Hennessy Books in Order

Hoag's Hennessy books are small scale, heartfelt romances built around one extended family. The duet pairs charismatic Hennessy men with women who are trying hard to protect quiet, carefully rebuilt lives. Expect humor, neighborly meddling, and an undercurrent of real emotion.

In The Trouble with J.J. schoolteacher Genna Hastings wants nothing more than a peaceful summer in a Connecticut suburb. That hope vanishes the day star quarterback and single father J. J. Hennessy moves in next door with his loud parties, lawn ornaments, and determination to reinvent himself. When J.J. asks Genna to help polish his reputation for the sake of a looming custody fight, a pretend arrangement slowly becomes something more complicated and dangerous to both their hearts.

Magic shifts the action to the California coast and adds a light gothic twist. Rachel Lindquist returns home to Drake House to care for her ailing mother, only to find strange roses on pillows, vintage gowns appearing from nowhere, and whispers about a resident ghost. Her mother's chosen investigator is Bryan Hennessy, a parapsychologist who challenges Rachel's skepticism even as an unseen threat inside the mansion grows more menacing.

Together, the books sketch out a loose picture of the Hennessy clan, but each story stands on its own. The connecting thread is less about shared plot than about people who have been burned before deciding whether to gamble again on love. Hoag balances banter and sensuality with quieter moments about parenting, grief, and starting over at midlife.

Readers who know Hoag only from her later thrillers may be surprised by the lighter tone here. The tension is emotional rather than life or death, with conflicts rooted in careers, family expectations, and secrets instead of crime scenes. Magic also links sideways to the Rainbow Chasers books, giving a slightly more atmospheric, haunted house flavor to the same romantic universe.

If you like neighbor romances, stories about single parents, or ghost tinged house mysteries that resolve on a hopeful note, the Hennessy duet is a compact, satisfying corner of Tami Hoag's backlist.