First loves book series in reading order

by Colleen Hoover

JoAnn Ross, an American writer, has published more than 100 novels since 1983 across romance, romantic suspense and women's fiction, and has also written as JoAnn Robbins and JoAnn Robb. She belongs to the Romance Writers of America's Honor Roll of best-selling authors and holds Romantic Times Career Achievement Awards in both category and contemporary single title. The catalogue lists 114 books from Winning Season (1983) to Just One Look (2022) and marks the run as dormant. Series include Shelter Bay, Honeymoon Harbor, Castlelough, High Risk, Lucky Penny, Callahan Brothers, Stewart Sisters and New Orleans Knights. Subjects include Navy SEALs, private investigators and first loves.

Nora Roberts

279 books• 37 series

Nora Roberts, born Eleanor Marie Robertson on October 10, 1950, is an American writer of romance under that name. As J. D. Robb, Roberts writes police procedurals with science-fiction elements, and has also published as Jill March and, in the UK, as Sarah Hardesty. This listing carries 280 Roberts books, opening with Irish Thoroughbred (1981); The Missing is scheduled for 2027. Series on the page include the In Death Universe, the MacGregors, Night Tales, the Calhoun Women, the Chesapeake Bay Saga, Irish Hearts and the O'Hurleys.

Tana French is an Irish crime writer and stage actress, born in 1973 and living in Dublin. French's first novel, In the Woods (2007), is a psychological mystery that took the Edgar, Anthony, Macavity and Barry awards for best first novel. The catalogue lists 10 books from 2007 to 2026, including The Likeness, Faithful Place and Broken Harbour, grouped into the Dublin Murder Squad, the Cal Hooper books and standalone novels. The newest title is The Keeper (2026). The Independent has labelled French "the First Lady of Irish Crime".

Christmas stories, Christian fiction and romance make up most of Richard Paul Evans's catalogue, which also turns to science fiction, electricity and Tourette syndrome as subjects. Evans's 64 titles open with The Christmas Box (1993) and take in the Michael Vey books, the Walk series, the Locket Trilogy, the Christmas Box, Noel and Mistletoe collections and the Broken Road novels. Mercy's Child is the most recent title, and publication continues into 2026.

Historical romance set in the Regency and the wider Georgian period is Mary Balogh's territory. Born Mary Jenkins in Swansea on 24 March 1944, Balogh moved to Canada in 1967, taught in Kipling, Saskatchewan, and became a school principal there before the first novel appeared in 1985. The catalogue runs to 106 books, from A Chance Encounter (1985) to A Waltz to Remember (2026). Series headings include Westcott, Bedwyn Family, Survivor's Club, Huxtable Quintet, Simply Quartet, Dark Angel and Ravenswood. Mary Balogh is still publishing.

Susan Wiggs has 75 books in the catalogue, published from 1987 to 2025, beginning with Texas Wildflower (1987) and reaching Wayward Girls (2025). Wiggs is an American author of historical and contemporary romance, born on 17 May 1958. Series include Lakeshore Chronicles, Bella Vista Chronicles, Calhoun Chronicles, Heart of the West and the Great Chicago Fire Trilogy. Early titles include Briar Rose (1987), Moonshadow (1989) and The Mistress of Normandy (1991). Catalogue subjects include family life, mothers and daughters and love stories.

Brenda Novak is an American author of historical romance, contemporary romance and romantic suspense, born in 1964 in Vernal, Utah. The catalogue lists 87 books, opening with Of Noble Birth (1999) and reaching Meet Me in Italy (2026). Early titles include Baby Business (2000), Snow Baby (2000) and Dear Maggie (2001). Series on the author page include the Hanover Chronicles/Evelyn Talbot Chronicles, Bulletproof, the Stillwater Trilogy, Dept 6 Hired Guns, Coyote Canyon and Fairham Island. Whiskey Creek, Silver Springs and Dundee, Idaho appear in the character listing, and subject tags cover missing persons, murder investigation and single mothers.

Tahereh Mafi

27 books• 6 series

Tahereh Mafi, born November 10, 1988, is an Iranian-American writer of young adult fiction based in Santa Monica, California. Mafi's series are Shatter Me, Shatter Me: The New Republic, This Woven Kingdom and Furthermore. Shatter Me (2011) is the first catalogued title, and Whichwood (2017) and A Very Large Expanse of Sea (2018) come later. Fantasy, science fiction, magic, dictatorship and resistance feature in the subjects. Escape Me (2026) is the newest Mafi title.

Carly Phillips is the pen name of Karen Drogin, an American romance author and former attorney born July 7, 1965. The catalogue lists 123 books, starting with Brazen and Perfect Partners in 1999 and reaching Falling for Christmas (2026). Phillips's series include Dare to Love, Dare Nation, the Kingston Family, the Sterling Family, Rosewood Bay, Hot Zone, Serendipity's Finest, Dirty Sexy, Book Boyfriend and the Simply books. Subjects include contemporary romance, police, brothers and sisters, orphans, women lawyers and New York City.

Courtney Walsh has 33 books catalogued between 2007 and 2027. The earliest are scrapbooking titles, Scrapbooking Your Faith (2007) and The Busy Scrapper (2008). Three Sweethaven books appeared in 2012, and Paper Hearts followed in 2014. Brighter than Before (2026) is the latest release, with As Luck Would Have It due in 2027. Series listed are Sweethaven Circle, Holidays With Hart and Paper Hearts. Christian romance, female friendship, family secrets, first loves and photographs appear in the subject tags.

