Debra White Smith Books in Order (Updated May 9, 2026)

Debra White Smith writes Christian romance, romantic suspense, contemporary retellings, inspirational nonfiction, and Jane Austen-inspired fiction. Her catalogue is broad, but readers usually come to it through one of three doors: the Austen Series, the Seven Sisters novels, or the Lone Star Intrigue romantic suspense books.

Her fiction should not be treated as one continuous storyline. Several series need internal order, while many older Heartsong and nonfiction titles can be read by topic or availability.

The best starting point for Austen readers is First Impressions. For romantic suspense, begin with Texas Heat. For family-centered Christian romance, begin with Second Chances.

What Order Matters Most?

Read these series in order:

1. Austen Series: modern Christian retellings of Jane Austen novels.
2. Seven Sisters: a connected inspirational romance series about seven women.
3. Debutantes: a mystery-romance trilogy about three young women who find trouble.
4. Lone Star Intrigue: a Christian romantic suspense trilogy centered on danger, faith, and lawmen.

The older Texas and Texas Neighbors titles are looser inspirational romances. They are best read in listed order when possible, but they do not carry the same continuity weight as the later suspense and sisterhood series.

Austen Series Books in Order

Debra White Smith’s Austen Series is a set of contemporary Christian retellings of Jane Austen novels. These are not sequels to one another, but publication order is the cleanest way to read them.

1. First Impressions (2004): A contemporary Christian retelling of Pride and Prejudice, where a lawyer involved in a small-town theatre production must face pride, judgment, and an unexpected romantic lead.
2. Reason and Romance (2004): A contemporary retelling of Sense and Sensibility, built around sisters, emotional restraint, romantic confusion, and the tension between caution and feeling.
3. Central Park (2005): A contemporary retelling of Mansfield Park, where a young woman’s loyalty and quiet love are tested when glamorous outsiders disturb the emotional balance around her.
4. Northpointe Chalet (2005): A contemporary retelling of Northanger Abbey, using a mountain chalet, amateur mystery, new friendships, and romantic misunderstanding in place of Austen’s gothic satire.
5. Amanda (2006): A contemporary retelling of Emma, centered on a confident, generous, matchmaking heroine who must learn the difference between helping others and controlling them.
6. Possibilities (2006): A contemporary retelling of Persuasion, focused on old love, regret, second chances, and the question of whether a past choice can still be redeemed.

Seven Sisters Books in Order

The Seven Sisters series should be read in order. The books follow a connected group of women through romance, danger, faith, personal recovery, and changing relationships.

1. Second Chances (2000): The series opens with a story about renewed hope, emotional healing, and the possibility of love after disappointment.
2. The Awakening / Picture Perfect (2000): A suspense-tinged inspirational romance where danger and spiritual awakening reshape the heroine’s sense of safety and love.
3. A Shelter in the Storm (2001): A romance involving an old Southern mansion, threat, endurance, and the need for both emotional and spiritual shelter.
4. To Rome with Love (2001): A reunion-style romance in which old hurt and lingering affection follow the characters into a Mediterranean setting.
5. For Your Heart Only (2002): A romance with mystery and danger, where a desperate call and a missing man pull the heroine back toward unresolved love.
6. This Time Around (2002): A second-chance story where leaving, returning, and old promises create a difficult path back to trust.
7. Let’s Begin Again (2003): The final Seven Sisters book focuses on marriage strain, pregnancy, and the hope that love can be renewed instead of abandoned.

Debutantes Books in Order

The Debutantes trilogy combines Christian romance, amateur sleuthing, and light mystery. Read it in order because the trilogy is built around three young women and their linked world.

1. Heather (2007): The trilogy begins with Heather, one of three debutantes whose romantic life and curiosity pull her into trouble.
2. Lorna (2008): The second book shifts focus to Lorna, continuing the blend of romance, faith, and mystery within the debutante circle.
3. Brittan (2008): The trilogy closes with Brittan’s story, bringing the final debutante into her own romantic and investigative complications.

Lone Star Intrigue Books in Order

Lone Star Intrigue is Debra White Smith’s Christian romantic suspense trilogy. This is one of the strongest “read in order” areas in her catalogue.

