Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Lady’s Gamble | 2018 | Abby Ayles | Buy |
| 2 | Caught in the Storm of a Duke’s Heart | 2020 | Abby Ayles | Buy |
| 3 | From Denial to Desire | 2022 | Abby Ayles | Buy |
| 4 | The Governess and the Duke | 2022 | Abby Ayles | Buy |
| 5 | Marriage by Mistake | 2022 | Abby Ayles | Buy |
| 6 | The Language of a Lady’s Heart | 2022 | Abby Ayles | Buy |
| 7 | Saving the Imprisoned Earl | 2022 | Abby Ayles | Buy |
| 8 | Engaging Love | 2023 | Abby Ayles | Buy |
| 9 | Portrait of Love | 2023 | Abby Ayles | Buy |
Marriages by Mistake is built on one of the most reliable tropes in romance fiction: the accidental marriage. Across nine books published between 2018 and 2023, Abby Ayles finds different ways to get her couples to the altar before they have had a chance to fall in love. What follows in each book is the slow realization that the “mistake” might actually be the best thing that ever happened to them.
The marriage-first structure works especially well in a Regency setting, where social reputation could force a wedding after even a minor scandal. Ayles uses this to create stories where the couple must learn to live together and, gradually, to care for each other. It is a premise that keeps the tension high while still delivering the warm, clean romances her readers expect.