Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emily | 1975 | Jilly Cooper | Buy |
| 2 | Bella | 1976 | Jilly Cooper | Buy |
| 3 | Harriet | 1976 | Jilly Cooper | Buy |
| 4 | Octavia | 1977 | Jilly Cooper | Buy |
| 5 | Prudence | 1978 | Jilly Cooper | Buy |
| 6 | Imogen | 1978 | Jilly Cooper | Buy |
| 7 | Araminta’s Wedding: or A Fortune Secured: A Country House Extravaganza | 1993 | Jilly Cooper | Buy |
| 8 | Forces Sweethearts | 1994 | Jilly Cooper | Buy |
| 9 | Tackle! | 2023 | Jilly Cooper | Buy |
Before Jilly Cooper became known for the Rutshire Chronicles, she wrote a string of short, funny romance novels in the mid-to-late 1970s. Emily, Bella, Harriet, Octavia, Prudence, and Imogen each center on a young woman dealing with romantic mishaps, awkward social situations, and the search for love. These novels are quick reads compared to her later doorstop sagas, but they share the same sharp humor and warm heart.
Cooper returned to standalone fiction much later with Araminta’s Wedding in 1993 and Forces Sweethearts in 1994. Her most recent standalone novel, Tackle!, was published in 2023 and is set in the world of English football. These books show Cooper’s range across five decades of writing, from the compact romances of her early career to longer works that tackle new settings while keeping her trademark blend of comedy and romance.