Gretchen Galway Books in Order (Updated April 28, 2026)

Gretchen Galway is a USA Today bestselling author of romance, mystery, and urban fantasy. Her catalog has two clear halves: contemporary romantic comedy and paranormal mystery.

For most readers, the best first book is either Love Handles or Dead Witch on a Bridge.

Choose Love Handles if you want light contemporary romance set around the San Francisco Bay Area. Choose Dead Witch on a Bridge if you want witches, murder, demons, and a redwood-forest mystery setting.

How to Read Gretchen Galway

Gretchen Galway does not have one single all-series timeline.

Her romance books and mystery books are separate. Read each series in its own order, and use short stories as optional companion material.

The main series are:

1. Oakland Hills – contemporary romantic comedy.
2. Resort to Love – romantic comedy duet.
3. Sonoma Witches – paranormal mystery.
4. Standalone and anthology works – optional extras.

Oakland Hills Books in Order

The Oakland Hills books are contemporary romantic comedies set around Northern California. Each book has its own couple, but the series works best in order because friends, relatives, and earlier couples appear across the run.

1. Love Handles (2011): Beverly Lewis inherits a fitnesswear company and has to prove herself against Liam Johnson, the Olympic-medalist executive who thinks he knows the business better.
2. This Time Next Door (2012): Rose Devlin moves to California for a fresh start and finds unexpected chemistry with her quiet, brilliant neighbor Mark.
3. Can’t Stop Wanting You (2014): Jody Lapinski faces the return of Simon Brogan, the high-school enemy she has never forgiven, in a short enemies-to-lovers romance.
4. Not Quite Perfect (2014): April Johnson, a drifting temp worker with overachieving brothers, meets widower Zack Fain and has to decide whether “serious” is something she can risk.
5. Just Can’t Forget You (2015): Melissa and Eduardo reconnect after a difficult teenage past, making this short story a second-chance companion inside the Oakland Hills world.
6. Can You Love Me Now? (2015): Sasha Selkirk has loved her best friend’s brother for years, and a snowbound cabin finally forces the question she has avoided.
7. This Changes Everything (2015): Tech entrepreneur Sly and divorced Cleo test the line between friendship and romance during an emotionally loaded road trip to Las Vegas.
8. Trixie Does Vegas (2015): This companion story follows Trixie and Hugo, giving the series matchmaker her own happy ending after This Changes Everything.
9. Going for Broke (2016): Billie Garcia inherits a broken-down house and turns to Ian Cooper, a family friend with both renovation skills and romantic complications.
10. Going Wild (2017): Jane Garcia rents a room to wilderness writer Grant Whitman, forcing her carefully planned life to make space for a man who does not fit the plan.

Oakland Hills Collections

1. Oakland Hills Romantic Comedy Boxed Set: Books 1-3 (2017): A collected edition of Love Handles, This Time Next Door, and Not Quite Perfect.
2. Quick Takes: Oakland Hills Stories Boxed Set (2016): A short-story collection containing Can’t Stop Wanting You, Just Can’t Forget You, Can You Love Me Now?, and Trixie Does Vegas.

Oakland Hills Reading Note

The safest route is to read the six main novels in numbered order, while placing the short stories between the related novels.

That means:

1. Love Handles
2. This Time Next Door
3. Can’t Stop Wanting You
4. Not Quite Perfect
5. Just Can’t Forget You
6. Can You Love Me Now?
7. This Changes Everything
8. Trixie Does Vegas
9. Going for Broke
10. Going Wild

The short stories are not required, but they smooth out the relationship network.

Resort to Love Books in Order

Resort to Love is a two-book romantic comedy series. It is separate from Oakland Hills and can be read on its own.

1. The Supermodel’s Best Friend (2011): Lucy attends her supermodel best friend’s luxury wedding and finds herself drawn to Miles, a charming man who is not the practical husband candidate she planned to find.
2. Diving In (2013): Schoolteacher Nicki Fitch goes to Maui to overcome fears and heartbreak, only to run into Ansel, the college heartbreak she thought she had left behind.

Resort to Love Collection

• Resort to Love Boxed Set: A collected edition containing The Supermodel’s Best Friend and Diving In.

Resort to Love Reading Note

Read The Supermodel’s Best Friend first, then Diving In. The duet is short, complete, and not dependent on the Oakland Hills books.

Sonoma Witches Books in Order

Sonoma Witches is Gretchen Galway’s paranormal mystery series. It follows Alma, a witch in Northern California, through demon trouble, magical politics, suspicious deaths, and murder investigations.

Read the main novels in order. The prequel can be read first if you want Alma’s earliest backstory, but new readers may find Dead Witch on a Bridge the stronger starting point.

