Q. How do the Maclolm and Suzanne Rannoch books fit in with your Charles and Mélanie Fraser books?
A. Vienna Waltz is essentially the story of Charles and Mel’s adventures at the Congress of Vienna. Their time at the Congress is referred to Secrets of a Lady and in Beneath a Silent Moon there’s mention of a murder Charles investigated in Vienna. But my new publisher wanted new names, so they are called Malcolm and Suzanne Rannoch. However, I wrote the book using their “real” names to I could keep the characters and chronology consistent, and I think readers will recognize that they are very much the same characters. Imperial Scandal follows them to Brussels at the time of Waterloo, and The Paris Affair to Paris after Waterloo, during the Bourbon Restoration and the White Terror. His Spanish Bride goes back in time still further to tell the story of their wedding and first investigation together. I like to think that Charles and Mel lead such adventurous lives it’s no wonder some of their adventures are chronicled under aliases :-).
Q. What order should your books be read in?
A. I’ve always liked books that play with time, both as a reader and a writer. I wrote Secrets of a Lady (Daughter of the Game) first, then took the series back two and a half years so I could explore Charles’s family history in Beneath a Silent Moon. I deliberately wrote Secrets and Beneath so they could be read in either order. Neither contains major spoilers for the other. Vienna Waltz, as I discuss above, goes even further back to the story of Charles and Mel’s adventures at the Congress of Vienna. Imperial Scandal follows with their experiences before, during, and after the battle of Waterloo. The Paris Affair continues in post-Waterloo Paris. I also have an enovella, His Spanish Bride, about their wedding. The Mask of Night picks up the story a couple of months after Secrets.
But eventually I realized I had to catch the two series up to each other to get to the stories I had always wanted to write after The Mask of Night. With The Berkeley Square Affair, the Malcolm & Suzanne books movie into a sort of parallel universe. The Berkeley Square Affair is set a bit earlier (late 1817) but covers some of the same revelations and developments (though things unfold in a quite different way) as in Beneath a Silent Moon, Secrets of a Lady, and The Mask of Night. The Mayfair Affair is the book I had planned to write after The Mask of Night.
Chronologically here’s the order they take place in:
His Spanish Bride (enovella) – December 1812
London Interlude (enovellla) – June 1814
Vienna Waltz – November 1814
Imperial Scandal – June 1815
The Paris Affair – July/August 1815
The Paris Plot (enovella) – December 1816
Beneath a Silent Moon – June/July 1817
The Berkeley Square Affair – November/December 1817
The Mayfair Affair – March 1818
Incident in Berkeley Square (enovella) -April 1818
London Gambit – June 1818
Mission for a Queen (evnovella) – June/July 1818
Gilded Deceit – September 1818
Midwinter Intrigue (novella) – December 1818/January 1819
The Duke’s Gambit – January 1819
The Darlington Letters (novella) – April/May 1819
The Glenister Papers – September/October 1819
Secrets of a Lady – November 1819
A Midwinter’s Masquerade (novella) – December 1819
The Mask of Night – January 1820
The Tavistock Plot – January 1820
The Carfax Intrigue (novella) – June 1820
The Westminster Intrigue – September 1820
The Apsley House Incident (novella) – September/October 1820
The Whitehall Conspiracy – October 1820
Because of the parallel universe aspect, I would now suggest going from The Paris Affair to The Paris Plot to The Berkeley Square Affair for continuity and then on to The Mayfair Affair, Incident in Berkeley Square, London Gambit, Mission for a Queen, Gilded Deceit, Midwinter Intrigue, The Duke’s Gambit, The Darlington Letters, The Glenister Papers, A Midwinter’s Masquerade, The Tavistock Plot, The Carfax Intrigue, The Westminster Intrigue, The Apsley House Incident, and The Whitehall Conspiracy and reading Beneath a Silent Moon, Secrets of a Lady, and The Mask of Night as a group after. Though they do take place in a parallel universe, I think they shed interesting light on the characters. All of the books are written to stand on their own, and I think you can have fun starting the series at any point. If you haven’t started the series yet, Vienna Waltz or His Spanish Bride are probably a good introduction to the characters. And if you’ve already read about Charles and Mel, I think you’ll find that the Malcolm and Suzanne books shed some interesting new light on the characters—even with other names.
As always, I’m happy to answer any questions about reading order, continuity, or anything else relating to the series. Feel free to post questions or to email me through the link on the About Tracy page.
Q. What is the Fraser Correspondence?
A. The Fraser Correspondence is letters between Charles/Malcolm, Mélanie/Suzanne and their friends and family. I’m keeping their names as Charles and Mélanie in the Correspondence, but if you’ve come to the series through Vienna Waltz, you can be assured they are the same characters. In fact, a number of the letters involve their time in Vienna. The letters move around in time, but usually a cluster of them are from the same time period. I post a new letter each week.
Q. Will The Mask of Night ever be published as a print book and/or on other e-book platforms?
A. We’re starting with Kindle, but eventually we plan to to expand to other e-reader platforms. And if the e-book does well, that makes it more likely there a print publisher will pick the book up. Print publication is still my goal. Meanwhile, you can download a free Kindle app that will allow you to read it on your phone, computer, or iPad.
