Lucinda Riley Books In Order

Publication Order of The Seven Sisters Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Lucinda Riley was aa New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author. Lucinda was born on February 14 1971 in County Antrim, Northern Ireland to an actress mother and to a father who worked as a director for Cortaulds, a United Kingdom based textile company.

He later died in 2004. As a kid, she was priveledged to travel extensively abroad. At the age of five, her family moved to England. She enrolled at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London at fourteen. She became an actress and worked on film, theatre, and television.

Lucinda sadly passed away on June 11, 2021.

At age 23, she married her first husband Owen Whittaker, a fellow actor she worked with at a commercial. Married bliss didn’t last long as shortly after the wedding, they were not getting much acting job offers. With acting offers getting scarce and having bought a house on a mortgage in Leicestershire, they had a difficult time keeping up with the payments so she had to take odd jobs like selling toilet rolls while her husband Owen sold cars.

It was two years into the marriage when she fell ill with glandular fever and was bed ridden that she decided to write her first novel. She took to writing during this time as she was not able to work as an actress. She wrote under the penname Lucinda Edmonds which was her maiden name. She got a three book deal with Simon and Schuster. During this time, she found out she was pregnant with their first child Harry. Although her first book did well, they still couldn’t afford the mortgage and decided to foreclose on it and moved back to West Cork, Ireland to start their life anew.

They had Isabella four years later. With her husband still without a job, the couple decided that he would look after their children while she continues to write novels. In hindsight, she decided that this set up didn’t work well for their marriage. After four years, they decided to move back to the United Kingdom and lived in Rutland. At about the same time, the couple decided to part ways. Owen has now remarried and lives in Greece.

In September 1999, dared by her mother, she picked a man named Stephen Riley from the Sunday newspaper’s lonely hearts’ column and agreed to conact him. They spoke over the phone two weeks later and arranged to meet thereafter. They hit it off and got married in February of 2000 at Hambleton Hall, a Victorian Country house overlooking Rutland Water. They had two kids together named Leonora and Kit in addition to five children from their previous marriages, three from Stephen’s first marriage named Olivia and two from his second marriage named William and Max, two from Lucinda’s first marriage named Harry and Isabela.

She was doing well as a writer with her novels selling in six figures. However, in 1998, she wrote a novel with a plot involving royals which she earlier thought was a good idea. With The Royal family still in meltdown and grieving the death of Princess Diana in 1997, her novel did not garner enough interest among readers resulting in book deals being cancelled. In addition, her publisher Pan Mcmillan cancelled the contract of the second book of a two book deal. Because of this unforeseen turn of events, Lucinda who is normally confident about herself, was crushed and devastated.

Refusing to sink into depression, she turned her focus to domestic life. It was her family that held her through these bleak times. Although there were no writing contracts coming her way, she did not stop writing. Writing was cathartic for her. It was her way of expressing herself. Stephen being a businessman who owned Denby Pottery Company, Lucinda was under no financial pressure to keep writing. She was able to finish five novels during this time which she sent to publishers but no one took interest in her. She then decided to change her penname from Lucinda Edmonds to her married name, Lucinda Riley. She felt that with a new name will come a new start for her writing career and she was not mistaken.

In a trip she took with Stephen to Phuket, Thailand, she was able to churn out another novel entitled Hot House Flower(The Orchid House). The majority of this book was written while she was battling Dengue fever. Her novel Hot House Flower turned out to be an international best seller which paved the way for her writing career to fluorish once more.

Lucinda as a child always had vivid imagination. She was passionate about coming up with stories. Being a writer was a seemingly natural offshoot. She believes that it is not just mere talent that makes a good writer but moreso being passionate about writing. She admits that being a succesful writer is very demanding and takes up so much of her time that whatever spare time she has, she spends it with her husband and kids. She considers her family her most important posession and they are the ones who helped her cope through the depressing times in her career. She says that she couldn’t have gotten through those times had her husband not been with her. She now realizes that a succesful career doesn’t mean everything especially when she once was very complacent about her life and thought that her succesful writing career will go on forever.

Lucinda Riley’s books are set in majority of places, from France, England to India to name a few. As a writer, the location serves as an inspiration in the development of a story. Her love for travelling which she did much of as a child deeply influenced her on her writing. In her novel The Midnight Rose, her vivid description of India reflects how much she fell in love with the country. She visited the Moon Palace in Jaipur where she imagined the character Anahiti living. Her favorite places include Ireland, where she was born and the South of France where she and her family currently spends their summers.

Lucinda Riley is a rare gem in the literary crown. Her words and stories have captivated bookworms throughout the world. Born in Northern Ireland as Lucinda Edmonds, she had an exciting rag to riches story, filled with inspiration. Her career spans across 40+ years and across many roles.

Her mother was an actress and her father was a director of a textile company. They moved to London when Lucinda was just five. She spent most of her teenage years in the city, soaking in the rich culture of Britain’s legacy. Her inspirations and characters were all molded in the city of London. At the tender age of 14, she was admitted into the prestigious Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London.

It was a time of experimentation for her and she played out various roles at the Academy. Lucinda discovered the highways and byways of UK’s colonial past, her majestic golden years, and the royal affairs of Buckingham Palace or the political dramas of Downing Street. Most importantly, she understood Britain’s connection with the rest of the world and how it was a pivot during the industrial revolution,

At the Academy, she understood each character deeply and played them out to emotionally connect with them. She did it for her career in acting, though and wasn’t aware that it will finally create an international Best Seller out of her. She did gather her efforts into writing her first book at the age of 24. But then, there was another call of duty for her.

