Denise N. Wheatley Books in Order (Updated April 6, 2026)

Denise N. Wheatley’s bibliography makes the most sense when you sort it into lanes. She has one clear romantic-suspense line, a Hollywood-centered romance trilogy, two short holiday/feel-good series, and then a separate shelf of standalones and suspense titles.

That means there is no single perfect author-wide order. The right reading path depends on whether you want to begin with her crime-romance books or with her contemporary romance.

The cleanest way to read Denise N. Wheatley

1. If you want her strongest continuing series, start with The Heart-Shaped Murders and follow West Coast Crime Story in order.
2. If you want her lighter romance work first, start with She Gets What She Wants or Love at the Icicle Café.
3. If you want holiday books without committing to a long sequence, use The Holiday Chronicles or Second Chance Miracles.

Lane 1: West Coast Crime Story

This is the series where order matters most. It is the most clearly connected part of her catalogue, and it is also the part still actively expanding.

1. The Heart-Shaped Murders (2022): The opening book introduces Lena Love and sets the series tone by turning a serial-killer case into something personal.
2. Danger in the Nevada Desert (2023): A desert-town serial-killer case pushes a local sergeant and an outside detective into the same danger zone.
3. Homicide at Vincent Vineyard (2023): A reopened vineyard murder case mixes cold-case pressure with romantic history.
4. Hometown Homicide (2024): A veteran officer and a rookie partner hunt a killer in a case that could define both careers.
5. Preyed Upon (2025): A retired Chicago cop returns to her hometown, launches a podcast about murdered women, and quickly becomes a threat to someone dangerous.
6. Fearless Pursuit (2026): Long-running rivalry turns into forced teamwork when a new wave of killings places the leads in the same crosshairs.
7. Cold Case Redemption (2026): A second-chance reunion and an old murder case drive the next announced entry, making it the current forthcoming endpoint of the series.

For new readers, publication order is the best order here because the books are marketed as one continuing suspense line, and later installments assume you already trust the series formula.

Lane 2: A Fearless Fairytale

This is Denise N. Wheatley’s clearest romance trilogy. It is less about crime-solving and more about ambition, image, career pressure, and modern happily-ever-afters.

1. She Gets What She Wants (2021): Devon Jacobs tries to break into Hollywood while juggling secrets, insecurity, and the career leap that starts the trilogy.
2. She Gets What She Deserves (2021): Devon’s life looks more stable on the surface, but success and romance come with new complications and sharper consequences.
3. She Gets a Happy Ending (2022): The trilogy payoff, where career wins, personal setbacks, and the idea of “happily ever after” finally collide on Devon’s terms.

This series is best read in order because all three books are built around the same heroine’s arc rather than separate couples.

Lane 3: Holiday Chronicles

This is a compact two-book holiday line centered on Sasha Williams and Drake Lancaster.

1. A Naughty Jolly Christmas (2018): Sasha returns to Chicago for the holidays, carrying her glamorous Los Angeles life back into the place that shaped her.
2. My Unconditional Valentine (2019): Sasha and Drake continue as an established entertainment-industry couple while fame and romance put new pressure on their relationship.

Read these in order. The second book is not a reset.

Lane 4: Second Chance Miracles

This is the easiest “cozy romance” corner of the bibliography.

1. Love at the Icicle Café (2021): A California lawyer returns to her family’s winter-themed café in Germany and finds old ties and fresh choices waiting there.
2. Christmas in Full Bloom (2021): A floral designer comes home for a holiday wedding and finds that old feelings are still alive under the seasonal chaos.

These two are linked as a named series, so publication order is still the safest route, even though each book can stand more comfortably on its own than the West Coast Crime Story books.

The separate shelf: standalones and side projects

These books are best treated as independent reads or side entries rather than folded into one mandatory sequence.

1. I Wish I Never Met You: Dating the Shiftless, Stupid, and Ugly (2004): Wheatley’s early relationship comedy follows one woman’s bruising run through very bad dating choices.
2. Shadow of a Man (2011): A paranormal-leaning romantic suspense story built around danger, mind-reading, and a mysterious vigilante hero.
3. Wards of the Women (2011): A women’s fiction ensemble novel about three friends whose apparently stable lives are hit by crisis from several directions at once.
4. The Road to Bliss (2011): A personal-and-romantic reset story about a woman whose business is thriving while her engagement is not.
5. When It’s All Said & Done (2019): A contemporary romance centered on an aspiring magazine writer whose work life and love life become tangled together.
6. Halloween Wars (2019): A small-town seasonal romance-comedy built around competitive neighbors and a spookiest-yard contest.
7. Valentine’s Slay (2020): A shorter Valentine-themed story that sits outside the main series lines.
8. Cold Case True Crime (2021): A romantic suspense novel in the multi-author An Unsolved Mystery Book line, following a true-crime blogger pulled into a personal cold case.
9. Bayou Christmas Disappearance (2021): A Louisiana-set holiday Intrigue novel about a missing-person case, a stubborn detective, and a heroine who refuses to stay out of danger.
10. Backcountry Cover-Up (2022): A murder investigation on a hiking trail draws a deputy sheriff and a private investigator into a lethal cover-up.
11. A Deadly Christmas Invitation (2022): A shorter Harlequin suspense holiday story about a festive gathering that turns into a trap.
12. ER Doc’s Las Vegas Reunion (2024): A Harlequin Medical romance built around a second chance in Las Vegas rather than a police or thriller framework.

