Linda Winstead Jones Books in Order (Updated July 19, 2026)

Linda Winstead Jones has written fantasy romance, paranormal romance, romantic suspense, historical romance, Western romance, contemporary romance, and holiday fiction.

Her bibliography appears under several names. She has published as Linda Winstead Jones, Linda Jones, Linda Winstead, Linda Fallon, and Linda Devlin. She has also co-written four novels with Linda Howard under the shortened Linda Jones byline.

That publishing history makes the catalogue look more fragmented than it really is. The central reading decisions are straightforward:

• Read all twelve Columbyana stories in sequence.
• Keep the three Shades books together because they follow the same couple.
• Read Sinclair Connection and Last Chance Heroes in publication order for recurring characters.
• Follow Mystic Springs and Seawolf Beach from their opening books.
• Treat the fairy-tale romances and classic historical romances as thematic collections rather than strict continuing sagas.
• Do not mistake reissued short stories or omnibuses for new novels.

The Safest Starting Points

Fantasy romance: Start with The Sun Witch. It opens Columbyana and introduces the magical conflict that continues through several generations.

Paranormal small-town romance: Start with Bigfoot and the Librarian. It establishes Mystic Springs and its unusual residents.

Romantic suspense: Start with Madigan’s Wife. It opens the seven-book Sinclair Connection.

Western romance: Start with Sullivan, although readers following the complete multi-author Rock Creek Six continuity should begin with Lori Handeland’s Reese.

Co-written speculative suspense: Start with Blood Born for the paranormal duet or After Sundown for a fully independent survival romance.

A short holiday romance: Start with Blue Christmas or the standalone A Christmas Crush.

One Author, Several Publishing Names

The byline affects classification, not continuity.

Books published as Linda Jones include the twisted fairy-tale romances and the novels co-written with Linda Howard.

Books published as Linda Winstead are mainly early Western or historical romances.

The Linda Fallon name was used for the Shades trilogy.

The Linda Devlin name appears on her three Rock Creek Six contributions.

Modern ebook editions may use Linda Winstead Jones even when the original paperback carried another name.

Columbyana Books in Order

Columbyana is Linda Winstead Jones’s largest connected fantasy world. It begins with three witch sisters, continues through the next generation, moves into the Emperor’s Brides, and concludes with later novels and novellas tied to the same magical conflict.

This is not a collection to rearrange. Prophecies, bloodlines, alliances, children, and earlier victories all matter in the later books.

Sisters of the Sun

1. The Sun Witch (2004): Sophie Fyne discovers that her unwanted magical inheritance places her inside a widening conflict, beginning the history of the Fyne sisters and the struggle over Columbyana’s future.
2. The Moon Witch (2005): Isadora Fyne’s more dangerous abilities draw her into a romance and a supernatural confrontation that expands the rules of the sisters’ magic.
3. The Star Witch (2006): Juliet Fyne’s story completes the sisters’ trilogy while bringing their separate powers and family destinies into the same larger battle.

Children of the Sun

4. Prince of Magic (2007): The next generation moves to the center of the story as a prince connected to the Fyne legacy confronts magic, political duty, and an unexpected bond.
5. Prince of Fire (2007): A prince associated with fire faces a relationship capable of altering both his personal future and the balance of power within the kingdom.
6. Prince of Swords (2007): The final prince’s romance develops amid warfare, prophecy, and the consequences of choices made throughout the preceding books.

The Emperor’s Brides

7. Untouchable (2008): A woman considered beyond ordinary reach becomes entangled with a powerful man whose interest places her inside imperial danger and political intrigue.
8. 22 Nights (2008): A journey lasting twenty-two nights turns a reluctant alliance into an intimate relationship while enemies and royal obligations close around the couple.
9. Bride by Command (2009): An imperial command brings an unwilling bride and a powerful ruler together as the larger Columbyana conflict enters another decisive stage.

Later Columbyana Stories

10. Bride by Midnight (2013): Lyssa Tempest must marry before a foretold deadline and chooses Blade Renshaw, unaware that he intends to use the marriage to enter the palace and avenge his sister.
11. Firebird (2014): Healer and shifter Rori seeks a place beyond her powerful family, but panther-shifter Kalum and the secrets of a legendary dragon follow her to the coast.
12. Dragonstone Dance (2017): Linara Varden and dragon shifter Pax become central to the final prophetic battle, bringing Columbyana’s long conflict between dark and light magic to its conclusion.

