Christina Courtenay Books in Order
Explore Christina Courtenay books in order, with quick summaries, series guides, dual-time background, and easy suggestions on where to start.
Last updated: July 12, 2026
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Christina Courtenay books in publication order
26 books
Marry in Haste
by Christina Courtenay
2009
James, Viscount Demarr, needs a wife immediately, and Amelia Ravenscroft needs escape just as badly. Their marriage of convenience seems practical at first, until suspicion and growing affection complicate everything.
Once Bitten, Twice Shy
by Christina Courtenay
2010
Jason Warwycke wants nothing to do with marriage after one disaster already. Then a London season meant for his nephew puts him in the path of clever, overlooked Ianthe Templeton, and staying away proves difficult.
Trade Winds
by Christina Courtenay
2010
In 1732 Gothenburg, Jess van Sandt proposes a marriage of convenience to Scotsman Killian Kinross to save her inheritance. Their bargain leads to a high-risk voyage east, and feelings neither of them planned for.
Desperate Remedies
by Christina Courtenay
2011
Lexie Holloway never forgot the Earl of Synley, even after heartbreak sent her away from England. Years later, she returns to find him changed, endangered, and perhaps no easier to resist than before.
Highland Storms
by Christina Courtenay
2011
Brice Kinross heads to the Scottish Highlands for a fresh start, only to find a ruined estate and trouble on every side. The one person he may be able to trust is Marsaili Buchanan, but trusting anyone feels dangerous.
Never Too Late
by Christina Courtenay
2011
Maude loses Luke once to family interference and an unwanted marriage. Eight years later, widowed and nearly penniless, she is forced back into his orbit and must decide whether broken love can still be mended.
The Scarlet Kimono
by Christina Courtenay
2011
Hannah Marston stows away on her brother's ship and reaches Japan at last, only to be abducted by the warlord Taro Kumashiro. In a world of clashing loyalties and real danger, fear slowly gives way to something deeper.
The Gilded Fan
by Christina Courtenay
2012
Forced to flee Japan in 1641 or die, Midori Kumashiro boards a ship for England with a captain she does not trust. War, secrets, and a growing attraction turn their dangerous journey into something far more personal.
The Silent Touch of Shadows
by Christina Courtenay
2012
Genealogist Melissa Grantham arrives at her ancestral home and is soon haunted by dreams and visions from the fifteenth century. When Jake Precy admits he is dreaming too, the mystery becomes impossible to ignore.
New England Rocks
by Christina Courtenay
2013
After being expelled from her British boarding school, Rain Mackenzie is sent to a New England high school she fully intends to hate. Then she meets guitarist Jesse Devlin, and everything gets more complicated.
The Secret Kiss of Darkness
by Christina Courtenay
2013
Kayla Sinclair nearly bankrupts herself buying a portrait of a mysterious eighteenth century smuggler. The purchase links her life to a forbidden old love story, and to a present-day danger she never saw coming.
Monsoon Mists
by Christina Courtenay
2014
Jamie Kinross has fled to India to escape his past and start over as a gem trader. A kidnapping plot, a stolen talisman, and the guarded Zarmina Miller drag him into a mission far more dangerous than he expected.
The Soft Whisper of Dreams
by Christina Courtenay
2014
A family secret brings Maddie Browne's terrifying childhood dream back to life. In Devon, with a fortune teller, a handsome stranger, and the past closing in, she starts to fear the dream may be more real than memory.
The Jade Lioness
by Christina Courtenay
2015
In 1648, Temperance Marston travels to Japan and falls into danger almost at once. Her growing bond with ronin Kazuo is tested by a stolen heirloom, strict laws, and a kidnapping that could destroy them both.
The Velvet Cloak of Moonlight
by Christina Courtenay
2017
When newly widowed Tess visits Raglan Castle, a vision pulls her into seventeenth century Wales on the edge of siege. Back in the present, strange dreams and a compelling stranger suggest the past is not finished with her yet.
Marry for Love
by Christina Courtenay
2018
Delilah cannot bear watching her scheming twin marry the earl she has loved from the start. Trying to save him from a miserable match may cost her everything, unless love finally finds a way through the deception.
Echoes of the Runes
by Christina Courtenay
2020
Mia inherits her grandmother's Swedish cottage and a gold ring that seems tied to an older story. As an archaeological dig draws her closer to Haakon Berger, the love and danger of the Viking past begin echoing through the present.