1. Texas Heat (2009): The series begins with a woman wrongly accused and a man willing to risk everything to protect her, setting the tone for danger, faith, and romantic suspense.
2. Texas Pursuit (2010): A single mother becomes a target after an international adoption journey, forcing protection, trust, and danger into the center of the romance.
3. The Chase (2011): The trilogy’s final book follows Ryan Mansfield as he confronts regret, broken marriage, faith, and a dangerous path toward redemption.

Texas Books in Order

The Texas titles are older Heartsong-style inspirational romances. Catalogue listings vary slightly, especially because the omnibus includes Texas Honor, Texas Rose, Texas Lady, and Texas Angel, while some series pages list only three or place them differently.

The safest reader order is:

1. Texas Honor (date varies by listing): A historical inspirational romance in the Texas setting, best treated as the opening piece when reading the omnibus sequence.
2. Texas Rose (1999): A Texas-set inspirational romance centered on love, faith, and the emotional risks of trusting again.
3. Texas Lady (1999): A Heartsong Presents romance that continues the Texas inspirational-romance frame with courtship, faith, and personal choice.
4. Texas Angel (2000): A later Texas romance where love and faith guide the characters through danger, uncertainty, or emotional trial.

If you own the omnibus Texas: Texas Honor / Texas Rose / Texas Lady / Texas Angel, follow the omnibus order.

Texas Neighbors and Related Books

These books are connected by Texas settings, neighbors, romance, mystery, and faith. They are looser than Lone Star Intrigue.

1. The Neighbor (1997): An early inspirational romance involving proximity, trust, and the emotional risk of seeing a nearby person differently.
2. The Key (2003): A Jacksonville, Texas romance where mature love, family responsibility, and a mystery around a new home shape the relationship.
3. The Promise (2004): A related Texas romance where old feeling, faith, and emotional commitment drive the story.
4. Texas Neighbors: The Key / The Promise / The Neighbor (2006): A collected edition gathering the neighbor-themed Texas romances, useful if you want the linked stories in one volume.

Other Fiction and Standalone Titles

These titles sit outside the major named series or are not as consistently grouped across catalogues.

1. Best Friends (1999): A standalone inspirational romance about friendship, affection, and the complications that come when emotional closeness shifts toward love.
2. Take Two (2004): A standalone or lightly connected romance title, best read after the early Heartsong-style books if you are following publication order.
3. The Case of Stuart’s Ship: A Lesson in Stewardship (2006): A co-authored children’s or teaching-focused title with Stan Toler, separate from Smith’s romance continuity.
4. The Richest Person in the World (2007): A co-authored teaching-style book with Stan Toler, best treated as separate from the fiction reading order.

Nonfiction Books in Order

Debra White Smith also wrote or co-wrote Christian nonfiction, especially on marriage, romance, friendship, emotional healing, and faith. These do not need to be read in publication order.

1. More Than Rubies (1999): A Christian nonfiction title focused on women, worth, faith, and spiritual encouragement.
2. The Harder I Laugh, the Deeper I Hurt (2000): A co-written Christian nonfiction book about pain, emotional struggle, laughter, and healing.
3. Romancing Your Husband (2002): A marriage book for wives, focused on affection, intimacy, and renewing romance within Christian marriage.
4. Friends for Keeps (2003): A nonfiction title about friendship, loyalty, and sustaining meaningful relationships.
5. 101 Ways to Romance Your Marriage (2003): A practical marriage guide built around small actions and habits that strengthen romantic connection.
6. Romancing Your Wife (2005): A companion-style marriage book for husbands, focused on affection, attention, and intentional love.
7. It’s a Jungle at Home (2006): A family-life title about managing home, relationships, and domestic pressure with faith and humor.
8. What Jane Austen Taught Me About Love and Romance (2007): A nonfiction Austen-themed reflection on romance, relationships, and lessons drawn from Austen’s fiction.
9. Marriage Revolution (2008): A Christian marriage book about changing patterns, renewing commitment, and rebuilding love.
10. A Little Book of Romance (2008): A compact romance-and-marriage title, best read as a practical supplement rather than a major nonfiction work.
11. The Divine Romance (2009): A Christian devotional-style title about intimacy with God and spiritual love.
12. The Tie That Binds (2012): A marriage-focused book about lasting commitment, covenant, and the bonds that hold relationships together.

Omnibus and Collection Editions

Collections are not new reading-order steps if you already own the individual books.