Columbyana Reading Rule

Read all twelve entries in the order above.

Firebird is a novella, but it introduces information and relationships that belong before the concluding Dragonstone Dance. It is optional only for readers who do not intend to complete the final arc.

Columbyana Collections

Sisters of the Sun: This omnibus contains The Sun Witch, The Moon Witch, and The Star Witch and replaces the three individual editions.

Children of the Sun: This collection contains Prince of Magic, Prince of Fire, and Prince of Swords.

The Emperor’s Brides: This omnibus brings together Untouchable, 22 Nights, and Bride by Command.

Columbyana Finale: Collection titles using this description package later stories and should be checked carefully to avoid duplicating books already owned.

Mystic Springs Books in Order

Mystic Springs is a light paranormal-romance series set in an Alabama town where witches, shifters, magical creatures, and ordinary residents live close enough for secrets to become difficult to maintain.

The romances change, but the town’s supernatural structure and recurring residents develop across the books.

1. Bigfoot and the Librarian (2019): Librarian Kelsey Moore discovers that the unusual man entering her life is connected to the legends surrounding Mystic Springs, opening the town’s mixture of humor, magic, and romance.
2. Santa and the Snow Witch (2019): A Christmas encounter between a Santa-like hero and a witch with winter magic adds holiday mythology to the Mystic Springs community.
3. Beauty and the Beastmaster (2020): A woman linked to the town’s magical population becomes involved with a man whose command of dangerous creatures gives the familiar fairy-tale pattern a paranormal turn.
4. Ivy’s Fall (2021): Ivy’s abilities, family connections, and romantic future become tied to another disturbance in the magical balance of Mystic Springs.
5. Last Call at the Doghouse (2023): A neighborhood bar and the supernatural regulars surrounding it provide the setting for a romance involving destiny, danger, and one last opportunity to choose differently.
6. Mystic Matchmaker (2023): A matchmaking effort produces magical complications in a short companion story placed after Last Call at the Doghouse.

Mystic Springs Status

Five principal books and one shorter follow-up are published.

Mystic Matchmaker is optional, but its references make more sense after the five full stories.

Seawolf Beach Books in Order

Seawolf Beach combines coastal romance, ghosts, unsolved mysteries, and a town where the dead sometimes remain involved in the lives of the living.

The author describes the sequence as complete.

1. Ghost Town Boogie (2024): A haunted coastal town, an unsettled spirit, and a developing relationship introduce Seawolf Beach’s mixture of mystery and supernatural romance.
2. Sugar Plum Serenade (2024): Music and Christmas magic shape the second Seawolf Beach romance while established townspeople and ghosts continue appearing around the new couple.
3. Ghost Town I Do (2025): A wedding-centered short story bridges the second and third novels and shows how the town’s living and spectral residents respond to a new marriage.
4. Jasmine Street Blues (2025): Police Chief Joseph Maxwell intensifies the search for his estranged stepdaughter after his late former wife’s ghost asks him to find her.

Seawolf Beach Reading Rule

Read Ghost Town I Do between Sugar Plum Serenade and Jasmine Street Blues. It is numbered as a companion story rather than a full third novel.

Sinclair Connection Books in Order

The Sinclair Connection is a romantic-suspense sequence involving the Sinclair family, friends, detectives, ranchers, and protectors who repeatedly become involved in dangerous investigations.

Each book follows a new romance, but supporting characters and family relationships carry forward.

1. Madigan’s Wife (2001): A marriage under strain becomes entangled with danger, requiring Madigan and his wife to confront both the external threat and what remains unresolved between them.
2. Hot on His Trail (2001): A determined heroine follows a man connected to a dangerous case, turning pursuit into a romance where neither participant has the complete truth.
3. Capturing Cleo (2002): Detective Luther Malone becomes involved with Cleo while a criminal threat challenges his professional judgment and his resistance to emotional attachment.
4. In Bed with Boone (2002): A mysterious stranger named Boone enters the heroine’s life under dangerous circumstances, making physical closeness easier than deciding whether he can be trusted.
5. Wilder Days (2003): A return to an earlier connection brings danger and family history together as the Sinclair circle expands beyond the opening couples.
6. Clint’s Wild Ride (2003): Clint enters a fast-moving Western-flavored investigation where the woman beside him becomes more important than maintaining his usual independence.
7. On Dean’s Watch (2003): Dean’s protective role becomes personal when a woman under threat depends on him, closing the seven-book family sequence.

