Small town & rural book series in reading order

by Melissa Senate

by Linda Warren

by Allison Leigh

by Fleur McDonald

by Anna J. Stewart

by Fredrik Backman

by Jane Harper

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.

Melinda Curtis is a romance author whose books carry the subjects contemporary, small town and rural, clean and wholesome, and western romance. The catalogue lists 81 books, from Michael's Father (2003) to Winning the Bull Rider's Heart (2026). Series include Harmony Valley, Mountain Monroes, Bridesmaids, Sunshine Valley, Kissing Test, Cowboy Academy and Bennetts of Bentwood Creek. Single mothers, twins and family life also appear among the subjects. Melinda Curtis is still publishing.

Cowboys, ranchers and ranch life run through Linda Lael Miller's 134 catalogued books, in historical, contemporary and western romance alike. Miller's families and places include the McKettricks, the Montana Creeds, Stone Creek, Springwater Seasons, Painted Pony Creek and the Brides of Bliss County, with a Tremayne vampire sequence off to one side. Desire and Destiny (1983) is the earliest title and The Silver Hills Boarding House the newest.

Lori Foster

146 books• 33 series

Lori Foster is an American romance novelist who also publishes urban fantasy as L.L. Foster, and has appeared on the USA Today, Publishers Weekly and New York Times bestseller lists. Foster is currently published by Harlequin. The catalogue holds 146 books from Impetuous (1995) to The Lake House (2026), with the 2000s the busiest decade; one book also credits Christie Ridgway. Series include Buckhorn Brothers, SBC Fighters, Body Armor, Ultimate and Love Undercover, and mixed martial arts shows up among the subjects.

Michelle Major writes contemporary small-town romance, and the catalogue holds 69 books from Still the One (2013) to Someone To Claim (2026). Crimson, Colorado is a series, with A Kiss on Crimson Ranch (2014) and A Second Chance at Crimson Ranch (2015) among the listed titles. Carolina Girls, Skylark, Welcome to Starlight, Magnolia Sisters, Brevia, North Carolina and Vineyard Next Door are other series. The Cowgirl's Fortune Boss is due in 2027, and subjects include single fathers, veterinarians and siblings.

Subject records for Melissa Senate cite chick lit, contemporary romance, western romance and small town and rural fiction, along with single women, dating, sisters and New York. The catalogue lists 48 books from See Jane Date (2001) to The Cowboy's Surprise Baby (2026). The Solomon Sisters Wise Up (2003), The Breakup Club (2006) and Theodora Twist (2006) are among them. Dawson Family Ranch and Wyoming Multiples are the listed series.

Debbie Macomber

245 books• 35 series

Debbie Macomber, born October 22, 1948, is an American author of romance novels and contemporary women's fiction. Six Macomber novels became made-for-TV movies, and the Cedar Cove novels became a television series of the same name, with Macomber serving as executive producer on the adaptations. Macomber won the first fan-voted Quill Award for romance in 2005 and holds a RITA Award and a lifetime achievement award from the Romance Writers of America. The catalogue counts 245 books between Starlight (1983) and A Date with Santa (2026). Series include Heart of Texas, Midnight Sons, Navy, Those Manning Men, Orchard Valley and Angels Everywhere.

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.

Maisey Yates is the author of 184 catalogued books, from His Virgin Acquisition (2010) to First Witches Club (2026), with Challenging Her Cowboy scheduled for 2027. Subject headings cover contemporary and western romance, cowboys, ranchers, Oregon, princes and princesses. Series include Gold Valley, Gold Valley Vineyards, Copper Ridge, Four Corners Ranch, Jasper Creek, Mustang River, Deacons of Bourbon Street and Once Upon a Seduction. A Mistake, a Prince and a Pregnancy (2010), The Argentine's Price (2011) and A Royal Without Mercy (2012) are early titles.

Gabrielle Meyer writes Christian romance, historical and contemporary, in small-town and frontier settings. Thirty-six catalogued books run from A Family Arrangement (2016) to Into a Golden Era, and To Marry a Marquess is scheduled for 2027. The American Brides Collection, the Dollar Princess books, the Little Falls Legacy and the Ladies of the Wilderness are the series lines. Minnesota and pioneer life recur as subjects.

Small-town romance is Annie Rains's territory. Rains has 27 catalogued books published between 2015 and 2026, opening with Welcome to Forever (2015) and reaching Hometown Home Run (2026). The Sweetwater Springs, Somerset Lake, Blushing Bay, Hero's Welcome and Love In Bloom series carry most of them. Subject headings point to clean and wholesome romance, small town and rural settings in North Carolina, friendship and holiday stories.

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.

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.

Anna J. Stewart writes contemporary romance and romantic suspense, with clean and wholesome romance, small towns, family life, veterans, journalists and law enforcement among the subjects. The catalogue holds 50 books from Christmas, Actually (2014) to Betrayed (2026). Titles from 2015 include Coming Home to Christmas Town, Marked For Love and The Bad Boy of Butterfly Harbor. Series include Butterfly Harbor, Circle of the Red Lily, Tremayne Family Romance/Nemesis Files, McKenna Code, Hawaiian Reunions and Tome Wardens.

