Single mothers book series in reading order

by Sherryl Woods

by Robyn Carr

by Susan Mallery

by Lois Winston

by Laurien Berenson

by Teresa Southwick

by Marilyn Pappano/ Rachel Butler

by Barbara Seranella

Susan Mallery is an American romance novelist born in 1970, whose books are set in small, tight-knit communities and give pets a prominent role. The catalogue counts 201 books from Tender Loving Care (1991) onward, including early titles published as Susan Macias. Series include Fool's Gold, Desert Rogues, Hometown Heartbreakers, Happily Inc., Marcelli, Buchanans, Blackberry Island and Mischief Bay. The Bookstore Diaries (2026) is the newest release, and Friend Request is due in 2027.

Marie Ferrarella is an American romance writer, born Marie Rydzynski in Germany on 28 March 1948. Ferrarella has also written as Marie Nicole, Marie Michael and Marie Charles, and the novels have been translated into at least seven languages. The catalogue lists 328 books from 1983 to 2024, beginning with Scenes from the Heart, issued as Marie Charles. Series include Cavanaugh Justice, Matchmaking Mamas, Forever Texas, Baby of the Month Club and ChildFinders, Inc. Subjects include contemporary, western and suspense romance, police, physicians, single fathers and single mothers. Cavanaugh Justice: Cold Case Squad (2024) is the newest title.

Lisa Jackson

189 books• 27 series

Lisa Jackson, born Susan Lisa Jackson in 1952, is an American author of romance and romantic suspense novels, with more than 75 to that name. The catalogue holds 189 Lisa Jackson books, from A Twist of Fate (1983) to Not What It Seems (2026). Subjects across the list include serial murders, women detectives, Montana and contemporary romance. Jackson's series include Selena Alvarez/Regan Pescoli, McCaffertys, Cahills / San Francisco, Savannah and the Dark Jewels Trilogy, plus a historical trilogy issued as Susan Lynn Crose. New Jackson titles continue to appear.

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.

Robyn Carr is the American author of the Virgin River books, and an executive producer on the television versions of Virgin River and Sullivan's Crossing. The catalogue records 70 Carr books, from Chelynne (1980) to The Friendship Club (2024). Thunder Point, Sullivan's Crossing and the Grace Valley Trilogy are Carr's other series. Several novels, The Hero among them, reached The New York Times Best Seller list. Subject tags on the books include contemporary romance, California, single mothers, veterans and city and town life.

RaeAnne Thayne has 87 books in the catalogue, from The Mating Game / Endangered (1996) to Cozy Little Christmas (2026), with subject headings centred on contemporary romance, small towns, ranchers, cowboys and single parents. Series include Hope's Crossing, Haven Point, Cape Sanctuary, Women Of Brambleberry House, Searchers, Outlaw Hartes, Redhawks and Dugan/Riley, and Cowboys of Cold Creek is a listed grouping. Wild Streak (1996), Sweet Justice (1998), Saving Grace (2000) and Renegade Father (2001) are early titles. Suspense also appears among the subjects.

Sherryl Woods is an American writer of romance and mystery, born July 23, 1944, in Arlington, Virginia, who has also used the pen names Alexandra Kirk and Suzanne Sherrill. The Chesapeake Shores novels became a six-season Hallmark Channel series, and Netflix's Sweet Magnolias is based on Woods' books, with Woods as an executive producer. The catalogue lists 157 titles from Restoring Love (1982) to Starlit Secrets (2024). Other named series include Calamity Janes, Devaney Brothers and the Amanda Roberts and Molly DeWitt mysteries.

Carla Cassidy, born Carla Bracale in Kansas, is an American romance novelist who has published since 1988. The first novels carried the maiden name Carla Bracale, later ones the married name Cassidy, and one fantasy novel appeared under the name Carla Cook. The catalogue lists 184 books, from Falling for You (1988, as Carla Bracale) to The Final Victim (2026). Series include Cowboys of Holiday Ranch, Wild West Bodyguards, Scarecrow Murders, Mustang, Montana, Lawmen of Black Rock, Cherokee Corners, Men of Wolf Creek and Kings of Coyote Creek. Subjects include romantic suspense, cowboys, bodyguards and serial murderers.

Lynne Graham, born 30 July 1956 in Northern Ireland, has written more than 100 romance novels for Mills & Boon since 1987. The catalogue lists 151 books from Bittersweet Passion (1987) to King's Promised Princess (2026), with Italian's Heir Before Vows scheduled for 2027. Series include International Playboys; Virgin Brides, Arrogant Husbands; Secretly Pregnant, Conveniently Wed; and Stefanos Legacy. Billionaires, Greeks, marriage and pregnancy recur among the subjects.

Christine Rimmer, born January 28 in California, is a USA Today and Waldenbooks bestselling American romance novelist who began publishing novels in 1987. Rimmer has also placed poems and short stories in small literary journals. The catalogue counts 130 books, from The Road Home (1987) to The Maverick's Homecoming (2026). Several series carry the Bravo name, including Bravo Family, Bravos of Valentine Bay, Bravo Royales and Bravos of Justice Creek, alongside the Jones Gang, Viking Brides and Wild Rose Sisters. Contemporary and western romance, single parents, pregnancy and small-town life are recorded subjects.

Cathy Gillen Thacker is an American romance novelist. The catalogue lists 153 books published from 1982 to 2025, from Island of Desire to Stand-In Texas Dad. Texas appears among the subjects, alongside cowboys, ranchers, physicians, single fathers and single mothers, and the romance is tagged as both contemporary and western. Family series under the Thacker name include McCabes of Texas, McCabe Multiples, Lockharts of Texas, Deveraux Legacy and Texas Legacies: The Carrigans.

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.