Q. Why are you Teresa Grant for the Malcolm and Suzanne books?
A. Kensington wanted me to have a more historical sounding name. I chose Teresa, because Tracy can be a nickname for it. I’m still the same person, and I still write the same books. When I moved to writing the series for NYLA I went back to Tracy Grant.
Q. What are you working on now?
A. I’m starting next novella in the series, which picks up immediately after The Westminster Intrigue, still in the midst of Queen Caroline’s divorce trial.
Q. Will you ever take the series forward after The Mask of Night?
A. Yes. Much as I loved exploring Charles/Malcolm and Mélanie/Suzanne’s early years, I always had lots of ideas for stories to tell beyond The Mask of Night. By The Tavistock Plot, the series is beyond The Mask of Night both chronologically and in terms of the unfolding arc and events for the characters.
Tracy Grant - Novelist 
March 27, 2011 at 9:09 pm
[…] FAQ […]
October 5, 2014 at 7:01 am
Hi Tracy – Are Berkely Square Affair and Imperial Scandal not available on Kindle? I couldn’t find them. Do let me know
Thanks
October 6, 2014 at 9:28 pm
They are both available on Kindle, but because my publisher only has US rights and a UK publisher (or other foreign publisher) hasn’t picked them up, they are only available in the US (somehow the contract allows them to sell print versions in the US but not e-versions). Are you outside the US? Are you able to get them as print books? If not, let me know.
October 10, 2014 at 5:29 pm
Hi TracySo just wanted to check when will your books be available in India on Kindle?I don’t have Imperial Scandal, The Paris Plot and The Berkely Square Affair.The paperback versions are available via e retailers but they are very very expensive…double triple the price of an ebook or even a regular paperback. Do let me know if you have any news Thanks Monisha PS: am looking forward to where the story picks up after Mask of The Night….will Raoul be a continuing character?
Date: Mon, 6 Oct 2014 21:28:06 +0000 To: monishachowla@hotmail.com
April 28, 2011 at 5:50 pm
i hope your other books go into print, i and certain customers are not interested in e books etc i and they want to have a book in they’re hands, please let me know so i can inform them, thank you , pat
April 28, 2011 at 6:10 pm
Thanks, Patricia! Right now my only book that is solely an ebook is “The Mask of Night.” I hope it’s published in print eventually as well, and I will certainly update everyone if/when that happens. “Vienna Waltz,” “Secrets of a Lady,” and “Beneath a Silent Moon” are all available in print now.
June 9, 2011 at 1:23 pm
Tracy,
I have enjoyed all your books, and was so glad you were able to find a publisher for Vienna Waltz. However, I find the name changes very confusing. Are readers supposed to see these as the same characters, or are you going to treat them as separate stories? Having read “Daughter of the Game”, &”Beneath a Silent Moon” and knowing some of the secrets between Charles and Mel, I don’t know if I’m supposed to connect these same issues with Malcolm and Suzanne. If they are the same, I think it was a mistakes on the part of your publisher to change the names. Maybe this seems trivial, but I’m the kind of reader who loves series, and I like to have everything straight. I love your writing, but am finding this character exchange difficult. Should I think of Charles and Mel in the earlier books as Malcolm and Suzanne? And I notice The Mask of Night still uses the old names. I hope I ‘m not being too critical because I think you are one of the best writers in this historical romance genre – and I read a lot of them! I just would appreciate some clarification.
June 9, 2011 at 4:59 pm
Thanks so much for posting, Barb! I’m so sorry you find the name change confusing. Yes, Malcolm and Suzanne have the same history as Charles and Mel and the same secrets (which becomes quite apparent in the next book, Imperial Scandal). Please let me know if there’s anything else I can to clarify things for you and help you enjoy the books!
June 12, 2011 at 11:10 pm
Hi,Terresa,
Teresa,
I’ve Just read through the Vienna Waltz. It was really gougeous and fantastic !
I want more and more of my fellow Japanese book lovers to be introduced this wonderful novel. You are really a telented story teller and well qualified to become one of the top class novelists in near future!
Now, let me know if the Minoritenplatz is the name of a plaza where the lodging for the English delegation locates or it’s the name of the accommodation itself.
It was a surprise that you’d already published more of Malcolm& Suzanna’s chronology series through e-books . Unfortunately, it’s not common for us Japanese to read books by e-book reader because the Japanese contents aren’t sufficient yet. If I buy kindle, it’s because I want to read more of your books.
Saeko
June 12, 2011 at 11:54 pm
Hi Saeko,
Thank you so much for your lovely message! It’s wonderful to think of my books being read in Japan!
The Minoritzenplatz is a plaza/square on which the building stood in which the British delegation was lodged at the Congress of Vienna.
It’s very flattering that you would consider buying a Kindle to read my books! You can get print copies of “Beneath a Silent Moon” and “Secrets of a Lady” which are also about Suzanne and Malcolm, though in those books they are called Mélanie and Charles. “The Mask of Night’ is only available a present as a Kindle book, but you can download a free app that let’s you read Kindle books on your computer (or on a smart phone or iPad) so perhaps that’s a way you could read it.
