Barbara Bretton Books in Order

Where to Start with Barbara Bretton

With over 50 novels spanning contemporary romance, time travel, and cozy paranormal fantasy, USA Today bestselling author Barbara Bretton offers a diverse catalog. Choosing where to start depends entirely on your preferred romance subgenre:

• For Magic and Cozy Mystery Lovers: Start with Casting Spells, the opening novel of the Sugar Maple Chronicles. It is her most popular and unique series, combining a supernatural Vermont town, a knitting shop, and a half-sorceress heroine.
• For Classic Contemporary & Coastal Romance Fans: Start with Shore Lights (the first book in the Paradise Point series) or Maybe This Time (which kicks off the Jersey Strong series). These books showcase her talent for depicting second chances, family dynamics, and coastal settings.
• For Time Travel Romance Fans: Start with Somewhere in Time, the first book in the Crosse Harbor Time Travel Trilogy, featuring historical shifts and destiny-bound lovers.

The Sugar Maple Chronicles (Paranormal Cozy Romance)

The Sugar Maple Chronicles is Barbara Bretton's signature series. Set in a magical, hidden Vermont town, it follows Chloe Hobbs, a half-human, half-sorceress who owns a knitting shop called Sticky Wickets. The town is populated by warlocks, vampires, and shape-shifters, all trying to live normal lives away from human eyes. The books blend romance, cozy small-town mystery, and knitting lore. The recommended reading order is the publication order, as Chloe's personal life and the overarching mystery of her heritage develop sequentially:

1. Casting Spells (2008)
2. Laced with Magic (2009)
3. Spun By Sorcery (2010)
4. Charmed (2011) - Note: This is a novella/short story that bridges the gap between novels.
5. Spells & Stitches (2011)
6. Enchanted (2018)
7. Enraptured (2019)
8. Enthralled - The Decision (2022)

Jersey Strong Series

Set along the New Jersey coast, the Jersey Strong series focuses on emotional contemporary romances, family struggles, and finding love again. While each book can technically be read as a standalone, reading them in order helps you appreciate the community and recurring characters:

1. Maybe This Time (1995)
2. Sleeping Alone (1997)
3. Once Around (1998)
4. The Day We Met (1999)
5. Just Like Heaven (2007)
6. Just Desserts (2008)

Crosse Harbor Time Travel Trilogy

This trilogy blends historical adventure and contemporary romance in the coastal town of Crosse Harbor. The characters cross paths with history and navigate love across centuries. Read these strictly in order:

1. Somewhere in Time (1992)
2. Tomorrow and Always (1994)
3. Destiny's Child (1995)

Small-Town Coastal & Holiday Series

Bretton frequently groups her contemporary books by small-town settings or themes. These are shorter series that focus on close-knit communities, second chances, and holiday warmth:

Paradise Point

A coastal New Jersey series featuring family ties and emotional healing.

1. Shore Lights (2003)
2. Chances Are (2004)

Shelter Rock Cove

Focuses on emotional recovery and small-town support systems.

1. A Soft Place to Fall (2001)
2. Girls of Summer (2003)

The Idle Point, Maine Books

Set against the rugged, scenic coast of Maine.

1. At Last (2000)
2. Someone Like You (2005)

Rocky Hill Holiday Books

A collection of heartwarming, holiday-themed contemporary romances.

1. Mrs. Scrooge (1989)
2. Bundle of Joy (1991)
3. Just in Time (2014)
4. Annie's Gift (2017)

Wilde Books

A lighthearted romantic duo published by Harlequin American Romance.

1. Operation: Husband (1995)
2. Operation: Baby (1997)

Billionaire Lovers

An early duology playing on classic romance tropes.

1. Her Bad Boy Billionaire Lover (1993)
2. The Princess and the Billionaire (1994)

The Pax Books

The Pax series is one of Bretton's earliest multi-book collections, tracking romance, humor, and drama across a group of interconnected characters. They are best read in publication order:

1. Playing for Time (1987)
2. A Fine Madness (1988)
3. Honeymoon Hotel (1988)
4. All We Know of Heaven (1990)
5. The Bride Came C.O.D. (1993)

Understanding Multi-Author Publisher Collections

When looking at Barbara Bretton's catalog online, you will often see massive series listings such as Men: Made in America (61 books), Born in the USA (16 books), Safe Haven (29 books), Close to Home (14 books), and Men at Work (50 books). These are not series written entirely by Barbara Bretton.

Instead, these were thematic, multi-author marketing campaigns organized by publishers like Harlequin and Silhouette. For each of these lines, different authors wrote standalone novels to represent a specific state, profession, or trope. Here is what you need to know about Bretton's contributions to these collections:

• Men: Made in America: Bretton contributed Nobody's Baby (1988), which represented Nevada. The other 60 books in the list are written by other romance authors.
• Born in the USA: Bretton contributed Daddy's Girl (1992), which represented Hawaii.
• Safe Haven: This was a romantic suspense collection. Bretton wrote The Reluctant Bride (1992). The rest of the series is written by authors like Stella Cameron and Rebecca York.
• Men at Work: A massive series focused on blue-collar heroes. Bretton's book Playing for Time (which is also the first book of her Pax series) was featured in this line.
• Close to Home: Bretton contributed two novels to this Silhouette reissue series: Mother Knows Best (1989) and Sail Away (1989).

Reader Advice: Do not try to read these multi-author collections in order. Treat Bretton's contributions as standalone novels that you can pick up at any time without worrying about the surrounding books in the collection.