Women pioneers book series in reading order

by Janette Oke

by Al Lacy / Bill Reno

by Al and JoAnna Lacy

by Michael R. Phillips

Janette Oke, born Janette Steeves on 18 February 1935, is a Canadian author of inspirational fiction, often set in pioneer times with women as the lead characters. Bethany House published Love Comes Softly, the first Oke novel, in 1979. When Calls the Heart (1983) opened the Canadian West series and became the basis for a television series with the same title. The catalogue holds 79 Oke books, with The Pharisee's Wife (2025) the newest. Series include Love Comes Softly, Prairie Legacy, Women of the West, Song of Acadia and Janette Oke's Animal Friends. Subjects include women pioneers, Canada and Christian fiction.

Cassie Edwards wrote historical romance set on the American frontier. Her 117 catalogued titles open with four books in 1982, Rapture's Rendezvous among them, and are organised into long runs: Savage, Savage Secrets, Wild Tribes, Wild Arizona, Chippewa and the Dreamcatcher Indian novels. Native American subjects, Ojibwa settings and women pioneers recur throughout. Edwards published with Dorchester, Signet, Kensington and Harlequin, and her output stopped after it emerged that she had extensively plagiarised other writers. The catalogue records titles through 2015.

Women pioneers on the American frontier are Jane Kirkpatrick's subject, written as Christian historical fiction and often set in Oregon. Kinship and Courage, Tender Ties, Change and Cherish, Portraits of the Heart and Women of Cannon Beach are among her series, with non-fiction alongside. Sixty-five catalogued books run from Homestead (1991) to With the Enduring Tides in 2026.

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.

Stephanie Grace Whitson is an American writer of historical fiction who has lived in Nebraska since 1975 and took her subject from the lives of pioneer women in the West. Walks The Fire (1994) opens a catalogue of 36 books reaching 2024, and the series include Prairie Winds, Dakota Moons, Keepsake Legacies, Quilt Chronicles and Pine Ridge Portraits. Women pioneers, Dakota Indians, women missionaries, quilts and Christian historical romance recur as subjects.

Kansas, Swedish Americans and women pioneers appear among the subjects for Linda K. Hubalek, whose 52 catalogued books run from Butter in the Well (1992) to Honor My Word (2021). Other subjects include frontier and pioneer life, immigrants, diary fiction and cooking. Titles include Egg Gravy (1993), Planting Dreams (1997), Cultivating Hope (1998), Harvesting Faith (1999) and Trail of Thread (2012). Hubalek's series are Brides with Grit, Grooms with Honor, Mismatched Mail-Order Brides, Planting Dreams, Rancher's Word, Butter in the Well, Trail of Thread and Kansas Quilter. The median book runs to 136 pages.

Stephen Bly has 98 books in the catalogue, published from 1981 to 2013, and the list is likely complete. Radical Discipleship (1981) is the earliest, followed by Devotions with a Difference (1982) and God's Angry Side (1982), with Crystal's Blizzard Trek (1986) among the titles that followed and When the Cowboys Come to Town (2013) the newest. Bly series include Legend of Stuart Brannon, Code of the West, Crystal Blake Adventures, Adventures of Nathan T. Riggins, Fortunes of the Black Hills, Austin-Stoner Files, Hidden West, Old California and Heroines of the Golden West. Subjects include westerns, Christian life, women pioneers and the American West.

Jane Peart wrote suspense, historical fiction and romance for both secular and Christian readers, and died in 2007. Before writing full time, Peart attended college in New England and worked as an airline attendant. Brides of Montclair heads the series list, with Westward Dreams, American Quilt, Orphan Train West and Edgecliffe Manor completing five recorded lines. Plantation life and Virginia appear in the subject record alongside orphans, women pioneers and Christian life. The catalogue holds 51 titles dated 1980 to 2004, averaging 230 pages.

Brenda Wilbee writes historical and religious fiction, and the recorded subjects place the work among women pioneers, frontier and pioneer life, Christian women, religious life, shipwreck survival, Seattle and Washington state. Nine books carry the Wilbee credit, beginning with Sweetbriar (1983) and reaching Skagway It's All About The Gold (2013). Six of the titles carry the Sweetbriar name, and Sweetbriar is catalogued as a series under the same credit. The others are Shipwreck! (1991) and Taming The Dragons (1992). The median recorded length is 254 pages across all nine.

