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Charlotte Hughes Books in Order

Explore Charlotte Hughes books in order, from early romances to Kate Holly and Max Holt, with summaries, series notes, and easy where-to-start guidance.

Last updated: July 2, 2026

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42 books

Full House

by Charlotte Hughes

1981

Divorced teacher Billie Pearce starts riding lessons and meets Nick Kaharchek, a rich charmer who upends her quiet life. Their romance heats up fast, but someone is willing to kill to keep them apart.

Too Many Husbands

by Charlotte Hughes

1986

Meri Kincaid makes a living playing wife for overworked bachelors, until businessman Chet Ambrose offers a trade she cannot easily refuse. What starts as a practical arrangement turns into a challenge to Meri's fiercely guarded independence.

Straight Shootin' Lady

by Charlotte Hughes

1987

A feisty heroine who says what she means meets a man who can match her shot for shot in this early Hughes romance. Fast banter, stubborn pride, and strong attraction keep the sparks flying.

Sweet Misery

by Charlotte Hughes

1988

Roxie Norris leaves home determined to build an independent life, only to collide with restaurateur Tyler Sheridan. He owes her family a debt, she refuses to be handled, and their attraction makes every choice harder.

Travelin' Man

by Charlotte Hughes

1988

Dannie Drysdale has worked hard to build a settled life, which makes traveling salesman Brian Anthony exactly the wrong temptation. He charms her, unnerves her, and forces her to ask whether love is worth giving up old defenses.

Scoundrel

by Charlotte Hughes

1989

Cassandra D'Clair returns to Peculiar, Mississippi, and finds herself under the same roof as Blue Mitchum, the town bad boy she never forgot. Old attraction burns hot, but Blue's reputation makes trusting him feel dangerous.

Tigress

by Charlotte Hughes

1989

Caught in a freak snowstorm in the Carolina hills, Natalie Courtland is rescued by rugged Nick Jordan. The forced closeness turns survival into seduction, but trusting him means risking much more than her pride.

Louisiana Lovin'

by Charlotte Hughes

1990

Set against a Louisiana backdrop, this romance pairs Southern heat with a couple who cannot ignore their chemistry for long. Hughes keeps the story brisk and playful while turning attraction into a real test of trust.

Private Eyes

by Charlotte Hughes

1990

Private investigator Jack Sloan is supposed to train his partner's niece, Ashley Rogers, not fall for her. But stakeouts, danger, and Ashley's determination pull them into a partnership that quickly turns personal.

Restless Nights

by Charlotte Hughes

1990

Late-night tension, unresolved attraction, and a relationship that refuses to stay simple drive this early Charlotte Hughes romance. It is a compact, emotional story about two people pushed together when staying safe stops being easy.

The Lady and the Cowboy

by Charlotte Hughes

1991

Rachael Caitland and cowboy Dillon McKenzie are thrown together in a romance that pits polish against open-range instincts. Hughes turns the opposites-attract setup into a warm, fast-moving battle of pride, attraction, and trust.

Tough Guy, Savvy Lady

by Charlotte Hughes

1991

Honey Buchannan is trying to rebuild her life when ex-husband Lucas McKay comes back asking for another chance. Their history, their children, and all the things they never said make reunion harder than either expected.

Island Rogue

by Charlotte Hughes

1992

Needing a quiet escape, Ellie Parks heads to a small island off Charleston and meets sheriff and tavern owner Cutter Beaumont. He looks like exactly the kind of trouble she should avoid, which makes resisting him that much harder.

Rascal

by Charlotte Hughes

1992

A mischievous, high-energy romance about a hero with a bad reputation and a heroine who knows better than to trust first impressions. Hughes mixes teasing chemistry with the question of whether a lovable troublemaker can really change.

Kissed By A Rogue

by Charlotte Hughes

1993

Dr. Billie Foster knows Cord Buford's reputation and wants no part of his easy charm. But when a mystery at his family's textile mill pulls them together, suspicion and attraction start running side by side.

The Incredible Hunk

by Charlotte Hughes

1993

A light, playful romance built around a hero who looks like every fantasy and a woman who doesn't want to be fooled by surface charm. Hughes leans into banter, attraction, and the trouble that starts when sparks turn serious.

The Cop and the Mother-to-Be

by Charlotte Hughes

1994

Left at the altar and pregnant, Katie Jonas is stunned when millionaire cop Neil Logan offers a practical marriage for her baby's sake. Old history and fresh attraction make the arrangement anything but convenient.