Contemporary romance is the recorded ground for Beth Carpenter, with subject headings for small town and rural settings, clean and wholesome romance, holiday romance, family life, animals and Alaska. The catalogue holds 21 books, from At the Turning Point (2012) to His Alaskan Christmas (2025), all credited to Carpenter alone. Choices is the series recorded under the name. Earlier titles include Last Flight from Flagstaff (2012), Detour on Route 66 (2013), Shades of Sedona (2013) and The Alaskan Catch (2017).

Small-town contemporary romance is Debbie Mason's line, with Christmas stories and weddings running through it and a clean, wholesome register. Her series are Christmas, Colorado, Harmony Harbor, Highland Falls and Sunshine Bay. Thirty catalogued books span The Trouble with Christmas (2013) through Mistletoe Cottage (2016) to The Christmas Getaway in 2026.

Meg Mitchell Moore writes contemporary fiction about families, mothers and daughters, and the secrets held between them, set in New England towns from Vermont to the Massachusetts coast. The Arrivals (2011) opens a catalogue of ten books, followed by So Far Away, The Admissions, The Captain's Daughter, The Islanders, Vacationland and Summer Stage. Down with the Shipmans follows in 2026.

Patricia Johns writes Christian and clean contemporary romance, with Amish and Mennonite settings, cowboys and Montana recurring in the subject tags. The catalogue holds 63 books from His Unexpected Family (2013) to Innocent Amish Target (2026). The Rancher's City Girl (2014), A Firefighter's Promise (2015) and Her Stubborn Cowboy (2016) are among the earlier titles. Series include Hope, Montana; Home to Eagle's Rest; Comfort Creek Lawmen; Montana Twins; Amish Country Matches; Butternut Amish B&B; Amish of Shepherd's Hill and Amish Chocolate Shop Brides. Western romance and small-town life are also tagged.

Mistletoe Bachelors (2012) opens Jennifer Snow's catalogue of 41 books, which runs to Serving Up Off-Limits Love (2026). Wild River, Wild Coast, Brookhollow, Colorado Ice, Mistletoe, Beyond the Cage, Housewife Chronicles and From Amalfi with Amore are the listed series. Contemporary romance, holiday romance, small-town settings and Colorado appear among the subjects. The Trouble with Mistletoe (2013), What a Girl Wants (2014), Breaking Her Rules (2015), Fighting for Keeps (2015) and Maybe This Kiss (2016) are other titles.

Sara Richardson writes contemporary western romance set in small Colorado towns. Four series divide the catalogue: Rocky Mountain Riders, Silverado Lake, Star Valley and Juniper Springs. Twenty-one books are catalogued between 2015 and 2024, from No Better Man (2015) to Counting on a Cowboy (2024), taking in One Christmas Wish (2015), More Than a Feeling (2016), Comeback Cowboy (2017), Hometown Cowboy (2017), Renegade Cowboy (2017) and Rocky Mountain Cowboy Christmas (2018). Ranches, mountaineering guides and police recur as subjects.

Allison Leigh's catalogue subjects list contemporary and western romance, ranchers, Wyoming, Texas, pregnancy and child custody. The 70 books start with Stay... (1998) and reach Fortune's Fake Fiancé (2026), and Fortune's Lone Star Family is due in 2027. Series credited to Leigh are Return to the Double-C Ranch, Cape Cardinale and Turnabout. The Rancher And The Redhead (1998), Married to a Stranger (2000) and Montana Lawman (2002) are among the earlier titles.

Contemporary romance leads the subject records for Heatherly Bell, which also cite romantic comedy, military and firefighter romance, small-town settings, air pilots and fathers and daughters. The catalogue holds 46 books from All of Me (2014) to Wedded to a Fortune (2026), with Somebody Like You (2014) and Airman to the Rescue (2017) among them. Series include Starlight Hill, Sweet Life, Charming, Texas, Men of Stone Ridge, Wilder Sisters, Wildfire Ridge and Sunset Kiss.

Fleur McDonald writes rural Australian fiction and crime. Colour titles mark the early run: Red Dust (2009), Blue Skies (2010), Purple Roads (2012), Silver Clouds (2013), Crimson Dawn (2014), Emerald Springs (2015), Indigo Storm and Sapphire Falls (2016). Detective Dave Burrows heads two series, the second of them Young Dave Burrows. Ranches, small-town life, widows and suspense fill the subject list, across 30 catalogued books that reach The Missing in 2025, at a median of 353 pages.

Molly Fader writes romance, with small-town and rural settings, family life and siblings among the recorded subjects, alongside abused wives, runaway wives and erotic stories. Everything I Left Unsaid is the series in the catalogue. Fifteen books are listed, from Everything I Left Unsaid (2015) to Lady X (2026), taking in The Truth About Him (2015), Burn Down the Night (2016), Wait for It (2017), The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets (2019) and The Bitter and Sweet of Cherry Season (2020). Baby, Come Back (2017) carries the byline M. O'Keefe.