Sierra Dean is a Canadian author of urban fantasy, paranormal romance, contemporary romance, baseball romance, superhero fiction, and mythological fantasy. She is best known for Secret McQueen, a long-running series about a vampire and werewolf hybrid working in New York’s supernatural underworld.
Her catalog has one major shared universe. Secret McQueen provides the foundation for the Genie McQueen books, the Holden Chancery story, and several shorter works collected as the Secretverse Novellas. These books reveal major developments from the original series, so sequence matters.
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The other series are separate. Boys of Summer is contemporary baseball romance, Dog Days is a four-part paranormal romance, and Rain Chaser follows a woman caught in conflicts among gods and mythological powers.
Start Here Without Spoiling Anything
The strongest starting point is Something Secret This Way Comes.
It introduces Secret McQueen, the supernatural political system, her relationships with vampires and werewolves, and the conflicts that continue through twelve numbered novels.
Readers choosing another genre can begin elsewhere:
- Pitch Perfect, for baseball romance
- Autumn, for a compact four-book paranormal story
- Thunder Road, for mythology and urban fantasy
- Cabin Fever, for contemporary enemies-to-lovers romance
- We Don’t Need Another Hero, for superhero fiction
The Important Continuity Rules
Only a few rules are needed to avoid spoilers.
Secret McQueen Comes Before Genie McQueen
Genie’s series assumes that readers understand Secret’s identity, family history, supernatural status, and earlier battles.
Reading Genie first reveals substantial outcomes from the original books.
The Secretverse Novellas Belong Inside the Main Timeline
The Secret Guide to Dating Monsters and Secret Santa have clear positions within the early Secret McQueen sequence.
Other stories, including Night Moves, focus on supporting characters and are more useful after those characters have been introduced.
One Last Secret Is the Final Secret McQueen Novel
The series originally reached a major conclusion with A Secret to Die For. It later resumed with four additional novels and reaches its final ending in One Last Secret.
The Other Series Are Separate Continuities
Dog Days, Rain Chaser, and Boys of Summer do not need to be inserted into the Secretverse.
They can be read independently in their own publication orders.
Secret McQueen Books in Order
Secret McQueen is an urban fantasy series about a young woman who is part vampire and part werewolf. She works for New York’s vampire council as a rogue hunter while trying to navigate werewolf politics, supernatural crimes, dangerous romantic bonds, and questions about where she belongs.
The main novels tell a continuing story. Later installments reveal deaths, marriages, political changes, and earlier romantic outcomes, so they should not be read out of sequence.
0.5. The Secret Guide to Dating Monsters
The Secret Guide to Dating Monsters (2011): Secret accepts a seemingly ordinary date while continuing to hide her supernatural identity and violent work from the human world.
The novella offers an early look at her attempts to maintain a normal personal life despite being employed as a vampire hunter.
Status: Included prequel novella
It can be read before Something Secret This Way Comes or immediately afterward.
1. Something Secret This Way Comes
Something Secret This Way Comes (2011): Secret McQueen is pulled between the vampire council that employs her and the werewolf pack claiming her through a powerful mate bond.
A dangerous supernatural case forces her to confront both halves of her identity while several men compete for places in her increasingly complicated life.
This is the correct entry point for the main series.
2. A Bloody Good Secret
A Bloody Good Secret (2011): Secret returns to New York after surviving the previous conflict and discovers that someone within the supernatural community may be hiding a deadly conspiracy.
Her relationships with Desmond, Lucas, Holden, and the vampire council become harder to separate from her work.
The book directly continues the political and romantic developments of the opener.
2.5. Secret Santa
Secret Santa (2011): Secret’s Christmas season is interrupted by another supernatural problem, proving that monsters and council obligations do not take holidays.
The novella provides a seasonal case and additional time with the early supporting cast.
Status: Included holiday novella
Read it after A Bloody Good Secret.
