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Zoe Dawson Books in Order

Browse Zoe Dawson books in order, with quick summaries, series guides, and easy starting points for Going to the Dogs, Hope Parish, NCIS, and more.

Last updated: July 4, 2026

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84 books

A Perfect Mess

by Zoe Dawson

2012

Aubree Walker returns to Hope Parish when her aunt lands in a coma, and the one person who knows her worst secret is still there. Booker Outlaw is dangerous to her plans and impossible to forget.

Groomed

by Zoe Dawson

2012

Brooke Palmer's upscale grooming business is threatened by a nasty lawsuit, and attorney Drew Hudson arrives ready to make her settle. Instead, he finds a kind, stubborn woman who makes everything personal.

Leashed

by Zoe Dawson

2012

Dog trainer Callie Lassiter is mortified when her Great Dane knocks up the neighbor's dog. Unfortunately the neighbor is Owen McKay, a hot nightclub owner who looks like exactly the kind of trouble she doesn't want.

A Perfect Mistake

by Zoe Dawson

2013

Preacher's daughter Verity Fairchild wants her past buried for good. Boone Outlaw keeps pulling at a secret that could wreck both of them, and the truth refuses to stay hidden.

Brave

by Zoe Dawson

2013

Snowbound in the Colorado Rockies a week before Christmas, Alissa Thompson meets a wounded, isolated man named Dakota Gray. Both are carrying grief, and both may need courage more than comfort.

Collared

by Zoe Dawson

2013

When socialite Harper Sinclair's poodle loses a diamond collar in a suspicious theft, tough detective Caleb Shaw takes the case. The robbery is bigger than it looks, and the sparks between them are impossible to ignore.

Fetched

by Zoe Dawson

2013

Poe and Jared are headed for a rushed Vegas wedding, a baby, and total chaos. Family drama and The Terrible Two make their happy ending anything but simple.

Hounded

by Zoe Dawson

2013

Veterinarian Poe Madigan enters a dog-dancing contest to save her mother's house, then starts getting threats. Security specialist Jared Taylor goes undercover as her partner and discovers the danger is very real.

A Perfect Dilemma

by Zoe Dawson

2014

River Pearl Sutton comes home to prepare a Founder's Day speech and gets tangled up with Braxton Outlaw. Digging into family history uncovers a secret that could shatter more than one reputation.

AfterLife

by Zoe Dawson

2014

Lily Starbuck is a witch with no memory of her life before three years ago, living in a world broken open to magic. To learn who she is, she has to survive what the Break left behind.

Captured

by Zoe Dawson

2014

Harper and Caleb are planning a life together, but class differences and outside judgment hit hard. Love got them this far, now they have to prove it can hold.

Handled

by Zoe Dawson

2014

Brooke and Drew have love, chemistry, and a future in sight. What they do not have is an easy path there, especially once wedding stress and real-life pressures start closing in.

Hot Read

by Zoe Dawson

2014

Lizzy Jordan has always kept her distance from the players, until rookie Tyler Davis and one accidental naked encounter blow up her self-control. Their chemistry is immediate and very bad for office policy.

Illegal Motions

by Zoe Dawson

2014

Player liaison Holly Masters has to renegotiate quarterback Clay Masters's contract with the ex-husband she never got over. Business and unfinished desire make a dangerous mix.

Monster Man

by Zoe Dawson

2014

Cat Everhart works for a football franchise and knows better than to want star safety Shane Bishop. One explosive Halloween party proves rules are easy to break and hard to forget.

Tangled

by Zoe Dawson

2014

Callie and Owen are back, this time trying to make it to the altar without letting old fears and fresh complications trip them up. Their dogs, naturally, have ideas of their own.

A Perfect Holiday

by Zoe Dawson

2015

Boone and Verity are surrounded by family for the holidays, but old secrets keep edging into the light. Their marriage has heat, heart, and one more storm to survive.

A Perfect Wedding

by Zoe Dawson

2015

Aubree and Booker should be celebrating, but distance, stress, and Aubree's need to make everything perfect keep getting in the way. Weddings are easy, growing together is harder.

Beauty Shot

by Zoe Dawson

2015

College freshman Decon West heads to New York determined to win over Minnie Tattersall. Fashion Week, an age gap, and one accidental runway moment make their chemistry impossible to ignore.

Finally Again

by Zoe Dawson

2015

Years after her husband vanished and left her to raise triplets alone, Evie Outlaw finally feels something again. Winchester Sutton offers a second chance, if she can stop living in the shadow of the past.

