Jennifer Ryan is an American author of contemporary western romance, romantic suspense, and family-centered fiction. Her romance bibliography includes ranching families, military veterans, law-enforcement characters, survivors rebuilding their lives, and tightly connected communities in Montana and Wyoming.
She also writes thrillers under the name Jennifer Hunter. Those books belong to a separate series and should not be inserted into her cowboy-romance reading order.
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This guide covers the romance author Jennifer Ryan who wrote Saved by the Rancher and At Wolf Ranch. She should not be confused with the British-born historical novelist Jennifer Ryan, author of The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir and The Queen’s Coronation.
The Most Useful Way to Read Jennifer Ryan
Jennifer Ryan’s romances do not form one uninterrupted series. Her catalog is divided into family and ranch continuities, most of which can be started independently.
The safest method is:
- Choose one named series.
- Include its prequel novella when available.
- Read the novels in publication order.
- Complete a family’s original series before beginning a direct spin-off.
- Keep the Jennifer Hunter thrillers separate.
Most novels complete one central romance. Order still matters because later books may reveal earlier couples, marriages, children, family reconciliations, and changes in ranch ownership.
Start Here Based on What You Want
For Romantic Suspense
Begin with Saved by the Rancher.
It opens The Hunted, Jennifer Ryan’s first major romantic-suspense series and one of the clearest introductions to her work.
For Cowboy Romance
Begin with At Wolf Ranch.
It starts Montana Men and establishes a six-book family and ranch sequence.
For a Short Family Trilogy
Begin with The Return of Brody McBride or Dirty Little Secret.
The McBrides and Wild Rose Ranch each contain three principal novels.
For Her Newest Series
Begin with I Got Lucky.
It opens Gunns Blazing and is the newest confirmed Jennifer Ryan novel as of this update.
For Women’s Fiction
Begin with The Me I Used to Be.
It is a standalone novel and requires no previous reading.
The Hunted Books in Order
The Hunted combines romance with stalking, kidnapping, criminal threats, and family connections. Each book has a different principal couple, but several characters recur.
Complete Hunted Reading Order
- Can’t Wait (2014), prequel novella
- Saved by the Rancher (2013)
- Lucky Like Us (2013)
- The Right Bride (2013)
- Chasing Morgan (2013)
- Everything She Wanted (2016)
The publication date of Can’t Wait comes after the first four novels, but the story functions as a prequel. New readers can place it first without disrupting the major suspense reveals.
Readers who prefer original publication order may read it after Chasing Morgan. Both placements are workable.
Is Can’t Wait Required?
No. It is an optional Christmas novella about Summer Turner and Caleb Bowden.
It also acts as a bridge into Montana Men. Completionists should read it once, not once for each series.
Best Hunted Order for Preserving Publication Reveals
- Saved by the Rancher
- Lucky Like Us
- The Right Bride
- Chasing Morgan
- Can’t Wait
- Everything She Wanted
This order follows the way readers originally encountered the characters.
Recommended Hunted Order for New Readers
Place Can’t Wait first, then continue through the five novels. The novella introduces relationships that become relevant beyond The Hunted and does not depend heavily on the later suspense plots.
The McBrides Books in Order
The McBrides is a connected family-romance trilogy.
- Waiting for You (2014), prequel novella
- The Return of Brody McBride (2014)
- Falling for Owen (2014)
- Dylan’s Redemption (2014)
The three novels follow Brody, Owen, and Dylan McBride.
Where to Find Waiting for You
Waiting for You originally appeared in the multi-author anthology Confessions of a Secret Admirer.
It is an optional introduction rather than a full numbered novel. Begin with The Return of Brody McBride when following only the main trilogy.
Does the McBrides Series Need to Be Read in Order?
Yes, preferably.
Each brother receives a complete romance, but family circumstances and earlier relationships carry into the later books. Starting with Dylan’s Redemption can reveal the outcomes of the first two stories.
Montana Men Books in Order
Montana Men grew from characters and connections established through Can’t Wait. It can still be read without completing The Hunted.
- Can’t Wait (2014), shared prequel novella
- At Wolf Ranch (2015)
- When It’s Right (2015)
- Her Lucky Cowboy (2015)
- Stone Cold Cowboy (2016)
- Her Renegade Rancher (2016)
- Close to Perfect (2016), novella
- His Cowboy Heart (2017)
The six full-length novels form the main Montana Men sequence.
Included or Optional?
Included novels: At Wolf Ranch through His Cowboy Heart
Optional prequel: Can’t Wait
Optional companion novella: Close to Perfect
Where Does Close to Perfect Belong?
Read Close to Perfect after Her Renegade Rancher and before His Cowboy Heart.
The story appeared in the multi-author holiday anthology Snowbound at Christmas. It is not a seventh full-length Montana Men novel.
Is Can’t Wait Part of The Hunted or Montana Men?
