Holly Martin Books in Order (Updated February 27, 2026)

Holly Martin is a British author best known for cosy, small-town romantic comedies (often seaside or village-set), plus an earlier paranormal romance series. Most of her romances are designed so each book follows a different couple, but they usually share a setting and supporting cast, so reading “in order” gives you the smoothest community timeline.

This guide is built to help you pick a starting point by vibe, then stay spoiler-safe inside each series.

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Your fastest route to the right starting book

If you want seaside comfort with a strong “place” feel

Start here:

• Christmas at Lilac Cottage (2015): White Cliff Bay Book 1

If you want sunny island romance with sister/family threads

Start here:

• Sunrise over Sapphire Bay (2020): Jewel Island Book 1

If you want an easy modern entry (newer style)

Start here:

• Sunshine and Secrets at Blackberry Beach (2023): Apple Hill Bay Book 1

If you want woodland/treehouse escapism

Start here:

• The Blossom Tree of Dreams (2022): Wishing Wood Book 1

If you want her newest ongoing setting

Start here:

• The House on Waterfall Hill (2025): Lovegrove Bay Book 1

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White Cliff Bay (3 books) – read in order

A seaside town series with a cosy seasonal arc. Each book is its own romance, but you’ll see familiar faces.

1. Christmas at Lilac Cottage (2015): The series opener sets the town’s tone and traditions, with a fresh-start romance that anchors the community vibe.
2. Snowflakes on Silver Cove (2015): A festive follow-up where returning characters and local rituals matter more, and the emotional stakes turn sharper.
3. Summer at Rose Island (2016): A sunlit capstone that pays off the “this place changes people” feeling and closes the trilogy on forward-motion energy.

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Hope Island (3 books) – read in order

A small island setting with a tight community timeline.

1. Spring at Blueberry Bay (2017): A new-beginnings romance that introduces the island’s inner circle and the style of interconnected friendships.
2. Summer at Buttercup Beach (2017): The second story widens the social web, letting earlier choices echo in the background while a new couple takes center stage.
3. Christmas at Mistletoe Cove (2017): A holiday entry that brings the island together and gives the series its most “everyone’s here” payoff.

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Sandcastle Bay (3 books) – read in order

A coastal village trilogy that leans into healing, homecoming, and summer-to-cozy pacing.

1. The Holiday Cottage by the Sea (2018): A getaway romance that opens the village world and sets the comfort-first atmosphere.
2. The Cottage on Sunshine Beach (2018): A brighter, busier installment where community connections tighten and romantic tension escalates faster.
3. Coming Home to Maple Cottage (2018): A return-and-rebuild story that works best once you know the setting’s emotional “rules.”

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The Happiness books (2 books) – read in order

A short, purposefully uplifting mini-arc.

1. The Little Village of Happiness (2019): A reset romance built around choosing a new life and discovering what “happy” looks like in practice.
2. The Gift of Happiness (2019): A continuation in the same spirit, where the community lens matters and the emotional focus turns from starting over to sustaining it.

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Jewel Island (5 books) – read in order

Island-set romances with a family-and-community framework. The year-to-year progression is part of the charm.

1. Sunrise over Sapphire Bay (2020): The opener establishes the island, the wider cast, and a romance shaped by responsibility and reinvention.
2. Autumn Skies Over Ruby Falls (2020): A healing-forward story where trust has to be rebuilt in a world that’s already watching.
3. Ice Creams at Emerald Cove (2021): A warmer, funnier entry with deeper emotional history underneath the light surface.
4. Sunlight over Crystal Sands (2021): A midpoint-late turn where the series feels bigger, and the “everyone connects” effect becomes more noticeable.
5. Mistletoe at Moonstone Lake (2021): A festive finale-style entry that ties the island’s ongoing threads together with holiday urgency.

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Wishing Wood (3 books) – read in order

Woodland/treehouse-resort romances that share a setting and supporting cast.