Mark Me

by Zoe Dawson

2015

Former Marine Rory Finnegan wants a fresh start and a tattoo parlor, not trouble. Then Savannah Hawkins walks in, caught between family expectations and the man who makes her want something different.

Piggy Bank Blues

by Zoe Dawson

2015

Artist Ian Lassiter helps Lizzie O'Reilly fight to save her school for deaf children. Between money trouble, old wounds, and a talented painting dog, this romance gets wonderfully complicated.

A Perfect Question

by Zoe Dawson

2016

Brax and River Pearl have found solid ground, until River starts hiding something new. One question about the future could change everything between them.

Handling Skylar

by Zoe Dawson

2016

After losing her family's legacy in a fire, Skylar Bransom throws herself into running the Blue Coyote Spa. Jake Sutton offers comfort, desire, and the kind of risk she is not sure she can take.

Holding Still

by Zoe Dawson

2016

Stockbroker Nate Taylor gets a second chance with photographer Pru Chambers through a community garden project and one very needy corgi puppy. Rebuilding trust turns out to be harder than falling in love.

Leaving Yesterday

by Zoe Dawson

2016

Fresh off her divorce, hotel heiress Rafferty Hamilton gets stranded in Laurel Falls, Montana, when her sports car dies. Mechanic and veteran Trace Black shows her a town, and a future, she never expected.

Louder Than Words

by Zoe Dawson

2016

Nurse Talia Cassano turns to reconstructive surgeon Connor Wentworth after her brother is badly injured in a crash. Working together pulls them closer just when both have reasons to hold back.

Ramping Up

by Zoe Dawson

2016

Lena Mavrick wants to prove herself by signing a gifted surfer turned skateboard phenom. Company rules say hands off the client, but Gunner Smith makes that almost impossible.

Resisting Samantha

by Zoe Dawson

2016

Samantha Wharton came to Suttontowne to run a historic eatery and outrun a painful past. Chase Sutton is trying to rebuild his own life, and neither of them is ready for what starts between them.

Cowboy

by Zoe Dawson

2017

SEAL Wes Cowboy McGraw goes home for his reunion and runs straight into hacker Kia Silverbrook. When the secrets she has been chasing hit close to home, attraction turns into protection.

Kid Chaos

by Zoe Dawson

2017

A sniper who thrives on unpredictability meets the one woman who can truly shake his aim. In the middle of danger, Kid Chaos learns love may be his toughest mission.

Ruckus

by Zoe Dawson

2017

On a mission to capture an international criminal, SEAL Bowie Ruckus Cooper finds a captive American reporter instead. Staying alive with Dana Sorenson is hard, staying detached is impossible.

Sheltering Lawson

by Zoe Dawson

2017

Lawson Edwards arrives in Suttontowne broke, hungry, and hiding from something bad enough to keep her living in her car. Ethan Fairchild wants to protect her, but first he has to earn her trust.

Tank

by Zoe Dawson

2017

Dog handler Tank never expected a second chance after loss on the battlefield. Then a fearless veterinarian forces him to think about healing, on and off the mission.

What Matters Most

by Zoe Dawson

2017

PTSD-haunted billionaire Aiden Sinclair hits bottom just as Faith Chapman tries to build a retreat pairing dogs with wounded warriors. Healing starts when he finally lets her help him.

Blue

by Zoe Dawson

2018

Blue is trained to stay sharp under fire, but the latest mission brings him face to face with a woman he cannot forget. Duty comes first, right up until it doesn't.

Scarecrow

by Zoe Dawson

2018

Scarecrow can handle chaos, covert work, and impossible odds. What he is less ready for is the woman who turns a dangerous operation into something personal.

AfterMath

by Zoe Dawson

2019

The fallout from Lily Starbuck's search for the truth hits hard in this sequel. In a shattered world crowded with magic and enemies, every answer seems to open a new threat.

Dragon

by Zoe Dawson

2019

Dragon is built for high-risk operations, not soft landings. When a case puts him beside a woman who can match him stride for stride, sparks fly under enemy fire.

Easier Said Than Done

by Zoe Dawson

2019

Phaedra Cangelosi is ready to open her own restaurant, not fall for Makena Kaeo. Working side by side on real estate, business plans, and old feelings makes that easier said than done.

Hollywood

by Zoe Dawson

2019

Behind the swagger, Hollywood is still a SEAL with a brutal job and too much on the line. One mission, and one woman worth protecting, make things very complicated very fast.

