Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Octavius and the Perfect Governess | 2020 | Emily Larkin | Buy |
| 2 | Decimus and the Wary Widow | 2023 | Emily Larkin | Buy |
Emily Larkin’s Pryor Cousins series follows members of the Pryor family in Regency England. Octavius and the Perfect Governess (2020) opens the series, and Decimus and the Wary Widow (2023) follows.
Octavius and the Perfect Governess pairs a member of the Pryor family with a woman in his household’s employ, a setup that creates both romantic tension and social complications typical of the Regency period. Decimus and the Wary Widow, arriving three years later, brings a different cousin into focus with a heroine who has her own reasons for caution.
Larkin also writes under the name Emily Lark and has published several other Regency romance series. The Pryor Cousins books share a family connection but each stands well on its own, with a different cousin taking the lead in each novel. The naming convention (Octavius, Decimus) reflects Latin-influenced Regency-era naming traditions.