Heels, Rhymes, & Nursery Crimes Books in Order

Part ofDarlene Tallman Books in Order

See Darlene Tallman’s contribution to the Heels, Rhymes, & Nursery Crimes multi-author series, with background on this twisted-nursery-rhyme romance world.

Last updated: December 19, 2025

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Contraryed

by Darlene Tallman

2021

Part of the Heels, Rhymes, & Nursery Crimes collection, Contraryed gives a grown‑up, romantic‑suspense twist to a classic nursery rhyme. A heroine whose life has taught her to be contrary to expectations and a dangerous man on the edge of the law collide, uncovering a conspiracy that forces them to decide which side of the line they truly stand on.

Series background & context

Heels, Rhymes, & Nursery Crimes is a multi‑author collection of romantic suspense and dark contemporary romances built around twisted takes on nursery rhymes and children’s verse. Authors use familiar lines or characters as springboards for stories about assassins, thieves, spies, and other morally gray leads finding love.

Darlene Tallman’s entry, Contraryed, slots into this world with her trademark blend of grit and emotion, riffing on the “Mary, Mary, quite contrary” rhyme. While each book in the umbrella series stands alone and often ties into the contributing author’s existing universes, they share a certain aesthetic: high heels instead of glass slippers, bullets and blades in place of magic wands, and happily‑ever‑afters that come only after serious danger.

Expect fast‑paced plots, competent heroines who can handle themselves in a fight, and heroes who may be as dangerous as the people hunting them. If you enjoy fairy‑tale‑adjacent romance with a darker, more adult twist, Tallman’s Heels, Rhymes, & Nursery Crimes title is a quick, punchy read.