Lynn Austin Books in Order (Updated 2026-02-06)

Lynn Austin’s novels fall into a few clearly separated tracks: Bible-era sagas, American historical trilogies, a connected duo, and a long run of standalone historical novels. There’s no single “read everything from page one” requirement, but within each named set, order protects character arcs and later-book reveals.

If you want a straightforward plan: pick one set, finish it, then move to another.

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Pick your doorway

• Bible-era drama with kings, prophets, and national upheaval: start with Gods and Kings.
• American Civil War from a faith-and-family angle: start with Candle in the Darkness.
• Post-exile rebuilding (Ezra/Nehemiah era): start with Return to Me.
• Early 1900s Chicago with society, reform, and consequences: start with Waves of Mercy.
• Standalone sampler that shows her modern historical style: start with Wonderland Creek or Chasing Shadows.

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Bible-era sagas

Chronicles of the Kings (read in order)

1. Gods and Kings (1995): A divided kingdom fractures further when leadership choices collide with faith and fear.
2. Song of Redemption (1995): A battered nation searches for renewal while personal loyalties are tested under pressure.
3. The Strength of His Hand (1996): A king’s reforms spark hope, and opposition that won’t stay quiet.
4. Faith of My Fathers (1997): A ruler raised in darkness must decide whether he’ll repeat the past or break it.
5. Among the Gods (1998): The pull of power and idols threatens to undo everything a faithful remnant tries to build.

Restoration Chronicles (read in order)

1. Return to Me (2013): Lives reshaped by exile begin again with fragile hope and hard-earned faith.
2. Keepers of the Covenant (2014): A community rebuilds identity and worship while old wounds reopen in new ways.
3. On This Foundation (2015): A city’s broken walls become the backdrop for rebuilding trust, courage, and belonging.

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American historical sets

Refiner’s Fire (read in order)

1. Candle in the Darkness (2002): A privileged young woman’s world shifts as the Civil War pushes comfort into conviction.
2. Fire by Night (2003): War’s long shadow forces families to choose between survival and what they believe is right.
3. A Light to My Path (2004): The road forward demands forgiveness, endurance, and a faith strong enough to act.

Waves of Mercy (read in order)

1. Waves of Mercy (2016): A young socialite’s sheltered life cracks open when tragedy and service pull her toward a truer self.
2. Legacy of Mercy (2018): Returning home doesn’t mean returning unchanged, especially when family expectations tighten.

If I Were You (connected pair; read in order)

1. If I Were You (2020): Two women swap lives across class lines, and the trade reveals what each has been hiding.
2. The Wish Book Christmas (2021): Holiday nostalgia turns into a second-chance reckoning when love and truth arrive together.

Gilded Age (currently one novel)

• All My Secrets (2024): A polished social world masks bargains and betrayals that can’t stay buried forever.

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Standalone novels in publication order

1. Fly Away (1996): A young woman’s escape becomes a search for who she is when the past won’t stay behind her.
2. Eve’s Daughters (1999): Three sisters confront the ways a mother’s legacy shapes their choices, and their resentments.
3. Wings of Refuge (2000): A household built on appearances trembles when truth threatens to break the façade.
4. Hidden Places (2001): A struggling farm and a guarded outsider collide, and healing starts where neither expects it.
5. All She Ever Wanted (2005): A woman’s carefully managed life cracks when desire and duty pull in opposite directions.
6. A Woman’s Place (2006): A wartime home front reveals quiet heroism, and the cost of stepping beyond assigned roles.
7. A Proper Pursuit (2007): Love and faith are tested against privilege, prejudice, and the price of belonging.
8. Until We Reach Home (2008): A determined journey forward becomes a lesson in grace when plans fall apart.
9. Though Waters Roar (2009): A family faces betrayal and consequence while a larger community wrestles with loss.
10. While We’re Far Apart (2010): A life split by war and time forces a woman to confront the story she told herself to survive.
11. Wonderland Creek (2011): A writer’s discovery of a hidden diary rewrites what a small town thinks it knows about itself.
12. All Things New (2012): A new beginning sounds simple until old grief shows up demanding attention.
13. Where We Belong (2017): A long-held secret threatens a family’s sense of identity just as belonging finally feels possible.
14. Chasing Shadows (2021): A hidden past resurfaces, and a woman must decide what truth is worth exposing.
15. Long Way Home (2022): A return to the place that hurt you becomes the only way to become whole again.

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Novella and nonfiction

Novella

• Waiting for Christmas (2024): A seasonal reunion forces two people to face what they never finished saying.

Nonfiction

• Pilgrimage (2013): A reflective travel-and-faith journey shaped by questions that don’t resolve quickly.
• Sightings (2019): A quieter, observant book focused on noticing meaning in ordinary moments.

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Latest release status

• Most recent novel: All My Secrets (2024).
• Most recent shorter work: Waiting for Christmas (2024).
• Next listed release: The Lumber Baron’s Wife (April 2026).

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The simplest “in order” approach

Start with the set that matches your mood (Kings / Civil War / Restoration / Chicago / Life-swap duo), read that set straight through, then try one standalone from the list above. Once you do that, Lynn Austin’s catalog becomes easy to navigate without confusion or spoilers.