Thanks again for commenting! Do stay in touch!
Warmly,
Tracy
August 16, 2011 at 8:18 pm
Hello Tracy
I started reading Vienna Waltz based on recommendations by other readers. I really liked it which made me follow up and read the previous novels. I enjoyed Beneath the Silent Moon more than Daughter of the Game. I didn’t quite like the strange twists at the end of Daughter of the Game. It seemed to change Melanie’s character too much. I will have to reread Vienna Waltz and look at it again from the perspective of what was revealed in DOTG. I am looking forward to reading the newest book.
August 16, 2011 at 10:44 pm
Thanks for posting, Seema! I love it when people find the series through Vienna Waltz. Just out of curiosity was it Mélanie/Suzanne being a spy that bothered you or the revelations about Colin’s parentage? Do let me know how it is rereading Vienna Waltz knowing Mel/Suzanne’s secrets. And I’m really glad you’re looking forward to Imperial Scandal!
August 20, 2011 at 5:07 am
[…] other Charles and Melanie books – I would definitely recommend visiting Teresa Grant’s website FAQ before reading Vienna Waltz in order to get the reading order and background […]
July 11, 2012 at 8:04 am
I enjoyed Harry and Cordy, will we get to read more of them in the upcoming books?
July 12, 2012 at 10:56 pm
So glad you enjoyed Harry and Cordy, Pat – I loved writing about them. They play important roles in the next book, The Paris Affair (which takes place in Paris a couple of months after Imperial Scandal_). I’m starting to plot the following book,which will be in London a couple of years later (1817), and I want them to be involved in that story as well.
July 15, 2012 at 2:06 pm
Are the books going to be available in epub versions eg via kobo, at all? Outside the USA Amazon is not the only ebook platform and I am sure many people would enjoy the series
July 17, 2012 at 1:13 am
The digital rites people at Nancy Yost Literary put out the e-versions of The Mask of Night and my old historical romances. So far they are available on Amazon (us, uk, and germany), Nook, and All Romance Books. However, Vienna Waltz and Imperial Scandal should be aviallable on all e-platforms. Hope that helps!
July 17, 2012 at 1:23 am
I found three books on Kobo, so that is a start. Thanks
July 17, 2012 at 1:28 am
Great to know – are the three books Vienna Waltz, Imperial Scandal, and Secrtets of a Lady?
July 17, 2012 at 1:42 am
Vienna Waltz, Secrets of a Lady and Silent Moon
July 17, 2012 at 1:58 am
Thanks! Imperial Scandal should be available as well. I’ll ask my editor.
July 17, 2012 at 3:51 am
I meant to say that Isobel Carr recommended your books to me
July 24, 2012 at 2:25 am
Cool! Isobel is a wonderful writer and a great friend!
January 11, 2013 at 12:19 am
Hi Teresa from a cold and frosty Epping, Essex, England! Having trouble getting e-novella of His Spanish Bride. Amazon UK tell me it’s only available at AZ US and of course my Kindle is UK registered. They suggested I contact publishers but that was a bit of a nightmare so am trying you direct. Are there any plans to release this via AZ UK? My 94 yr old mother, my sister and myself are avid fans of Malcolm & Suzanne’s stories. I just love the way you manage to create the atmosphere of the time. I’d love to have been at the Congress of Vienna as a ‘fly on the wall’! All best wishes for a successful 2013. JACQIE
January 11, 2013 at 12:44 am
It’s wonderful to hear you and your mother and sisters all like the Malcolm & Suzanne stories, Jacqie! Unfortunately my publisher only has US rights and a UK publisher hasn’t picked up the series. If you email me through the About Tracy page, I think I have a solution to get you the novella. Happy 2013 to you and your mother and sister!
March 30, 2013 at 2:21 am
I read Daughter of the Game many years ago and have been on the look out for more Charles and Melanie. Such a breath of fresh air to come across a Regency couple and marriage with flaws and to read how they work through their differences.
Got confused with the name change of the characters, but stumbled onto explanation on this site. I disagree with the publisher! They are Charles and Mel. Malcolm and Suzanne just not same.
Love your books!
March 30, 2013 at 4:28 am
Thank you so, so much, Shirley! I’m so glad you found the new books.I hope you will try the Malcolm & Suzanne books. They are definitely the same characters, even with different names (the funny thing is I’ve heard from readers who started with these books who say they can’t get used to names other than Malcolm and Suzanne).
Do stay in touch!
May 20, 2013 at 2:41 am
I am reading your old Zebra Regencies and was pleasantly surprised by the length of these books because I was expecting a shorter Harlequin type. I’m about two-thirds of the way through A Touch of Scandal. Are any of these books related? I only have two on hand, waiting on four more to get here. Do you see how I trusted that they would be good books :)?
You should list them on this site. You would be amazed at some of the prices. B&N has some booksellers that want $125+ for some titles. You should have bought up these books years ago so you could one day sell them. (Got this idea from another author. Lisa Gardner’s brother bought her old Harlequins, written under another name, and plans to sell them for his girls’ college funds.)