Lauraine Snelling is an American author of Christian fiction who has published since 1982. Snelling's historical series draw on Norwegian immigration and the author's own heritage. The Scandinavian-American Hall of Fame inducted Snelling in 2012 at Norsk Høstfest, and sales exceed 5 million copies. The catalogue counts 102 books, from Tragedy on the Toutle (1982) to Fair Are the Meadows (2026). Series include Golden Filly, High Hurdles, Red River of the North, Dakota Plains, Daughters of Blessing and Leah's Garden, with horses, pioneer life and North Dakota among the subjects.

Tracie Peterson, born 1959, writes Christian fiction, mostly historical novels carrying romance and faith themes. Peterson used the pen name Janelle Jamison early on and has written joint novels with other Christian authors; Bethany House publishes many of the titles. Several Peterson series feature Harvey Girls, the waitstaff of the Fred Harvey Company. The catalogue lists 153 books from A Kingdom Divided (1991) to Devoted to Love (2026), across series such as Heirs of Montana, Westward Chronicles, Ribbons West, Yukon Quest, Shannon Saga and Desert Roses. Peterson lives in Montana and runs Peterson Ink with husband Jim.

Zane Grey

144 books• 13 series

Zane Grey, born Pearl Zane Grey (January 31, 1872 – October 23, 1939), was an American author of adventure novels and stories in the Western genre who presented an idealised American frontier. Riders of the Purple Sage (1912) was Grey's best-selling book. Adaptations of Grey's novels and stories number 112 films, two television episodes and the television series Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre. The catalogue opens with Betty Zane (1903), followed by The Spirit of the Border (1906), The Last of the Plainsmen (1908), The Last Trail (1909) and The Heritage of the Desert (1910). Outlaws, cattle stealing, Mormons and fishing appear among the subjects, and series include the Ohio River Trilogy, Ken Ward and Jim Traft.

Gilbert Morris produced Christian historical fiction at length: 248 catalogued books between 1977 and 2014. The House of Winslow follows one family across American history; the Appomattox Saga and Bonnets & Bugles take up the Civil War; Cheney Duvall, M.D. follows a woman physician; the Seven Sleepers, Dixie Morris and Too Smart Jones series sit alongside, with children's fiction among the subjects. The catalogue opens with Race Against Time (1977), reaches Raina's Choice, and is listed as likely complete.

Francine Rivers writes Christian historical fiction. Biblical history, frontier life and the bond between mothers and daughters run through 43 catalogued books, the earliest being Kathleen (1979). Mark of the Lion, A Lineage of Grace, Sons of Encouragement and Marta's Legacy are the main series, non-fiction and short stories fill out the list, and The Woman Between is scheduled for 2027.

Jodi Thomas is the pen name of Jodi Koumalats, an American author of historical romance born in Amarillo, Texas. Most of the novels are set in Texas, and Romance Writers of America inducted Thomas into its Hall of Fame in 2006. The catalogue records 70 books, from Beneath The Texas Sky (1988) to Silverleaf Rapids (2025). Ransom Canyon, Whispering Mountain, Texas Brothers, Wife Lottery, Honey Creek, McQuillen and Someday Valley are among the Thomas series. Ranch life, women pioneers and western romance appear in the subject tags.

Melody Carlson, born March 2, 1956 in San Francisco, is an American author of more than 250 books for women, teens and children, including the Diary of a Teenage Girl series. The catalogue lists 298 books from 1995, when Contemplative Bible Reading and How to Start a Quality Childcare Business in Your Home appeared, to All Booked Up (2026). Series include Carter House Girls, On The Runway, TrueColors, 86 Bloomberg Place, Secret Life of Samantha McGregor, Beary Patch Bears and Fruit Troops. Subjects include Christian life, high schools, friendship, Bible stories and stories in rhyme. Carlson grew up in Springfield, Oregon, attended Lane Community College and lives in Sisters, Oregon.

