Where to Start with Dale Mayer’s Books
Dale Mayer is an incredibly prolific author with hundreds of books spanning several distinct genres, including military romantic suspense, paranormal thriller, cozy mystery, and contemporary romance. Because she has built several massive series with overlapping timelines and crossover characters, deciding where to start can feel overwhelming. The author herself recommends navigating her library by choosing a specific "lane" or genre rather than trying to read all of her books in chronological publication order. Depending on your reading preferences, there are three primary entry points to her work:
- For Military Romance: Begin with Mason, the first book in the long-running SEALs of Honor series. This book serves as the foundational cornerstone for her entire military romantic suspense universe.
- For Paranormal Suspense: Start with Tuesday’s Child, the opening novel of the Psychic Visions series. It introduces Samantha Blair and establishes the network of psychics that forms the basis of the series.
- For Cozy Mysteries: Pick up Arsenic in the Azaleas, which launches the Lovely Lethal Gardens series, a charming lighthearted mystery set in Kelowna, British Columbia, featuring a socialite turned sleuth and her eccentric pets.
The Interconnected Military Romance Universe
If you love alpha heroes, high-stakes operations, and emotional romance, Dale Mayer’s military universe is a massive treat. Most of these series take place in a shared world, with characters regularly crossing over, appearing as guest stars, or moving from active duty to private security. While you can read individual series separately, reading them sequentially helps you catch all the character dynamics. Here is how the key military series connect:
1. SEALs of Honor
This is the parent series. It follows active-duty Navy SEALs as they execute dangerous missions and find love in the process. Starting with Mason (2016), the series introduces characters like Hawk, Dane, Swede, Shadow, Cooper, and Corey. These characters lay the groundwork for subsequent spin-offs when they transition out of the military.
2. Heroes for Hire
When the active-duty SEALs decide to retire or are medically discharged, many of them join private security. The Heroes for Hire series is a direct spin-off of SEALs of Honor, focusing on a private security firm founded by former military personnel. The series begins with Levi's Legend (2017) and continues with titles like Stone's Surrender, Merk's Mistake, and Rhodes' Reward. The stories feature the same thrilling mix of suspense and romance, but in a private sector setting.
3. SEALs of Steel
Focusing on a group of chemically altered or technologically enhanced former SEALs, this series starts with Badger (2018) and wraps up with The Final Reveal (2019). It adds a slight sci-fi/techno-thriller edge to the classic military romance formula.
4. The K9 Files
Another major branch of the military universe is The K9 Files, which centers on former military dog handlers and their highly trained canine companions. Beginning with Ethan (2019), the books trace how these handlers adjust to civilian life while solving dangerous cases and finding romance.
5. Hathaway House
One of the most unique additions to this universe is Hathaway House. Named after a specialized physical and emotional rehabilitation facility, this contemporary series follows wounded soldiers and trauma survivors as they heal. Starting with Aaron (2019) and following an alphabetical format ending with Zander (2025), the books depict characters from the other military series coming to the clinic to recover, offering a deeply emotional crossover experience that ties the entire military lane together.
6. Other Military Teams
Mayer also features several other tight-knit squads in this universe, including Terkel's Team (starting with Damon's Deal in 2022), Terk's Guardians (starting with Radar in 2023), Bullard's Battle (starting with Ryland’s Reach in 2021), and Shadow Recon (starting with Magnus in 2023). They all share the same tone of loyalty, action, and romance.
The Paranormal Suspense Lane: Psychic Visions
For readers who prefer a touch of the supernatural with their thrillers, the Psychic Visions series is the ideal destination. The series began in 2011 with Tuesday's Child and has expanded to over 25 books, including Hide'n Go Seek, Maddy's Floor, Garden of Sorrow, and recent releases like Coveted (2025). Each book focuses on a different psychic protagonist—dealing with powers like clairvoyance, psychometry, or premonitions—who helps solve crimes while finding romance.
While the mysteries are self-contained and each book features a new couple, the psychic characters form an evolving support network. Characters from earlier books frequently return to help new psychics manage their abilities or assist in law enforcement investigations. For the best reading experience, it is highly recommended to read this series in publication order to appreciate how this network grows.
The Cozy Mystery Lane: Lovely Lethal Gardens
Dale Mayer took a lighter turn with the cozy mystery genre in 2019 by introducing the Lovely Lethal Gardens series. Set in the beautiful Okanagan Valley town of Kelowna, British Columbia, the story follows Doreen Montgomery, a former socialite who moves into her grandmother's house after a messy divorce. Doreen quickly becomes an amateur sleuth, solving local murders with the help of Corporal Mack Moreau and three beloved animal sidekicks: Thaddeus the talking African gray parrot, Goliath the massive cat, and Mugs the basset hound.
The series is uniquely structured alphabetically by plant name, beginning with Arsenic in the Azaleas (A) in 2019, running through Zapped in the Zinnias (Z) in 2024, and concluding with the festive novella Merry Mistletoe Madness (2024). Mayer has since expanded this universe with the Lovely Lethal Gardens Rewind series, which reverses the alphabetical pattern from Z to A.
Other Series and Standalones
Beyond her three main lanes, Dale Mayer has written several shorter series and standalone projects. These include the YA urban fantasy series Family Blood Ties (starting with Vampire in Denial), the contemporary romance series Biker Blues and Broken But... Mending, the mystery series Broken Protocols, and her thrillers like Kate Morgan Thrillers (featuring the Simon Says... books). She has also published career guides under non-fiction, and short stories like It's a Dog's Life.
Practical Reader Advice and Disagreements
When diving into Dale Mayer's books, keep the following tips in mind:
- Read by Lane, Not Chronologically: Trying to read all of her 450+ books chronologically is unnecessarily confusing. Instead, pick one lane—Military, Paranormal, or Cozy—and read that series in order.
- The Cross-Series Continuity: If you are reading the military books, reading SEALs of Honor before Heroes for Hire and Hathaway House makes the crossovers and character cameos much more satisfying.
- Alphabetical Guides: Both the Hathaway House and Lovely Lethal Gardens series follow alphabetical naming systems, which makes tracking your progress simple.