Looking forward to your WIP,
Carole
May 25, 2013 at 1:18 am
That is so great, Carole! I love people discovering the Anthea Malcolm book.s They are loosely connected – the order they were written in is
The Widow’s Gambit
The Courting of Philippa
Frivolous Pretence
The Counterfeit Heart
A Touch of Scandal
An Improper Proposal
A Sensible Match
The order they take place in is
The Counterfeit Heart
A Touch of Scandal
An Improper Proposal
The Widow’s Gambit
A Sensible Match
The Courting of Philippa
Frivolous Pretence
We did have them on the site, but pulled them off until I can get them ready to put out as ebooks. Never thought of buying up old print copies – what a good idea!
Do let me know what you think!
July 25, 2013 at 6:25 pm
Will the newer Charles/Melanie books ever be republished with their original names? Like someone else mentioned, I’m finding the name change to be a hurdle. I really like your writing and the original books and it was only by chance that I discovered that there were more under a new name. Why did your new publisher want to make such a break from that original series that not only the characters but yourself as well all had to get new names? They are missing the chance to bring over all the old fans.
July 25, 2013 at 11:50 pm
So glad you enjoy the series, Lucrezia! My new publisher wanted new names for the series so they could rebrand and they wanted me to have a more historical sounding name. I would love to see the books published with the original names, but so far there are no plans to do so. However, I do think if you read the e versions of the book it’s possible to use the search and replace feature to change the names. I do hope you will continue with the series one way or another!
December 27, 2013 at 8:59 pm
I’ve just discovered your books with His Spanish Bride. I enjoyed it very much and want to get the others. I read ebooks but can’t find Beneath a Silent Moon as an ebook at Amazon, B&N or Kobo. I saw the other post that Kobo had it but it’s not there now. Will it ever be an ebook anywhere else?
December 27, 2013 at 10:54 pm
So glad to hear you discovered the series, Justine! I have the electronic rights to Beneath a Silent Moon back, so we’re currently in the process of getting it up as an ebook. I’ll post on the site when it’s available, so stay tuned! Thanks again, and do stay in touch!
March 30, 2014 at 4:00 pm
I just started The Berkley Square affair. I’m confused about the mentions of Malcolm’s father dying in a carriage accident. Wasn’t he murdered at the house party in Scotland? I thought he and Charles were the same person??
April 2, 2014 at 10:20 pm
Hi Amber, I need to update the FAQ! In Berkeley Square we essentially enter a parallel universe to i can catch the two series up. The events of Berkeley Square cover developments in Beneath, Secrets, and to some extent Mask but in a somewhat different way. And in Malcolm & Suzanne’s world, the revelations about Suzanne happen earlier than in Charles & Mélanie’s. This was largely because I wanted Jessica to be the age my own Mélanie was when i wrote Berkeley Square and also I wanted to shake things up a bit to avoid repeating myself. The book I’m writing now is the book I planned to write after Mask. Hope that makes sense – please ask further questions if needed!
August 14, 2014 at 9:25 pm
Hello. I am reading the books according to their internal chronology, and have really enjoyed the first Malcolm/Suzanne books. However, when I moved on to the (chronologically) first Charles/Mélanie book, it felt totally off. The name change is the least of my problems: the previous psychological evolution of the characters is just not there. It feels pretty much like what it is, an early book, but chronologically it is set later in their marriage, and it makes little sense when read in the context of the Malcolm/Suzanne books and the evolution of their relationship. This is just my humble opinion, but it really does not feel like the same series. That being said, I really like Malcolm and Suzanne, and I thank you for writing a historical series with a decent, smart, brave hero who is not a male chauvinist.
What is going to happen with future books? Are you sticking with the Malcolm/Suzanne universe?
August 15, 2014 at 6:34 am
Hi Irene,
Thanks so much for your comments! I think characters probably inevitably evolve over the course of a series – more so in some than in others, and in my case writing the books out of chronological order very likely accentuated the changes. Have you read “The Berkeley Square Affair”? With that book the Malcolm and Suzanne books sort of enter a “parallel universe” – it was the only way I could catch up the two series so I could write the books I wanted to write set after “The Mask of Night.” Subsequent books will continue on from “Berkeley Square”. The book I’m currently writing (there’s a teaser in the Blog a few weeks back) is the book I planned to write after “Mask of Night” which centers around the children’s governess, Laura Dudley, being accused of murder, but it is now set a few months after “Berkeley Square.” So yes, I am a continuing on with Malcolm and Suzanne. I tell myself that Malcolm/Charles and Mélanie/Suzanne lead such adventurous lives it’s no wonder there different chronicles of their adventures using different names :-).
Hope that helps! Let me know if you have more questions.
September 9, 2014 at 2:36 pm
Thank you for taking the time to reply! Following a friend’s advice, I read all the available M/S books, and then went back to Beneath a Silent Moon, which I am now approaching as a separate story. Just one more question, if you do not mind: how much of what happens in Silent Moon are we supposed to retain as a background for the M/S books? For instance, are the people at Dunmykel the same? What about Malcolm’s relationship with Giselle and Honoria?
Thanks!
