Where to Start with Diane Alberts
For readers diving into Diane Alberts’s bibliography, the best starting point depends on your favorite romance subgenre. If you love security team protectors, high stakes, and alpha heroes, begin with her signature Shillings Agency series, starting with Temporarily Yours. If you prefer lighthearted, modern adaptations of classic tropes, the Modern Fairytales series offers a quick and delightful entry point with Beauty and the Boss. For readers who enjoy intense college or new adult military romance, transitioning to her books written under her pen name, Jen McLaughlin, starting with the Out of Line series, is highly recommended.
As a rule, Alberts’s contemporary romance series are structured around standalones set within a shared world. This means you can pick up almost any book and enjoy a complete, self-contained romance with a guaranteed happily-ever-after. However, reading them in publication order lets you appreciate background character developments and recurring cameos without spoilers.
The Shillings Agency Series
The Shillings Agency is a Maine-based elite private security firm staffed by rugged, protective heroes. This series is Diane Alberts’s most popular contemporary romance line. While each novel focuses on a different couple, there is a strong sense of camaraderie and overlapping storylines. For the best experience, read them in their official order of release:
- Temporarily Yours (2014) - Follows Cooper, an agent who enters a fake engagement with an actuary named Kayla to secure an inheritance, only for real sparks to fly.
- Stealing His Heart (2014) - Focuses on a heist coordinator who meets her match in a protective agent.
- Seducing the Princess (2014) - Features a royal bodyguard trope where duty and desire clash.
- Taking What's His (2015) - A second-chance romance involving an agency operative who will stop at nothing to win back his love.
- Say You're Mine (2015) - Centered around a protective assignment that quickly turns deeply personal.
- His Best Mistake (2016) - The final installment, wrapping up the series with a high-heat relationship born out of a one-night stand.
The Take a Chance Series
For fans of fun, fast-paced contemporary romances with high emotional tension, the Take a Chance series is a fan favorite. These books follow a group of friends navigating the early stages of adulthood, romance, and personal growth. The books should be read in this sequence:
- Try Me (2015)
- Love Me (2015)
- Play Me (2015)
- Take Me (2015)
The Wedding Dare Series (Multi-Author Collaboration)
Diane Alberts participated in the collaborative Wedding Dare series, a multi-author project published by Entangled Publishing. The books in this series occur concurrently at a single destination wedding, meaning they can technically be read in any order, though the release order is the standard path. Alberts wrote the first book, Falling for the Groomsman, which set the tone for the rest of the collaborative event.
- Dare to Resist by Laura Kaye (2014)
- Seducing the Bridesmaid by Katee Robert (2014)
- Baiting the Maid of Honor by Tessa Bailey (2014)
- Best Man with Benefits by Samanthe Beck (2014)
- Falling for the Groomsman by Diane Alberts (2014)
The Hamilton Family Series
If you love billionaire romances, corporate settings, and family dynamics, this trilogy is the perfect fit. The Hamilton Family books trace the romantic fortunes of the wealthy Hamilton siblings, featuring classic tropes like boss-employee relationships and playboys meeting their matches.
- The CEO's Seduction (2016)
- Romancing the Bachelor (2017)
- Catching the Player (2017)
Modern Fairytales
For readers who appreciate classic fairytale retellings updated for contemporary audiences, this duology offers charming, lighthearted, yet steamy stories.
- Beauty and the Boss (2015) - A modern spin on Beauty and the Beast featuring a grumpy boss and a determined heroine.
- The Prince's Bride (2016) - A Cinderella-inspired modern romance with a royal twist.
Superstars in Love Series
This series centers around the high-profile lives, glitz, glamour, and hidden vulnerabilities of public figures finding love under the spotlight.
- Captivated by You (2012)
- One Night (2014)
Writing as Jen McLaughlin: The Military Romance Connection
Diane Alberts is the pen name of Jen McLaughlin. Under her McLaughlin name, she writes intense New Adult romance, with a strong focus on military heroes. If you enjoy the protective nature of her Shillings Agency books but want a younger, high-stakes military or gritty setting, check out the Out of Line series:
- Out of Line (2013)
- Out of Time (2013)
- Out of Mind (2014)
She also wrote the Sons of Steel Row series (including Dare to Run, Dare to Stay, and Dare to Lie) and contributed to James Patterson's BookShots imprint with the McCullagh Inn series set in Maine.
Standalone Novels and Novellas
If you are looking for quick, single-session reads that do not require committing to a series, Diane Alberts has written several standalones and short stories. These can be read in any order at any time:
- Reclaimed (2011)
- On One Condition (Novella, 2012)
- Broken (Novella, 2012)
- Divinely Ruined (Divine Temptations, 2012)
- Faking It (2013)
- Kiss Me at Midnight (2013)
- An Accidental Date with a Billionaire (2019)