True Colors (Kathleen Y'Barbo) Books in Order

True Colors is a shared historical mystery series built around real crimes from American history, which makes it a noticeably darker shelf than many of Kathleen Y'Barbo's warmer romances. The books still keep faith and romantic tension in view, but the crimes are real enough to give them weight. That changes the atmosphere right away.

Y'Barbo's contribution, The Black Midnight, shows what the line does best. She connects the London murders associated with Jack the Ripper to the earlier Austin killings of the Midnight Assassin and follows investigators trying to work out whether the cases speak to each other. That gives the book a transatlantic feel, but it stays rooted in nineteenth-century Texas and the unanswered fear that ran through it.

Research matters here.

So does suspense. The series is designed for readers who want more than a simple historical romance. These books ask what it means to pursue truth in places where rumor, social limits, and institutional failure have already done damage.

If you are curious about Y'Barbo's more suspense-heavy side, this is a strong page to explore. True Colors lets her lean into investigation, danger, and historical unease while still keeping the human relationships at the center. It is not cozy, but it is very readable.