Can Sinclair Connection Be Sampled Out of Order?

Most central mysteries resolve within their own books. Publication order is still preferable because former couples return and the Sinclair network becomes easier to understand over time.

Last Chance Heroes Books in Order

Last Chance Heroes is centered on the Benning Agency and a roadside Alabama stop called Last Chance. People arrive there needing fuel, safety, investigative help, or one final opportunity to change their lives.

The agency and supporting cast recur, while each book follows a new primary couple.

1. Running Scared (2004): A woman fleeing danger reaches the people connected to Last Chance, where accepting protection requires her to reveal why she is being pursued.
2. Truly, Madly, Dangerously (2005): Attraction develops inside a dangerous assignment, forcing the central couple to determine whether intense feelings are clouding their judgment or exposing the truth.
3. One Major Distraction (2005): A distracting romantic connection complicates a Benning Agency mission in which maintaining focus could mean the difference between rescue and failure.
4. Lucky’s Woman (2006): Lucky becomes responsible for a woman in danger, but the role demands more emotional commitment than either expected from the assignment.
5. The Guardian (2008): A protector with ties to the agency confronts the threat surrounding a woman he cannot regard as an ordinary client, closing the published sequence.

Last Chance Heroes Status

The five-book series is complete.

The Guardian may appear in some catalogues as a standalone romantic-suspense novel, but the author groups it with Last Chance Heroes.

The Shades Trilogy in Order

Originally published as Linda Fallon, the Shades trilogy follows the same hero and heroine across all three books.

Eve Abernathy and paranormal investigator Lucien Thorpe do not receive separate, reset romances. Their supernatural cases and damaged relationship continue directly, making this one of the strictest reading orders in the bibliography.

1. Shades of Midnight (2003): Eve asks Lucien, the man who failed to arrive for their wedding, to remove two violent ghosts from her house, reopening their relationship alongside a murder mystery.
2. Shades of Winter (2003; later reissued in 2012): Eve and Lucien face another paranormal disturbance during winter, with their developing reconciliation tested by abilities and dangers they still do not fully understand.
3. Shades of Scarlet (2002; later reissued in 2012): The couple’s continuing investigation moves toward a final supernatural threat marked by violence, buried history, and the consequences of Lucien’s unusual gifts.

Conflicting Publication Dates

Original and digital-edition dates make the trilogy appear in different orders across catalogues.

The author identifies the narrative sequence as:

1. Shades of Midnight
2. Shades of Winter
3. Shades of Scarlet

Use that order rather than sorting solely by the dates attached to current ebook editions.

Christmas Music and Magic Books in Order

These two contemporary holiday romances are linked by music, past relationships, and Christmas second chances.

1. Blue Christmas (2019): A holiday romance built around music and an emotionally difficult Christmas gives its central couple an opportunity to replace loneliness with a new beginning.
2. Always on My Mind (2019): Laura Marlow returns to Memphis to tell songwriter Michael Arnett that he has a young daughter, turning Christmas into a test of whether their earlier love can become a family.

The books are connected thematically but resolve separate central relationships.

Claire and Simon Stories in Order

These two short paranormal stories follow the same characters.

1. Moonlight Becomes You (2008; later issued separately in 2011): A moonlit supernatural encounter brings Claire and Simon together in a short romance involving attraction, transformation, and hidden paranormal identity.
2. Midnight Moonlight (2016): Claire and Simon return for another nighttime supernatural episode that continues their relationship rather than introducing a new couple.

Read both in order. The first story originally appeared in the anthology Hotter Than Hell.

Fairy-Tale Romance Books

Linda Jones’s fairy-tale romances reinterpret familiar stories through Western, historical, contemporary, and humorous romance.

Bibliographies sometimes arrange them as one nine-book series. They are better understood as related retellings rather than one continuous storyline.