The Devil and Miss Goody-Two Shoes

by Charlotte Hughes

1994

After his name is cleared, Kane Stoddard rides into small-town life to meet Melanie Abercrombie, the woman whose letters kept him going in prison. Their instant attraction is real, but gossip and old scars make trust hard.

Husband Wanted

by Charlotte Hughes

1995

Frannie Brisbane has painted a much richer, happier picture of her life for the teenage daughter she once gave up. To keep the truth hidden, she hires Clay Coleman to play her husband, and discovers pretending can get dangerously real.

Ready-Made Family

by Charlotte Hughes

1995

A warm contemporary romance about two adults pulled together by children, responsibility, and the possibility of starting over. Hughes turns the ready-made family setup into a story full of humor, heart, and messy choices.

Belated Bride

by Charlotte Hughes

1996

A marriage-minded setup turns complicated when love arrives on its own schedule. Hughes plays the late-bride premise for laughs, sparks, and the emotional mess that comes with second thoughts and second chances.

Tall, Dark and Bad

by Charlotte Hughes

1996

Summer Pettigrew invents a fiancé to ease her grandmother's worries, then has to find a man to play the part fast. Motorcycle-riding Cooper Garrett is all wrong for the job, until their fake engagement starts feeling real.

And After That, the Dark

by Charlotte Hughes

1997

At fifteen, Emily Wilkop witnessed a murder and paid for her silence with a lifelong fear of the dark. Years later, a string of eerie incidents suggests someone has found her secret and wants her afraid again.

Just Married Again

by Charlotte Hughes

1998

Separated spouses Maddy and Michael Kelly collide at their mountain cabin during a snowstorm, and one swing of a fire poker leaves him with amnesia, or so he says. Forced together in close quarters, they get one funny, tender chance to fix what broke.

Night Kills

by Charlotte Hughes

1998

When a local wild child is murdered in Lee Cates's quiet Southern hometown, the easy suspect may not be guilty after all. Lee's search for answers stirs up vandalism, buried resentments, and dangerous family secrets.

The Last Southern Belle

by Charlotte Hughes

1998

A Southern-flavored romance about old expectations, modern messes, and a heroine trying to figure out who she is beyond the role she's been handed. Hughes mixes family drama, humor, and a love story with sparks.

Valley of the Shadow

by Charlotte Hughes

1998

Former crime reporter Meg Gentry returns to her mountain hometown looking for peace and lands right back in trouble. A dead reporter, an old skeleton, and a charismatic preacher pull her into a web of buried local secrets.

A New Attitude

by Charlotte Hughes

2001

Marilee Abernathy's tidy life blows apart when her pastor husband leaves her for the town scandal. As she starts over in Chickpea, South Carolina, neighbor Sam Brewer challenges her to stop playing nice and start living for herself.

Full Tilt

by Charlotte Hughes

2002

Jamie Swift is barely keeping her Beaumont newspaper alive when her silent partner, Max Holt, blows into town. A mayoral race, missing tax money, and a string of threats drag them into a case that is equal parts dangerous and flirtatious.

Hot Shot

by Charlotte Hughes

2002

After a bad breakup, chain-smoking detective Frankie Daniels lands in sleepy Purdyville, South Carolina, hoping for a reset. Instead she clashes with sexy sheriff Matt Webber and stumbles into trouble that won't stay small-town.

Millionaire CopMom-To-Be

by Charlotte Hughes

2002

Katie Jonas has been left at the altar and is pregnant, and the last person she expects help from is millionaire cop Neil Logan. His proposal may be practical, but old sparks make their pretend marriage anything but simple.

Full Speed

by Charlotte Hughes

2003

Newspaper editor Jamie Swift and millionaire Max Holt end up posing as husband and wife while chasing a major story. Their fake partnership gets dangerously real when old enemies and fresh bullets enter the picture.

Full Blast

by Charlotte Hughes

2004

Jamie Swift's new personals section turns Beaumont upside down, and suddenly the town is buzzing with sex, gossip, and trouble. When the bodies start piling up, Jamie and Max Holt have to track a killer before the story destroys them.

Full Bloom

by Charlotte Hughes

2005

Annie Fortenberry inherits a peach-country bed-and-breakfast just as rumors of a resident ghost start scaring off guests. Then her ex-husband turns up dead, and Annie must clear her name while sorting out her feelings for Wes Bridges.

Full Scoop

by Charlotte Hughes

2006

An escaped convict from pediatrician Maggie Davenport's past comes looking for her and her daughter in Beaumont. As FBI agent Zack Madden moves in to protect them, gossip, secrets, and small-town chaos keep the pressure high.