3. Deep Dark Secret
Deep Dark Secret (2012): Secret investigates a threat connected to the darker corners of New York’s supernatural world while secrets among her allies begin creating new risks.
Her divided loyalties become more serious as vampire authority and werewolf expectations continue closing around her.
4. Keeping Secret
Keeping Secret (2012): Secret faces the consequences of promises, concealed truths, and relationships that can no longer remain separate from supernatural politics.
The book pushes her romantic and pack obligations into a more public and dangerous stage.
Earlier relationship developments are spoiled almost immediately, so this is not a safe starting point.
5. Grave Secret
Grave Secret (2013): A case involving death, buried history, and supernatural enemies forces Secret to confront dangers that cannot be solved through physical strength alone.
Her alliances are tested as old threats and personal losses become part of the same investigation.
6. Secret Unleashed
Secret Unleashed (2013): Secret is pushed beyond the rules that once defined her work, forcing her to use every part of her vampire and werewolf nature.
The larger conflict becomes more violent, and her position within the supernatural hierarchy changes significantly.
7. Cold Hard Secret
Cold Hard Secret (2014): Secret must survive the emotional and political aftermath of earlier events while facing a new danger with fewer allies she can trust completely.
The novel deals heavily with loss, recovery, and the cost of the decisions made in Secret Unleashed.
8. A Secret to Die For
A Secret to Die For (2014): New York is overwhelmed by a supernatural catastrophe, and Secret must assemble allies from across her divided world to stop the city from falling.
The crisis brings the original eight-book story to a large-scale conclusion involving vampires, werewolves, death, and the future of Secret’s closest relationships.
This was once presented as the series finale.
9. Secret Lives
Secret Lives (2018): Secret has attempted to build a more human life when Holden asks for help finding Sig, drawing her back into the supernatural world she hoped to leave behind.
The book begins a later four-novel continuation and establishes how her life changed after A Secret to Die For.
10. A Wicked Secret
A Wicked Secret (2020): Secret’s return to supernatural investigations exposes a threat involving old magic, shifting alliances, and unfinished consequences from her earlier life.
The stability she created after the original series ending becomes increasingly difficult to protect.
11. Deadly Little Secret
Deadly Little Secret (2022): Secret faces a violent werewolf faction after an unexpected transformation changes her relationship with the pack world once again.
Marriage, leadership, and supernatural identity all become part of a conflict that threatens both her private life and the wider community.
12. One Last Secret
One Last Secret (2024): Secret and her supernatural FBI unit pursue a serial killer targeting nonhuman victims while Death forces her to reconsider the choices that shaped her life.
The case brings back the consequences of earlier relationships, enemies, and sacrifices before Secret takes her final stand.
This is the confirmed conclusion of the Secret McQueen series.
Best Secret McQueen Reading Sequence
Use this order:
- The Secret Guide to Dating Monsters
- Something Secret This Way Comes
- A Bloody Good Secret
- Secret Santa
- Deep Dark Secret
- Keeping Secret
- Grave Secret
- Secret Unleashed
- Cold Hard Secret
- A Secret to Die For
- Secret Lives
- A Wicked Secret
- Deadly Little Secret
- One Last Secret
The two early novellas are short but correctly placed within the timeline. Readers interested only in the central plot can omit them without losing the main story.
Genie McQueen Books in Order
Genie McQueen is a direct Secretverse spin-off following Secret’s younger sister.
Genie has her own abilities, personality, romantic relationship, and conflicts, but her life has been shaped by events involving Secret and their supernatural family. The series moves much of the action to New Orleans and the surrounding bayou.
Complete at least the original Secret McQueen arc through A Secret to Die For before beginning this series.
1. Bayou Blues
Bayou Blues (2015): Genie McQueen leaves the shadow of her famous sister and becomes involved in supernatural trouble in Louisiana, where werewolves, magic, and local power struggles place her identity under pressure.
The book establishes Genie as a lead character rather than an extension of Secret’s story.