It is associated with both.
The novella grows out of The Hunted character network and introduces the relationship that leads into Montana Men. Count it once and place it before At Wolf Ranch when following the expanded Montana Men order.
Montana Heat Books in Order
Montana Heat is a romantic-suspense sequence with a prequel novella and three novels.
- Protected by Love (2017), prequel novella
- Escape to You (2017)
- True to You (2018)
- Tempted by Love (2018)
Escape to You Alternate Title
Escape to You is also listed in some catalogs as Escape to Hope Ranch.
These titles refer to the same novel. They should not be counted as two Montana Heat installments.
Should Protected by Love Be Read First?
Yes, for the complete version of the series.
The main plot remains understandable when beginning with Escape to You, so the novella can be treated as optional by novel-only readers.
Wild Rose Ranch Books in Order
Wild Rose Ranch follows women connected to a notorious Nevada ranch and the Montana cowboys whose lives become entwined with theirs.
- Dirty Little Secret (2018)
- Restless Rancher (2019)
- Tough Talking Cowboy (2020)
The trilogy should be read in order.
Later novels revisit people introduced through the ranch and reveal earlier family discoveries. Tough Talking Cowboy provides the concluding principal romance.
Is Wild Rose Ranch Connected to the McGraths?
There is a direct character connection.
Drake McGrath is central to Tough Talking Cowboy, while the following McGrath series expands the McGrath family. Readers seeking the smoothest transition should complete Wild Rose Ranch before beginning Waiting on a Cowboy.
The McGraths Books in Order
- Waiting on a Cowboy (2020)
- Love of a Cowboy (2021)
- True Love Cowboy (2021)
The series follows members of the McGrath family and continues a family network already visible in Tough Talking Cowboy.
Recommended Placement
For fuller continuity:
- Read the Wild Rose Ranch trilogy.
- Continue with Waiting on a Cowboy.
- Read Love of a Cowboy.
- Finish with True Love Cowboy.
Readers may start directly with Waiting on a Cowboy, but doing so reduces the context for the McGrath family and reveals some earlier developments.
Wyoming Wilde Books in Order
Wyoming Wilde follows three Wilde brothers.
- Chase Wilde Comes Home (2022)
- Surrendering to Hunt (2022)
- Max Wilde’s Cowboy Heart (2023)
Some editions and listings use the title Claiming Max’s Cowboy Heart for the third book.
The established series position remains book three. Check the description and protagonist names before buying both versions.
Does Wyoming Wilde Lead into Dark Horse Dive Bar?
Yes. Dark Horse Dive Bar continues with another branch of the Wilde family in Wyoming.
The two series have separate numbering, but reading Wyoming Wilde first provides the broadest family context.
Dark Horse Dive Bar Books in Order
- Wilde Love (2023)
- Wilde for You (2024)
- Wilde Abandon (2024)
- Wilde in His Arms (2024)
The series centers on four Wilde siblings connected to the Dark Horse Dive Bar and their family ranch.
Recommended Combined Wilde Order
- Chase Wilde Comes Home
- Surrendering to Hunt
- Max Wilde’s Cowboy Heart
- Wilde Love
- Wilde for You
- Wilde Abandon
- Wilde in His Arms
This order keeps the separately numbered Wilde series in their publication sequence.
Dark Horse Dive Bar can still be started independently with Wilde Love. Earlier family members may appear without a full introduction, but the central romance remains understandable.
She’s Mine Books in Order
She’s Mine is a two-part dark romantic-suspense story.
- See Me (2025)
- Love Me (2025)
This duet differs from Ryan’s usual series of separate-couple romances. Both books continue Brooke and Cody’s relationship and the same stalking plot.
Strict Order Warning
Do not begin with Love Me.
It continues directly from the events and emotional consequences of See Me. The duet should be treated as one story divided into two books.
Continuity Status
Included: Both books
Separate continuity: No earlier ranch or cowboy series is required.
Gunns Blazing Books in Order
- I Got Lucky (2026)
Gunns Blazing is Jennifer Ryan’s newest series.
I Got Lucky follows former Army helicopter pilot Hawk Gunn and Lucky Sinclair. It introduces the Gunn family, their distillery, and Hawk’s search-and-rescue work.
Is Gunns Blazing Complete?
No.
The author has indicated that Gunns Blazing is planned as a multi-book series. Only I Got Lucky had been published by July 24, 2026, and no later title with a sufficiently reliable publication date could be added to this guide.
Can I Got Lucky Be Read First?
Yes.
It begins a new continuity and requires no previous Jennifer Ryan series.
Jennifer Ryan Standalone Novels in Order
These novels are separate from the connected cowboy-romance series.
- The Me I Used to Be (2019)
- Sisters and Secrets (2020)
- Lost and Found Family (2021)
- The One You Want (2022)
- Summer’s Gift (2023)
They may be read in any order.
