Jane Feather's Complete Wedding Game Empire
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- Jane Feather published her first historical romance in 1988 and has written over 50 novels since.
- The Bachelor List trilogy (The Bachelor List, The Bride Hunt, The Wedding Game) opens in Edwardian London in 1903, not the Regency.
- The Blackwater Brides series (Trapped at the Altar, Rushed to the Altar, Trapped by Scandal) is set in 17th-century England among outlaw border families.
- Valentine (1995) is a standalone Regency romance featuring a widowed heroine with a scandalous reputation.
- Feather's heroines typically inherit newspapers, run estates, or manipulate marriage markets — agency is the point.
Valentine — Jane Feather
The widow with a past meets the earl who won't play along. Valentine (1995) is peak Feather: a Regency widow whose reputation precedes her, an earl who sees through the armor, and a house party where everyone's got an agenda. The physical copy on our shelves has that telltale mass-market spine crease — proof someone read it in one sitting, probably in a bathtub. Feather writes banter that lands and desire that builds slowly, which is rare in the genre's more breathless corners. Explore our current copy of Valentine or browse more Romance books at Patina.
The Bachelor List — Jane Feather
Edwardian suffragettes inherit a scandal sheet and immediately pick a fight with a barrister. The Bachelor List (2004) kicks off Feather's Duncan sisters trilogy in 1903 London, not the Regency — corsets are on their way out, women are on their way in. Constance, Prudence, and Chastity Duncan inherit The Mayfair Lady, a gossip rag that skewers hypocritical men, and their first target is a lawyer who specializes in silencing inconvenient women. The mass-market format means this one's built for re-reading, and the foxing on the edges suggests someone did exactly that. Explore our current copy of The Bachelor List or browse more Romance books at Patina.
The Bride Hunt — Jane Feather
Prudence Duncan versus marriage, until blackmail forces her hand. The second Duncan sisters book (2004) is Feather's most reluctant-heroine setup: Prudence writes an advice column, runs a newspaper, and has constructed her entire life to avoid matrimony. Then a blackmail scheme threatens the family and she's stuck negotiating with a man who thinks he can outmaneuver her. The joy here is watching Feather dismantle the marriage-of-convenience trope from the inside — Prudence agrees to nothing she hasn't already reverse-engineered. Explore our current copy of The Bride Hunt or browse more Romance books at Patina.
The Wedding Game — Jane Feather
Arabella's playing matchmaker for her sister and accidentally matches herself. The Wedding Game (2005) closes the Duncan trilogy with the youngest sister's story, except it's really about Arabella, who's spent two books managing everyone else's matrimonial chaos. She's trying to find her unworldly younger sister a husband, but the only man who meets her standards is the one who keeps arguing with her about the entire project. Feather's best trick: making you root for the couple to stop scheming and just admit what's obvious to everyone else in the room. Explore our current copy of The Wedding Game or browse more Romance books at Patina.
Trapped at the Altar — Jane Feather
Childhood betrothal, 17th-century border country, and a heroine who refuses to comply. Trapped at the Altar (2016) opens The Blackwater Brides series in a completely different century — 1600s England, where Ariadne Carfax has been promised to her cousin Ivor since they were children. It's a political arrangement between two outlaw families, and Ariadne's been in love with someone else the entire time. Feather's move here is making the "trapped" part literal — these are border families living outside the law, so escape isn't simple. The stakes are higher, the settings are grimier, and the romance is earned through survival, not ballrooms. Explore our current copy of Trapped at the Altar or browse more Romance books at Patina.
Rushed to the Altar — Jane Feather
Jasper needs a respectable bride to erase his scandalous past; Clarissa needs his money to save her family. Rushed to the Altar (2017) is the second Blackwater Brides book and Feather's most transactional setup: a Regency marriage of convenience where both parties know exactly what they're trading. Jasper's returned from India with a fortune and a reputation; Clarissa's got a crumbling estate and a father who gambles. The contract is clear, the attraction is immediate, and the complication is that neither of them planned on actually liking each other. The mass-market copy we've got has a broken spine from someone who couldn't put it down, which tracks. Explore our current copy of Rushed to the Altar or browse more Romance books at Patina.
Trapped by Scandal — Jane Feather
Reputation destroyed by gossip, society's cruelest rules enforced, and one man who doesn't care what the ton thinks. Trapped by Scandal (2018) is Feather's angriest book — a Regency where malicious gossip ruins a young woman's life and she's left navigating the wreckage alone until a man who operates outside society's expectations offers her a way out. This one's darker than the Duncan books, more claustrophobic than the border-country novels, and it doesn't pretend that charm fixes systemic cruelty. The hero's appeal is that he refuses to play the rehabilitation game; he just removes her from the entire system. Explore our current copy of Trapped by Scandal or browse more Romance books at Patina.
Twelfth Night Secrets — Jane Feather
Lady Harriet's juggling a secret identity, a failing estate, and an inconvenient attraction to the man who could expose her. Twelfth Night Secrets is Feather in full Regency-romp mode: a heroine running a crumbling estate while maintaining a double life, a house party that's one spark away from disaster, and a hero who's too observant for anyone's good. The "secrets" in the title are structural — Feather layers them so the reveal isn't just romantic, it's the plot's entire architecture. The copy on our shelves has yellowed pages and a cracked spine, which means someone read this one poolside in the sun and didn't care if it came back pristine. Explore our current copy of Twelfth Night Secrets or browse more Romance books at Patina.
As of June 2026, Patina's romance shelves hold rotating copies of Feather's Duncan trilogy, the Blackwater Brides series, and standalone Regency titles like Valentine. If you're after historical romances where the heroine's agency is the engine and the hero's learning curve is the point, Feather's the move. Shop all Romance books at Patina Paperbacks →
Where can I buy secondhand Jane Feather novels in Australia?
Patina Paperbacks stocks preloved copies of Jane Feather's historical romances, including titles from The Bachelor List trilogy and The Blackwater Brides series. We're Sydney-based and ship Australia-wide, with free shipping over $29. Stock rotates, so if you're hunting a specific title, check the Romance collection for current availability.
What's the reading order for The Bachelor List trilogy?
Start with The Bachelor List (2004), then The Bride Hunt (2004), and finish with The Wedding Game (2005). Each Duncan sister gets her own book, but the trilogy's set in Edwardian London (1903–1905), not the Regency, which is unusual for Feather. The suffragette politics and newspaper-running plotlines are what make this series distinct.
Are The Blackwater Brides books connected?
Loosely. Trapped at the Altar (2016), Rushed to the Altar (2017), and Trapped by Scandal (2018) share the Blackwater family's outlaw-border-country setting, but each book stands alone with different protagonists. The first is 17th-century, the second and third are Regency-era. You can read them out of order without losing the thread.
Which Jane Feather book should I start with if I'm new to historical romance?
Honestly, Valentine (1995). It's a standalone Regency with all of Feather's strengths — a heroine with a scandalous past, a hero who's not interested in rescuing her, and a house-party setting that lets the banter breathe. If you want something with more modern politics baked in, go for The Bachelor List and its Edwardian suffragette trio instead.
Does Jane Feather write any contemporary romance?
No. Feather's entire catalogue is historical romance, spanning Regency, Edwardian, and 17th-century England. If you're after modern-day settings, you're in the wrong author's backlist. Her lane is corsets, estates, and matrimonial schemes — she doesn't stray from it.