September 11, 2014 at 12:57 am
That’s an excellent question, Irene! I would say all the people in Beneath a Silent Moon exist in Malcolm & Suzanne’s world. I’ve actually referenced Glenister, Honoria, and Gisèle. Events that occurred in the past in Beneath in general are part of Malcolm & Suzanne’s backstory. In my head, Malcolm has the history with Honoria that’s revealed in Beneath, though I don’t know how much it will figure in the series. In my mind in the Malcolm and Suzanne books Gisele is married to Andrew and living in Scotland. I actually have a future book in mind in which they will both play prominent roles. So while you can treat the events of Beneath as separate, I do think knowing the characters’ history enriches the Malcolm & Suzanne world, just as writing the book enriched the characters for me.
Hope that helps! Do post further questions.
October 6, 2014 at 7:31 pm
Once again, thank you for your reply!
October 6, 2014 at 9:23 pm
Do let me know if you have more questions! Keep in touch!
November 3, 2014 at 9:35 pm
So, here I am again. I have just finished Secrets of a Lady and I am completely shocked at the final twist (I mean, I kind of saw it coming, but I am still shocked because I liked E.). Is E. dead in the M/S universe? Has Colin been through that ordeal?
Thanks!
Irene
August 16, 2014 at 7:30 pm
I am also struggling with the two universes, although I think I prefer the Malcolm/Suzanne one. I have read Berkley Square. Are we to assume Daughter of the Game doesn’t fit into this series? Should I just give up on them as working together and see them as separate series? Also, will your next book replace Mask of the Night and explain Laura’s story. I love the stories – I’m just trying to reconcile the two sets of characters!
August 16, 2014 at 8:06 pm
Hi Barb,
I’m sorry you’re struggling! Yes, essentially with Berkeley Square the Malcolm/Suzanne version of events is the “canonical” one for the series,with the Charles & Mélanie one an alternate version of “what might have happened if…” The next book in essence replaces Mask of Night and does indeed explain Laura’s story – there will be more about Laura in future books, but in this one you do learn the truth of who she is, who she is working for, and why she’s in the Rannoch household. And it includes the start of a love story involving her and another ongoing character…
Hope that helps! Do feel free to ask more questions!
August 18, 2014 at 12:50 am
Thank you for your reply. I think I’ll just relax and enjoy the Suzanne/Malcolm books and not worry about the earlier ones! It’s an excellent series and I look forward to more of their story.
August 18, 2014 at 7:00 am
Thanks, Barb – so glad you can still enjoy the series. I just wanted to add that while the events of Beneath, Secrets, and Mask aren’t part of the Malcolm & Suzanne universe, most of the back story revealed in those books is (for instance Suzanne/Mélanie’s connection to Hortense Bonaparte, which is also referenced in Imperial Scandal). But if it’s easier to completely ignore those books, it shouldn’t interfere with the rest of the series! I’m just glad you’re reading it :-).
September 1, 2014 at 9:19 pm
Not really a comment on the above, but a geographical note: Several times when discussing Malcolm’s upbringing, the ‘coast’ is mentioned when dealing with the family estate in Perthshire. However, Perthshire is one of the very few Scottish counties which is landlocked! (Nitpicking of me to mention this, I know, but I do enjoy your books! Susan
September 1, 2014 at 11:21 pm
Thank you, Susan! Another reader wrote me about this – so embarrassing. We had spent the night in Perthshire and drove the next day and I thought we were still in Perthshire when we stopped by the stretch of coast where I envisioned Dunmykel being. I actually changed the county in the e-book of Beneath a Silent Moon and will try to edit the others in the future!
October 7, 2014 at 8:01 am
Hi Tracy
Yes I’m in India. Will check to see if I can get them as print books else will let you know. Looking forward to what happens beyond the Vienna Waltz!
January 2, 2015 at 2:45 am
Hello Tracy,
Why do many of the kindle books for the Rannoch series use both Suzanne and Suzette as the first name for Mrs. Rannoch? Is it a mistake? It tends to be distracting. Kathy Wren
February 27, 2015 at 12:41 pm
In terms of chronology where does “The Berkeley Square Affair” fall?
Thank you in advance.
March 21, 2015 at 10:46 pm
Hello,
I am now ready for “A Mask at Night” and do not have a kindle!!!!!!!
Help
Debbie
April 28, 2015 at 6:19 pm
Hi, can you update the order of books? The above list stops at The Mask of Night. There are several new ones that I don’t know where they fall. Thanks!
April 29, 2015 at 12:18 am
Thanks for the reminder! I just updated the info above.
May 19, 2015 at 6:50 am
When will His Spanish Bride be available in Australia on Kindle. Have read them all except I can’t get this book either in Kindle or hard copy
June 30, 2015 at 12:49 am
Hi Maureen! We are working to get all the Malcolm & Suzanne books available as ebooks in the UK. The covers are already designed. Stay turned!
February 3, 2016 at 12:28 am
Have now got The Spanish Bride on Kindle and thoroughly enjoyed it
June 30, 2015 at 12:03 am
Hi Tracy. Still have all my fingers and toes crossed that The Mayfair Affair becomes available on audible or CD. I am not one of them, thank God but it is not fair to those who love your books but have difficulty with vision.