Recommended Thematic Order

1. Someone’s Been Sleeping in My Bed (1996): A Goldilocks-inspired misunderstanding places an unexpected woman in a man’s home and turns intrusion into a humorous historical romance.
2. Big Bad Wolf (1997): The Little Red Riding Hood pattern becomes a romance involving a hero with a dangerous reputation and a heroine prepared to look beyond it.
3. Let Me Come In (1997): The Three Little Pigs story is reshaped around property, persistence, and a man determined to enter the heroine’s carefully protected life.
4. Cinderfella (1998): Cinderella’s transformation is reversed through a male lead whose circumstances and romantic future change through an unlikely opportunity.
5. Jackie and the Giant (1999): Jack and the Beanstalk becomes a romance involving an adventurous heroine, a formidable man, and risks larger than either anticipated.
6. One Day, My Prince (2000): A woman waiting for the right romantic future discovers that the real man may not resemble the ideal prince she imagined.
7. Into the Woods (2001): A journey into an isolated or threatening woodland combines several fairy-tale expectations with a romance built around danger and mistaken assumptions.
8. Let Down Your Hair (2001): The Rapunzel pattern becomes a romance about confinement, independence, and the person who challenges the heroine’s separation from ordinary life.
9. DeButy and the Beast (2002): Beauty and the Beast is recast through a lawman, a hero with a fearsome reputation, and a punning Western title.

Do the Fairy-Tale Romances Need to Be Read in Order?

No. Recurring style and fairy-tale references connect them more strongly than plot continuity.

Publication order is useful for readers completing the set, but any title can serve as the first.

Twisted Fairy Tales Collections

LJ’s Twisted Fairy Tales #1 (2022): A collection of previously published retellings rather than a new novel.

LJ’s Twisted Fairy Tales #2 (2022): A second grouped edition containing existing fairy-tale romances.

LJ’s Twisted Fairy Tales #3 (2022): The final collection packages the remaining retellings and should not be counted as an additional story.

The Rock Creek Six Reading Order

Rock Creek Six is a six-book Western-romance series co-created by Linda Devlin and Lori Handeland. Six former soldiers arrive in a dangerous Texas town after the Civil War and gradually build new lives there.

Lori Handeland wrote Books 1, 3, and 5. Linda Winstead Jones, writing as Linda Devlin, wrote Books 2, 4, and 6.

For complete continuity, read all six.

1. Reese, by Lori Handeland (2001): The leader of the former soldiers helps defend Rock Creek and becomes the first member of the group to build a romantic future there.
2. Sullivan, by Linda Devlin (2001): Eden Rourke rescues the injured Sinclair Sullivan and decides that their meeting is fate, while Sullivan tries to deliver her safely to her brother without surrendering his independence.
3. Rico, by Lori Handeland (2001): Another member of the six confronts his violent history while a new relationship gives him a reason to remain connected to Rock Creek.
4. Jed, by Linda Devlin (2001): Jed Rourke and Hannah Winters find themselves on opposite sides of a murder accusation involving Hannah’s brother-in-law and Jed’s former love.
5. Nate, by Lori Handeland (2002): Nate’s romance develops as another threat reaches the town and tests the bonds holding the six former soldiers together.
6. Cash, by Linda Devlin (2002): Gunslinger Daniel Cash learns that he has a teenage son when Nadine Ellington returns and asks him to prevent the boy from following his violent path.

Reading Only Linda Devlin’s Contributions

Readers interested strictly in Linda Winstead Jones’s books can read Sullivan, Jed, and Cash. The individual romances resolve, but major friendships, town developments, and other couples will occur off-page without the alternating books.

Linda Jones and Linda Howard Books

Linda Winstead Jones and Linda Howard have co-written four novels. These divide into one connected paranormal duet and two separate standalones.

Blood Born Books in Order

1. Blood Born (2010): An ancient conflict between vampires and their enemies centers on people whose supernatural destinies are awakening, beginning a large-scale paranormal-romance storyline.
2. Warrior Rising (2016): The sequel returns to the mythology and unresolved battle of Blood Born, advancing the supernatural war through another dangerous bond.

Can Blood Born Stand Alone?

The first book introduces a broader conflict that is not fully self-contained. Readers should continue to Warrior Rising for the published continuation.

Independent Co-Written Novels

1. Running Wild (2012): A woman entering an isolated or dangerous environment becomes involved with a man whose survival skills and secrets shape a self-contained romantic adventure.
2. Frost Line (2016): Lenna, a living embodiment of the Tarot card Strength, enters the human world to protect a boy and clashes with Caine, the hunter sent to return her.
3. After Sundown (2020): Store owner Sela Gordon and former soldier Ben Jernigan prepare a Tennessee mountain community for a solar storm capable of destroying the power grid.