Karen Rose Smith is an American author born in Pennsylvania whose first romance appeared in 1992. Smith has written for Meteor/Kismet, Kensington, Silhouette and Harlequin, and has indie-published novels and short story collections as e-books. Awards include New Jersey's Golden Leaf Award for short contemporary romance (twice), CRA's Award of Excellence and the Golden Quill for Traditional Romance. The catalogue lists 124 books from A Man Worth Loving (1992) to If Books Could Kill (2026). Mystery lines include Caprice De Luca Mystery and Daisy's Tea Garden Mysteries.

Robin Lee Hatcher writes Christian and historical romance, with 103 books in the catalogue from Stormy Surrender (1983) to To Find Where She Belongs (2026). Hatcher has been a RITA Award finalist eleven times and has won it twice, and has received Lifetime Achievement Awards from Romance Writers of America and American Christian Fiction Writers. Series include Women of Hope, King's Meadow, Coming To America, Hart's Crossing, Sisters Of Bethlehem Springs, Where The Heart Lives and Legacy Of Faith. Subjects include frontier and pioneer life, Idaho and young women.

Jennifer Probst wrote a first book at age twelve, bound it in a folder and read it to classmates. Probst holds a master's degree in English literature and lives in the Hudson Valley of upstate New York. The catalogue lists 67 Probst books, from Executive Seduction (2004) to Belong to Me (2026), with The Long Way Back to You due in 2027. Contemporary romance and erotica are among the subjects, alongside billionaires, marriage, Italy and New York. Series include Marriage to a Billionaire, Searching For, Stay, Billionaire Builders, Sunshine Sisters and Meet Me in Italy.

Paige Toon writes romance, along with the Jessie Jefferson young adult series. Toon grew up in Australia, the United States and England, and worked as a magazine reviews editor before writing full time. The catalogue holds 26 books published between 2007 and 2026, opening with Lucy in the Sky (2007) and including the Johnny Be Good and One Perfect series. First loves, holidays, and fathers and daughters recur as subjects.

Alice Oseman

21 books• 4 series

Alice May Oseman, born 16 October 1994, is an English author and illustrator whose young adult books portray contemporary teenage life in the United Kingdom, praised for their realism, LGBTQIA+ inclusion and treatment of mental health. Oseman ranks as the third best-selling graphic novelist since records began. A first publishing deal came at 17, and Solitaire followed in 2014 as the first novel; the catalogue runs to 21 titles, ending at Heartstopper #6 in 2026. Awards include a British Book Award, three Children's and Family Emmy Awards, three Goodreads Choice Awards and a Silver Inky Award, and Oseman made the BBC's 100 Women list in 2023 and Time's Time100 Next in 2024.

Christian romance and romantic suspense make up the catalogue of Margaret Daley, and the subject tags also mark inspirational fiction and the Love Inspired line. The catalogue holds 110 books from A Matter of Pride (1983) to Into the Danger (2021). Family for Keeps, Sadie's Hero and The Power of Love all appeared in 2002, and Gold in the Fire (2004) and Light in the Storm (2005) came soon after. Series include Strong Women, Extraordinary Situations; Fostered by Love; Guardians Inc.; Lone Star Justice; Men of the Texas Rangers; Caring Canines; Alaskan Search and Rescue; and Heart of the Amazon. Widows, bodyguards and missing persons recur in the tags.

Francine Pascal (née Rubin, 1932–2024) was an American author whose name is tied to the Sweet Valley books for young adults. Sweet Valley High anchored that collection, was adapted for television, and branched into spin-offs such as The Unicorn Club and Sweet Valley University. The catalogue opens with Hangin' Out with Cici (1977) and also carries the Fearless series. Subjects include twins, sisters, high schools, friendship and dating. Most Sweet Valley books came out in the 1980s and 1990s, and several titles were re-released decades later.

Trisha Ashley writes contemporary romance with a comic register, set in England and often around Christmas. Good Husband Material (2000) opens the catalogue and The Christmas Retreat (2025) closes it, 27 books between them, taking in Every Woman for Herself (2002), Sowing Secrets (2005), The Magic of Christmas (2007), A Winter's Tale (2008) and Wedding Tiers (2009). Single women, actors, confectioners and first loves recur. The Lancashire books form the one named series, and volumes median 400 pages.

Shirley Jump writes contemporary romance, and lawyers, physicians, marriage and friendship appear in the subjects. The catalogue counts 85 books from The Bachelor's Dare and The Virgin's Proposal (2003) to Cold Case Disappearance (2024). Series include Sweet and Savory, McKenna Brothers, Barlow Brothers, Stone Gap Inn, Sweetheart Sisters, Rescue Bay and Harbor Cove. The Bride Wore Chocolate (2004) and The Devil Served Tortellini (2005) are among the early books.

Linda Warren, born Linda Pearl Siegert on 2 July 1945, is an American author of contemporary romance novels. Subject records cite Texas, western romance, romantic suspense, single mothers and police. The catalogue lists 56 books from Branded (1992) to A Texan's Christmas Baby (2021), with Swept Away (1993) and Deep in the Heart of Texas (2000) among them. Texas Rebels, Hardin Boys, Willow Creek, Texas, McCain Brothers and Belles of Texas are the listed series.