Susan Mallery Books in Order (Updated 2026)

Susan Mallery is best known for warm, character-driven romance series set in small towns, often centered on friendship, family, and long-term emotional growth.

Unlike authors who write mostly standalones, Susan Mallery’s reading order matters within each series. Her books share settings and recurring characters, and emotional arcs often continue from one book to the next.

This guide separates major series, explains where order matters, and includes a clear one-line description for every listed book, written fresh and original.

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Quick Start: Where New Readers Should Begin

• Best overall starting point: Fool’s Gold (long-running, welcoming cast, gentle continuity)
• Prefer a shorter commitment: Happily Inc or Blackberry Island
• Want emotional depth and family focus: The Buchanan Family
• Completionist: Read each series in publication order, one series at a time

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Fool’s Gold Series (Read in Order)

A large, interconnected small-town romance series where character relationships grow across many books.

1. Chasing Perfect: A determined matchmaker sets her sights on a man who doesn’t believe he belongs anywhere.
2. Finding Perfect: A guarded woman and a wounded soldier navigate attraction neither planned on.
3. Only Mine: An unexpected pregnancy forces two cautious hearts into close proximity.
4. Only Yours: A reluctant guardian and a wounded woman learn how fragile trust can be.
5. Only His: A man used to control must adapt when love refuses to follow rules.
6. Only Love: Old mistakes resurface as a couple confronts what they never finished.
7. Summer Days: A carefree woman and a serious man collide over very different life plans.
8. Summer Nights: A seemingly perfect life hides fears that only love can expose.
9. Summer Secrets: A woman reinventing herself finds attraction where she least expects it.
10. Almost Perfect: A man struggling with identity meets a woman who sees his potential clearly.
11. Finding Perfect Again: A widower and a woman with her own scars explore second chances.
12. Finding Perfect Love: Career ambitions and personal desire clash in unexpected ways.
13. Before We Kiss: A practical woman discovers that passion can’t always be scheduled.
14. Kiss Me: A confident flirt meets a woman who challenges his emotional limits.
15. Sister of the Bride: Family obligations complicate attraction during wedding chaos.
16. He’s the One: A woman determined to protect herself risks everything for love.
17. A Fool’s Gold Wedding: A long-anticipated celebration brings unresolved tensions to the surface.
18. Just One Kiss: A single moment forces two friends to reevaluate everything.
19. Three Little Words: A surprise baby changes the emotional landscape overnight.
20. Until We Touch: Past choices complicate a present-day connection.
21. When We Met: A history of friendship turns romantic under new circumstances.
22. Before We Fall: A guarded woman and a patient man slowly dismantle emotional walls.

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Happily Inc Series (Read in Order)

A later small-town series focused on weddings, business partnerships, and evolving friendships.

1. Why Not Tonight: A wedding planner and a businessman clash over control and chemistry.
2. Second Chance Girl: A woman starting over meets a man who challenges her independence.
3. Not Quite Over You: Former lovers reconnect while pretending they’re unaffected.
4. Meant to Be Yours: A casual arrangement turns serious faster than expected.
5. Best of My Love: Two people protecting themselves discover vulnerability isn’t weakness.
6. Happily This Christmas: Holiday emotions surface as relationships are tested.

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Blackberry Island Series (Read in Order)

A quieter, emotionally reflective trilogy about healing and self-discovery.

1. Three Sisters: Estranged siblings reunite to confront family wounds and buried truths.
2. Three Little Words: A woman reclaims her voice while redefining love.
3. Barefoot Season: A fresh start opens the door to unexpected romance.

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The Buchanan Family Series (Read in Order)

A family-centered romance series with strong emotional continuity.

1. Accidentally Yours: A woman’s careful plans unravel when love intervenes.
2. Sweet Trouble: A practical life collides with temptation and risk.
3. Love You Like a Sister: Friendship becomes complicated when feelings change.
4. Kiss Me Like This: A long-avoided attraction finally demands attention.
5. Till We Met: A relationship develops while both parties face personal growth.

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Standalone Novels (Read Anytime)

These books do not require any prior reading.

• The Girls of Mischief Bay: Three women form a friendship that reshapes their futures.
• The Friendship List: A woman rediscovers herself through goals she never expected to pursue.
• The Summer Book Club: A shared project becomes a catalyst for connection and courage.

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FAQs

Do Susan Mallery books have to be read in order?
Yes, within each series. Characters and emotional arcs often continue across books.

Can I skip between series?
Absolutely. Each series is its own continuity.

Are there spoilers if I start mid-series?
Yes. Later books often reveal earlier relationship outcomes.

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Best Simple Plan

If you want the smoothest introduction, start with Chasing Perfect and read the Fool’s Gold series in order until you’re ready for a change. For a shorter commitment, choose Happily Inc and read straight through.

Susan Mallery rewards readers who follow series order, but once you understand the boundaries, her catalog becomes easy, and comforting, to explore.