Running Wild, Frost Line, and After Sundown are separate continuities.

Raintree Books and Related Stories

Raintree is a multi-author paranormal trilogy created by Linda Howard, Linda Winstead Jones, and Beverly Barton. The Raintree siblings belong to a powerful psychic family threatened by the rival Ansara clan.

Complete Original Raintree Trilogy

1. Raintree: Inferno, by Linda Howard (2007): Dante Raintree’s casino, psychic power, and unexpected family connection introduce the Raintree–Ansara conflict.
2. Raintree: Haunted, by Linda Winstead Jones (2007): Gideon Raintree uses his abilities as a police investigator while a case and a developing relationship draw him deeper into the family war.
3. Raintree: Sanctuary, by Beverly Barton (2007): Mercy Raintree’s powers and the attack on the family sanctuary bring the original trilogy’s conflict to its conclusion.

Later Linda Winstead Jones Continuation

4. Raintree: Oracle (2015): The Raintree world returns through a new psychic threat and a character whose abilities carry consequences for the family’s future.

Reading Only Linda Winstead Jones

Raintree: Haunted is her primary contribution, but it is the middle of a planned trilogy. Read Inferno first and Sanctuary afterward for the complete original story.

Oracle belongs after all three original novels.

Historical and Western Romances

The following books were written as Linda Winstead, Linda Jones, or Linda Winstead Jones. Modern catalogues sometimes group them under “classic historical romance,” but most are independent.

1. No Angel’s Grace (1994; some reissue listings use an earlier copyright date): Grace enters a historical romance where her reputation and a hero’s assumptions conceal a more complicated woman than the title suggests.
2. Guardian Angel (1994): A protector enters the heroine’s life during a dangerous period, creating a Western romance in which safety and emotional trust develop together.
3. Chase the Lightning (1995): A sudden, powerful attraction unfolds in a Western setting where movement, danger, and the hero’s restless nature make commitment uncertain.
4. West Wind (1995): A windswept frontier journey brings two strong characters together while the difficulties of the West challenge their plans and growing attachment.
5. In Enemy Hands (1996): A heroine placed under an enemy’s control must determine whether the man holding power over her is truly the greatest danger.
6. Desperado’s Gold (1996): A time-travel or paranormal Western adventure links romance to hidden gold, a dangerous desperado, and a heroine displaced from her expected life.
7. On a Wicked Wind (1998): A historical journey driven by a dangerous wind brings the couple into conflict with enemies, circumstance, and their own resistance to love.
8. The Indigo Blade (1999): A masked or legendary figure associated with the indigo blade enters a romantic adventure involving justice, hidden identity, and political danger.
9. The Seduction of Roxanne (2000): Roxanne becomes the focus of a historical romance where seduction, competing intentions, and social risk complicate the possibility of genuine trust.
10. Black Widow (2025 edition): Lady Audrey Graystone, wrongly blamed for her husband’s death, travels to Venice and poses as a maid while developing a relationship with artist Giovanni Valentino.

Black Widow Publication Note

Black Widow was originally published as a novella in the 1999 anthology Masquerade and later appeared in Behind the Mask. The 2025 edition is revised but not an entirely new story.

Contemporary and Romantic-Suspense Standalones

These novels do not form one continuing series.

1. Bridger’s Last Stand (1999): A law-enforcement hero faces a final dangerous confrontation while a woman connected to the case gives him a personal reason to survive.
2. Every Little Thing (2000): Small changes and accumulated choices transform a contemporary relationship until the central couple must decide whether ordinary complications will keep them apart.
3. Secret-Agent Sheik (2002): A royal hero working under a concealed identity enters a romantic-suspense mission where political duty conflicts with his feelings for the heroine.
4. Fever (2004): A dangerous attraction develops inside a family-secret investigation where illness, obsession, or hidden evidence raises the emotional temperature.
5. A Touch of the Beast (2004): A hero with dangerous instincts becomes involved in a paranormal-tinged suspense story connected to a multi-author family continuity.
6. The Sheik and I (2006): A heroine becomes entangled with a sheik during a royal investigation where attraction and international danger are difficult to separate.
7. Last of the Ravens (2010): A man connected to the supernatural Ravens confronts a threat involving inherited power, isolation, and a relationship that may change his fate.
8. Come to Me (2010): A dangerous summons or irresistible connection draws the protagonists together in a romantic-suspense story shaped by trust and pursuit.
9. The Husband Recipe (2012): A woman searching for the qualities of an ideal husband discovers that real compatibility does not follow a simple recipe.
10. A Week Till the Wedding (2012): With only seven days before a wedding, unresolved feelings and unexpected complications force the heroine to reconsider the future she has chosen.
11. Never Again (2013): A woman determined not to repeat an earlier romantic mistake confronts a man and circumstances capable of breaking that promise.
12. Behind the Mask (2013): A collection or expanded edition gathers historical masquerade material in which concealed identities allow characters to pursue desires they could not acknowledge openly.

