Adriana Locke writes contemporary romance in a shared “small-town / big-family” ecosystem where characters pop up across books. The good news: most entries read fine on their own. The better news: if you follow the preferred series order, cameos and relationship beats land more cleanly.
Below is a series-first guide (with clear boundaries), plus one original line for every book listed.
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A simple way to choose your starting book
Pick the vibe, then start at the first title listed in that section:
- Big-family small-town (classic Locke): start with the Landry Family
- Blue-collar brothers + lots of crossover energy: start with the Gibson Boys
- Sports romance (rugby) + extended cast: start with the Mason Family
- Flirty rom-com setups with “this is a bad idea” chemistry: start with the Carmichael Family
- Wealthy, spicy, glossy settings: start with The Brewer Family
- Short, easy commitment: start with Dogwood Lane or Peachwood Falls
- Earlier romantic-suspense-leaning couple arc: start with The Exception
The series shelves
Landry Family
These are interconnected standalones; reading in order keeps the family dynamics and cameos from feeling “dropped in.”
- Sway: A second-chance pull drags two people back into the feelings they never fully buried.
- Swing: A fresh romance sparks while small-town familiarity makes every choice feel public.
- Switch: A guarded heart meets the one person stubborn enough to challenge the rules.
- Swear: Old promises and new temptation collide, forcing honesty that can’t be postponed.
- Swink: A confident facade cracks when love demands something deeper than charm.
- Sweet (also published as The Sweet Spot): A feel-good romance that ties off long-running threads with a hometown glow.
Note on titles: Sweet and The Sweet Spot refer to the same Landry #6 story in many listings.
The Gibson Boys
Designed to work without reading Landry first, but it’s still part of the wider character web.
- Crank: A blue-collar hero meets the one woman who won’t be impressed by his swagger.
- Cross: A forced-close situation turns into a slow, stubborn dismantling of defenses.
- Craft: Attraction becomes inconvenient when pride and history keep getting in the way.
- Crave: A high-heat connection forces two people to decide if “want” can become “real.”
- Crazy: A risky romance grows up fast when feelings stop following the plan.
Mason Family
Interconnected standalones with crossover touchpoints; best enjoyed in order.
- Restraint: Competitive tension and unexpected vulnerability turn a matchup into something personal.
- The Relationship Pact (Companion #1.5): A “deal” meant to stay simple becomes complicated the moment it starts working.
- Reputation: Public image and private longing clash until someone finally chooses the truth.
- Reckless: A bold spark dares two cautious people to act on what they actually want.
- Relentless: A relentless pursuit breaks through old hurt, one honest step at a time.
- Resolution: Closure arrives when love and accountability finally land in the same place.
Carmichael Family
A separate series by design; read in order for character continuity and recurring side-cast moments.
- Flirt: A playful setup turns serious when pretending starts to feel like home.
- Fling: A “just for now” connection gets messy once real feelings show up early.
- Fluke: A chance twist forces two people to confront what they’ve been avoiding.
- Flaunt: Confidence becomes a mask until the right person insists on the real story.
- Flame: Old heat reignites, and this time walking away costs too much.
The Brewer Family
This series is often described as the “wealthy, spicy” corner of the Locke universe; read in order for evolving family context.
- The Proposal: A bold plan kicks off a romance that refuses to stay purely practical.
- The Arrangement: A carefully structured deal starts falling apart the moment feelings cooperate.
- The Invitation: One invitation opens the door to a relationship neither person expected to want.
- The Merger: Business pressure tightens the screws until love becomes the biggest risk.
- The Situation: A sticky complication forces honesty, boundaries, and a real decision.
Peachwood Falls
Short and approachable; read in order for the best sense of place and community.
- Tempt: A small-town spark turns dangerous when it’s the one thing you can’t afford to want.
- Truly: A relationship deepens when “almost” stops being enough and truth becomes the only option.
Dogwood Lane
A clean three-book run; fully independent of the other series.
- Tumble: A life wobble turns into a romance that feels like falling and flying at once.
- Tangle: Two complicated hearts knot together until they either unravel or commit.
- Trouble: The one person you shouldn’t want becomes the one you can’t ignore.
The Exception
Earlier-era interconnected romance with a short companion novella; best read straight through.
- The Exception: Two people with strict rules discover that the rules don’t survive chemistry.
- The Connection (Novella): A getaway tests how solid the relationship is when temptation and stress show up together.
- The Perception: A new couple steps forward, and the past couple’s story echoes in the background.
Additional corner: Marshall Family
A small, tidy set that reads best in order.
- More Than I Could: A grumpy single dad collides with a nanny who refuses to be intimidated by real life.
- This Much Is True: A high-profile mess pushes a woman toward the one place, and person, she didn’t plan to trust.
Landry Security
A newer branch tied to the Landry world; currently a light lift because it starts at book one.
- Pulse: Workplace friction and protective instincts ignite into a romance with an undercurrent of mystery.
Standalones (read anytime)
These are designed to stand on their own; cameos (if any) are bonus, not required.
- Wherever It Leads: A connection that starts unexpectedly turns into a choice you can’t unfeel.
- Written in the Scars: Two people marked by old pain find out what healing looks like in real time.
- Sacrifice: Love asks for more than bravery when the cost becomes personal.
- End Game: A final-chance romance forces a decision that can’t be delayed or softened.
- Like You Love Me: A relationship shifts when actions finally match the feelings everyone can see.
- Nothing But It All: When everything changes at once, the right person becomes the only steady ground.
- Between Now and Forever: A near-term decision reshapes the long-term future in ways neither person planned.
(If you see The Sweet Spot listed as a standalone, it’s commonly the alternate title for Sweet (Landry #6).)
What’s newest right now
- Play Me series:Play Me → Try Me → Show Me is the correct order.
- Play Me: A grumpy rugby hero and a woman who won’t play nice turn enemies into something slower and hotter.
- Try Me: A workplace proximity trap turns into a relationship neither person can keep pretending is casual.
- Show Me: A rule-following heroine gets pushed into risk by the one man who makes “fun” feel possible.
Release dates for Show Me vary by listing, but it’s positioned as Play Me #3 and belongs after Try Me.
Frank is the editor of BookSeries.blog, focusing on publication order, chronological timelines, and spoiler-free reading guides for book series and fictional universes.