The Southern Women Books in Order
Part ofShirlee Busbee Books in OrderThis page lists The Southern Women series by Shirlee Busbee in order, with short summaries, setting background, and where-to-start guidance.
Last updated: June 7, 2026
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Publication Order
6 books
Lady Vixen
by Shirlee Busbee
1980
Nicole Ashford escapes a plot against her on a privateer’s ship bound for New Orleans, only to land in Captain Saber’s dangerous world. Her flight from England becomes a high-seas romance filled with peril.
The Tiger Lily
by Shirlee Busbee
1985
Sabrina once adored Brett Dangermond, until betrayal and years of separation hardened her heart. When he returns as guardian of her estate and future, desire and resentment become equally dangerous.
Whisper to Me of Love
by Shirlee Busbee
1991
American Royce Manchester rescues Pip, a pickpocket who is really Morgana Fowler in disguise. His protection draws them into London’s underworld, where her hidden parentage and a murderer threaten them both.
Each Time We Love
by Shirlee Busbee
1993
Savanna O’Rourke believes Adam St. Clair is tied to her father’s death, while he thinks she may be after stolen gold. Kidnapped by the same outlaw, they must cooperate to survive.
Love a Dark Rider
by Shirlee Busbee
1994
Seven years after being branded a murderer, Yancy returns to reclaim his Texas birthright. Sara now stands in his way, and her suspicion about his past threatens the love neither of them expected.
At Long Last
by Shirlee Busbee
2000
Arabella Montgomery needs help saving her family plantation after her brother gambles it away. Tony Daggett, the man who once hurt her, offers a bargain that could reclaim her home or break her heart again.
Series background & context
The Southern Women series gathers historical romances set in the American South and nearby frontier spaces, with family property, honor, inheritance, and old grudges pushing the plots forward. The books are not cozy. They are old-school historical romances, full of pride, misunderstandings, danger, and couples who tend to fight their attraction before they trust it.
The core reading order begins with The Tiger Lily. Sabrina and Brett Dangermond have a painful history, and years later he returns as the guardian of both her estate and her future. Their romance is built on betrayal, desire, and the question of whether a love that began badly can be remade without destroying them both.
In Each Time We Love, Savanna O’Rourke and Adam St. Clair are forced together after being kidnapped by the same outlaw, Micajah Yates. Savanna believes Adam is tied to her father’s death, while Adam believes she may be mixed up in a scheme involving stolen gold. Survival comes first. Forgiveness takes longer.
The stakes are rarely small.
At Long Last moves to old Natchez, Mississippi, where Arabella Montgomery is trying to defend her family plantation after her brother gambles it away. Tony Daggett can help her reclaim what was lost, but he is also the man who once hurt her. Their bargain blends practical need with unfinished feelings, and the plantation setting matters because land, status, and family survival are all tied together.
Love a Dark Rider brings the series into Texas. Sara Rawlings and Yancy are bound by inheritance trouble and suspicion after Yancy returns to reclaim Casa Paloma, the ranch he believes should be his. Sara fears he may have committed murder, while Yancy sees her as the obstacle standing between him and his birthright. The result is a romance driven by mistrust, danger, and the rougher edges of late-1800s Texas.
Busbee’s Southern Women books work best for readers who like sweeping historical settings and emotionally stormy couples. The heroines are often trapped by family decisions or property disputes, but they are not passive. They push back, sometimes recklessly, and the stories use that friction to keep the romance hot.
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