all ties together and gradually solves the mystery.
Have a look at the Steepwood Scandal series. 16 books by 8 different authors, standalone books with an overarching mystery, published by Mills and Boon about 25 years ago. Regency England. They all seem to be available as ebooks.
Janna MacGregor’s The Widow Rules trilogy checks the boxes and then some. Three widows meet at the reading of their husband’s will and become a formidable trio as they try to figure out what he did with their desperately needed dowries. Some of these characters might be familiar from the Cavensham Brides series….
Kelly Bowen’s a Season for Scandal, there is a shadowy maybe a villain, maybe not a villain character who is connected to each book.
Sarah MacLean’s Rules for Scoundrels. Another shadowy character…..
That’s all I’ve got. For now anyway….
Mary Connealy has a few historical trilogies like this, but note that they are all closed door and lack Indigenous characters. Her most recent trilogy includes a female blacksmith, which helps make up for that.
I LOVE this topic! Eagerly taking notes!
The “Deception & Discipline” series by Golden Angel is 4 books + novella, each with a different m/f couple. The central mystery is who attempted the assassination of a duke, and is it aimed at interfering with England’s trade agreements with Russia and Franc?. It’s a historical, Regency, I think. As the titles might suggest it’s got spanking and some other BDSM elements. First book is A SEASON FOR TREASON.
“Starlight’s Shadow” by Jessie Mihalik is a sci-fi trilogy with a different m/f couple in each book. The big mystery is who is trying to get 2 civilizations to go back to war after 3 years of peace and why? The romances are all between soldiers who used to be on opposite sides of the war, so there’s a lot of re-evaluating past events once you know the other side’s story. First book is HUNT THE STARS.
Bec McMacmaster’s London Steampunk series has a serie’s long conspiracy with each book focused on a new hero and heroine romance. It’s paranormal/historical.
I recommend Joanna Bourne’s brilliant series about French and British spies during the Napoleonic Wars. The first book in the series is THE SPYMASTER’S LADY, and it is ridiculously good.
Seconding @JB Hunt’s Joanna Bourne recommendation.
For science fiction romance, I’ll recommend Michelle Diener’s Class 5 series.
In paranormal romance, I believe The Elder Races – Thea Harrison would also work.
Yeah, the “Sins of the Cities” series… The first 2 books are 2 of the best romances I have ever read and bring the suspense too. But the 3rd — I actually have read two reviews by trans people, one who really felt seen and was enthusiastic, and the other who felt it missed the mark offensively. I have no opinion on that, but I thought it fell flat as storytelling overall … Biggest letdown. So I guess in my opinion the series doesn’t fulfill the request, since the overarching mystery plot she wanted isn’t necessarily satisfactory.
For SF, Sharon Lee and Steven Miller have the Liaden universe stories – the first series introduces the Liaden world and there are romances between Liadens and human people. The first one is “Local Custom” and leads in to the others.
Sabrina Jeffries actually has several series like this. I think I like the Hellions of Hallstead Hall series the best. They all stand alone, but there are additional clues to the mystery along the way. Duke Dynasty is ok, but honestly I read the last book more out of an obligation to find out the end of the mystery more than I cared about the characters. The Duke’s Men is a connected series, but each book has its own individual mystery. It’s better than Duke Dynasty but not as good as the Hellions.
Stephanie Laurens has The Adventurers Quartet, and the books stand alone if you are a fan of her writing. Honestly I read this entire series more for the adventure/mystery plot (worth it) and not for the relationships. I find her heroines annoying. She also has the Black Cobra Quartet but I don’t know if I would call that a mystery. It’s more action/adventure. More insipid heroines, including one who keeps a diary “Why won’t he kiss me again?? I know we’re being chased by murderous cult members but I need to know how he feels about me” etc.
The first four books in Samantha Kane’s Brothers in Arms have an ongoing track-down-the-bad-guy theme and are all MFM relationships. There are something like 10 more books in the series, but I think she introduces other villains along the way. Much like with Stephanie Laurens, I started to feel like I was reading the same book every time so didn’t finish the series.
I thought of some more!
Shana Galen has the Lord and Lady Spy series, some of which is over the top but most of which is enjoyable.
Celeste Bradley has the Liar’s Club series and the Royal Four series. The series are connected, there is ongoing intrigue with a mysterious villain.
The Perfect Gentleman series by Shayla Black and Lexi Blake fits the bill. Contemporary political thriller.