Nancy Herkness Books in Order
Explore Nancy Herkness books in order, with series guides, short summaries, and easy where-to-start suggestions for her contemporary romance novels.
Last updated: July 13, 2026
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Nancy Herkness books in publication order
20 books
A Bridge to Love
by Nancy Herkness
2003
Widowed Kate Chilton discovers her marriage held painful secrets just as self-made millionaire Randall Johnson crashes into her life. What starts as revenge and a supposed one-night stand turns into something much harder to control.
Shower of Stars
by Nancy Herkness
2004
Journalist Charlie Berglund wants a child and needs a new career to make adoption possible. Her solution is a book about elusive meteorite hunter Jack Lanett, but their bargain soon turns into a surprising mix of ambition, attraction, and risk.
Music of the Night
by Nancy Herkness
2007
When a conductor's best friend is murdered backstage at Carnegie Hall, detective Anna Salazar enters the cutthroat world of classical music. Suspect and ally Nicholas Vranos draws her deeper into a case tied to a legendary lost Beethoven symphony.
Take Me Home
by Nancy Herkness
2012
Claire Parker returns to Sanctuary after a painful divorce and unexpectedly bonds with Willow, an abused Thoroughbred mare. Veterinarian Tim Arbuckle is still grieving his wife, but as they fight to save the horse, they begin healing themselves.
Country Roads
by Nancy Herkness
2013
Wanting independence from her family, artist Julia Castillo lands in Sanctuary and finds herself torn between freedom and connection. Lawyer Paul Taggart is carrying family burdens of his own, and a fierce black stallion becomes part of their turning point.
A Down-Home Country Christmas
by Nancy Herkness
2014
Holly has finally built a safe life for herself and her daughters after an abusive marriage. Police captain Robbie McGraw has always been there for her, but a holiday season, a stubborn little donkey, and looming change push them toward something more.
The Place I Belong
by Nancy Herkness
2014
After scandal and a broken engagement, veterinarian Hannah Linden heads to Sanctuary for a fresh start. There she meets celebrity chef Adam Bosch and his troubled son, and an ailing pony nudges all three toward healing.
The CEO Buys In
by Nancy Herkness
2015
Billionaire Nathan Trainor makes a bet to find a woman who wants him, not his money. Chloe Russell, the office temp suddenly working from his penthouse, seems like the answer, until class differences and real feelings raise the stakes.
The All-Star Antes Up
by Nancy Herkness
2016
Superstar quarterback Luke Archer lives by a no-strings rule until he meets Miranda Tate, the hardworking concierge who sends money home to her family. Their attraction is instant, but class, ambition, and Luke's wager complicate everything.
The Irishman's Christmas Gamble
by Nancy Herkness
2016
Frankie Hogan built a fortune and the Bellwether Club, but not a happy life. When Liam Keller, the Irish love she left behind, returns to New York, old feelings and a buried secret make Christmas very complicated.
Second to None
by Nancy Herkness
2017
Emily Wade has poured her life into a program for kids and shelter dogs, and billionaire chemist Max Varela is the one man she never quite left behind. Their second chance comes with grief, desire, and a hard choice about the future.
The VIP Doubles Down
by Nancy Herkness
2017
Blocked thriller writer Gavin Miller is sent to blunt, smart physical therapist Allie Nichols for help with his pain. Their affair wakes up his creativity, but old wounds and meddling exes threaten the ending he wants.
Second Time Around
by Nancy Herkness
2018
Community-center worker Kyra Dixon agrees to pose as billionaire CEO Will Chase's date at his family's garden party. Their old college crush turns real fast, but Kyra is not sure she belongs in his polished world.
Second Act
by Nancy Herkness
2019
Veterinarian Jessica Quillen chases a stray dog onto a movie set and runs straight into Hugh Baker, the action-star ex she never forgot. He wants a second chance, but trust is harder to rebuild than chemistry.
The Hacker
by Nancy Herkness
2020
Personal trainer Dawn Galioto calls in cybersecurity consultant Leland Rockwell to solve strange Wi-Fi problems at her Jersey gym. What looks like a tech glitch opens into a darker secret, while Dawn's fears and Leland's feelings keep rising.
The Money Man
by Nancy Herkness
2020
Careful New Jersey bookkeeper Alice Thurber spots troubling discrepancies in her clients' accounts and calls KRG for help. Financial wizard Derek Killion uncovers a darker mystery, and their growing attraction puts both of them at risk.