Short Fiction and Novellas

These stories are independent unless a parent series is specified.

1. Calling After Midnight (2003): Radio host Veronica Gray’s late-night advice to a troubled caller leads to murder and places her inside the danger she initially heard only as a voice.
2. Forever Mine (2005): A paranormal or suspenseful romance tests whether a bond intended to last forever can survive the threat surrounding the couple.
3. Sweet Dreams (2008): A holiday paranormal romance uses dreams, magic, and emotional longing in a story first published in The Magical Christmas Cat.
4. Moonlight Becomes You (2008): Claire and Simon’s first short supernatural romance begins under moonlight and introduces the bond continued in Midnight Moonlight.
5. Sundown (2009): A vampire-themed holiday story brings danger at sunset into a romance first released in a seasonal paranormal collection.
6. Resolution (2011): A New Year setting gives the central characters an opportunity to resolve an emotional conflict while a dangerous situation presses them toward action.
7. Haunted Honeymoon (2015): A newly married couple encounters supernatural trouble during a honeymoon that refuses to remain peaceful or private.
8. Midnight Moonlight (2016): Claire and Simon return for a second compact paranormal story that continues rather than restarts their relationship.
9. Firebird (2014): Rori and Kalum’s shifter romance belongs inside Columbyana immediately before Dragonstone Dance.
10. Mystic Matchmaker (2023): A short magical matchmaking story returns to Mystic Springs after Last Call at the Doghouse.
11. Ghost Town I Do (2025): A Seawolf Beach wedding story connects Sugar Plum Serenade with Jasmine Street Blues.
12. A Christmas Crush (2025): Unemployed Molly attends a destination wedding and reunites with baseball star Ben Crusher, the childhood sweetheart she never entirely forgot.

Latest Short Release

A Christmas Crush was released individually in October 2025 after also being included in the multi-author holiday collection Five Golden Flings.

Buying both editions produces duplicate story content.

Holiday Collections

1. Christmas Music and Magic (2019): A combined presentation of Blue Christmas and Always on My Mind rather than a third holiday romance.
2. Five Golden Flings (2024): Five authors contribute separate Christmas romances, including Linda Winstead Jones’s A Christmas Crush.
3. A Christmas Crush (2025): The same story was later issued on its own for readers who did not buy the full anthology.

Multi-Author Anthologies

These books contain a Linda Winstead Jones story alongside work by other authors.

1. Christmas Spirit (1997): Linda Jones, Elaine Fox, and Leigh Greenwood contribute separate seasonal romances collected under one Christmas theme.
2. Masquerade (1999): Four historical-romance novellas use disguise and concealed identity, including the story later released as Black Widow.
3. Love Is Murder (2003): Romantic-suspense stories by Linda Winstead Jones, Rebecca Brandewyne, and Maureen Child include Calling After Midnight.
4. Beyond the Dark (2005): A paranormal-romance anthology includes Forever Mine alongside stories by Evelyn Vaughn and Karen Whiddon.
5. The Heart of Winter (2011): A winter anthology includes Resolution with stories by other romance authors.
6. Hotter Than Hell (2008): A paranormal anthology originally includes Moonlight Becomes You among stories by multiple writers.
7. The Magical Christmas Cat (2008): Holiday paranormal stories by Lora Leigh, Erin McCarthy, Nalini Singh, and Linda Winstead Jones include Sweet Dreams.
8. Holiday with a Vampire III (2009): The seasonal Nocturne anthology includes the vampire story Sundown.
9. Christmas with a Vampire (2010): A later collection republishes Sundown with other vampire holiday fiction.
10. In His Bed (2007): A multi-author volume packages romance stories by Linda Winstead Jones and Barbara McCauley.
11. Romancing the Crown (2008): A collection edition packages royal romances, including material associated with Secret-Agent Sheik.
12. Raintree (2008): An omnibus contains Inferno, Haunted, and Sanctuary, replacing the three separate original trilogy editions.
13. What a Day! (2022): Linda Winstead Jones joins Linda Howard and Bonnie Gardner in a collection of previously written or shorter material.
14. Five Golden Flings (2024): A shared holiday anthology includes A Christmas Crush and four other Christmas romances.