The Runes of Destiny
by Christina Courtenay
2021
After uncovering a runic brooch on an archaeological dig, Linnea Berger wakes in the ninth century. Captive to Viking warrior Hrafn and far from home, she must survive a brutal new world and the feelings growing between them.
Whispers of the Runes
by Christina Courtenay
2021
Jewelry designer Sara Mattsson is thrown back to the ninth century after finding a Viking knife at a dig. When she loses her only route home, she joins silversmith Rurik on a dangerous journey and starts wondering if fate has other plans.
Hidden in the Mists
by Christina Courtenay
2022
Skye Logan is barely holding her remote west coast farm together when a stranger named Rafe arrives looking for work. Shared dreams and old Viking jewelry soon pull them toward secrets the past refuses to bury.
Tempted by the Runes
by Christina Courtenay
2022
At a Viking reenactment festival in Dublin, Maddie Berger finds a runic knife and slips into the ninth century. Stranded on a ship bound for Iceland, she must trust Geir Eskilsson, and decide whether destiny has chosen her a life in the past.
Promises of the Runes
by Christina Courtenay
2023
Archaeologist Ivar Thoresson has always wanted to reach the Viking age for himself. When an amulet shows him a distressed woman calling for help, he follows the vision into the past and straight toward his destiny.
Legacy of the Runes
by Christina Courtenay
2024
Storm Berger believes his missing sister has vanished into the ninth century, so he goes after her. On a remote island he meets Freydis, a fiercely determined woman facing a brutal forced marriage, and both their futures change.
Shadows in the Ashes
by Christina Courtenay
2024
Escaping an abusive marriage, Caterina Rossi flees to Italy with her young daughter and hopes to start over. In Pompeii, visions from an ancient love story begin to mirror her own life, with Connor caught at the center.
Ripples Through Time
by Christina Courtenay
2025
After a devastating betrayal, Alix retreats to her grandfather's farm in Hereford and starts experiencing memories that are not her own. A stolen Viking hoard, a wary local farmer, and a centuries-old love story pull her into danger.
Shadows in the Spring
by Christina Courtenay
2025
Heartbroken Mackenna Jackson returns to Bath and grows closer to Jonah Miller just as strange memories begin surfacing. In Roman Britain, another couple fight for love and vengeance, and the two stories start to blur.
Where to start with Christina Courtenay
If you want Viking time-slip romance: Echoes of the Runes → The Runes of Destiny → Whispers of the Runes → Tempted by the Runes
If you prefer ghostly dual-time stories: The Silent Touch of Shadows → The Secret Kiss of Darkness → The Soft Whisper of Dreams
If you want sweeping historical adventure: Trade Winds → Highland Storms → Monsoon Mists
If you love Japan-set historical romance: The Scarlet Kimono → The Gilded Fan → The Jade Lioness
If you want a shorter Regency entry point: Marry in Haste → Once Bitten, Twice Shy → Desperate Remedies
Christina Courtenay sub-series and character series
Kinross Saga books in order
Explore this seriesKumashiro Saga books in order
Explore this seriesNorthbrooke High books in order
Explore this seriesRegency Romance Collection books in order
Explore this series
Marry in Haste
by Christina Courtenay
2009Regency Romance Collection, Book 1
Once Bitten, Twice Shy
by Christina Courtenay
2010Regency Romance Collection, Book 2
Desperate Remedies
by Christina Courtenay
2011Regency Romance Collection, Book 3
Never Too Late
by Christina Courtenay
2011Regency Romance Collection, Book 4
Marry for Love
by Christina Courtenay
2018Regency Romance Collection, Book 5
Regency Romance Collection books in chronological order

Marry in Haste
by Christina Courtenay
2009Regency Romance Collection, Book 1
Once Bitten, Twice Shy
by Christina Courtenay
2010Regency Romance Collection, Book 2
Desperate Remedies
by Christina Courtenay
2011Regency Romance Collection, Book 3
Never Too Late
by Christina Courtenay
2011Regency Romance Collection, Book 4
Marry for Love
by Christina Courtenay
2018Regency Romance Collection, Book 5
Runes books in order
Explore this series
Echoes of the Runes
by Christina Courtenay
2020Runes, Book 1
The Runes of Destiny
by Christina Courtenay
2021Runes, Book 2
Whispers of the Runes
by Christina Courtenay
2021Runes, Book 3
Tempted by the Runes
by Christina Courtenay
2022Runes, Book 4
Promises of the Runes
by Christina Courtenay
2023Runes, Book 5
Legacy of the Runes
by Christina Courtenay
2024Runes, Book 6
Runes books in chronological order

Echoes of the Runes
by Christina Courtenay
