Marliss Melton Books in Order (Updated April 16, 2026)

Marliss Melton’s fiction falls into three distinct reading lanes. There is the original Navy SEAL Team 12 run, the later Taskforce and Echo Platoon military-romantic-suspense line, and the separate medieval Warriors of York trilogy.

That split matters. If you want the classic Marliss Melton experience, start with Forget Me Not. If you want the later FBI-and-SEAL era, start with Danger Close. If you want the historical side, start with The Slayer’s Redemption.

The cleanest way to read Marliss Melton

You do not need one giant all-title master order. The most practical route is:

1. Read Navy SEAL Team 12 in order.
2. Move to Taskforce.
3. Then read Echo Platoon in order, adding the short pieces only where they fit naturally.
4. Treat Warriors of York as a separate historical trilogy.
5. Leave the earlier legacy novels and anthologies for completionist reading.

Where most readers should begin

1. Start with Forget Me Not if you want the foundation. It is the first SEAL Team 12 novel and still the best entry into Melton’s core military-romance style.
2. Start with Danger Close if you want the later connected world. It opens Echo Platoon and gives you the smoother modern on-ramp into her FBI-and-special-operations books.
3. Start with The Slayer’s Redemption only if you are specifically here for the medieval trilogy, because that line is separate in tone, setting, and continuity.

Navy SEAL Team 12 in order

This is the original Marliss Melton series and the strongest place to start if you want her signature work.

1. Forget Me Not (2004): The opening SEAL Team 12 novel, introducing Melton’s blend of military danger, emotional recovery, and romance under pressure.
2. In the Dark (2005): A second linked SEAL romance that expands the team world and works best after the opener.
3. Time to Run (2005): Another team-centered entry, built around flight, pursuit, and the mounting continuity of the SEAL cast.
4. Next to Die (2007): A later-series installment that sharpens the suspense side of the SEAL Team 12 line.
5. Don’t Let Go (2007): A protective, family-centered SEAL romance that keeps the series’ emotional stakes high.
6. Too Far Gone (2008): A continuation that pushes the line further into danger, survival, and hard-earned trust.
7. Show No Fear (2009): A later SEAL Team 12 novel that leans into courage, vulnerability, and the cost of action.
8. Long Gone (2012): A return to the SEAL Team 12 world after a gap, best read after the earlier books for continuity.
9. Code of Silence (2014): The final main SEAL Team 12 novel, closing the series’ core run.

Optional SEAL Team 12 extras

1. Reclaimed: A Christmas Short Story (2012): A holiday short set alongside the SEAL Team 12 world, best treated as bonus reading rather than a required step.
2. VeriSEAL (2010): A short story for readers who already know Melton’s SEAL setting and want an extra side visit.
3. SEAL of My Dreams (2011): An anthology appearance rather than a main-series entry, so it is best saved for completists.

Taskforce in order

Taskforce is shorter, sharper, and best read after SEAL Team 12 rather than before it.

1. The Protector (2011): The first Taskforce book, opening a new security-and-intelligence branch in Melton’s contemporary suspense fiction.
2. The Guardian (2013): A follow-up that keeps the national-security focus and builds out the Taskforce setup.
3. The Enforcer (2013): The third Taskforce novel, completing the trilogy’s main arc.

Echo Platoon in order

This is the later Marliss Melton military-romantic-suspense line. The easiest way to handle it is to read the full novels in sequence and treat the shorter pieces as optional.

1. Look Again (2014): A prequel-style short work that introduces the Echo Platoon world before the first full novel.
2. Danger Close (2014): The real launch point for Echo Platoon and the best place to start this branch.
3. Hard Landing (2015): The second main Echo Platoon novel, continuing the military-romantic-suspense pattern with a new central couple.
4. Never Forget (2016): A shorter Echo-connected work set around a retreat for SEALs and wounded warriors, best read after the early core books.
5. Friendly Fire (2016): A later team-centered installment that keeps the action and emotional fallout tightly linked.
6. Hot Target (2017): Another connected Echo Platoon romance, built around danger, attraction, and mission-level stakes.
7. Take Cover (2017): A shorter Echo Platoon side entry, useful as bonus reading once the series is established.
8. Strike Back (2018): A continuation that revisits the Echo circle with more personal history and renewed danger.
9. Insider Threat (2021): The final Echo Platoon novel, which the author later clarified should be treated as the last book in the series.

Warriors of York in order

This is a separate medieval trilogy and should not be mixed into the contemporary military reading order.

1. The Slayer’s Redemption (2015): The first Warriors of York novel, opening the historical trilogy with one of the three York sisters and the warrior who changes her fate.
2. The Black Knight’s Reward (2016): The second historical romance, continuing the trilogy’s family-linked structure in medieval England.
3. The Crusader’s Challenge (2023): The third and current final Warriors of York book, bringing the trilogy to its conclusion.

Earlier and legacy novels

These are best treated as separate early-career books rather than part of Melton’s main modern continuity.

1. Danger’s Promise (2002, as Marliss Moon): An early historical romance and one of Melton’s first published novels.
2. Sofi’s Blessings (2002, as Marliss Melton Arruda): An early inspirational romance outside the SEAL and suspense lines.
3. By Starlight (2003, as Marliss Moon): Another legacy-era novel that sits apart from the later series.

Recommended reading orders

The best all-around path

1. Forget Me Not
2. Finish Navy SEAL Team 12
3. Read Taskforce
4. Read Echo Platoon

This is the best route if you want to watch Melton’s contemporary romantic-suspense work develop in a natural progression.

The best shorter modern path

1. Danger Close
2. Hard Landing
3. Friendly Fire
4. Hot Target
5. Strike Back
6. Insider Threat

This route works for readers who want the later style without first reading the full SEAL Team 12 backlist.

The best historical-only path

1. The Slayer’s Redemption
2. The Black Knight’s Reward
3. The Crusader’s Challenge

Do you need a chronological order?

No. You need a series order.

For Marliss Melton, publication order inside each series is the useful approach. The only real caution is Echo Platoon, where some catalog sites list the side pieces in ways that can look confusing. The safest method is still simple: read the main novels in sequence, drop the short works in as optional extras, and treat Insider Threat as the ending.

Latest release status

The most recent confirmed Marliss Melton novel I found is The Crusader’s Challenge, published in 2023. I did not find a newer announced fiction release on her current official books pages or blog, so that is the safest present endpoint.

FAQs

What Marliss Melton book should I read first?

Read Forget Me Not first if you want the classic entry point. Read Danger Close first if you want the later connected series with a more current feel.

Is Echo Platoon connected to SEAL Team 12?

They belong to the same broad kind of military-romantic-suspense readership, but they are best treated as separate series rather than one uninterrupted sequence.

Is Taskforce required before Echo Platoon?

No, but it fits naturally between SEAL Team 12 and Echo Platoon if you want the cleanest progression through her contemporary suspense work.

Are the medieval books connected to the SEAL books?

No. Warriors of York is a separate historical trilogy.

What is the last Echo Platoon book?

Insider Threat is the safest answer, because the author explicitly states that it should now be treated as the last book in the series.

Bottom line

• If you want one decisive recommendation, start with Forget Me Not.
• If you want the later, tighter version of Marliss Melton instead, start with Danger Close.
• If you want everything in the simplest useful order, do this: SEAL Team 12 → Taskforce → Echo Platoon, and keep Warriors of York separate.