1. Death on Witch Street (2020): This prequel shows Alma’s arrival in the magical town of Silverpool after losing her job as a demon-hunting witch.
2. Dead Witch on a Bridge (2018 / 2019): Alma, broke and trying to live quietly in a redwood town, is pulled into a murder case after a body appears on a bridge.
3. Hex at a House Party (2019): Alma’s magical life grows more complicated when a social gathering turns into another murder investigation.
4. A Spell to Die For (2020): A demon-related incident in a big-box store pushes Alma into a case where ordinary shopping and magical danger collide.
5. Charmed to Death (2021): A winter-solstice setting brings reckless witches, dangerous magic, and another suspicious death into Alma’s path.
6. Murder by Magic (2021): A birthday party for a very old witch turns into a murder case, widening the magical community’s trouble around Alma.
7. Hexed in Show (2023): Alma’s investigation moves into a show-centered setting, where performance, magic, and murder become difficult to separate.
8. Dead Witch in the Library (2025): Alma is called from the redwood forest after a ninety-seven-year-old witch librarian dies suspiciously during a gathering of powerful witches.

Sonoma Witches Collection

• The Sonoma Witches Series Box Set: First Three Novels (2022): A collected edition of the first three main novels, useful for starting the series in one volume.

Sonoma Witches Reading Note

For first-time readers, the best order is:

1. Dead Witch on a Bridge
2. Hex at a House Party
3. A Spell to Die For
4. Charmed to Death
5. Murder by Magic
6. Hexed in Show
7. Dead Witch in the Library

Then read Death on Witch Street as a prequel bonus.

For chronological readers, place Death on Witch Street before Dead Witch on a Bridge.

Standalone and Anthology Works

These works are not required before the main series.

1. Quick Study (2011): A short early Gretchen Galway work that sits outside the major series and is best treated as optional.
2. LOL Romantic Comedy Anthology, Volume 1: A multi-author romance anthology appearance, useful only for completionists.
3. LOL Romantic Comedy Anthology, Volume 3: A later multi-author romance anthology appearance, also optional.

Best Gretchen Galway Reading Order

Use this order if you want a practical full-author path without mixing unrelated series too aggressively.

Romance First

1. Love Handles (2011): Begin Oakland Hills with Beverly and Liam’s workplace romance.
2. This Time Next Door (2012): Continue with Rose and Mark’s neighbor romance.
3. Can’t Stop Wanting You (2014): Add this short Oakland Hills story after book two.
4. Not Quite Perfect (2014): Return to the main novels with April and Zack.
5. Just Can’t Forget You (2015): Read this short second-chance story after the third main novel.
6. Can You Love Me Now? (2015): Continue the short-story thread before book four.
7. This Changes Everything (2015): Read the fourth main Oakland Hills novel.
8. Trixie Does Vegas (2015): Add this companion story after This Changes Everything.
9. Going for Broke (2016): Continue the main Oakland Hills sequence.
10. Going Wild (2017): Finish the six-book Oakland Hills run.
11. The Supermodel’s Best Friend (2011): Start the separate Resort to Love duet.
12. Diving In (2013): Finish Resort to Love.

Mystery Second

13. Death on Witch Street (2020): Read the Sonoma Witches prequel if you want Alma’s earliest magical context.
14. Dead Witch on a Bridge (2018 / 2019): Start the main Sonoma Witches series.
15. Hex at a House Party (2019): Continue Alma’s paranormal mystery arc.
16. A Spell to Die For (2020): Read third in the main sequence.
17. Charmed to Death (2021): Continue into the winter-solstice mystery.
18. Murder by Magic (2021): Read after Charmed to Death.
19. Hexed in Show (2023): Continue the later Sonoma Witches run.
20. Dead Witch in the Library (2025): Read after all earlier Sonoma Witches books.
21. Quick Study (2011): Save as optional early material.
22. Anthology appearances: Read last, unless you are collecting every contribution.

Publication Order

Publication order is useful for tracking Gretchen Galway’s career, but it is not the smoothest first-read order because the romance and mystery books are separate.

