RL Mathewson Books in Order
Browse R.L. Mathewson books in order, with quick summaries, reading paths, series guides, and tips on where to start with the Bradfords and beyond.
Last updated: June 10, 2026
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Publication Order
36 books
A Humble Heart
by RL Mathewson
2010
Dana escapes a bad relationship and starts over with her children, only to find herself thrown into sudden fame. As the spotlight closes in, actor Edward offers a chance at love, but public attention makes everything harder.
Tall, Dark and Lonely
by RL Mathewson
2010
Detective Ephraim Williams has spent centuries hiding his pain and his true nature. Madison keeps stumbling into his world until curiosity, danger, and attraction force them both to confront the truth.
A Reclusive Heart
by RL Mathewson
2011
Jamie is a bestselling but painfully shy author who can barely handle a signing, let alone a full tour. Her cranky agent Nick may be the only one who can help, if a stalker does not get there first.
Perfection
by RL Mathewson
2011
Trevor Bradford is used to control, but his unlucky tenant Zoe throws his careful plans off balance. When he tries to make up for a cruel mistake, their uneasy truce starts turning into something much harder to resist.
Playing for Keeps
by RL Mathewson
2011
Haley finally stands up to Jason Bradford, the infuriating neighbor next door. One prank-filled showdown turns into reluctant friendship, fierce attraction, and a romance neither of them expected.
Sudden Response
by RL Mathewson
2011
Eric and Joe have been best friends and EMT partners since childhood, which is exactly why crossing the line is so dangerous. One brutal call forces them to stop pretending nothing has changed.
Without Regret
by RL Mathewson
2011
Chris Williams expects his destined mate to be a warrior, not Isabella, a brilliant computer geek with enemies on her trail. Kidnapping, danger, and a bond neither wanted force them into the heart of the fight.
Checkmate
by RL Mathewson
2012
Rory has spent years battling her childhood nemesis, Connor O'Neil. When blackmail, shared work, and escalating pranks force them together, old grudges give way to a messy, funny, very dangerous attraction.
Tall, Dark and Heartless
by RL Mathewson
2012
Caine should have walked away from Danni years ago, but he never could. When her ex sells her out and the two are trapped together, old heartbreak collides with a deadly paranormal threat.
Black Heart
by RL Mathewson
2013
Marty cannot stop loving Tristan Black, the man who has always held himself apart from her. When the truth about his secret starts surfacing, desire and danger close in at the same time.
Truce
by RL Mathewson
2013
In this historical Bradford romance, Robert Bradford is dragged back into the orbit of Elizabeth, the childhood enemy he blames for everything. Their reunion sparks old wars, sharp banter, and feelings neither can control.
How to Write, Publish and All That Good Stuff
by RL Mathewson
2014
In this nonfiction guide, R.L. Mathewson shares a straightforward look at writing, publishing, and the practical side of getting a book into readers' hands. It's meant to be useful, direct, and encouraging.
Tall, Silent and Lethal
by RL Mathewson
2014
Christofer has spent too many years on the run to trust anyone. When Cloe takes a job that crashes into his dangerous world, both find themselves risking everything for a chance at peace.
The Game Plan
by RL Mathewson
2014
Jodi has already lost too much before moving across the hall from Danny Bradford. His family chaos and her anger make for instant friction, but the more they clash, the harder it is to stay apart.
Christmas from Hell
by RL Mathewson
2015
Duncan Bradford has spent a year avoiding the accident-prone neighbor he thinks is a walking disaster. But one mistake changes everything, and suddenly the little jinx next door is all he can think about.
Double Dare
by RL Mathewson
2015
Darrin Bradford is tired of waiting for Marybeth to choose them for real. Their long friendship and half-finished love story hit a breaking point when the secret between them refuses to stay buried.
Honeymoon from Hell I / Playing for Keep's Honeymoon From Hell
by RL Mathewson
2015
Jason is determined to make Haley his forever, even if his version of romance looks a lot like kidnapping her onto their honeymoon. It's a short, funny follow-up full of Bradford chaos.
Honeymoon from Hell II / Perfection's Honeymoon from Hell
by RL Mathewson
2015
Trevor finally has Zoe, and he is not taking any chances on losing her. This companion novella follows their honeymoon with the same possessive humor and sweet chaos as the main book.
Honeymoon from Hell III / Checkmate's Honeymoon from Hell
by RL Mathewson
2015
Connor and Rory may be married, but that does not mean the games are over. Their honeymoon keeps the pranks, stubbornness, and chemistry going at full speed.
Honeymoon from Hell IV / Truce's Honeymoon from Hell
by RL Mathewson
2015
Robert and Elizabeth head into married life carrying all their old sparks with them. This short historical follow-up brings more banter, chaos, and Bradford trouble to their honeymoon.
Honeymoon from Hell V / The Game Plan's Honeymoon from Hell
by RL Mathewson
2015
Danny and Jodi finally get time alone, which would be easier if life stopped getting in the way. This novella revisits them with more comedy, heat, and family interference.
Honeymoon from Hell VI / Double Dare's Honeymoon from Hell
by RL Mathewson
2015
Darrin and Marybeth's honeymoon is supposed to be simple, but that was never likely. This short companion keeps their long-running chemistry, tension, and humor front and center.
Fated
by RL Mathewson
2016
Drew, alpha of the Laymon Pack, has one job, protect his people and keep their world hidden. Then one touch binds him to Kara, a dangerous stranger with secrets of her own.
Fire and Brimstone
by RL Mathewson
2016
Lucifer Bradford wants nothing more than to fire Rebecca, the waitress who drives him mad and never seems to stay fired. Their war of wills turns into a funny, stubborn romance neither one can outrun.