What Looks Like Crazy

by Charlotte Hughes

2008

Atlanta psychologist Kate Holly is juggling a divorce, an intrusive ex, a chaotic family, and threats she can't ignore. The more her personal life unravels, the more she needs the one man who still gets under her skin.

High Anxiety

by Charlotte Hughes

2009

When Kate Holly hires a temporary secretary who starts copying her looks and style, the job turns unsettling fast. Between professional chaos and personal entanglements, Kate has another nerve-rattling mess on her hands.

Nutcase

by Charlotte Hughes

2009

Psychologist Kate Holly is about to lose her office and may have to share space with ex-boyfriend Thad Glazer. With an arson scare, oddball patients, and lingering feelings for firefighter Jay, her life keeps getting messier.

Pregnant!

by Charlotte Hughes

2009

This anthology includes Charlotte Hughes's Millionaire Cop & Mom-To-Be, where jilted, pregnant Katie Jonas accepts a practical proposal from millionaire cop Neil Logan. What starts as a bargain quickly turns into something far more personal.

See Bride Run!

by Charlotte Hughes

2014

Heiress Annie Hartford bolts from a wedding she doesn't want and lands broke in tiny Pinckney, Georgia. A job at Sam Ballard's café gives her a shot at a real life, if pride, attraction, and family pressure don't derail it.

Miss Goody Two-Shoes

by Charlotte Hughes

2015

After his name is cleared, Kane Stoddard rides into small-town life to meet Melanie Abercrombie, the woman whose letters kept him going in prison. Their instant attraction is real, but gossip and old scars make trust hard.

Welcome to Temptation

by Charlotte Hughes

2015

As a hurricane bears down on Temptation, Louisiana, Michelle Thurston clashes with Sheriff Gator Landry while trying to protect her grandmother. Old desire and storm danger force them to face a past they never quite left behind.

Where should I start?

If you want comic mysteries: What Looks Like CrazyNutcaseHigh Anxiety
If you want small-town romantic suspense: Full HouseFull TiltFull Speed
If you want funny modern standalones: See Bride Run!Welcome to TemptationMiss Goody Two-Shoes
If you want her earlier category romances: Too Many HusbandsTravelin' ManPrivate Eyes

Author bio

Charlotte Hughes was born in Williamston, South Carolina, and was raised in the South. She was the oldest and only daughter in a family of three children, and she became a serious reader early, starting with Charlotte's Web and then moving on to a steady run of Nancy Drew mysteries.

In college she studied communications and fell hard for Southern writers like Eudora Welty, William Faulkner, and Katherine Anne Porter. She has said that To Kill a Mockingbird is the book she returns to again and again. Books came first.

Writing showed up later, when Hughes was in her late twenties and had just become a mother. She worked as the features editor of a small newspaper, wrote humorous short pieces, tried short stories, and then turned to category romance. Her first book brought rejections, but her second, Too Many Husbands, sold to Bantam's Loveswept line and quickly hit number one at Waldenbooks.

She went on to write nearly thirty books for Loveswept before the line closed. Those early novels helped define her lane, romance with jokes, sharp dialogue, and people who are usually one bad decision away from chaos. Readers who like fast, affectionate stories often start with books like Travelin' Man, Private Eyes, or Husband Wanted and can see that style taking shape right away.

Hughes also read widely in romance, and she has mentioned Kathleen Woodiwiss and early Danielle Steel as important influences. But she did not stay in one lane for long. She wrote suspense novels such as Valley of the Shadow, Night Kills, and And After That, the Dark, and later teamed up with Janet Evanovich on the Full House books, a comic romantic suspense series full of scams, flirting, and small-town trouble.

Then she circled back to what she seems to enjoy most, funny stories about people falling in love.

Books like A New Attitude, Hot Shot, and the Kate Holly novel What Looks Like Crazy show the mix readers tend to come for: Southern settings, offbeat side characters, women rebuilding their lives, and enough banter to keep the pages moving. Even when the plot turns serious, Hughes likes wit, momentum, and an ending that feels kind as well as satisfying.

She has said that hearing from readers means more to her than awards or lists, especially when someone tells her a book helped them through a rough stretch. Beaufort, South Carolina, became a big part of her life after a vacation to the Sea Islands when her sons were very young. Her family moved to the Lowcountry in 1992, and she has said the water, salt marshes, and moss-draped live oaks make it hard to imagine living anywhere else.

These days she lives in South Carolina with her husband, two sons, and dachshunds, and she has mentioned reading and gardening when she is not writing. Quiet life, noisy books. That feels like a fair summary of Charlotte Hughes.

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