Ranchers, frontier life and women pioneers recur in the subjects of Joan Johnston's books, which cover historical, western and contemporary romance. Johnston, born in Little Rock, Arkansas, is an American romance author. The catalogue lists 68 Johnston books between A Loving Defiance (1985) and Winter Magic (2020), and the run is marked as likely complete. Series include Hawk's Way, Bitter Creek, Benedict Brothers, Captive Hearts, Sisters of the Lone Star and Frontier Brides.

Dorothy Garlock (1919-2018) wrote historical romance, much of it set on the American frontier. The catalogue runs to 63 books published between 1980 and 2017, from Love and Cherish (1980) to The Nearness of You (2017), with the 1980s her heaviest decade. Series include Wyoming Frontier, Dolan Brothers, Wabash River, Route 66, Colorado Wind and the Tucker Family books. Garlock also published as Johanna Phillips, Dorothy Phillips and Dorothy Glenn.

Kathleen Morgan is catalogued with 27 books published between 1991 and 2012, a run the catalogue marks likely complete. Subjects place the work in Christian and historical romance, among women pioneers, married women, frontier and pioneer life, and Colorado. Heart's Lair and The Knowing Crystal date from 1991, Child of the Mist and Crystal Fire from 1992, and A Love Forbidden closes the listing in 2012. The series listed are Brides of Culdee Creek, Culdee Creek Christmas, These Highland Hills, Scottish Highland and Guardians of Gadiel.

Al Lacy / Bill Reno is a catalogue entry holding 63 books published between 1980 and 2011. The earliest titles, such as Dead Man's Noose and Twin Colts (1980), carry the name Morgan Hill. Series include Badge, Angel of Mercy, Battles of Destiny and Journeys of the Stranger. Subjects include Christian westerns, the American Civil War, the Battle of Shiloh, nurses, frontier and pioneer life and women pioneers.

Louis L’Amour

183 books• 11 series

Westerns are what Louis L'Amour is catalogued for - 183 titles built on frontier and pioneer life. The Sackett family novels form the largest sequence, with Kilkenny, Chantry, Bowdrie and Talon beside them. L'Amour also wrote Hopalong Cassidy novels, among them The Riders of High Rock and The Rustlers of West Fork (1951). Smoke from This Altar (1939) is the earliest entry, and the Lost Treasures line carries later releases through 2019.

Heather Graham is the name under which Heather Graham Pozzessere, an American writer born on 15 March 1953, publishes mainly romance fiction; Shannon Drake is a further pen name. Graham's work has been published in about 25 languages, with more than 75 million copies printed. The catalogue records 311 books from Tender Taming (1983) to Destiny Rising (2026). Krewe of Hunters, Harrison Investigation, Cafferty & Quinn, Alliance Vampires, Keepers: L.A., New York Confidential and Finnegan Connection are among the Graham series. Subjects span historical, paranormal, contemporary and suspense romance.

Larry McMurtry

48 books• 10 series

Larry McMurtry (Larry Jeff McMurtry, June 3, 1936 to March 25, 2021) was an American novelist, essayist and screenwriter. Most of McMurtry's fiction takes place in the Old West or in contemporary Texas, and the early novels Horseman, Pass By (1961), The Last Picture Show (1966) and Terms of Endearment (1975) trace the decline of small-town Texas life. Screen adaptations of McMurtry's work received 34 Oscar nominations and 13 wins. The catalogue lists 48 books from 1961 to Thalia (2017), including the Lonesome Dove and Berrybender Narratives series and non-fiction.

Margaret Atwood

89 books• 8 series

Margaret Atwood, born November 18, 1939, is a Canadian novelist, poet, literary critic and inventor. The Handmaid's Tale, a dystopian novel from 1985, is the best-known Atwood work. Atwood's output includes 18 poetry books, 18 novels, 11 non-fiction books, nine short fiction collections, eight children's books and two graphic novels. The catalogue opens with The Circle Game (1964) and runs to Book of Lives (2025), with The Edible Woman (1969) and Surfacing (1972) along the way. Series include MaddAddam, Handmaid's Tale and Angel Catbird. Awards include two Booker Prizes, the Arthur C. Clarke Award, the Franz Kafka Prize and the Order of Canada.