Reissues and Duplicate Editions

Linda Winstead Jones has recovered rights to many older books and republished them digitally. Cover changes and new publication dates do not automatically indicate a new story.

Shades Reissues

The three Linda Fallon books were republished under Linda Winstead Jones. They remain the same Eve and Lucien trilogy.

Fairy-Tale Collections

The three LJ’s Twisted Fairy Tales volumes collect the nine individual retellings. They are not Books 10, 11, and 12.

Black Widow

The 2025 edition revises a story first published in 1999. Readers who own Masquerade or Behind the Mask may already have an earlier version.

A Christmas Crush

The 2025 standalone edition is the same romance included in Five Golden Flings.

Raintree Collections

The Raintree omnibus contains the complete original multi-author trilogy. Oracle remains a later separate continuation.

Columbyana Omnibuses

The Sisters, Children, and Emperor’s Brides collections replace the individual books within their respective trilogies.

Recommended Complete Columbyana Route

Readers seeking the author’s deepest fantasy continuity should use:

1. The Sun Witch
2. The Moon Witch
3. The Star Witch
4. Prince of Magic
5. Prince of Fire
6. Prince of Swords
7. Untouchable
8. 22 Nights
9. Bride by Command
10. Bride by Midnight
11. Firebird
12. Dragonstone Dance

This order preserves every generational change and the eventual resolution of the supernatural war.

Recommended Paranormal Route

A varied paranormal reading path is:

1. Shades of Midnight
2. Shades of Winter
3. Shades of Scarlet
4. Raintree: Inferno
5. Raintree: Haunted
6. Raintree: Sanctuary
7. Raintree: Oracle
8. Bigfoot and the Librarian
9. Santa and the Snow Witch
10. Beauty and the Beastmaster
11. Ivy’s Fall
12. Last Call at the Doghouse
13. Mystic Matchmaker

The Shades, Raintree, and Mystic Springs groups are separate continuities. This is a genre route, not a shared chronology.

Recommended Romantic-Suspense Route

Begin with the Sinclair Connection:

1. Madigan’s Wife
2. Hot on His Trail
3. Capturing Cleo
4. In Bed with Boone
5. Wilder Days
6. Clint’s Wild Ride
7. On Dean’s Watch

Then continue with Last Chance Heroes:

1. Running Scared
2. Truly, Madly, Dangerously
3. One Major Distraction
4. Lucky’s Woman
5. The Guardian

The two series use separate central groups. Reading Sinclair first follows publication history rather than a required crossover chronology.

Recommended Western Route

For a complete shared Western story, read all six Rock Creek books beginning with Reese.

For Linda Winstead Jones’s work alone, use:

1. Sullivan
2. Jed
3. Cash

Then explore the independent Western and historical romances:

1. Guardian Angel
2. Chase the Lightning
3. West Wind
4. In Enemy Hands
5. Desperado’s Gold
6. On a Wicked Wind

Latest Linda Winstead Jones Book

A Christmas Crush is the latest confirmed individual release, published October 27, 2025.

It is a short holiday romance about Molly and baseball player Ben Crusher. The story was previously included in the 2024 collection Five Golden Flings.

Jasmine Street Blues, released in July 2025, is her latest full-length series title and the concluding main novel in Seawolf Beach.

Black Widow was also issued in 2025, but it is a revised edition of a historical novella originally published in 1999.

No later 2026 novel or novella had been reliably announced as of July 19, 2026.

Current Series Status

Columbyana: Complete with twelve novels and novellas.

Mystic Springs: Five principal stories and one companion short story are published; no later installment is confirmed.

Seawolf Beach: Complete with three main books and one connecting short story.

Sinclair Connection: Complete at seven books.

Last Chance Heroes: Complete at five books.

The Shades Trilogy: Complete at three books.

Christmas Music and Magic: Complete at two published books unless the author announces a continuation.

Claire and Simon: Two short stories are published.