1. Texas: Texas Honor / Texas Rose / Texas Lady / Texas Angel (2001): A four-novel inspirational romance collection that gathers the Texas stories in one volume.
2. Texas Neighbors: The Key / The Promise / The Neighbor (2006): A three-story collection of neighbor-themed Texas romances.
3. Lone Star Intrigue #1–3 (2011): A collected edition of the Lone Star Intrigue suspense trilogy, useful for reading the whole arc together.

Publication Order Overview

This is the broad publication path for fiction readers. Nonfiction is listed separately above because it serves a different purpose.

1. The Neighbor (1997): An early inspirational romance about proximity, trust, and the possibility of love close to home.
2. Best Friends (1999): A friendship-based inspirational romance where emotional closeness becomes the center of the romantic question.
3. Texas Rose (1999): A Texas-set romance about love, faith, and renewed trust.
4. Texas Lady (1999): A Heartsong-style Texas romance about courtship, identity, and choosing love.
5. Second Chances (2000): The opening Seven Sisters book, focused on recovery, romance, and new beginnings.
6. The Awakening / Picture Perfect (2000): The second Seven Sisters book, combining romance, faith, and a suspenseful emotional turn.
7. Texas Angel (2000): A Texas inspirational romance that belongs with the earlier Heartsong Texas titles.
8. A Shelter in the Storm (2001): The third Seven Sisters book, centered on danger, refuge, and emotional endurance.
9. To Rome with Love (2001): The fourth Seven Sisters book, using travel and old love to create a second-chance romantic arc.
10. For Your Heart Only (2002): The fifth Seven Sisters book, where disappearance, fear, and memory complicate the romance.
11. This Time Around (2002): The sixth Seven Sisters book, built around return, regret, and whether love can survive old wounds.
12. Let’s Begin Again (2003): The seventh Seven Sisters book, closing the sequence with marriage strain, pregnancy, and renewal.
13. The Key (2003): A Texas neighbor romance involving mystery, maturity, and the chance for later-life love.
14. Take Two (2004): A standalone romance, best placed with Smith’s early-2000s inspirational fiction.
15. First Impressions (2004): The Austen Series begins with a Pride and Prejudice retelling in a contemporary Christian setting.
16. Reason and Romance (2004): The Austen Series continues with a Sense and Sensibility retelling about sisters and emotional judgment.
17. The Promise (2004): A Texas-related inspirational romance that pairs well with The Key and The Neighbor.
18. Central Park (2005): A Mansfield Park retelling that moves Austen’s loyalty, longing, and temptation into a contemporary setting.
19. Northpointe Chalet (2005): A Northanger Abbey retelling involving romance, mystery, and an imaginative heroine.
20. Amanda (2006): An Emma retelling about matchmaking, confidence, and the hard lesson of seeing oneself clearly.
21. Possibilities (2006): A Persuasion retelling about old love, regret, and a second chance that may not come again.
22. Heather (2007): The Debutantes trilogy opens with mystery, romance, and a young woman drawn into trouble.
23. Lorna (2008): The Debutantes trilogy continues with another heroine facing romance and danger.
24. Brittan (2008): The Debutantes trilogy concludes with the final debutante’s mystery-romance story.
25. Texas Heat (2009): Lone Star Intrigue begins with false accusation, protection, and romantic suspense.
26. Texas Pursuit (2010): Lone Star Intrigue continues with a single mother under threat and a protector drawn into danger.
27. The Chase (2011): Lone Star Intrigue concludes with regret, faith, broken marriage, and suspense-driven redemption.

Recommended Debra White Smith Reading Order

This path gives new readers a clear sample of her major fiction areas without forcing every older title into one long list first.