She dutifully went ahead with her acting career and appeared several TV shows and commercials. It was during these times she met and married her first husband Owen Whittaker. The marriage yielded two children and was going through a financial rough patch. When despite tremendous frugality they were almost broke, Lucinda decided to take up the pen. And it was the best decision of her life and changed her life and fortunes upside down.

She gave the world masterpieces like Hothouse, The Girl on the Cliff and The Midnight Rose. She has become a natural heartthrob for fiction lovers, almost overnight. Of all the novels she wrote, a staggering 12 of them have become Number One International Best Sellers. Her books received thunderous welcome worldwide and have been translated into 35 different languages. With several million copies sold, publishers are now lined up on her doors.

But it wasn’t always like this. After some hot-popularity, one particular book of her “Seeing Double”, created quite some trouble for her. In her book, she built a character of a young countess who marries a man with fragile health. It was inspired from the late Queen Mother and George VI. The death of Princess Diana in 1997 associate her book with bad times. Her publishers fearing a public backlash, pulled out, leaving Lucinda in the dark. The book never saw the light of the day. Till then, she has earned quite a reputation in writing and was already selling six-figure copies. Though she faced rejection before, she couldn’t accept the injustice done to her. It was a huge personal shock for her and she left writing altogether. Fortunately, it was only a brief hiatus of a few years during she took time exploring herself.

In between these years, she found her soul mate Stephen Riley and married him. Stephen was so dedicated to working on Lucinda’s writing career that he left his job to work as an agent for her. It was Stephen, who looked after Lucinda during her times of trouble. She gave her encouragement and motivated her to start writing again. She wouldn’t have to worry about money anymore and could finally write freely without deadlines or other pressure. She took to writing at her own pace and completed 3 novels within 5 years.

But these are tales of today, Lucinda was a well-known author having mastered many characters and novels in her lifetime. Her writing found new vigor and style when she landed in Thailand to build a home on a piece of land her father owned. During these trips, she studied the art and history of orchid plantation. That was her niche, and she soon wrote some of the eternal books of her career. Some of the bestselling novels she wrote are the Hothouse Flower, The Midnight Rose and The Girl on the Cliff.

Hothouse Flower is a heart-rending novel set across different theaters of war from Europe to the shores of Thailand. The protagonist of the novel Julia Forrester is etched to the memory of anyone who has ever read it once. Her simplicity and innocence with soon wrap itself with the secrets of two great families. Set in the quaint atmosphere of Wharton Park and with the cries of war in the backdrop, it leaves some deep impression of the reader’s mind. The book is also known as The Orchid House after it was published for a second time by Pan-Macmillan. It was selected by the UK’s Richard and Judy Bookclub in 2011 and has been translated into several languages across the globe.

The loyalty Lucinda enjoys from an ever-growing fan base, took a strong upward turn after the publication of The Midnight Rose. Here she crystallizes the charming and vibrant character Anahita Chaval, through whose eyes the book explores four generation of Britain’s history. From the busy lanes of London to the paddy fields of Calcutta, this novel takes the audience on a unique trip of the orient. It explores the might of The British Raj in India, the ruthlessness of the East India Company and provides a rare glimpse of the exorbitant lifestyles of the Maharajas of India. It’s also worthwhile mentioning here that she has been a New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author for this book.

The Girl on the Cliff is an enchanting story of Grania Ryan, who returns home to her family in Ireland. Here she meets a strange young girl, Aurora. As Grania starts to know more about Aurora and her family she discovers that her own family is eternally tied with that of Grania. The story follows down from the high-rises of New York to the bustling commerce capital of London. Set in a period where the Great Nations of the West are entangled in war, this is a compelling story of forgiveness and empathy.

Most of Lucinda’s novels have a subtle reference to her life, and she balances her characters well through the real life people she meets. Her writing is pure and she can connect well with the reader. Her characters are well researched and have sound psychological analysis. That’s one of the reasons why her writing style and flow feels natural and organic. Already a fan of millions, she is just reaching beginning to reach the climax of her career. Her writing has made the whole world a better place to live in.

5 Responses to “Lucinda Riley”

1. Pauline: 1 year ago

   I have only just now heard about Lucinda’s sad passing. I have read most of her books after being introduced to Seven sister’s. I was truly upset to learn she had gone as she ignited a flame in me for her style of writing and I send her beautiful family my Sincere condolences R.I.P

   Reply
2. Catherine Morante: 3 years ago

   When will you be finishing up The Seven Sisters. Can’t wait for the last book.

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3. carolyn tengo owens: 3 years ago

   Mrs. Lucinda Riley will be missed by her readers worldwide. The diversity of her books, the research necessary to write them , her ability to comfort and remove one from every problem while reading her books , to take you along on her private voyage. I have all of her books and I will think of her every time that I reread one.
   We have lost , first a great Woman and , then, a fantastic writer.

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4. Mery Uribe: 4 years ago

   Lucinda i am loving your books .
   Waiting for the last of the Seven Sisters.
   I love your style of writing you are my number one author.
   Keep up the good work👍

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5. Evelyn Mitchell: 6 years ago

   I just finished reading ” The Love Letter”. This book is suspenseful, exciting and a great read. I couldn’t put it down. Excellent book!! Lucinda Riley has a wonderful talent. I am anxiously awaiting the next book in the Seven Sisters series.

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