Rock Creek Six: Complete at six books, three written by Linda Devlin and three by Lori Handeland.

Blood Born: Two co-written novels are published.

Original Raintree: Complete as a three-author trilogy, followed by the later Oracle continuation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was Linda Winstead Jones’s first book?

The author describes her professional career as beginning in 1994. Guardian Angel is among her earliest published novels under the Linda Winstead name.

Some bibliography databases attach a 1979 date to No Angel’s Grace. That date conflicts with the author’s stated career timeline and appears connected to catalogue or edition metadata, so it should not be used confidently as her debut year.

What is the best Linda Winstead Jones book to start with?

Begin with The Sun Witch for fantasy romance, Madigan’s Wife for romantic suspense, or Bigfoot and the Librarian for humorous small-town paranormal romance.

Is Linda Jones the same author as Linda Winstead Jones?

Yes. Linda Jones is one of her publishing names.

It appears on her fairy-tale romances and on books co-written with Linda Howard.

Is Linda Fallon the same author?

Yes. Linda Fallon was the original byline for the Shades trilogy.

Is Linda Devlin the same author?

Yes. Linda Devlin is the name used on Sullivan, Jed, and Cash in the Rock Creek Six series.

Is Linda Winstead a separate author?

No. Linda Winstead was used for early Western and historical romances such as Guardian Angel, Chase the Lightning, and West Wind.

Do the Columbyana books need to be read in order?

Yes. Columbyana follows connected families and a continuing magical conflict across several generations.

Begin with The Sun Witch and finish with Dragonstone Dance.

Are Sisters of the Sun and Children of the Sun separate series?

They are subseries within Columbyana.

Sisters of the Sun covers Books 1–3, while Children of the Sun covers Books 4–6.

Where does Firebird belong?

Read Firebird after Bride by Midnight and before Dragonstone Dance.

It is a novella, but it belongs inside the final Columbyana sequence.

Do the Shades books follow different couples?

No. Eve Abernathy and Lucien Thorpe remain the central couple in all three.

Read Shades of Midnight, Shades of Winter, and Shades of Scarlet in that order.

Is Mystic Matchmaker a full Mystic Springs novel?

It is a shorter companion story numbered after Last Call at the Doghouse.

Readers following only the principal novels may treat it as optional.

Is Ghost Town I Do a full Seawolf Beach novel?

No. It is a connecting short story placed between Sugar Plum Serenade and Jasmine Street Blues.

Are the fairy-tale romances connected?

They share a retelling concept but do not form one continuing plot.

Any title can be read independently.

Should the complete Rock Creek Six series include Lori Handeland’s books?

Yes, for full town and character continuity.

Linda Devlin’s Sullivan, Jed, and Cash occupy Books 2, 4, and 6, alternating with Lori Handeland’s Reese, Rico, and Nate.

Is Raintree: Haunted a standalone?

Its central romance can be understood, but it is the second book in a three-author trilogy.

Read Linda Howard’s Inferno first and Beverly Barton’s Sanctuary afterward.

Is Oracle part of Raintree?

Yes. Raintree: Oracle is a later continuation and belongs after the original trilogy.

Are Blood Born and Warrior Rising connected?

Yes. Warrior Rising is the sequel to Blood Born.

Both were co-written with Linda Howard.

Is After Sundown connected to Blood Born?

No. After Sundown is an independent survival romance about a community preparing for a catastrophic solar storm.

Is Black Widow a new 2025 story?

It is a revised 2025 edition of a novella originally published in the 1999 anthology Masquerade.

Is A Christmas Crush included in another book?

Yes. It appears in Five Golden Flings and was later released individually.

What is Linda Winstead Jones’s latest full-length novel?

Jasmine Street Blues, published in July 2025, is her latest confirmed full-length series novel.

What is her latest release overall?

A Christmas Crush, published individually in October 2025, is her latest confirmed release.

The Best Final Reading Choice

Choose The Sun Witch when you want the most substantial Linda Winstead Jones continuity. Its story grows into a twelve-entry fantasy saga with clear generational progression and a defined conclusion.

Choose Madigan’s Wife when suspense matters more than magic. The Sinclair Connection gives each couple a complete romance while allowing the family and investigative network to develop across seven books.

Choose Bigfoot and the Librarian for a lighter paranormal starting point. Mystic Springs requires less preparation than Columbyana and introduces a town where supernatural secrets, humor, and romance share equal space.