1. The Blossom Tree of Dreams (2022): A hopeful opener that introduces the resort, its found-family feel, and the gentle “escape and heal” theme.
2. The Wisteria Tree Cottage (2022): A summer-leaning continuation where the world feels more lived-in and returning characters add texture.
3. The Christmas Tree Cottage (2022): A festive closer that leans into traditions, second chances, and the emotional payoff of the setting.

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Apple Hill Bay (3 books) – read in order

A later-era seaside series with a modern romcom rhythm.

1. Sunshine and Secrets at Blackberry Beach (2023): A fresh-start romance with a strong “new place, new version of me” engine and the series’ central social circle.
2. The Cottage on Strawberry Sands (2024): A deeper community entry where personal baggage matters more, and the supporting cast becomes part of the momentum.
3. Christmas Wishes at Cranberry Cove (2024): A holiday capstone that brings the bay together and resolves the series with festive-scale emotional closure.

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Lovegrove Bay (in progress) – read in order

This is her newest ongoing setting at the time of writing.

1. The House on Waterfall Hill (2025): A return-to-roots romance that opens the town and sets up the “save what matters” stakes for the series.
2. The Cottage on Christmas Gardens (2025): A festive continuation that deepens the town’s traditions and pushes romance into clearer, higher-pressure choices.

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Earlier paranormal romance: The Sentinel (4 books) – read in order

Separate from her cosy romcom worlds.

1. The Sentinel (2013): A paranormal opener that lays down the series rules and the core threat.
2. The Prophecies (2014): The myth arc expands, and the stakes shift from personal danger to wider consequences.
3. The Revenge (2015): A darker escalation where earlier enemies stop being distant and become immediate.
4. The Reckoning (2016): A payoff-focused conclusion that brings the main conflict to a decisive point.

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Standalone novels and one-off romances (read anytime)

These aren’t part of the seaside “series shelves,” though some may share themes or settings. When a title has alternate names in different markets, both are noted.

• The Guestbook (2014): A romantic setup built around secrets and first impressions, where the past keeps interrupting the present.
• One Hundred Proposals (2014): A romcom premise driven by escalating dares and public pressure that forces real vulnerability.
• A Home on Bramble Hill (2014) (also published as Beneath the Moon and the Stars): A comfort-first romance about rebuilding stability and choosing where you belong.
• Tied Up with Love (2015): A relationship story where complicating factors keep tightening until honesty becomes the only way out.
• Fairytale Beginnings (2015) (also published as The Secrets of Clover Castle): A castle-set escape romance where the setting’s charm hides real emotional stakes.
• The Summer of Chasing Dreams (2019): A travel-and-reinvention romance built around a “life is moving, move with it” turning point.

Shorter bonus read

• One Hundred Christmas Proposals (2014): A festive add-on that works best after One Hundred Proposals, leaning into seasonal urgency and romantic payoff.

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What about “A Town Called Christmas”?

There are two different things you may see in listings:

• Christmas Under a Cranberry Sky (2016): A festive romance that starts the Christmas Under… pair often grouped under an “A Town Called Christmas” banner.
• Christmas Under a Starlit Sky (2016): The companion festive romance that completes that two-book holiday set.

Separately, you may also encounter:

• A Town Called Christmas (2022): Commonly listed as a different title (and not the same book as the 2016 pair). Treat it as separate continuity unless your edition explicitly connects it.

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A “no-overthinking” recommended reading path

If you want one steady track that shows her range without bouncing around:

1. White Cliff Bay trilogy (2015-2016)
2. Hope Island trilogy (2017)
3. Jewel Island (2020-2021)
4. Wishing Wood (2022)
5. Apple Hill Bay (2023-2024)
6. Lovegrove Bay (2025- )

Drop the standalones anywhere as palate cleansers.

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Latest release status

• Most recent published title in her cosy romance list (as of February 27, 2026): The Cottage on Christmas Gardens (2025).
• Next announced release commonly listed: The Chocolate Shop on Cherry Lane (scheduled for October 30, 2026).