Deep in the Heart (Kim Law) Books in Order

The Deep in the Heart books are Texas-set contemporary romances about women who know how to work, speak their minds, and keep going when life gets messy. The series has a home-renovation-show backdrop, but the real focus is the people doing the rebuilding, both on houses and in their personal lives.

The first book, Hardheaded, begins with Jill Sadler in no mood to make peace. Her construction company is competing on the popular program Texas Dream Home, and the rival contractor is Cal Reynolds, the man she married and then lost almost immediately. Jill has spent years carrying the anger from that brief, painful marriage. Winning the competition matters to her business, but beating Cal feels personal.

Cal has his own version of the past. He did leave Jill, but not because he stopped caring, and being near her again makes it hard to stay focused on work. Their rivalry gives the story plenty of sparks, while the renovation contest keeps them in constant contact. The question is not simply whether they still want each other. It is whether they can finally talk honestly about why their marriage fell apart.

Tools, cameras, and old resentments make a busy mix.

Softhearted moves to Heather Lindsay, a designer who has a long history of choosing the wrong men. She joins the renovation-show project to design an outdoor wedding venue, hoping to put her energy into work instead of another bad romantic decision. Then Waylon Peterson arrives as the ranch manager, bringing charm, a cowboy hat, and a reputation that tells Heather he is exactly the kind of man she should avoid.

Waylon wants something different from the casual relationships of his past. Heather wants to believe she can make better choices, but she is wary of mistaking attraction for a future. Their story keeps the series' central idea in view: it is one thing to build a beautiful place for other people to begin a life together, and another to let yourself take that risk.

Red Oak Falls provides a small-town setting where coworkers, friends, and foster-family connections overlap. The tone is warm and playful, with grown-up problems underneath the banter. Both books are linked by the show and the people around it, but each gives one couple a complete romance.

Start with Hardheaded for the full setup, then continue to Softhearted for another chance at love in the same Texas circle.