Best starting points

1. Best overall starting point: The Heart-Shaped Murders. It opens the most visible and most active Denise N. Wheatley series.
2. Best romance-first starting point: She Gets What She Wants. It gives you a full character arc without requiring you to buy into the suspense side of her catalogue first.
3. Best cozy holiday starting point: Love at the Icicle Café if you want warmth and setting, or A Naughty Jolly Christmas if you want holiday romance with recurring leads.
4. Best standalone suspense starting point: Backcountry Cover-Up. It gives you Wheatley’s Harlequin suspense style without requiring series commitment.

Publication order by category

Series

1. A Naughty Jolly Christmas (2018): Starts The Holiday Chronicles with Sasha’s Christmas return home.
2. My Unconditional Valentine (2019): Continues Sasha and Drake’s relationship under entertainment-industry pressure.
3. Love at the Icicle Café (2021): Opens Second Chance Miracles in a German café setting.
4. She Gets What She Wants (2021): Starts A Fearless Fairytale with Devon’s Hollywood ambitions.
5. Cold Case True Crime (2021): A separate shared-world suspense entry, not part of her in-house series lines.
6. Christmas in Full Bloom (2021): Finishes Second Chance Miracles with a holiday homecoming romance.
7. She Gets What She Deserves (2021): Continues Devon’s trilogy.
8. She Gets a Happy Ending (2022): Finishes A Fearless Fairytale.
9. The Heart-Shaped Murders (2022): Begins West Coast Crime Story.
10. Danger in the Nevada Desert (2023): Continues West Coast Crime Story.
11. Homicide at Vincent Vineyard (2023): Continues West Coast Crime Story.
12. Hometown Homicide (2024): Continues West Coast Crime Story.
13. Preyed Upon (2025): Continues West Coast Crime Story.
14. Fearless Pursuit (2026): Current latest published West Coast Crime Story novel.
15. Cold Case Redemption (2026): Forthcoming next West Coast Crime Story novel.

Standalones and separate books

1. I Wish I Never Met You: Dating the Shiftless, Stupid, and Ugly (2004): Early dating-disaster comedy.
2. Shadow of a Man (2011): Paranormal romantic suspense.
3. Wards of the Women (2011): Women’s fiction ensemble drama.
4. The Road to Bliss (2011): Contemporary women’s fiction/romance about a life reset.
5. When It’s All Said & Done (2019): Career-and-romance contemporary.
6. Halloween Wars (2019): Seasonal small-town rivalry romance.
7. Valentine’s Slay (2020): Standalone Valentine-themed story.
8. Bayou Christmas Disappearance (2021): Holiday Intrigue standalone.
9. Backcountry Cover-Up (2022): Harlequin Intrigue standalone.
10. A Deadly Christmas Invitation (2022): Free holiday suspense short.
11. ER Doc’s Las Vegas Reunion (2024): Harlequin Medical standalone.

Do you need a chronological order?

Not across the whole bibliography.

Denise N. Wheatley’s books are easier to read by series identity than by one all-author timeline. The only place where strict order really matters is West Coast Crime Story, followed by A Fearless Fairytale and the two shorter two-book series.

Latest release status

The latest published Denise N. Wheatley novel is Fearless Pursuit, released in February 2026 as West Coast Crime Story #6. The next listed book is Cold Case Redemption, scheduled for September 2026 as book seven in the same series.

FAQs

Do Denise N. Wheatley books need to be read in order?

Only some of them. West Coast Crime Story should be read in order, and A Fearless Fairytale should be read in order because it follows Devon across all three books. The shorter two-book series also read best in order.

What is the best Denise N. Wheatley series to start with?

West Coast Crime Story is the safest answer for most readers.

What is the best Denise N. Wheatley romance to start with?

She Gets What She Wants if you want a trilogy, or Love at the Icicle Café if you want a softer two-book holiday-leaning romance lane.

Is ER Doc’s Las Vegas Reunion part of a series?

Not in Denise N. Wheatley’s own named-series structure. It is best treated as a separate Harlequin Medical romance.

Is Cold Case Redemption out yet?

No. It is currently listed as a September 2026 release, so it belongs in the upcoming section, not the finished reading order.

Conclusion

The best Denise N. Wheatley reading order is really a choice between shelves.

Start with The Heart-Shaped Murders if you want her signature suspense line. Start with She Gets What She Wants if you want character-driven romance. Start with Love at the Icicle Café if you want something gentler and more seasonal. Once you pick the right lane, the rest of the order becomes much simpler.