Two Steps Books in Order

In the Two Steps books, Graeme Simsion and Anne Buist use long-distance walking to tell a story about starting over. The central pair are Zoe, an artist from California, and Martin, an engineer from England. At the start of Two Steps Forward, they are not looking for a grand romance. Zoe is grieving her husband's sudden death. Martin is picking his way through the aftermath of divorce. They meet while walking from France toward Santiago in Spain, and the journey gives both of them more than scenery.

The walking matters.

These are travel novels, but not postcard novels. The routes, villages, weather, sore bodies, shared meals, and strange little pilgrim communities shape almost every decision the characters make. On the Camino, people can reinvent themselves a bit, but they also get tired, hungry, lost, jealous, hopeful, and more honest than they expected. Zoe and Martin keep crossing paths as they test their legs, their patience, and their willingness to trust someone new.

What makes the series stand out is its focus on grown-up problems. This is romance with middle-aged baggage, practical worries, and actual history. Zoe and Martin are funny together, sometimes awkward together, and not always moving at the same emotional speed. The books are interested in attraction, of course, but also in grief, compromise, independence, and the question of whether a second chance can fit into the life you already have.

Two Steps Onward widens the picture. Three years later, Zoe and Martin have a chance to reunite on another European pilgrimage, this time heading toward Rome rather than Santiago. They are no longer walking alone, either. Friends and family join the trip, including Camille, Gilbert, Sarah, and Bernhard, which makes the sequel feel more like an ensemble journey. The new route brings fresh landscapes, but also fresh complications, especially around commitment, illness, family strain, and the difference between helping and controlling.

Even when the books get emotional, the tone stays warm, observant, and lightly funny. The stakes are mostly personal rather than plot-driven, but they still feel real because the road keeps applying pressure. A blister, a missed connection, a wrong assumption, or an old wound can change the whole day. That sense of movement, physical and emotional, gives the series its shape.

If you want fiction that mixes travel, relationship drama, and the quiet thrill of seeing people remake themselves one step at a time, start with Two Steps Forward and keep going. These books are about distance, but they are really about what people carry, what they let go, and who they become when they keep walking.