June 30, 2015 at 12:50 am
I really hope it is too, Kelly-Ann. I would love it if Audible or another company wanted to record it
July 4, 2015 at 6:06 am
Hi Tracy, can you let me know if all your books can be brought as E books in Australia. I know I can get then from Amazon U.S. Yet can’t get them from Amazon AU. I don’t want half as E books and half as paperbacks which I have to order from the U.K.
July 29, 2015 at 10:49 pm
The Rannoch books are novellas just became available in the UK. Let me know if you have any trouble finding them – they should be on Amazon AU,
Thanks!!
July 29, 2015 at 9:12 pm
Hello.
I am reading the recent novella, and it says there that Mèlanie is Suzanne’s real name (in the M/S universe). Is that a recent decision? I do not remember it from previous M/S books. What would Suzanne’s complete real name be, then?
Thanks!
July 29, 2015 at 10:52 pm
The first hint is in His Spanish Bride, where Blanca calls Suzanne “Mel” at one point. It was actually a typo at first, but I left it in. It made sense that she wouldn’t have used her real full name in her masquerade, and I liked what it said about her and her situation that she has two names. Suzanne’s complete name is Mélanie Suzanne Lescaut (the same as in the Fraser universe actually) but she used Suzanne in her masquerade where she ended up married to Malcolm. In The Mayfair Affair, she and Malcolm discuss this, and what the names mean to her and to him. Raoul also calls her Mélanie a couple of times.
August 14, 2015 at 11:09 pm
Thanks. I had noticed the “Mel” in His Spanish Bride, but I thought it was a typo. 🙂
August 15, 2015 at 1:00 am
And you were sort of right, as I said – sometimes errors can provide good inspiration. It’s fun now to play with times when other characters, including Malcolm, call her Mélanie and when she thinks of herself that way.
October 1, 2015 at 11:09 pm
I am trying to envision what O’Rourke looks like – I imagine the tall thin, person you describe, but is he more fair skinned Irish or more swarthy Spanish? I have no problem “seeing” the other characters, and you have said that Melanie / Susanne might look like Elizabeth Hurley. Who would you pick to play O’ Rourke on screen??
October 1, 2015 at 11:12 pm
Great question! Raoul O’Roarke looks like Jeremy Irons. When I was first creating this world, I saw Man in the Iron Mask, and when Jeremy Irons came on screen I thought “there’s Raoul O’Roarke.” So he’s tall and think, and his skin is more fair-skinned Irish.He has dark hair and gray eyes that Malcolm/Charles inherited.
December 1, 2015 at 3:16 am
Sorry this is so late, but I just caught up with everything! Thanks so much and now I can see O’Roarke in my “minds eye” the way you intended him to be! Good choice, by the way! I saw the post below about the writer having read the Lady Julia Grey and the Pink Carnation series, and I also am in love with those as well. It was very sad to see the Pink Carnation series come to an end – so I am REALLY glad you have tons of ideas for the Rannochs! I re-read all the books when a new on comes out, but I do save the Charles and Mel ones for the end as almost a separate series. Thank you for bringing such wonderful characters to life!
December 1, 2015 at 7:50 am
So great that you also like the Julia Grey and Pink Carnation series! I’m really sad Pink Carnation is over too – I loved the last book but felt so bittersweet reading it (fortunately I also love Lauren’s stand alones). I have all sorts of exciting adventures in mind for the Rannochs and love writing about them and their friends. Thrilled to know you reread thebooks when a new one comes out. Glad you like Jeremy Irons as Raoul. Who do you see as Charles? Btw, if you haven’t already, do check out the Google Group for the series (link on this website). Lots of fun discussions including a casting game thread.
November 30, 2015 at 2:36 am
Hi Tracy,
I discovered your series right around the time I was finishing the Pink Carnation series and the Lady Julia Grey mysteries – and it doesn’t disappoint. I finished Vienna Waltz and am currently reading Imperial Scandal. However I’m struggling with the reading order of the books and unfortunately I’m a stickler for reading books in order. Forgive my stupid question: can you explain how catching up on the parallel universe influences the reading order as you’ve set it above?
Thanks so much! And happy Thanksgiving from Canada!
November 30, 2015 at 2:43 am
So glad you discovered my books and are enjoying them! Always particularly love it when someone who loves Deanna’s and Lauren’s books enjoys mine. I could read through the Rannoch books in order up through Mayfair Affair and the recently released novella Incident in Berkeley Square. Then go back and read Beneath a Silent Moon, Secrets of a Lady, and Mask of Night for the alternate universe. Does that make sense? Let me know if you have further questions!
January 5, 2016 at 12:06 pm
[…] form. Basically what I was worried about is how exactly I should read these books. Luckily, the author has shared a handy guide on her website and gives readers a recommended reading order. It’s this reading order that I’ve decided to go […]
February 3, 2016 at 12:31 am
Hi Tracy, got a little bit confused about two of your books. In one, which is about Charles and Melanie, Charles father was murdered but in the other book he died in a carriage accident
April 8, 2016 at 4:46 am
I love the storylines and originally was very confused because I had thought Charles and Melanie were Malcolm and Suzanne. And then I was even mote confused bY the name of Teresa Grant. Your publishers should take a lessen or to. Had I not loved the stories, I would have just bee one of my friends who found it too confusing to follow and gave up.