Lisa Childs writes romantic suspense and paranormal romance, and the catalogue holds 102 books from Return of the Lawman (2002) to Christmas Security (2025). Born on 31 October, Childs has written since childhood, turned to mysteries after reading Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, and won a first writing award at age 11. Bachelor Bodyguards, Hotshot Heroes, Bachelor Cowboys, Secret Vampire Society, Special Agents at the Altar and Bane Island are among the series. Subjects include bodyguards, widows and single mothers.

Shirlee McCoy writes Christian romance and inspirational romantic suspense, with subjects that include police, widows and single mothers. The catalogue lists 64 books from Still Waters (2003) to Blizzard Showdown (2021) and marks the author as dormant. Series include Heroes For Hire, Mission: Rescue, Lakeview, FBI: Special Crimes Unit, Apple Valley and Bradshaws. Die Before Nightfall (2005), Little Girl Lost (2007) and Lakeview Protector (2008) are among the titles.

Penny Jordan is one of the pen names of Penelope Halsall, born Penelope Jones, an English novelist who lived from 24 November 1946 to 31 December 2011. Halsall produced more than 200 romance novels: contemporary romance as Penny Jordan, Regency romance as Caroline Courtney and historical romance as Annie Groves, the maiden name of Halsall's mother. Melinda Wright and Lydia Hitchcock were two further pen names. Sales passed 70 million copies, with translations into many languages. The catalogue lists 210 books from 1979 to 2019, and the earliest entries, such as A Wager For Love (1979), carry the Caroline Courtney name. Series include Perfect Crightons, Jet Set Wives, Leopardi Brothers, Parenti Dynasty and Russian Rivals.

Laura Marie Altom, a romance author from Tulsa, Oklahoma, has appeared on the Barnes and Noble and Waldenbooks bestseller lists and teaches reading at a Tulsa middle school. Altom began writing at age 12. The catalogue lists 76 books from Sentenced to Sabrina (1998) to An Ozark Romance (2022), with subjects including Navy SEALs, western romance, cowboys, single parents and twins. Series include Cowboy SEALs, SEAL Team: Holiday Heroes, Operation Family, SEAL Team: Disavowed, Buckhorn Ranch and U.S. Marshals, Born and Bred.

Judy Duarte writes western and contemporary romance, and ranchers, single parents, orphans and physicians appear among the subjects. The 63 catalogued books span 2002 to 2023, from Cowboy Courage and Family Practice to Self-Made Fortune. Series include Rocking Chair Rodeo, Bayside Bachelors, Mulberry Park, Texas Homecoming, Rancho Esperanza and several Brighton Valley lines.

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.

Diana Palmer is the pen name of Susan Kyle, born Susan Spaeth on December 11, 1946, an American novelist publishing romance since 1979. Kyle spent sixteen years as a journalist under the name Susan Spaeth before turning to fiction, and has also written as Diana Blayne, Katy Currie and Susan Kyle, with a science fiction novel as Susan S. Kyle. The catalogue lists 199 books from 1979 to 2026, opening with titles such as Dream's End and Sweet Enemy and reaching Blaze of Glory (2026). Wyoming Men, Soldiers of Fortune, Men of Medicine Ridge and Morcai Battalion are among the series, and Long, Tall Texans is a listed grouping. Diamond Girl became a 1998 television film. Subjects name ranchers, cowboys, Texas, Wyoming and western romance.

Jill Churchill was the pen name of Janice Young Brooks (1943-2023), an American author whose first Jane Jeffry novel took both the Agatha and the Macavity Award. The Jane Jeffry mysteries place a single mother as the detective in Chicago, and the Grace & Favor series runs alongside them. Churchill also wrote historical romance and nonfiction, beginning with Kings and Queens: The Plantagenets of England in 1975. Thirty-eight catalogued books close with The Accidental Florist (2007).

Paranormal romance is the core of the Yasmine Galenorn catalogue, where subject tags name witches, vampires, fairies, shapeshifting, witchcraft and women mediums. 141 books are listed between 1997 and 2026. Early entries include Trancing the Witch's Wheel (1997), Embracing the Moon (1998), Tarot Journeys (1999) and Magical Meditations (2003), and a non-fiction heading sits among the series. Otherworld, Indigo Court and the Chintz 'n China Mystery recur as headings, alongside Wild Hunt, Moonshadow Bay, Bewitching Bedlam, Fury Unbound and Starlight Hollow. Yasmine Galenorn is still publishing.

Jane Porter's 74 catalogued books span 2001 to 2026, opening with Christos's Promise (2001) and reaching A Soldier's Promise (2026). Subjects place the work in contemporary romance and romantic suspense, with arranged marriage, princesses, kings and rulers, and single mothers among the listed themes. Series include Wyatt Brothers of Montana, Taming of the Sheenans, Galvan Brides, Desert Kings, Brennan Sisters, Bellevue Wives and Disgraced Copelands. Jane Porter is still publishing.

Tara Taylor Quinn writes romance and romantic suspense, with 144 books catalogued from Yesterday's Secrets (1993) to Colton's Covert Challenge (2026). Colton's Protection Detail is listed for 2027. Subjects include contemporary romance, pregnancy, women lawyers, single mothers, missing persons and Arizona. Quinn's series include Sierra's Web, Where Secrets Are Safe, Parent Portal, Cottages on Ocean Breeze, Coltons of Dark Canyon, Chapman Files, It Happened in Comfort Cove and Hayden Sisters. Shelter Valley Stories also appears in the listing.

Across 194 catalogued books, Danielle Steel writes contemporary romance and family drama: love stories, marriages, widowhood and the turns that reshape a life. The run starts with Going Home (1973) and continues through Celebration, with 24 Hours scheduled for 2027. Steel's catalogue also holds children's picture books, short stories and non-fiction beside the standalone novels that make up most of it.