2. Black Magic Bayou
Black Magic Bayou (2016): Genie tries to manage new authority and a developing relationship while sorority women begin disappearing under suspicious supernatural circumstances.
Her magic becomes essential to uncovering what is operating in the bayou.
3. Black-Hearted Devil
Black-Hearted Devil (2018): The supposedly dead return to complicate Genie’s life, and a figure from her family history forces her to question what she knows about her past.
The novel tests her leadership, relationship, and ability to protect the people who now depend on her.
4. Blood in the Bayou
Blood in the Bayou (2024): Genie’s bond with Wilder Shaw is threatened by family loyalties, werewolf expectations, and danger capable of turning their love into a vulnerability.
The fourth book returns to the unresolved supernatural and emotional consequences of the earlier trilogy.
Should Blood in the Bayou Be Read After One Last Secret?
The two books were released close together in April 2024, but they belong to different branches of the Secretverse.
The safest route is to complete all Secret McQueen novels before reading all four Genie McQueen books. That approach prevents uncertainty about character status and wider supernatural developments.
Readers following original publication history can begin Genie’s books after A Secret to Die For, then alternate later Secret and Genie releases by year.
Holden Chancery Story
Night Moves
Night Moves (2015): Holden Chancery appears successful, desirable, and fully in control, but the woman he wants has every reason to distrust or despise him.
The story gives Secretverse readers a closer look at Holden outside Secret’s point of view and explores one of his personal relationships.
Status: Optional Secretverse novella
Read it after Holden’s major role in the original Secret McQueen sequence, preferably after A Secret to Die For.
Misfits & Mayhem Book
A Low Down Dirty Shane
A Low Down Dirty Shane (2012): Vampire hunter Shane meets a deadly redheaded archer during a dangerous magical situation, and their hostility turns into an unexpectedly intense alliance.
The story includes supernatural elements associated with Sierra Dean’s urban fantasy work but focuses on a separate central pairing.
Status: Standalone series opener
Only one published Misfits & Mayhem book has been confirmed.
The Secretverse Novellas Collection
The Secretverse Novellas (2017): This collection gathers shorter Secret McQueen universe stories, including material centered on Secret and supporting characters such as Holden.
The volume does not continue the timeline beyond the individually published stories it contains.
Status: Collection
Check the contents before purchasing it alongside The Secret Guide to Dating Monsters, Secret Santa, Night Moves, or other separate novella editions.
Boys of Summer Books in Order
Boys of Summer is Sierra Dean’s contemporary baseball romance series. It follows professional players, team employees, and the people whose lives become connected to the sport.
The official author site currently displays five numbered positions. Three books are widely established in the published backlist, while two later covers appear as Dirty Slide and Safe at Home. Reliable public release details for those later titles are limited.
1. Pitch Perfect
Pitch Perfect (2013): A professional baseball player and a woman working around the team clash over ambition, reputation, and attraction during a demanding season.
The romance introduces the team environment and the pressures surrounding athletes whose careers are constantly measured in public.
2. Perfect Catch
Perfect Catch (2014): A single mother working in professional baseball becomes involved with a player whose career and reputation make a stable relationship appear unlikely.
Family responsibility and the demands of the sport give the romance consequences beyond the ballpark.
3. High Heat
High Heat (2017): Baseball pressure rises alongside attraction as another couple connected to the team must decide whether their relationship can survive public expectations and professional uncertainty.
The third book returns to the established sports world with a new central romance.
4. Dirty Slide
Dirty Slide: The official series page identifies this as Boys of Summer book four, but a reliable publication date and stable public synopsis could not be confirmed.
Status: Officially listed, release details uncertain
It should remain after High Heat rather than being counted as a confirmed earlier release.
5. Safe at Home
Safe at Home: The official author site displays this title as the fifth Boys of Summer book.
A confirmed release date and detailed description were not available from sufficiently reliable current records.