Thank you for the explanation and to know that the stories will move forward.
May 3, 2016 at 12:01 pm
[…] that it’s a must to start at the beginning. Luckily the author has a handy guide to her series on her website to help you get […]
August 1, 2016 at 4:45 pm
Hi, I am wanting to begin reading your books. Has the order been updated in any way? Just noticing some titles are not listed (i.e. there is Incident at Berkeley Square and Berkeley Square Plot same with Paris Affair/Paris Plot). Are these the same book? Are they different books and if so what order should I be reading them in?
Thanks!
August 2, 2016 at 2:24 am
Thanks for the reminder – I have updated the order above. Paris Plot and Incident in Berkeley Square are both novellas, separate from Paris Affair and Berkeley Square Affair. See the new order above and do let me know if you have questions!
November 24, 2016 at 1:06 am
I am a bit lost in which order the books go in. I looked at your list but still have difficulty working them out. Malcolm and Suzanne stories differ from the Melanie stories. I am now reading Mission for the Queen but cannot find the story which precedes this with Malcolm and David having the disagreement and causing Malcolm and family having to leave England. I have all Kindle books and non Kindle books and thoroughly enjoy them.
November 24, 2016 at 1:18 am
I’m so glad you enjoy the series, Maureen! London Gambit is the book right before Mission for a Queen. I just updated the list on this page. At this point, I would probably recommend reading the Rannoch books in chronological order and then reading the Fraser books for an “alternate universe” take on the events.
November 24, 2016 at 3:06 am
Thank you Tracy. Found London Gambit and have put Mission for the Queen on one side and rereading London Gambit which is no hardship at all.
May 18, 2018 at 1:58 pm
I haven’t read all your comments here, but I have read 7 of the books and novellas. I have enjoyed the books, mostly. Having an interest in Waterloo, I read Imperial Scandal first and was blown away. I thought it was one of the most compelling books I’ve read in recent memory. Having read 6 Rannoch stories, I found Secrets of a Lady to be a combination of confusing and old news. There are differences between the Rannoch’s and Frasers – it is not simply a different POV, a different telling, or time travel. The most significant event in their marriage takes place at completely different times and in different ways. There are other differences. I even thought that Charles personality was slightly different because of Kitty.
Your comment above, in the second bubble immediately after listing the overall chronological order, is perhaps the most helpful I’ve seen as to how to reading order. I definitely think it is confusing and frustrating to try to read Rannoch and Fraser books mixed together. Are there other Fraser books besides BaSM, SoaL, and MoN?
May 18, 2018 at 5:56 pm
I’m so glad you enjoyed Imperial Scandal – writing about Waterloo was both very challenging and a lot of fun. I’m particularly thrilled when readers enjoy Imperial who have an interest in Waterloo.
Beneath a Silent Moon, Secrets of a Lady, and The Mask of Night are the only Fraser books. I agree Charles is slightly different from Malcolm. I’m not sure I’d say it’s because of Kitty – we don’t know if there is a Kitty, or a version of Kitty, in Malcolm’s past – but Malcolm is more aware of having been a spy himself than Charles is and it changes his reaction to the revelations about Suzanne/Mélanie. Actually, Charles/Malcolm’s awareness of having been a spy begins to shift in Beneath and Mask so the change really starts in the Fraser books. It’s one of the reasons I was glad to be able to write his discovery of Suzanne/Mélanie’s secrets again because I think his reaction in Berkeley is more true to how I see the character.
December 3, 2018 at 8:34 am
Just read through the readers emails and Tracys responses which, thankfully, clarified my confusion about the Charles/Malcolm-Melanie/Suzanne characters as well as the Teresa/Tracy issue. I found the Charles/Malcolm characters especially confusing because they read as distinct personalities. Such a relief, now I can go on to enjoy the remainder of the series.
December 3, 2018 at 8:40 am
I’m so glad the comments helped, Clare. I do think, as I said above, that Charles and Malcolm are quite a bit more different than Mélanie and Suzanne (who eventually becomes Mélanie again). Especially the Charles of Daughter of the Game/Secrets of the Lady. One of the things I like about having revamped the series was being able to write Malcolm who is actually closer to the man Charles was morphing into in Beneath and Mask to my mind. I hope you enjoy the subsequent books. Do let me know what you think, and don’t hesitate to ask questions if I can help.
December 29, 2018 at 2:05 pm
Hello,
I am an avid follower of your series and am reading the Duke’s Gambit right now. I have a question regarding Colin Rannoch’s father. I understood from previous books that Raoul is definitely Colin’s father, but now that seems to be in question. Have I missed something along the way in another book? Personally, I hope Colin is Malcom’s son as I have always found the situation that Raoul is both Colin’s father and grandfather rather distasteful.
December 29, 2018 at 5:57 pm
Hi Barb! I’m so glad you enjoy the series! Raoul is Colin’s biological father without question but it takes more than biology to make a parent, so Malcolm is definitely his father and has been since he was born. What lines in which book are making you think there’s a question about Colin’s biological father?
