Gifts of the Heart Books in Order

Gifts of the Heart is Lea Carter's set of sweet contemporary romances, all taking place at the same time in Cadmia, Missouri. Each novel follows a different couple, but the characters know one another and regularly cross paths. That shared timeline gives the series a friendly, small-town feel. A familiar face may be having a major life moment in one book while appearing at a movie night, church event, or community project in another.

The stories are connected, not sequential in the usual way. You can begin with any couple, though A Country Mile is a useful introduction to Cadmia and its circle of friends. Merry McKinney has built a good career restoring furniture, but at thirty-seven she has also learned to guard her heart. Tyrel Scott is drawn to her, and the question becomes whether he can get past the defenses she has spent years putting in place.

These are romances built around ordinary lives.

In Food For Thought, Noella Cormier is busy with work, volunteering, and an annual Christmas charity play. She is also determined to give Caesar, a grieving former military dog, the care he needs. Danny Fitzsimmons trains working dogs and finds that helping Noella may lead to something neither of them expected. The book brings holiday activity, a demanding community project, and a relationship that grows through practical kindness.

Home Free follows Harmony Wells, a wealthy woman who tries to keep her money and her past from defining her. Cadmia is only supposed to be another temporary stop. Grant Reeves has come to town tired after working as a doctor for wealthy clients, hoping to find a more normal life and avoid fresh complications. Their connection forces both of them to reconsider the escape plans that once felt necessary.

In In Due Season, veterinarian Grace Myers has carried a crush on Alec Fitzsimmons since she was sixteen. Seventeen years later, she is capable, independent, and still unsure whether he sees her as anything beyond his son's longtime friend. Alec, a widower facing the intimidating prospect of dating again, must take a hard look at the assumptions that have kept him from noticing what is right in front of him.

Faith is part of the characters' lives, specifically their Latter-day Saint community, but the series keeps its attention on relationships, family, work, and friendship. The romances are gentle and clean. There is room for humor, nerves, misunderstandings, and the little choices that show whether a person is ready to let someone in.

Cadmia is the real link between the books. It is a place where people notice one another, lend a hand, and sometimes accidentally end up in each other's love stories.