Status: Officially listed, release details uncertain
Boys of Summer Reading Advice
The stable published sequence is:
- Pitch Perfect
- Perfect Catch
- High Heat
Dirty Slide and Safe at Home belong after those books if current editions are available, but readers should verify publication status before treating the five-book sequence as complete.
Dog Days Books in Order
Dog Days is a four-part paranormal romance saga built around seasonal titles.
Unlike Sierra Dean’s baseball series, these books form one compact continuing story. They should be read from autumn through summer.
1. Autumn
Autumn (2013): A woman’s ordinary life is disrupted by a supernatural connection that becomes increasingly difficult to understand or escape as autumn closes in.
The book introduces the central characters and the paranormal rules governing their relationship.
2. Winter
Winter (2014): The consequences of the first book continue through a colder and more dangerous stage, when separation, supernatural pressure, and uncertainty test the developing bond.
This is a direct continuation rather than a new standalone romance.
3. Spring
Spring (2014): New possibilities emerge as the characters confront what survived the winter and what must change before they can move forward.
The wider paranormal conflict remains unresolved.
4. Summer
Summer (2015): The seasonal cycle reaches its conclusion as the central relationship and supernatural storyline face their final test.
This completes the four-part Dog Days saga.
The Complete Dog Days Saga
The Complete Dog Days Saga (2015): This omnibus contains Autumn, Winter, Spring, and Summer in one volume.
Status: Complete-series collection
Readers who own the omnibus do not need the four individual editions.
Rain Chaser Books in Order
Rain Chaser follows Tallulah Corentine as she becomes caught in a conflict involving gods, mythology, fate, storms, and powers beyond ordinary human control.
The trilogy tells one developing fantasy story. Each book depends on the earlier mythology and personal choices.
1. Thunder Road
Thunder Road (2016): Tallulah’s life changes when mythological forces and divine conflict draw her onto a dangerous road involving gods, destiny, and powers she never expected to confront.
The book introduces her role in the supernatural struggle and the people traveling beside her.
2. Driving Rain
Driving Rain (2017): Tallulah continues through the consequences of her first encounter with the gods while new bargains and shifting loyalties make escaping the conflict impossible.
Her relationships and understanding of fate deepen as the divine threat becomes more personal.
3. Highway to Hail
Highway to Hail (2022): Tallulah’s struggle with gods, time, and the consequences of earlier bargains reaches its final stage.
The trilogy concludes with her attempting to protect the people caught inside a conflict shaped by powers capable of rewriting fate itself.
Rain Chaser Collection
The Rain Chaser Saga: Volume One (2022): This collected edition packages material from the Rain Chaser series.
Readers should check which novels are included before purchasing it alongside the separate editions.
Status: Collection
Dead in Detroit Books
Ghosts of the Motor City
Ghosts of the Motor City (2017): A woman in Detroit communicates with the recently dead and uses their knowledge to investigate a murder that may place her among the next victims.
The novel combines urban fantasy, ghosts, and mystery in a setting separate from Secret McQueen’s New York.
It is listed as the opening Dead in Detroit story.
Dead in Detroit
Dead in Detroit: Some series databases display a second Dead in Detroit position, but a separate published novel with stable bibliographic details could not be confirmed.
Status: Uncertain or unpublished continuation
Ghosts of the Motor City should currently be treated as the only confirmed full story in this continuity.
Standalone Novels
Chasing Kings
Chasing Kings (2013): A woman becomes involved with a powerful or socially prominent man whose position turns attraction into a complicated pursuit involving trust and personal ambition.
The book is a separate contemporary romance.
Status: Standalone
We Don’t Need Another Hero
We Don’t Need Another Hero (2016): Rebecca “Bex” Beckett can control fire, but possessing a superpower does not make her personal life or moral choices easier.
The novel explores what heroism costs when extraordinary abilities create obligations that ordinary people never face.
Status: Standalone superhero novel
Off the Map
Off the Map (2018): A journey away from familiar life takes two people into danger, secrets, and a relationship that develops while their plans fall apart.