January 2, 2019 at 1:28 am
Thank you for your reply. There is a line in a speech that Malcolm makes:” I’m not fool enough to think that because O’Roarke’s my father, because he raised me without admitting it and we’ve actually remembered how to interact as father and son, because he’s Emily’s father, maybe even Colin’s father…”
It was the use of the word “maybe” that had me thinking there was some doubt as to his parentage.
Then in Chapter 6 Melanie says:” Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad he’s Malcolm’s son.” I know that previously she says to Raoul ” I was pregnant with our child” but Raoul says “He wasn’t -“. Then Melanie says “He was then.” It makes it sound like she thought it was Raoul’s child but later realizes it’s Malcom’s.
Anyway, that’s for clarifying. I just read it as there was some question about it and at some point they had all determined that Colin belonged to Malcolm biologically.
January 2, 2019 at 6:21 am
It’s so funny how as a writer you can write something and not realize it’s open to another interpretation because the details are clear in your own head. I can completely see how you read those passages as conveying uncertainty whereas to me, because Mélanie was pregnant when she married Malcolm, the “maybe” is that Raoul and Colin have something of a father-son relationship now though (as Malcolm says in Gilded Deceit, Raoul is his father too, maybe not in the way I am but in a very real way). And Mel is saying that Malcolm became Colin’s father.
I hope you continue to enjoy Duke’s Gambit and the series even though you don’t like that aspect of it!
September 17, 2019 at 5:51 pm
Hi Tracy, I’ve read through the series (all of the Malcolm & Suzanne books, but not yet the original Charles & Melanie versions) in order up to Duke’s Gambit, which I’ve just started. In Duke’s Gambit and Midwinter Intrigue there are several references to a League agent named Sanderson that the gang uncovered and now get info from, but I don’t recall him ever being mentioned before. Did I miss a novella somewhere that explains who this is and how they found him, or is this something that’s just happened off-screen in the interim between books? Thanks!
September 17, 2019 at 5:55 pm
Hi Cora,
Wonderful to know you are reading the books! Sanderson being uncovered did indeed happen off stage, in between Gilded Deceit and Midwinter Intrigue. They found hm through the list of names they get at the very end of Gilded Deceit.
Do stay in touch and let me know if you have more questions. Btw, did you know there’s a Good Reads discussion group for the series?
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/173472-tracy-grant-book-club
Cheers,
Tracy
October 13, 2019 at 6:51 am
Thanks! I’ll have to check it out.
June 3, 2020 at 7:20 pm
Tracy, I’ve enjoyed Tavistock Plot – thank you. I have a question :when Alistair Rannoch died, was there a body to identify and bury?
June 3, 2020 at 7:26 pm
I’m thrilled you enjoyed it! We don’t know precisely about Alistair, but yes there was a body. However since he died in a carriage accident, we don’t know the precise condition the body was in.
Btw, did you know there’s a Good Reads discussion group for the series?
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/173472-tracy-grant-book-club
June 4, 2020 at 12:03 pm
Thank you for replying so quickly, Tracy. I have a guess about a future plot strand but don’t want to spoil it for anyone so I won’t say here why I asked.
June 4, 2020 at 5:19 pm
Feel free t email me at tracy@tracygrant.org.
August 30, 2020 at 1:25 pm
So great to get Tracy/Teresa Grant’s chronology re: her Malcolm & Suzanne / Charles & Melanie novels. Thanks! I hope these stories continue for many years to come.
August 30, 2020 at 6:50 pm
I’m so glad to hear that! I’m currently finishing up the next novella, THE CARFAX INTRIGUE, which will be out in November. Don’t hesitate to post here or email me if you have questions. Did you know there’s a GoodReads discussion group for the series?
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/173472-tracy-grant-book-club
August 30, 2020 at 10:21 pm
Will check out Good Reads, thanks! Keep writing your great stories, please, and enjoy the rest of your weekend.
August 30, 2020 at 10:36 pm
Wonderful! Thanks so much and enjoy the rest of your weekend too!!
November 10, 2021 at 8:29 am
I preordered and downloaded the new novela The Apsley House Incident tonight and got 3 other books: Take Two by Suzanne Enoch, Pastries and Poor Decisions by Molly Harper and The Last Chance By Karen Hawkens a compilation under the name I Loved You First, copyright 2020. These three books have your wonderful cover with Melanie in green dress in a full moon night but the first page of text says I Loved You First withe those three women’s names. The publishers page i for the above info from says NYLA Publishing, 121 West 27th St, Suite 1201, NYC, NY 10001. http://nyliterary.com.
I was really looking forward to reading The Apsley House Incident. I hope this can be settled soon
January 8, 2022 at 3:10 pm
[…] Tracy Grant has written a very complicated historical series featuring first Charles and Mélanie Fraser, and then later Malcolm and Suzanne Rannoch, who are recognizably the same couple, but with different names, apparently due to some publisher disputes. And to make matters more confusing, probably due to the same dispute, some of the books were published using Tracy Grant and some using the pen name Teresa Grant. And finally, Grant didn’t write the early parts of the series in much of a chronological order. But, if you can wade through all of that, I’ve found it to be quite an enjoyable series, both the traditionally published and the later titles. You can find more info on recommended series order in the FAQ on Grant’s website. […]