The Casteel Series in Order: How to read V.C. Andrews’ books?
Published between 1985 and 1990, The Casteel book series was the second novel series written by V.C. Andrews, after The Dollanganger series. Andrews wrote the first two books and started the third, but didn’t finish it. The series was completed by Andrew Neiderman, the ghostwriter hired by her estate following her death to continue to write novels under her name.
The Casteel series tells us the story of the Casteel family, the least regarded of all the families living in the poverty-stricken foothills of the mountains of West Virginia. Despite that, Heaven Leigh Casteel was still the smartest girl in the backwoods and determined to redeem her family name. However, her dreams become deferred the day her stepmother flees and her selfish father Luke sells her and her four siblings to different families. Heaven is sent to live in the home of Luke’s deranged ex-lover, Kitty, who torments Heaven as Kitty’s husband, Cal lures Heaven into a forbidden relationship while she fights to reunite her siblings.
How to read The Casteel Series in Order?
- Heaven – Heaven Leigh Casteel may be the prettiest, smartest girl in the backwoods, but her cruel father and weary stepmother work her like a mule. For the sake of her brother Tom and the other little ones, Heaven clings to the hope that someday she can show the world that they are worthy of love and respect. But when the children’s stepmother can’t take it anymore and abandons the family, Heaven’s father hatches a scheme that will alter her young life forever. Being sold to a strange couple is just the beginning; ripping away the thin veneer of civilization and learning the adult secrets of the world around her means Heaven must abandon someone, too-the child she was, to become the woman her mother never had the chance to be.
- Dark Angel – In her grandmother’s fine, labyrinthine Boston house, Heaven Leigh Casteel dreams of a wonderful new life of new friends, the best schools, beautiful clothes, and most important, love. She is determined to make the Casteel name respectable, find her long-lost brothers and sisters, and have a family again. But even in the world of the wealthy, there are strange forebodings, secrets best forgotten. And as Heaven reaches out for love, she is slowly ensnared in a sinister web of cruel deceits and hidden passions.
- Fallen Hearts – As Logan’s bride, Heaven would savor now the love she had sought for so long. And free from her father’s clutches, she would live again in her backwoods town, a respected teacher and cherished wife. But after a wedding trip to Boston’s Farthinggale Manor and a lavish, elegant party, Heaven and Logan are persuaded to stay…lured by Tony Tatterton’s guile to live amidst the Tatterton wealth and privilege. Then the ghosts of Heaven’s past rise up once more, writhing around her fragile happiness…threatening her precious love with scandal and jealousy, sinister passions, and dangerous dreams.
- Gates of Paradise – The car crash that killed Heaven and Logan left Annie Casteel Stonewall orphaned and crippled. Whisked off to Farthinggale Manor by the possessive Tony Tatterton, Annie pines for her lost family, but especially for Luke, her half-brother. Friend of her childhood, her fantasy prince, her loving confidante…without the warm glow of Luke’s love, she is lost in the shadows of despair. When Annie discovers Troy’s cottage hidden in Farthinggale’s woods, the mystery of her past deepens. And even as she yearns to see Luke again, her hopes and dreams are darkened by the sinister Casteel spell…treacherous, powerful, and evil.
- Web of Dreams – Prequel to the first book. Leigh VanVoreen had to escape from Boston’s Farthinggale Manor. The foul secret she harbored within her seemed to darken her life forever. Jillian, her mother, would not believe her, and Tony Tatterton, her stepfather, had betrayed her cruelly. But the pure devotion of Luke Casteel promised her hope and respect. Only Luke knew her deepest of secrets…only Luke would love and protect her. Bravely she bore the suspicions of the Willies’ hillfolk, as she tried to grasp the happiness that had so long eluded her. Leigh prayed with all her heart that her bright, shining dreams would save her from tragedy at last…
If you like our article about reading The Casteel reading order, you may want to take a look at the Flowers in the attic series, the Ruby Series (or The Landry Series), The Orphans Series, The Logan Series, and the Dawn Cutler Series. Don’t hesitate to follow us on Twitter or Facebook to discover more book series.