The story combines contemporary romance with suspense and travel.
Status: Standalone
Cabin Fever
Cabin Fever (2022): Dylan travels to help promote her brother’s struggling resort and immediately clashes with his business partner Mal over how the property should be repaired and managed.
Working together in an isolated location turns professional hostility into an attraction neither can avoid.
Status: Standalone contemporary romance
Boxed Sets and Collections
Sierra Dean has released several collections that repackage existing stories.
Secret McQueen Books 1 to 4
Secret McQueen Books 1 to 4 (2017): This collection contains the first four numbered novels, from Something Secret This Way Comes through Keeping Secret.
Shorter novellas may still need to be added separately depending on the edition.
Secret McQueen Books 5 to 8
Secret McQueen Books 5 to 8 (2017): This omnibus collects Grave Secret, Secret Unleashed, Cold Hard Secret, and A Secret to Die For.
It completes the original eight-book arc but does not include the four later continuation novels.
Genie McQueen Books 1 to 3
Genie McQueen Books 1 to 3 (2019): This collection gathers Bayou Blues, Black Magic Bayou, and Black-Hearted Devil.
It does not include Blood in the Bayou.
The Complete Dog Days Saga
The Complete Dog Days Saga (2015): All four seasonal installments are collected in one edition.
The Secretverse Novellas
The Secretverse Novellas (2017): Shorter stories from the Secret McQueen universe are gathered together.
Collections do not count as additional novels.
Books Published Under Other Names
Sierra Dean’s official site also serves as a gateway to two other author identities.
Gretchen Rue
Gretchen Rue is used for cozy mysteries and sweeter romantic comedy, including the Witches’ Brew and Lucky Pie mysteries.
Those books should not be inserted into the Sierra Dean series order.
Kate Wiley
Kate Wiley is used for darker crime and thriller fiction, including books involving investigator Margot Phalen.
Those titles are a separate pen-name bibliography.
A retailer may combine all three names on one author profile. That does not make the Gretchen Rue or Kate Wiley books part of Secret McQueen, Rain Chaser, or Sierra Dean’s romance catalog.
Publication Order of Sierra Dean’s Main Books
This list follows original story publication rather than later reissues.
2011
- Something Secret This Way Comes (2011): Secret’s vampire work and werewolf heritage collide during a dangerous supernatural case.
- The Secret Guide to Dating Monsters (2011): Secret attempts an ordinary date while hiding an extraordinary life.
- A Bloody Good Secret (2011): A conspiracy threatens Secret’s place in both supernatural communities.
- Secret Santa (2011): Christmas brings Secret another monster-related problem.
2012
- Deep Dark Secret (2012): Hidden supernatural threats and concealed loyalties complicate Secret’s work.
- Keeping Secret (2012): Secret’s personal promises become inseparable from vampire and pack politics.
- A Low Down Dirty Shane (2012): A vampire hunter and a deadly archer form an intense supernatural alliance.
2013
- Grave Secret (2013): Death and buried history create another dangerous case for Secret.
- Autumn (2013): A seasonal paranormal saga begins with an unexpected supernatural bond.
- Pitch Perfect (2013): Baseball careers and attraction collide inside a professional team.
- Secret Unleashed (2013): Secret is forced beyond the limits and rules that once controlled her.
- Chasing Kings (2013): A separate contemporary romance follows an emotionally complicated pursuit.
2014
- Winter (2014): The Dog Days relationship enters a colder and more dangerous stage.
- Perfect Catch (2014): A single mother becomes involved with a professional baseball player.
- Cold Hard Secret (2014): Secret struggles through loss and the political consequences of earlier battles.
- Spring (2014): The Dog Days characters seek a new beginning while their supernatural conflict continues.
- A Secret to Die For (2014): Secret confronts a catastrophe threatening New York and the supernatural world.
2015
- Bayou Blues (2015): Genie McQueen begins her own supernatural life in Louisiana.
