Michele Brouder Books in Order (Updated March 25, 2026)

With Michele Brouder, the best reading order depends on which part of her catalog you want. Her women’s fiction series and her sweet romance series do not all work the same way. Some should be read straight through, while others are designed as standalones in a shared setting. Michele Brouder’s official site currently highlights six active buckets: The Gallagher Brothers of Galway Bay, The Lavender Bay Chronicles, Hideaway Bay, Escape to Ireland, The Happy Holidays, and Soul Saver.

The simplest rule is this: read Hideaway Bay in order for at least the first three books, read The Lavender Bay Chronicles straight through, and feel free to treat Escape to Ireland and The Happy Holidays as standalones unless you prefer publication order. Soul Saver is its own separate paranormal lane.

The best place to start

For most readers, Coming Home to Hideaway Bay is the safest first Michele Brouder book. It opens her best-known women’s fiction sequence and leads into the family material that readers most often follow in order. If you want the newer coastal series instead, start with The Inn at Lavender Bay. If you want sweet Irish contemporary romance with lighter continuity, start with A Match Made in Ireland.

Read these series in this order

These are the series where publication order is also the best practical reading order.

Hideaway Bay

This is the most important continuity note in Brouder’s catalog: the official series page says the first three books should be read in order, while the remaining books can be read more flexibly. For a first visit, though, the cleanest path is still to read all seven in sequence.

1. Coming Home to Hideaway Bay (2022): The series opener introduces the beachside town, the three sisters at the center of the saga, and the family ties that shape the books that follow.
2. Meet Me At Sunrise (2022): The second book continues the family-centered story and is part of the core opening arc that works best in strict order.
3. Moonlight and Promises (2022): This completes the initial three-book foundation of the series and should not be skipped ahead of.
4. When We Were Young (2022): The series broadens beyond the opening setup and starts using the established town and family history more freely.
5. One Last Thing Before I Go (2023): A later Hideaway Bay story that builds on the emotional and generational threads already in place.
6. The Chocolatier of Hideaway Bay (2023): Continues the town-based women’s fiction arc with another character-driven story inside the same setting.
7. Now and Forever (2023): The current end point of the main Hideaway Bay line and the best last stop for readers doing the full series.

The Lavender Bay Chronicles

This is Michele Brouder’s newer women’s fiction series and the cleanest current full run after Hideaway Bay. Everything currently listed points to a straightforward six-book sequence.

1. The Inn at Lavender Bay (2024): The opening novel establishes Lavender Bay as a new coastal setting and sets up the community tone for the series.
2. Lost and Found in Lavender Bay (2024): The second book continues the setting-based continuity and expands the town’s character network.
3. Second Chances in Lavender Bay (2024): Keeps the same emotional and community-focused arc moving while staying inside the main sequence.
4. New Beginnings in Lavender Bay (2025): The series moves forward with another town-centered story built on the earlier books’ setting foundation.
5. Looking Back in Lavender Bay (2025): A later entry that leans into the reflective, relationship-driven side of the series.
6. Sisters and Friends in Lavender Bay (2025): The latest released Lavender Bay novel currently visible on the official site and catalog pages.

Soul Saver

This is a separate continuity from Brouder’s women’s fiction and sweet romance work. It is a young adult paranormal series and should be read in order.

1. Claire Daly: Reluctant Soul Saver (2015): The series opener introduces Claire, her supernatural powers, and the Irish village setting of the paranormal storyline.
2. Claire Daly: Marked for Collection (2018): The direct sequel continues Claire’s story and should be read after book one.

Shared-setting series you can read more flexibly

These books still have a listed order, but the official series pages say they can be read as standalones. That means publication order is tidy, not mandatory.

Escape to Ireland

The official site says each book is a standalone and can be read in any order. For new readers, though, publication order is still the easiest way to move through the series.

1. A Match Made in Ireland (2019): The first Escape to Ireland novel introduces the line’s sweet Irish-romance tone and is the most natural starting point.
2. Her Fake, Irish Husband (2019): A marriage-of-convenience story that stays within the same series brand but works as its own romance.
3. Her Irish Inheritance (2019): A later standalone entry in the same Irish setting, still best placed here for publication order readers.
4. A Match for the Matchmaker (2020): Continues the series with another independent romance tied to the same overall setting and style.
5. Home, Sweet Irish Home (2021): A later series entry that keeps the same sweet contemporary tone without requiring the earlier books.
6. An Irish Christmas (2021): A holiday-set entry in the same line, best read here if you are following the series by release order.

The Happy Holidays

The official site also presents these as standalones, but the series order is clear across the official page, Fantastic Fiction, and retailer listings.

1. A Whyte Christmas (2016): The first holiday romance in the series and the best place to start if you want Michele Brouder’s Christmas books.
2. This Christmas (2017): Another standalone holiday romance that keeps the same warm seasonal mood.
3. A Wish for Christmas (2018): The third holiday book, still separate enough to read alone but neatly placed here in order.
4. One Kiss for Christmas (2019): A later series entry centered on a past connection resurfacing during the holidays.
5. A Wedding for Christmas (2020): The fifth currently listed Happy Holidays novel and the latest clearly mapped book in that line.

The newest series to watch

The Gallagher Brothers of Galway Bay

This is Michele Brouder’s newest clearly listed series on her official site. As of March 25, 2026, only the first book is clearly surfaced across the sources I checked, even though social posts and site presentation suggest a larger series is planned. I would treat this as an active upcoming series, not a completed order yet.

Fake Dating, Irish Style (2026): The opening Gallagher Brothers of Galway Bay novel, set to launch the new Irish family-romance sequence.

Recommended reading orders

There is no single best Michele Brouder order for everyone, so these are the three most useful versions.

Best overall order for most readers

1. Coming Home to Hideaway Bay
2. Meet Me At Sunrise
3. Moonlight and Promises
4. Continue through the rest of Hideaway Bay
5. Move to The Lavender Bay Chronicles
6. Then read Escape to Ireland or The Happy Holidays in any order you like
7. Save Soul Saver for a separate paranormal read

Best order if you only want Irish romance

1. A Match Made in Ireland
2. Continue through Escape to Ireland
3. Then try The Gallagher Brothers of Galway Bay once more books are out

Best order if you want her newest women’s fiction first

1. The Inn at Lavender Bay
2. Continue through all six Lavender Bay books
3. Then go back to Hideaway Bay if you want the deeper family saga

Do Michele Brouder books have a chronological order?

Not in a meaningful cross-series way.

The useful dividing line is continuity type, not timeline. Hideaway Bay and Lavender Bay are the series where sustained order matters most. Escape to Ireland and The Happy Holidays are much more forgiving because the official site describes those books as standalones.

Latest release status

The latest clearly released Michele Brouder novel I could verify is Sisters and Friends in Lavender Bay, published on September 28, 2025. The next clearly listed upcoming title is Fake Dating, Irish Style, the first Gallagher Brothers of Galway Bay book, which social and catalog listings indicate is scheduled for April 19, 2026.

Final recommendation

Start with Coming Home to Hideaway Bay if you want the strongest Michele Brouder entry point. Start with The Inn at Lavender Bay if you want the newer series first. Start with A Match Made in Ireland if you want a lighter, more flexible sweet-romance route. That keeps the continuity clean without turning a very readable catalog into a more complicated order than it needs to be.