Banning Sisters Books In Order

Publication Order of Banning Sisters Books

“Banning Sisters” is a romantic suspense series of novels by Karen Robards the American author known for writing historical and romantic suspense novels. Some of her most popular series include the “Banning Sisters”, “Pirate”, “Jessica Ford”, and “Dr. Charlie Stone” series. The first novel of the Banning Sisters series of novels was the 2001 published title “Scandalous”. After the first novel attained much popularity, Robards made the series a trilogy culminating in “Shameless” that was published in 2010. Robards very early realized that she never liked the law when she was in law school and enrolled for a graduate level writing course during her free time. Historical romances were the in thing during the time and hence when the professor asked the class to write 50 pages of something publishable, she defaulted to historical romance. Needing to get a good grade in the class she packed her novel titled “Pirate Women” with lots of adventure, action and sex. Unfortunately, she had to read the novel in front of a class of ten men and the professor. It was quite an embarrassing experience, particularly when she found out everyone had written a clean version of the American novel. While the professor told her to change her choice of reading material, she would never quit and those fifty pages were the basis for “Island Flame” her debut novel she published two years later.

Robards who writes in both the contemporary and historical romance genres is excellent in the portrayal of the color of grass, the light quality, and smell that make for setting in her novels. This comes from her excellent research about the novels that make her picturesque settings just as integral to her regency romances just as her characters are. In the “Banning Sisters” novels which are bodice rippers the sexual tension comes from the natural interplay and interaction between the characters that often culminates in a happily ever after, when the heroine and hero realize they are made for each other. Since the novels are set in Regency England, the social mores under which her characters lived are very prominent in the themes of the novels. Robards excellence in the writing of the “Banning Sisters” novels and practically all her historical romances probably comes from her love for historical and regencies from the likes of “Georgette Heyer”, “Mary Stewart”, “Jane Eyre”, and “Wuthering Heights” among other classics. While she likes nearly every historical setting and era, her favorite locations are in Regency England and continental Europe where she has set most of her novels.

The Banning Sisters series of novels are gripping historical novels that come with some of the most interesting of characters. Conflict is the main driver of the sexual tension between the Banning sisters and their men who are typically cold-hearted heroes as compared to the independent and stubborn women in their lives. The heroes and heroines have never been used to being attracted that much to someone which makes for quite the delicious sexual tension. The novels come with a lot of adventure from angry ex fiances, to sex slavery, and kidnapping as the two lovers engage in a futile fight against love. Despite their relative inexperience, the heroines are the ultimate flirts with scandalous engagements and terrible relationships to their names. The men are what one would call dark and wicked rogues with black reputations that makes them all the more mysterious. Karen Robards does an excellent job at writing characters that are very much enjoyable with complex natures and different personalities. Her heroes are particularly lovable persons, even if they are darker than the typical historical romance character, which makes their redemption and finding romance and happiness all the more enjoyable.

“Scandalous” the first novel of the Banning Sisters series starts with some startling news for Lady Gabriella Banning. Their elder brother who is the Earl of Wickham just passed on in his tea plantation in the Far East. According to the law, the family wealth will all pass to a distant male cousin potentially leaving Elizabeth, Claire, and Gabriella penniless. It is up to Gabby to act fast to prevent herself and her sisters from going destitute. She pretends that her brother Marcus still lives and in the meantime plans for Claire’s debut into London society. She hopes she will have the time to keep the news of her brother’s death under wraps until Claire can marry a rich lord. But now a handsome young man arrives to announce that he is Marcus, throwing Gabby into a tailspin. Bound by lies and secrets she cannot expose the stranger’s deceit without her own coming unraveled. Drawn to each other by their lies and secrets, the sparks fly as the two soon send London society abuzz with talk of forbidden sibling romance. It is an excellent novel to debut the series about the Banning sisters of Regency England.

“Irresistibl”e is the entrancing and sensual tale of Claire Banning who has fulfilled the debutante dream of getting married to a wealthy lord. But she soon realizes that the man she had gotten married to was nothing but a dissolute wastrel. She is now desperately lonely and hurt yet is expected to be the good wife to the man in high society. But then she is kidnapped while coming back from her husband’s estate and her heart and life are changed forever. She has been abducted by the dangerous and dark Hugh Battencourt that had sworn of the ton and now lives for service to his country. He has been sent to retrieve a letter full of secrets that he has been informed she intends to give to enemies of France. Sharing a cabin with the woman on the passage to France he steels himself not to be taken by her ravishing beauty. It turns into a battle of wills and wits as both captive and captor fight the irresistible attraction for each other. Could she find true love on a ship with a handsome stranger she never knew until a few days ago? Unlike her husband he is ready to place his life at risk to protect her from all dangers. Could he just be the one she has been looking for all these years?