Affiliate Disclosure & Image Credits
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This article may contain affiliate links. If you click one of these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
Book cover images in this article are provided courtesy of Open Library.
Brenda Jackson writes contemporary romance in interlocking family worlds. Most books deliver a complete couple story, but names, relatives, and “remember when” moments carry across series, especially in the Westmoreland and Madaris branches.

If you want the least confusing experience, choose one family/world and read straight down that list before you jump to another.
Pick your doorway
- Beach-town comfort with a modern vibe: start with Love in Catalina Cove
- The signature dynasty (huge and long-running): start with Delaney’s Desert Sheikh (Westmoreland)
- A tighter, more recent run inside that dynasty: start with The Rancher Returns (Westmoreland Legacy)
- A family-focused romance saga from the beginning: start with Tonight and Forever (Madaris)
- If you want a smaller set with a clear arc: start with A Brother’s Honor (The Grangers)
Catalina Cove (read in order)
A warm, small-town coastal series. It’s one of the easiest places to begin because it’s modern, welcoming, and clearly numbered.
- Love in Catalina Cove: A new start in a seaside town turns into a love story that insists she stop running.
- Forget Me Not: A second chance shows up with baggage, and the town makes sure nobody avoids the truth for long.
- Finding Home Again: First love returns, forcing a choice between comfort and the life she actually wants now.
- A Catalina Cove Christmas: Holiday closeness pushes two people into honesty they’ve delayed all year.
- Follow Your Heart: A guarded heart and a persistent connection collide until “maybe” becomes impossible.
- One Christmas Wish: A festive season stirs up old feelings and offers a new way forward.
- The House on Blueberry Lane: A fresh home brings fresh complications when attraction meets real-life responsibility.
- The Cottage on Pelican Bay: A coastal reset turns personal when two lives keep intersecting for a reason.
Westmoreland Legacy (read in order)
This is a newer, more “start-here” friendly run connected to the larger Westmoreland universe.
- The Rancher Returns: Coming home means facing unfinished business, and the one woman he never truly forgot.
- His Secret Son: A hidden child forces a powerful man to rebuild trust from the ground up.
- An Honorable Seduction: Duty collides with desire when doing the right thing becomes emotionally expensive.
- His to Claim: A strong pull turns serious when the past refuses to stay buried.
- Duty or Desire: A high-stakes choice tests whether love can survive pressure and pride.
- One Steamy Night: One night becomes a turning point when feelings won’t stay contained.
- Taming a Heartbreaker: A charming hero meets the one person who won’t be dazzled into surrender.
- Chasing a Second Chance (announced): A single dad, new family revelations, and a relationship that has to outrun fear.
Westmoreland Legacy: The Outlaws (read in order)
A connected mini-run inside the Westmoreland world, with its own internal sequencing.
- Never Too Late: A Westmoreland-adjacent romance built on timing, grief, and the courage to try again.
- The Marriage He Demands: A relationship bargain turns complicated when real emotion shows up early.
- The Bachelor’s Demand: A confident hero learns that control doesn’t work on the right woman.
- The Outlaw’s Redemption: A past mistake follows him home, and love becomes the risk worth taking.
- The Outlaw’s Claim: Attraction and secrets collide until the truth becomes the only way forward.
- Christmas in the Outlaws’ Hideout: Holiday pressure forces feelings into the open, ready or not.
The Steeles (read in order)
A family series with recurring characters and steady cross-book familiarity.
- Solid Soul: A strong connection forms when both leads stop pretending they’re unaffected.
- Night Heat: A heated attraction becomes a test of trust under bright lights.
- Beyond Temptation: Desire escalates into commitment questions neither planned to answer yet.
- Risky Pleasures: A romance built on temptation becomes serious when consequences arrive.
- Irresistible Forces: Two determined people collide until surrender becomes the sensible choice.
- Quade’s Babies: Surprise parenthood changes the relationship math overnight.
- Intimate Seduction: A private arrangement starts to feel like the most honest thing in their lives.