- Summer (2015): The four-season Dog Days story reaches its conclusion.
- Night Moves (2015): Holden Chancery receives a personal Secretverse story.
2016
- Black Magic Bayou (2016): Genie investigates disappearances while managing magic and pack leadership.
- We Don’t Need Another Hero (2016): A woman with fire powers confronts the personal cost of heroism.
- Thunder Road (2016): Tallulah enters a conflict involving gods, storms, and fate.
2017
- Driving Rain (2017): Tallulah’s mythological journey continues through new bargains and dangers.
- High Heat (2017): Another baseball romance unfolds under professional and emotional pressure.
- Ghosts of the Motor City (2017): A Detroit woman consults ghosts while investigating murder.
2018
- Black-Hearted Devil (2018): Genie confronts returning figures from her family’s past.
- Off the Map (2018): Travel, danger, and romance collide away from ordinary life.
- Secret Lives (2018): Holden draws Secret back into supernatural investigations after Sig disappears.
2020
- A Wicked Secret (2020): Old magic and unfinished consequences threaten Secret’s attempted new life.
2022
- Deadly Little Secret (2022): Secret faces violent werewolf politics after another transformation.
- Highway to Hail (2022): Tallulah’s war with fate and divine powers reaches its conclusion.
- Cabin Fever (2022): Rival plans for a remote resort create forced proximity and romance.
2024
- Blood in the Bayou (2024): Genie and Wilder’s relationship is threatened by family and werewolf conflict.
- One Last Secret (2024): Secret pursues a supernatural serial killer in her final novel.
Publication Order Versus Recommended Order
Publication order works well within most Sierra Dean series, but not across the entire bibliography.
A career-wide sequence would repeatedly interrupt Secret McQueen with baseball romance, seasonal paranormal fiction, and unrelated fantasy.
Recommended order is better because it keeps each continuity intact.
For Secretverse Readers
Read the complete Secret McQueen sequence first, including the early novellas.
Continue with the Genie McQueen books and add Night Moves after Holden has been fully introduced.
For Contemporary Romance Readers
Read Boys of Summer in numbered order, then choose Chasing Kings, Off the Map, or Cabin Fever independently.
For a Short Paranormal Series
Read Dog Days from Autumn through Summer.
For Mythological Fantasy
Read Rain Chaser from Thunder Road through Highway to Hail.
A Complete Spoiler-Safe Reading Plan
Readers following every Sierra Dean continuity can use four separate stages.
Stage One: Complete Secret McQueen
Read all fourteen entries in the recommended Secret McQueen order, including the two early novellas.
This establishes the supernatural world and protects the major relationship and political reveals.
Stage Two: Read the Secretverse Spin-Offs
Read:
- Night Moves
- Bayou Blues
- Black Magic Bayou
- Black-Hearted Devil
- Blood in the Bayou
A Low Down Dirty Shane can be added as optional related supernatural fiction.
Stage Three: Read the Independent Fantasy Series
Read Dog Days and Rain Chaser separately.
Neither series requires Secret McQueen.
Stage Four: Read the Contemporary Books
Read Boys of Summer in order, then select the standalones according to preference.
Latest Sierra Dean Book
As of August 5, 2026, Sierra Dean’s latest confirmed original novel is One Last Secret, released on April 23, 2024.
It is the twelfth numbered Secret McQueen novel and the final book in Secret’s story.
Blood in the Bayou was released earlier in April 2024 as Genie McQueen book four.
The official Boys of Summer page displays Dirty Slide and Safe at Home as books four and five, but dependable release dates could not be confirmed. They should not replace One Last Secret as the latest verified publication.
No forthcoming Sierra Dean title with a firm release date was confirmed. Announced books under Gretchen Rue or Kate Wiley belong to separate pen names.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Was Sierra Dean’s First Book?
Something Secret This Way Comes was published in 2011 and is Sierra Dean’s first main novel.
