One of the things I’m known for within historical romance (at least, what I’ve been told I’m known for!) is that I write long series.

And in a way, they are correct!

I have a thirteen book series, two twelve book series already published and one currently underway, and even my ‘shorter’ series are at least four books long.

But unlike in genres like space opera, fantasy, or some crime drama, my series don’t have to be read in order. They are what authors call ‘interconnected standalones’. That means that the books in a series all take place in the same ‘world’ and sometimes occur at the same time as each other. Characters may pop in and out of each others’ books: the hero of one could be the best friend of another book’s hero.

The important thing is that each book in the series is its own self-contained story. You don’t need to have read the earlier numbered books to understand what’s going on.

Now, might you get more enjoyment if you read them in order? Sure! I like to seed jokes into my books, and you might not get them if you haven’t read in order – but importantly, that won’t lessen your enjoyment. You just won’t notice it.

I also really love interconnected standalones as an approach because with romance, it can be heartwrenching to leave your couple on a cliffhanger! I know some romance authors and readers love that, but it just doesn’t do it for me. I would find it very stressful to leave my characters not knowing if they are going to end up together!

So when you pick up an Emily E K Murdoch book, it doesn’t really matter what number it is in the series. You can enjoy meeting new characters, falling in love with them, and enjoy them falling in love with each other. Just be aware that you might spot them at a ball or at a dinner party in another one of the books in that series…