Christie Craig Books in Order

Where to Start Reading Christie Craig

Christie Craig has built a diverse bibliography spanning humorous romantic suspense, emotional contemporary romance, and blockbusting young adult paranormal fantasy (written under the pen name C.C. Hunter). Because her work splits neatly between these two worlds, your best starting point depends on your preferred genre:

• For Romantic Suspense & Humorous Romance: Begin with the Divorced and Desperate series (newly repackaged as the Texas Charm series), starting with the debut novel, Divorced, Desperate and Delicious. It perfectly showcases her signature blend of witty Southern banter, quirky characters, and lighthearted mystery.
• For Young Adult Paranormal & Urban Fantasy: Start with the Shadow Falls series (as C.C. Hunter), beginning with Born at Midnight. This series is highly serialized and must be read in order to follow the character arcs and overarching plot.
• For YA Paranormal Mystery: Start with The Mortician's Daughter series (as C.C. Hunter), beginning with One Foot in the Grave, which follows a teen girl who can see the spirits of the recently deceased.

The Divorced and Desperate (Texas Charm) Series

This is Christie Craig's flagship romantic suspense series. The books follow a close-knit group of friends rebuilding their lives in Texas. While each novel focuses on a different couple and functions as a standalone story, characters recur across the books, so reading them in publication order provides the most satisfying character progression.

1. Divorced, Desperate and Delicious (2007)
2. Divorced, Desperate and Dating (2008)
3. Divorced, Desperate and Deceived (2009)
4. Divorced, Desperate and Dangerous (2014)
5. Divorced, Desperate and Dead (2014)
6. Divorced, Desperate and Daring (2015)

Shadow Falls & Shadow Falls: After Dark (As C.C. Hunter)

Writing as C.C. Hunter, Craig created the beloved Shadow Falls universe, centered around a secret summer camp for supernatural teens (vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, witches, and fairies). The main series follows Kylie Galen as she uncovers her own unique abilities, while the spin-off series, Shadow Falls: After Dark, shifts focus to her vampire friend Della Tsang.

Shadow Falls (Main Series) Reading Order

The main series should be read strictly in order. Prequel and companion novellas can be integrated to enrich the backstory, particularly Della's journey.

• Turned at Dark (2011) – Prequel Novella (Shadow Falls #0.5). Best read after book one or two to appreciate Della's backstory.
• Born at Midnight (2011) – Book 1
• Awake at Dawn (2011) – Book 2
• Taken at Dusk (2012) – Book 3
• Whispers at Moonrise (2012) – Book 4
• Saved at Sunrise (2013) – Novella (Shadow Falls #4.5). Focuses on Della and bridges the gap before the final book.
• Chosen at Nightfall (2013) – Book 5 (Conclusion of Kylie's arc)

Shadow Falls: After Dark Reading Order

This spin-off continues immediately after the events of Chosen at Nightfall and is best read after completing the original series.

• Reborn (2014) – Book 1
• Eternal (2014) – Book 2
• Unspoken (2015) – Book 3
• Almost Midnight (2015) – Companion Collection (Shadow Falls #3.5 / After Dark #3.5). Collects the novellas Turned at Dark, Saved at Sunrise, Unbreakable, and Spellbinder, along with a new novella, Fierce.
• Midnight Hour (2016) – Book 4 (Final Novel)
• Fighting Back (2017) – Novella (Shadow Falls: After Dark #4.5). Focuses on Lucas and Kylie's relationship post-series.
• Fierce (2017) – Novella (Shadow Falls: After Dark #4.6). Focuses on Fredericka the werewolf.

Other Texas-Based Romantic Suspense Series

In addition to her primary series, Christie Craig has penned several shorter series set in Texas. These books feature different couples and are highly accessible as standalones, though they are grouped by shared themes, settings, or police forces.

Hotter In Texas Series

A fun, high-heat romantic suspense trilogy. Note that the first book was also published under the title Only in Texas.

1. Don't Mess with Texas / Only in Texas (2011)
2. Blame It On Texas (2012)
3. Texas Hold 'Em (2014)

Tall, Hot & Texan Series

A trio of standalone stories following tough Texas lawmen and the independent women who capture their attention.

1. Gotcha! (2009)
2. The Cop Who Stole Christmas (2013)
3. The Junkyard Cowboy (2018)

Texas Justice Series

A darker, high-stakes romantic suspense trilogy focusing on law enforcement officers and criminal investigations in Texas.

1. Don't Close Your Eyes (2018)
2. Don't Breathe a Word (2019)
3. Don't Look Back (2020)

The Mortician's Daughter Series (As C.C. Hunter)

Moving away from the camp setting of Shadow Falls, this YA series blends paranormal suspense with emotional family drama, following Riley Smith as she learns to assist spirits who have unfinished business on Earth.

1. One Foot in the Grave (2017)
2. Two Feet Under (2018)
3. Three Heartbeats Away (2019)

Collaborations & Standalones

Craig has contributed to multi-author projects and written several individual romance novels that don't belong to her main continuities.

• Trouble in Tumbleweed: A collaborative multi-author mystery series set in a quirky West Texas town. Christie Craig contributed the third book, The Trouble with Exes (2022). The other books in the series are written by Diane Kelly, Melissa Bourbon, and Lawrence Kelter.
• Standalone Novels: These include Weddings Can Be Murder (2008), Shut Up and Kiss Me (2010), Murder, Mayhem and Mama (2011), This Heart of Mine (2018), and In Another Life (2019).