1. Love Handles (2011): The first Oakland Hills romantic comedy.
2. The Supermodel’s Best Friend (2011): The first Resort to Love romance.
3. Quick Study (2011): An early standalone or short work outside the main series.
4. This Time Next Door (2012): The second Oakland Hills novel.
5. Diving In (2013): The second Resort to Love book.
6. Can’t Stop Wanting You (2014): An Oakland Hills short story.
7. Not Quite Perfect (2014): The third Oakland Hills novel.
8. Just Can’t Forget You (2015): An Oakland Hills short story.
9. Can You Love Me Now? (2015): An Oakland Hills short story.
10. This Changes Everything (2015): The fourth Oakland Hills novel.
11. Trixie Does Vegas (2015): An Oakland Hills companion story.
12. Going for Broke (2016): The fifth Oakland Hills novel.
13. Quick Takes: Oakland Hills Stories Boxed Set (2016): A collection of four Oakland Hills short stories.
14. Going Wild (2017): The sixth Oakland Hills novel.
15. Oakland Hills Romantic Comedy Boxed Set: Books 1-3 (2017): A collected edition of the first three Oakland Hills novels.
16. Dead Witch on a Bridge (2018 / 2019): The first main Sonoma Witches novel, with publication year displayed differently across catalogs.
17. Hex at a House Party (2019): The second Sonoma Witches novel.
18. A Spell to Die For (2020): The third Sonoma Witches novel.
19. Death on Witch Street (2020): A Sonoma Witches prequel story.
20. Charmed to Death (2021): The fourth Sonoma Witches novel.
21. Murder by Magic (2021): The fifth Sonoma Witches novel.
22. The Sonoma Witches Series Box Set: First Three Novels (2022): A collected edition of the first three main Sonoma Witches books.
23. Hexed in Show (2023): The sixth Sonoma Witches novel.
24. Dead Witch in the Library (2025): The seventh Sonoma Witches novel and the newest listed main-series title.

Chronological Order

There is no useful single chronological order across Gretchen Galway’s full catalog.

Use these internal timelines instead.

Oakland Hills Timeline

1. Love Handles
2. This Time Next Door
3. Can’t Stop Wanting You
4. Not Quite Perfect
5. Just Can’t Forget You
6. Can You Love Me Now?
7. This Changes Everything
8. Trixie Does Vegas
9. Going for Broke
10. Going Wild

Resort to Love Timeline

1. The Supermodel’s Best Friend
2. Diving In

Sonoma Witches Timeline

1. Death on Witch Street
2. Dead Witch on a Bridge
3. Hex at a House Party
4. A Spell to Die For
5. Charmed to Death
6. Murder by Magic
7. Hexed in Show
8. Dead Witch in the Library

Which Series Should You Read First?

• Read Oakland Hills first if you want contemporary romantic comedy. The books are connected but not rigidly serialized, so they are easy to enjoy as linked romances.
• Read Sonoma Witches first if you want a stronger continuing mystery arc. The series has more continuity pressure because Alma’s magical world and relationships build over time.
• Read Resort to Love first if you want a short, complete romance duet without starting a long series.

Latest Release Status

As of April 28, 2026, the newest Gretchen Galway novel listed across current catalog sources is Dead Witch in the Library, book seven in Sonoma Witches, published in 2025.

No firm future Gretchen Galway release date is consistently listed across the checked catalog sources. If a new Sonoma Witches or romance title appears, its placement should be checked against the author’s official site before updating the order.

FAQs

What Gretchen Galway book should I read first?

Start with Love Handles for romantic comedy or Dead Witch on a Bridge for paranormal mystery.

Do Gretchen Galway’s books need to be read in order?

Within each series, yes. Across her whole catalog, no. The romance books and the Sonoma Witches mysteries are separate reading lanes.

Is Oakland Hills a standalone romance series?

Mostly. Each main Oakland Hills book follows a different couple, but reading in order gives better context for recurring friends, family, and companion short stories.

Where do the Oakland Hills short stories fit?

Read Can’t Stop Wanting You after This Time Next Door, Just Can’t Forget You and Can You Love Me Now? after Not Quite Perfect, and Trixie Does Vegas after This Changes Everything.

Should I read Death on Witch Street before Dead Witch on a Bridge?

You can, because Death on Witch Street is a prequel. For most new readers, Dead Witch on a Bridge is still the better starting point because it begins the main Sonoma Witches series.

Is Resort to Love connected to Oakland Hills?

Treat it as separate. Both are romantic comedy series, but Resort to Love is its own two-book duet.

Are the boxed sets separate books?

No. The boxed sets collect existing novels or short stories. They are format options, not extra continuity steps.

What is Gretchen Galway’s latest book?

The latest currently listed main-series book is Dead Witch in the Library, book seven in Sonoma Witches.

Conclusion

The cleanest Gretchen Galway reading order starts with the series that matches your mood.

Choose Love Handles for contemporary romantic comedy, The Supermodel’s Best Friend for a short resort-romance duet, or Dead Witch on a Bridge for paranormal mystery. Keep each series together, place the Oakland Hills short stories between the related novels, and treat boxed sets as convenient collections rather than new books.