Delectable
by RL Mathewson
2017
Reese Bradford heads off on a honeymoon alone after a public humiliation, only to meet Kasey, the woman next door who loves pushing his buttons. What starts as annoyance becomes a second chance neither expected.
Devastated
by RL Mathewson
2019
Hunter O'Mallery never wanted an assistant, and Kylie Davis never wanted the past following her into every room. Their combative partnership turns into something deeper as both are forced to face what hurt them.
Tall, Dark and Furious
by RL Mathewson
2019
Sam's life explodes when strangers tear apart her basement searching for a hidden tomb. Trace has waited centuries for revenge, but once fate ties him to Sam, nothing goes the way he planned.
The Promise
by RL Mathewson
2019
Reed Bradford never should have promised to protect his best friend's little sister, and he definitely never should have fallen for her. When she crashes back into his life, old loyalty and new feelings collide fast.
Finally
by RL Mathewson
2020
Devin Bradford has spent years putting his children first and keeping his heart out of it. When Charlie moves into his orbit and falls for his kids, his careful distance becomes impossible to maintain.
Furious
by RL Mathewson
2020
After a devastating accident, Chase is bitter, broken, and fighting his way through recovery. Sloane is only supposed to be his caregiver, but their constant clashes slowly become the one thing keeping him going.
Irresistible
by RL Mathewson
2020
Aidan Bradford thought one night with Melanie would be a mistake he could forget. Instead, it changes everything, forcing two wary people to face parenthood, attraction, and a future neither planned for.
Misunderstood
by RL Mathewson
2020
Sebastian Bradford knows his life is spinning off course, even if he will not admit it. Mikey Campbell, his loyal best friend, is determined to get through to him before one bad decision changes everything.
Unstoppable
by RL Mathewson
2021
Kale has a bounty on his head and far too many enemies to count, so finding his mate is the last thing he needs. But fate has other plans, and protecting her may cost him everything.
Another Christmas from Hell
by RL Mathewson
2022
Cayley is trying to rebuild her life when she ends up living across from Bryce James, the man who has spent years avoiding her. Christmas, old history, and too much proximity do the rest.
The Project
by RL Mathewson
2022
Andi lands a job she may be wildly unqualified for, working for hotel CEO Devyn MacGregor at the worst possible time. As a company crisis unfolds, office tension turns into something much more personal.
Pretend
by RL Mathewson
2023
Morgan has loved her best friend Eric Bradford for years and knows it's time to let go. Then one last favor turns into a high-stakes act, and pretending becomes a lot too real.
Where should I start?
If you want laugh-out-loud Bradford romance: Playing for Keeps → Perfection → Checkmate
If you want paranormal romance with vampires and shifters: Tall, Dark & Lonely → Without Regret → Tall, Dark & Heartless → Fated
If you want something more emotional and bruised: Devastated → Furious
If you want a Hollywood and fame detour: A Humble Heart → A Reclusive Heart
If you want a standalone office romance: The Project
Author bio
R.L. Mathewson was born and raised in Massachusetts. She has described herself as a painfully shy bookworm, the kind of kid who felt at home with stories long before she ever imagined writing them. That mix, quiet on the outside, busy inner world on the inside, still feels like a good way into her fiction.
After high school, she went to college and worked a string of jobs, including bellhop, fast food cook, museum worker, and eventually EMT. She has said that working as an EMT helped her get over some of that shyness. It also gave her a storehouse of strange, funny, and difficult moments that have a way of showing up in her books.
Writing started as survival.
In a letter to readers, Mathewson said she began writing in 2007 as an escape from a horrible marriage and other painful parts of her life. She taught herself whatever skills she could, hoping something might help her support herself and her children, and writing was the one that stuck. She kept going, kept learning, and built the career from there.
That mattered.
A few books later, readers had a pretty clear sense of what she did well. Tall, Dark & Lonely launched her Pyte/Sentinel world and showed how comfortably she could mix paranormal danger with sharp banter and romance. Then Playing for Keeps kicked off the Neighbor From Hell series and introduced the Bradford family, a clan so food obsessed, stubborn, and meddlesome that they quickly became the center of a long-running reader favorite.
If you want a quick feel for her range, Perfection and Checkmate lean into romantic comedy and family chaos, while Devastated shows she can go darker and more emotional without losing the warmth that keeps readers invested. Books like Sudden Response, A Humble Heart, The Project, and A Reclusive Heart show the same interest in wounded people, stubborn attraction, and characters who need safety almost as much as they need love.
Her stories tend to come back to a few things. People who have been underestimated. Big families that meddle because they care. Men who act tough and then fall very hard. Women who are done being pushed around. Even in the paranormal books, where the cast includes Pytes, Sentinels, shifters, and vampires, the emotional center is usually very human: trust, loyalty, second chances, and the relief of finding someone who finally feels like home.
She has also been open about the reality behind the work. Mathewson has written about raising two children, balancing writing with therapy appointments and daily life, and even drafting books on her phone while waiting for her kids. She is a single mother of two, and she has joked that a perfect day includes romance novels and hot chocolate. That practical, get-it-done side fits her fiction. The books may be full of chaos, but they never feel distant.
Today, she is still best known for moving easily between funny contemporary romance and paranormal romance. Whether a reader starts with the Bradford chaos of Playing for Keeps, the supernatural pull of Tall, Dark & Lonely, or the harder road to healing in Devastated, the draw is pretty consistent: quick banter, messy feelings, loyal people, and the sense that after all the trouble, these characters are going to earn their happy ending.
Edited by
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