These books generally place greater emphasis on family secrets, recovery, estranged relationships, inheritance, and rebuilding a life. Romance may remain important, but readers do not need to track recurring series couples.
Jennifer Hunter Thrillers in Order
Jennifer Ryan also writes thrillers under the name Jennifer Hunter.
Ryan Strickland Books in Order
- The Lost Victim (2023)
- The Rose Reaper (2024)
These novels follow FBI agent Ryan Strickland and belong to a continuing crime-thriller series.
Separate Continuity
The Ryan Strickland books are not connected to The Hunted, Montana Men, Wild Rose Ranch, or the Wilde family romances.
Read them in order because the investigative protagonist and personal continuity carry from the first thriller into the second.
Why the Author Name Matters
Some retailer catalogs place Jennifer Hunter and Jennifer Ryan on different author pages. That separation is intentional branding, not evidence that the books were written by unrelated people.
Use Jennifer Hunter for the thrillers and Jennifer Ryan for the romances and family novels.
Jennifer Ryan Novellas and Short Fiction
Jennifer Ryan’s shorter works mainly function as prequels or bridges.
Can’t Wait
Series connection: The Hunted and Montana Men
Placement: Before Saved by the Rancher for chronological reading, or before At Wolf Ranch as a Montana Men prequel
Status: Optional but useful
Original collection: All I Want for Christmas Is a Cowboy
Waiting for You
Series connection: The McBrides
Placement: Before The Return of Brody McBride
Status: Optional
Original collection: Confessions of a Secret Admirer
Close to Perfect
Series connection: Montana Men
Placement: After Her Renegade Rancher
Status: Optional companion story
Original collection: Snowbound at Christmas
Protected by Love
Series connection: Montana Heat
Placement: Before Escape to You
Status: Recommended prequel
Anthologies and Multi-Author Collections
The following collections contain Jennifer Ryan stories alongside work by other authors:
- All I Want for Christmas Is a Cowboy (2013)
- Confessions of a Secret Admirer (2014)
- Snowbound at Christmas (2016)
These books are not separate Jennifer Ryan series.
A reader who owns the individual novella does not need the anthology solely for the same story. A reader who owns the anthology should check its contents before purchasing a later individual edition.
Jennifer Ryan Books in Broad Publication Order
A single publication list moves rapidly between unrelated families and settings. It is useful for collectors, but less suitable for first-time readers.
- Saved by the Rancher (2013)
- Lucky Like Us (2013)
- The Right Bride (2013)
- Chasing Morgan (2013)
- Can’t Wait (2014)
- Waiting for You (2014)
- The Return of Brody McBride (2014)
- Falling for Owen (2014)
- Dylan’s Redemption (2014)
- At Wolf Ranch (2015)
- When It’s Right (2015)
- Her Lucky Cowboy (2015)
- Stone Cold Cowboy (2016)
- Her Renegade Rancher (2016)
- Close to Perfect (2016)
- Everything She Wanted (2016)
- His Cowboy Heart (2017)
- Protected by Love (2017)
- Escape to You (2017)
- True to You (2018)
- Tempted by Love (2018)
- Dirty Little Secret (2018)
- Restless Rancher (2019)
- The Me I Used to Be (2019)
- Tough Talking Cowboy (2020)
- Waiting on a Cowboy (2020)
- Sisters and Secrets (2020)
- Love of a Cowboy (2021)
- True Love Cowboy (2021)
- Lost and Found Family (2021)
- Chase Wilde Comes Home (2022)
- Surrendering to Hunt (2022)
- The One You Want (2022)
- Max Wilde’s Cowboy Heart (2023)
- Wilde Love (2023)
- Summer’s Gift (2023)
- The Lost Victim (2023), as Jennifer Hunter
- Wilde for You (2024)
- Wilde Abandon (2024)
- Wilde in His Arms (2024)
- The Rose Reaper (2024), as Jennifer Hunter
- See Me (2025)
- Love Me (2025)
- I Got Lucky (2026)
Minor date differences can appear between digital, paperback, anthology, and reissued editions. Series position is more important than the date attached to a particular format.
Does Jennifer Ryan Have a Chronological Reading Order?
There is no single chronological order covering every book.
Most series take place in separate family or community continuities. A few connections do justify an expanded order.
The Hunted and Montana Men
Read Can’t Wait once as a bridge between the two series.
Completing The Hunted before Montana Men gives the broadest background, but it is not mandatory.
Wild Rose Ranch and the McGraths
Read Wild Rose Ranch before the McGraths.
The family connection becomes clearer in that sequence, particularly through Tough Talking Cowboy.
Wyoming Wilde and Dark Horse Dive Bar
Read Wyoming Wilde first, followed by Dark Horse Dive Bar.
The series have separate numbering but share the wider Wilde family setting.