The Agent
by Nancy Herkness
2021
Salon owner Natalie Hart is rebuilding after an abusive marriage when threatening notes turn into a terrifying stalking case. Security expert and former FBI agent Tully Gibson is supposed to protect her, not fall for her, as the danger closes in.
Gabriel
by Nancy Herkness
2023
After allowing himself to be kidnapped to save his cousin, Gabriel, Duke of Bencalor, is left scarred in body and spirit. Hacker Quinn Pierson is hired to trace the people behind the crime, and their search pulls them into danger, desire, and royal complications.
Luis
by Nancy Herkness
2024
King Luis discovers he has a daughter he never knew existed, and bringing the girl into royal life means winning over her adoptive mother, Eve. In Caleva, duty and desire collide as two single parents try to protect their child and themselves.
Raul
by Nancy Herkness
2025
Prince Raul is crushed by guilt after his cousin was kidnapped in his place and works himself to the edge. Pilot and wilderness guide Erica Ortiz helps him step back, but their growing love faces royal rules, danger, and Raul's own grief.
Where to start with Nancy Herkness
If you want modern royal romance: Gabriel → Luis → Raul
If you like romantic suspense: The Money Man → The Hacker → The Agent
If you want glossy billionaire romance: The CEO Buys In → The All-Star Antes Up → The VIP Doubles Down
If you prefer small-town healing and horses: Take Me Home → Country Roads → The Place I Belong
If you want second chances, kids, and rescue dogs: Second to None → Second Time Around → Second Act
Nancy Herkness sub-series and character series
Royal Caleva books in order
Explore this seriesSecond Glances books in order
Explore this seriesThe Consultants books in order
Explore this seriesWager of Hearts books in order
Explore this series
The CEO Buys In
by Nancy Herkness
2015Wager of Hearts, Book 1
The All-Star Antes Up
by Nancy Herkness
2016Wager of Hearts, Book 2
The Irishman's Christmas Gamble
by Nancy Herkness
2016Wager of Hearts, Book 3
The VIP Doubles Down
by Nancy Herkness
2017Wager of Hearts, Book 4
Wager of Hearts books in chronological order
Whisper Horse books in order
Explore this seriesStandalone Nancy Herkness books
Author bio
Nancy Herkness grew up in a small town in the mountains of West Virginia, a landscape that still turns up in her fiction again and again. Later she studied English literature and creative writing at Princeton University, and that mix of book learning and mountain roots still feels like a good key to her work. Her romances often pair polished, high-achieving people with settings, communities, or emotions that refuse to stay polished for long.
Writing was not her first full-time job.
After college, she worked a surprising range of jobs, including retail management and buying, COBOL programming, computer systems sales and marketing, and even a short stint as a receptionist in a dental office. That varied work life helps explain why her novels are full of adults with actual responsibilities and recognizable careers. Once her children were in school full-time, she sat down and wrote A Bridge to Love, the first of her novels to be published.
That late start as a novelist seems to have suited her. Her characters often feel like grown people with history behind them, not blank slates waiting for a love story to happen. She has since written across several corners of contemporary romance, from small-town emotional healing to billionaire glamour, romantic suspense, and royal wish fulfillment.
She likes giving powerful people soft spots.
Readers who pick up the Wager of Hearts books or the Consultants series will find ambitious, wealthy heroes who look very sure of themselves until the right woman throws them off balance. In Second Glances, she adds kids, rescue dogs, and second-chance relationships to the mix. In the Whisper Horse novels, she heads back toward West Virginia, where horses, grief, family strain, and small-town ties all become part of the love story.
More recently, she stretched into a bigger, more escapist world with Gabriel, Luis, and Raul, the books in her Royal Caleva series. Those novels bring in dukes, kings, bodyguards, palace life, and a fictional island nation off the coast of Spain. Even so, the emotional concerns are familiar ones for her work: loneliness, trust, class differences, healing after hurt, and the hope of being loved for who you really are.
Animals matter in her life and in her books. She has written about growing up with a pony named Papoose, and that experience helped inspire the idea behind the Whisper Horse series. Her love of rescue animals also shows up strongly in Second Glances, and her daughter, now a veterinarian, has helped her with research for animal care details in at least one novel.
Her career has been a steady one. Her books have sold more than a million copies, and she has been nominated twice for the RITA, while also picking up a long list of romance awards along the way. Still, the appeal of her work is pretty simple on the page: emotionally direct stories, strong heroines, very competent heroes, and happy endings that feel earned.
Now she lives in suburban New Jersey with two tabby cats. She still writes contemporary romance, still enjoys vivid settings, and still seems happiest when she can mix glamour, humor, danger, and tenderness in the same story.
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