- Hidden Pleasures: The one secret he keeps is the one that can cost him everything.
- A Steele for Christmas: A holiday setting turns longing into action, and then into commitment.
- Private Arrangements: A controlled plan fails when real feelings rewrite the contract.
- Possessed by Passion: A long-simmering attraction finally stops simmering.
- Guilty Pleasure: A relationship deepens when both decide to stop being careful.
- Christmas with the Steeles: Family, history, and the season push a romance into its defining moment.
The Grangers (read in order)
These sit in the wider Westmoreland orbit and read best in sequence.
- A Brother’s Honor: A man who protects others for a living meets the one person who challenges his control.
- A Man’s Promise: A pretend relationship turns real when “just for now” stops making sense.
- A Lover’s Vow: A secret relationship demands a decision about what comes next, out loud.
- Captivated by Love: Attraction becomes commitment once both stop negotiating around the obvious.
The Protectors (best read after The Grangers)
A continuation line that works as its own set, but lands better once you know the earlier circle.
- Forged in Desire: A dangerous situation forces trust fast, and the feelings don’t wait their turn.
- Seized by Seduction: A protective hero meets a heroine who won’t be handled, even for her own good.
- Locked in Temptation: The final push where love has to be chosen in action, not just words.
Bachelors in Demand (read in order)
A shorter, easy-to-binge run with clean numbering.
- Bachelor Untamed: A confident man meets the one woman who makes him rethink his own rules.
- Bachelor Unleashed: A “no attachments” approach collapses under the weight of real connection.
- Bachelor Undone: The romance hits harder when both realize they’ve been avoiding the same truth.
- Bachelor Unclaimed: Attraction becomes the problem when neither wants to be the first to yield.
- Bachelor Unforgiving: A past hurt creates a hard edge, and love has to file it down.
- Bachelor Unbound: The series payoff where commitment becomes the only satisfying ending.
The Westmorelands (the big one)
This is the long-running core dynasty. It includes many titles, plus several boxed sets and anthologies that bundle books together. If you want the full experience, follow the publication list in order, but you don’t have to read all of it to enjoy the universe.
Here’s the cleanest starting stretch (read in order):
- Delaney’s Desert Sheikh: A high-heat beginning that sets the tone for the dynasty.
- A Little Dare: A risky choice becomes personal faster than expected.
- Thorn’s Challenge: A battle of wills turns into a relationship neither can ignore.
- Stone Cold Surrender: A guarded hero and a determined heroine push past pride.
- Riding the Storm: Desire meets consequences, and both have to decide what stays.
- Jared’s Counterfeit Fiancée: A fake engagement becomes complicated when emotions turn real.
- The Chase Is On: A pursuit story where the hunter discovers he’s the one being changed.
- The Durango Affair: A relationship ignites in the middle of secrets and family pressure.
- Ian’s Ultimate Gamble: A high-stakes romance where the risk is emotional, not just strategic.
- Seduction, Westmoreland Style: A signature entry that leans hard into legacy and attraction.
Where to go next: Continue with the Westmoreland list in order, or switch to Westmoreland Legacy if you want a more recent, clearly bounded run.
Latest release and what’s next
- Most recent release noted in major listings: Christmas with the Steeles (2025).
- Next announced title in the Westmoreland line: Chasing a Second Chance (scheduled for July 2026).
Reader questions
Do I need to read Westmoreland, Madaris, and Steele in one giant order?
No. Pick one list and stay with it until you feel finished.
What’s the most beginner-friendly option?
Catalina Cove is the simplest modern entry, with a clean sequence and minimal back-catalog pressure.
Are there duplicate purchases to watch for?
Yes, some Westmoreland books are sold in bundled editions. If a cover says it contains multiple titles, check the contents before buying.
A calm default plan
If you want one straightforward route: start with Love in Catalina Cove for a modern entry, then try The Rancher Returns when you’re ready for the larger family universe.
Frank is the editor of BookSeries.blog, focusing on publication order, chronological timelines, and spoiler-free reading guides for book series and fictional universes.