All Other Series
Follow publication order inside the named series. No broader chronology is required.
Recommended Jennifer Ryan Reading Order
For readers planning to explore most of the romance catalog, this route keeps the strongest connections together:
- Read The Hunted.
- Read the McBrides.
- Read Montana Men.
- Read Montana Heat.
- Read Wild Rose Ranch.
- Continue into the McGraths.
- Read Wyoming Wilde.
- Continue into Dark Horse Dive Bar.
- Read the She’s Mine duet.
- Begin Gunns Blazing with I Got Lucky.
- Add the standalone novels at any point.
- Read the Jennifer Hunter thrillers separately.
This is not a mandatory universal timeline. It is a continuity-conscious route that avoids moving backward between connected families.
Latest Jennifer Ryan Book
As of July 24, 2026, Jennifer Ryan’s latest confirmed book is I Got Lucky, published March 17, 2026.
It is the first Gunns Blazing novel and begins a new romantic-suspense series. No earlier Jennifer Ryan book is required.
Upcoming Jennifer Ryan Books
Additional Gunns Blazing books have been indicated, but no later title and fixed release date could be confirmed reliably enough for inclusion.
Until another title is formally announced, I Got Lucky remains the only numbered Gunns Blazing book.
The Jennifer Hunter thriller series also remains open after The Rose Reaper, but an additional Ryan Strickland title has not been confirmed for this guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Jennifer Ryan does this reading order cover?
This article covers the American romance and romantic-suspense author of Saved by the Rancher, At Wolf Ranch, and The Me I Used to Be.
It does not cover the historical novelist who wrote The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir.
What is Jennifer Ryan’s first novel?
Saved by the Rancher was published in 2013 and begins The Hunted.
What is the best Jennifer Ryan book to start with?
Begin with Saved by the Rancher for romantic suspense or At Wolf Ranch for a cowboy-focused series.
Choose The Me I Used to Be for a standalone family novel.
Can Jennifer Ryan’s series books be read as standalones?
Most books complete one central romance. However, later installments may reveal previous relationships and family developments.
Publication order within each series is recommended.
Is Can’t Wait part of two series?
Yes.
It is connected to The Hunted and serves as a prequel to Montana Men. Read it once.
Should Can’t Wait be read before Saved by the Rancher?
It can be.
Chronologically, it works as a prequel. Readers following original publication order should place it after Chasing Morgan.
Is Waiting for You a full McBrides novel?
No. It is a prequel novella originally included in Confessions of a Secret Admirer.
The first full-length McBrides novel is The Return of Brody McBride.
Where does Close to Perfect belong?
Read it after Her Renegade Rancher and before His Cowboy Heart.
It is an optional Montana Men novella.
Is Escape to Hope Ranch different from Escape to You?
No. The two titles refer to the same Montana Heat novel.
Should Wild Rose Ranch be read before the McGraths?
Yes, for the best continuity.
Tough Talking Cowboy establishes an important McGrath connection before the family receives its own trilogy.
Are Wyoming Wilde and Dark Horse Dive Bar connected?
Yes. They share the wider Wilde family setting.
Read Wyoming Wilde first for the fullest family context, then begin Dark Horse Dive Bar with Wilde Love.
Is Max Wilde’s Cowboy Heart the same as Claiming Max’s Cowboy Heart?
The title appears in both forms in current records. Treat them as the same third Wyoming Wilde story unless an edition clearly contains different material.
Does She’s Mine have different couples in each book?
No.
See Me and Love Me continue the same central relationship and suspense plot. Read both in order.
Is I Got Lucky a standalone?
It completes its principal romance but is Gunns Blazing book one.
It can be read without any earlier Jennifer Ryan novel.
What books did Jennifer Ryan publish as Jennifer Hunter?
She published The Lost Victim and The Rose Reaper as Jennifer Hunter.
They form the Ryan Strickland thriller series.
Are the Jennifer Hunter books connected to the ranch romances?
No. They belong to a separate crime-thriller continuity.
What is Jennifer Ryan’s latest series?
Gunns Blazing is her newest series. It begins with I Got Lucky.
Conclusion
Jennifer Ryan’s catalog is best read in family groups rather than as one long publication sequence. Begin with Saved by the Rancher for The Hunted, At Wolf Ranch for Montana Men, or I Got Lucky for her newest continuity.
The most important crossover decisions are simple: read Wild Rose Ranch before the McGraths, Wyoming Wilde before Dark Horse Dive Bar, and count Can’t Wait only once even though it connects The Hunted with Montana Men.
Readers choosing a standalone can begin with The Me I Used to Be. Thriller readers should switch to the Jennifer Hunter name and start with The Lost Victim.
Frank is the editor of BookSeries.blog, focusing on publication order, chronological timelines, and spoiler-free reading guides for book series and fictional universes.