1. First Impressions (2004): Start here if you want Smith’s most accessible Austen-inspired work and a clear Pride and Prejudice connection.
2. Reason and Romance (2004): Continue with Sense and Sensibility to see how the Austen Series handles sisterly contrast and emotional restraint.
3. Central Park (2005): Read next for the Mansfield Park retelling and a quieter heroine facing romantic uncertainty.
4. Northpointe Chalet (2005): Move here for the Northanger Abbey retelling, where mystery and imagination shape the romance.
5. Amanda (2006): Follow with the Emma retelling, which works well after the more introspective Austen adaptations.
6. Possibilities (2006): Finish the Austen Series with Persuasion, since its second-chance structure makes a strong closing point.
7. Texas Heat (2009): Shift into romantic suspense with the first Lone Star Intrigue book.
8. Texas Pursuit (2010): Continue the suspense trilogy because the danger-and-faith frame deepens here.
9. The Chase (2011): Finish Lone Star Intrigue with its strongest redemption and regret elements.
10. Second Chances (2000): Begin Seven Sisters once you want a longer Christian-romance sequence.
11. The Awakening / Picture Perfect (2000): Continue the sisterhood line with its suspenseful romantic tone.
12. A Shelter in the Storm (2001): Read next for a stronger danger-and-refuge setup.
13. To Rome with Love (2001): Move into reunion romance and old emotional conflict.
14. For Your Heart Only (2002): Continue with mystery and romantic anxiety.
15. This Time Around (2002): Read here for the second-chance themes before the finale.
16. Let’s Begin Again (2003): Finish Seven Sisters with the marriage-renewal story.
17. Heather (2007): Start the Debutantes trilogy when you want lighter mystery-romance.
18. Lorna (2008): Continue the debutante sequence.
19. Brittan (2008): Close the trilogy here.
20. Texas: Texas Honor / Texas Rose / Texas Lady / Texas Angel (2001): Return to the earlier Texas historical-inspirational romances if you want the older Heartsong side of Smith’s fiction.
21. Texas Neighbors: The Key / The Promise / The Neighbor (2006): Read this collection last if you want the neighbor-themed Texas romances in one place.

Chronological Reading Notes

A true story-world chronology is not useful for Debra White Smith’s whole catalogue. Her Austen books are separate retellings, her Texas titles use related settings and themes, and the suspense and sisterhood books belong to their own structures.

Use this practical order instead:

1. For Austen Series, read publication order from First Impressions through Possibilities.
2. For Seven Sisters, read books 1 through 7 in order.
3. For Debutantes, read Heather, then Lorna, then Brittan.
4. For Lone Star Intrigue, read Texas Heat, then Texas Pursuit, then The Chase.

For nonfiction, choose by topic rather than by date.

Latest Debra White Smith Book

The latest fiction title in the main catalogue is The Chase (2011), the third book in the Lone Star Intrigue trilogy.

The latest nonfiction title I found in the main listings is The Tie That Binds (2012).

As of May 9, 2026, I did not find a reliably confirmed upcoming Debra White Smith novel.

Do You Need to Read Debra White Smith in Order?

For the Austen Series, order is helpful but not required. Each book retells a different Jane Austen novel.

For Seven Sisters, Debutantes, and Lone Star Intrigue, order is recommended. Those series use linked characters, repeating settings, or continuing series structure.

For nonfiction, no order is necessary. Choose the book that matches the topic you want: marriage, friendship, emotional healing, romance, or faith.

Best Debra White Smith Book to Start With

1. Start with First Impressions if you want Jane Austen-inspired Christian romance.
2. Start with Texas Heat if you want romantic suspense.
3. Start with Second Chances if you want a longer inspirational romance sequence.
4. Start with Romancing Your Husband or Romancing Your Wife if you are looking for nonfiction marriage material.
5. Start with What Jane Austen Taught Me About Love and Romance if you want nonfiction connected to Austen rather than fiction retelling Austen.

FAQ

What is Debra White Smith best known for?

She is known for Christian romance, marriage nonfiction, and contemporary Christian retellings of Jane Austen novels.

Are Debra White Smith’s Austen books connected?

No. They are a themed series of contemporary retellings, not one continuing story.

Which Jane Austen novels did Debra White Smith retell?

She retold Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey, Emma, and Persuasion.

Should I read Seven Sisters in order?

Yes. Seven Sisters is best read from Second Chances through Let’s Begin Again.

What is Picture Perfect?

Picture Perfect is an alternate title or earlier/later title associated with The Awakening, the second Seven Sisters book.

Is Lone Star Intrigue a complete trilogy?

Yes. The trilogy is Texas Heat, Texas Pursuit, and The Chase.

What is Debra White Smith’s newest novel?

The latest main fiction title I found is The Chase, published in 2011.

Are the nonfiction books part of the reading order?

No. They should be listed separately and read by subject.

Conclusion

Debra White Smith’s books are easiest to navigate by category. Read the Austen Series for modern Christian Jane Austen retellings, Seven Sisters for connected inspirational romance, Debutantes for light mystery-romance, and Lone Star Intrigue for romantic suspense.

For most readers, begin with First Impressions. For suspense readers, begin with Texas Heat. For a longer Christian romance sequence, begin with Second Chances.