It begins the Secret McQueen series.
What Is the Best Sierra Dean Book to Start With?
Start with Something Secret This Way Comes for urban fantasy.
Choose Pitch Perfect for sports romance, Autumn for a short paranormal series, Thunder Road for mythology, or Cabin Fever for standalone contemporary romance.
Does The Secret Guide to Dating Monsters Come Before Book One?
It is numbered 0.5 and takes place early in Secret’s story.
It can be read before book one, although readers who prefer to meet Secret through the main novel can place it immediately afterward.
Where Does Secret Santa Belong?
Read Secret Santa after A Bloody Good Secret and before Deep Dark Secret.
It is numbered 2.5.
Do the Secret McQueen Books Need to Be Read in Order?
Yes.
They follow one heroine through continuing supernatural cases, political changes, romantic relationships, and personal transformations.
Was A Secret to Die For Originally the Final Book?
Yes. It completed the original eight-book arc in 2014.
The series later continued with Secret Lives, A Wicked Secret, Deadly Little Secret, and One Last Secret.
Is One Last Secret Really the Final Book?
It is presented as Secret McQueen’s final stand and concludes the twelve-book numbered series.
No thirteenth Secret McQueen novel has been confirmed.
Is Genie McQueen a Separate Series?
It is a separate series inside the same universe.
Genie is Secret’s sister, and her books reveal events and relationships from Secret McQueen.
Can Bayou Blues Be Read First?
The immediate plot can be followed, but the book assumes knowledge of Secret’s family and supernatural history.
Reading Secret McQueen first is strongly recommended.
Where Does Night Moves Belong?
Night Moves is a Holden Chancery novella within the Secretverse.
Read it after A Secret to Die For for the strongest character context.
Are Boys of Summer and Secret McQueen Connected?
No.
Boys of Summer is contemporary baseball romance without the Secretverse’s vampire, werewolf, or urban fantasy continuity.
Are Dirty Slide and Safe at Home Published?
They appear as books four and five on the official Boys of Summer page.
Reliable public release dates and stable descriptions could not be confirmed, so their publication status remains uncertain.
Do the Dog Days Books Stand Alone?
No. They form a four-part seasonal story.
Read Autumn, Winter, Spring, and Summer in order.
Is Rain Chaser Complete?
The confirmed trilogy contains:
- Thunder Road
- Driving Rain
- Highway to Hail
Highway to Hail provides the current endpoint.
Is Ghosts of the Motor City Part of Secret McQueen?
No.
It is a separate Detroit ghost mystery and the only securely confirmed Dead in Detroit story.
Is Sierra Dean Also Gretchen Rue?
Yes. The author publishes cozy mysteries and sweeter romantic comedy as Gretchen Rue.
Those books should remain outside a Sierra Dean reading order.
Is Sierra Dean Also Kate Wiley?
Yes. Kate Wiley is used for darker thrillers.
Retailer profiles may combine the names, but the series are marketed separately.
Are the Boxed Sets New Stories?
No.
They collect previously published books or novellas. Check their contents to avoid duplicate purchases.
Final Recommendation
Begin with Something Secret This Way Comes and follow Secret McQueen in strict series order. Insert The Secret Guide to Dating Monsters near the beginning and Secret Santa after book two.
Complete Secret’s story through One Last Secret before moving into Genie McQueen when spoiler protection matters most. Genie’s books share the same family history and supernatural world, making them a true spin-off rather than an unrelated companion series.
Readers seeking a separate route can begin with Pitch Perfect, Autumn, or Thunder Road. Those books open independent continuities and do not require any knowledge of Secret McQueen.
The safest overall rule is to keep the Secretverse together, follow each shorter series in numbered order, and treat Gretchen Rue and Kate Wiley as separate pen-name bibliographies.
Frank is the editor of BookSeries.blog, focusing on publication order, chronological timelines, and spoiler-free reading guides for book series and fictional universes.