2020Runes, Book 1
The Runes of Destiny
by Christina Courtenay
2021Runes, Book 2
Whispers of the Runes
by Christina Courtenay
2021Runes, Book 3
Tempted by the Runes
by Christina Courtenay
2022Runes, Book 4
Promises of the Runes
by Christina Courtenay
2023Runes, Book 5
Legacy of the Runes
by Christina Courtenay
2024Runes, Book 6
Shadows from the Past books in order
Explore this series
The Silent Touch of Shadows
by Christina Courtenay
2012Shadows from the Past, Book 1
The Secret Kiss of Darkness
by Christina Courtenay
2013Shadows from the Past, Book 2
The Soft Whisper of Dreams
by Christina Courtenay
2014Shadows from the Past, Book 3
The Velvet Cloak of Moonlight
by Christina Courtenay
2017Shadows from the Past, Book 4
Shadows from the Past books in chronological order

The Silent Touch of Shadows
by Christina Courtenay
2012Shadows from the Past, Book 1
The Secret Kiss of Darkness
by Christina Courtenay
2013Shadows from the Past, Book 2
The Soft Whisper of Dreams
by Christina Courtenay
2014Shadows from the Past, Book 3
The Velvet Cloak of Moonlight
by Christina Courtenay
2017Shadows from the Past, Book 4
Standalone Christina Courtenay books
Author bio
Christina Courtenay was born in England, but Sweden was the place that shaped her early imagination. She grew up there, surrounded by forests, lakes, folklore, and the old Norse stories that would later feed so much of her fiction. She has also lived in Japan and Switzerland, and she is now based in Herefordshire, close to the Welsh border.
That mix of places helps explain her books.
Sweden gave her Vikings, fairy tales, and a lasting love of myth. Japan opened up another strand in her work, one that shows up in the Kumashiro Saga and its interest in travel, culture clash, and people trying to find their footing far from home. Even when her stories move to Scotland, India, Regency England, or a modern British village, there is often a sense that the world is wider, stranger, and more connected than it first appears.
She began writing after the birth of her first child, thinking it might be a way to work from home. It turned out to be much harder than that. She has spoken openly about how long publication took, and how her first novel did not arrive until years later, when her daughter was already grown. That first published book was Marry in Haste in 2009, and it was the start of a career built on patience as much as talent.
She stayed the course.
Over time, Courtenay became known for historical romance, time slip, and dual-time stories that mix love, danger, and a real enthusiasm for research. Books like Trade Winds, Highland Storms, and The Scarlet Kimono show her love of the past in a very hands-on way. These are not costume dramas floating in mid-air. They are full of trade routes, family pressure, unfamiliar landscapes, and characters who have to act fast when life turns against them.
Research clearly matters to her, but so do feelings. She is interested in history, archaeology, and genealogy, and all three turn up again and again in her fiction. That is one reason her later books fit her so well. In novels such as The Silent Touch of Shadows, The Secret Kiss of Darkness, and The Velvet Cloak of Moonlight, old houses, portraits, heirlooms, and half-buried stories become the bridge between then and now.
Her Viking books pushed that even further. Echoes of the Runes opened a new chapter in her writing, followed by The Runes of Destiny, Whispers of the Runes, and the rest of the series. These novels bring together modern characters, archaeological finds, and the ninth century in stories that are romantic, adventurous, and deeply tied to family lines. Readers who like Courtenay usually like that combination of warmth and momentum. Her books move, but they also leave room for atmosphere, longing, and the odd shiver of fate.
The awards followed in plain sight. Highland Storms and The Gilded Fan both won major historical romance honors, and Echoes of the Runes won the Romantic Novelists' Association award for fantasy romantic fiction. She has also served the Romantic Novelists' Association in leadership roles, which says something about the place she holds in that world.
What ties it all together is simple. She likes happy endings, she loves the pull of the past, and she keeps finding fresh ways to bring the two together. Whether she is writing about smugglers, samurai, Viking settlers, or teenagers at an American high school, her stories tend to ask the same hopeful question, what if love really could survive the mess of ordinary life, and maybe even time itself?
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