In Her Wildest Dreams

by Zoe Dawson

2019

Grieving, restless Lake West storms into AlphaGroup determined to take charge of her life. Wilde Madigan means to distract her, until both are forced to face the pain she has been outrunning.

Up Against the Boards

by Zoe Dawson

2019

Ex-hockey player Jesse Malone steps in to help Abigail Wescott save her late father's tavern. A buried piece of history and a blazing attraction turn a rescue job into something much bigger.

Wicked

by Zoe Dawson

2019

Wicked knows how to keep emotion locked down during a mission. Then a smart, stubborn heroine gets tangled in the danger, and his careful distance starts to crack.

Artful Dodger

by Zoe Dawson

2020

Artful Dodger is used to slipping past danger, not into feelings. When a mission puts a clever, capable woman in his path, he has to choose between control and connection.

Commanding Sia

by Zoe Dawson

2020

Lieutenant Ambrosia Sia Soto is forced back onto an aircraft carrier with former lover and NCIS agent Chris Vargas. A suspicious death at sea turns old grief and fresh danger into the same fight.

Guarding Sky

by Zoe Dawson

2020

NCIS agent Vincent Fitzgerald is assigned to find kidnapped naval scientist Skylar Baang before her captors get what they want. Protecting her is tough enough, resisting her is worse.

Guiding Kinley

by Zoe Dawson

2020

Kinley is pulled into an NCIS case that puts her right beside a relentless protector and a threat that keeps closing in. The deeper the investigation goes, the harder it is to keep things professional.

Handling Neve

by Zoe Dawson

2020

After a Coast Guard rescue goes wrong, Neve Michaels becomes the target of a deadly revenge plot. Rock Kaczewski refuses to let her face gunrunners and a jungle op alone.

Hemingway

by Zoe Dawson

2020

Hemingway brings grit, brains, and a habit of looking deeper than everyone else. His latest mission pairs him with a woman who sees through him almost as quickly as he sees through danger.

Mad Max

by Zoe Dawson

2020

Mad Max can run hard and hit harder, but the newest threat lands closer to home. A fierce attraction grows while the mission keeps getting uglier.

Pitbull

by Zoe Dawson

2020

SEAL Errol Pitbull Ballentine teams up with NCIS agent Makayla Littlestar to find a missing operative. She is brilliant, driven, and the last distraction he needs on a live hunt.

Rescuing Piper

by Zoe Dawson

2020

Piper needs help, and the people hunting her are not backing off. In the middle of an NCIS case, attraction and survival start running on the same track.

Saving Amber

by Zoe Dawson

2020

Amber becomes the center of a dangerous NCIS investigation when the past and the present collide. A determined hero steps in, but saving her may cost them both.

2-Stroke

by Zoe Dawson

2021

Fast, fearless, and always ready to move, 2-Stroke lives best at full speed. The trouble is, love asks him to slow down just when the mission heats up.

Fast Lane

by Zoe Dawson

2021

Fast Lane knows how to live with adrenaline and mission focus. The latest operation throws him into danger with a woman who makes him want more than the next assignment.

Finding Nova

by Zoe Dawson

2021

Nova is hiding more than one hard truth when an NCIS case throws her into fresh danger. Finding her could be the key to the mission, and to something deeper.

Managing Emma

by Zoe Dawson

2021

Emma's life gets complicated fast when danger lands on her doorstep and an NCIS-connected protector steps in. What should be a temporary fix quickly turns personal.

Protecting Jenna

by Zoe Dawson

2021

Jenna is in the crosshairs of a case that refuses to stay contained. The man assigned to keep her safe discovers that guarding her heart may be the harder job.

Saint

by Zoe Dawson

2021

Saint has the calm exterior of a man who has seen everything and survived it. Then one woman gets under his skin, and staying cool stops being simple.

Iceman

by Zoe Dawson

2022

Iceman works in the shadows where mistakes get people killed. His latest mission pairs cold precision with a woman who can melt the edges he depends on.

Joker

by Zoe Dawson

2022

After a deployment to Niger, SEAL Elias Joker Jackman collides with his father's strait-laced aide, Lt. Philippa Thompson. Terrorists, family pressure, and attraction hit at the same time.

Preacher

by Zoe Dawson

2022

Preacher brings conviction and fire to every covert job, but this mission asks more than grit. A dangerous attraction threatens the control that keeps him alive.

Professor

by Zoe Dawson

2022

Professor is the thinker in a world full of doorkickers, but brains do not make him safe from heartbreak. A dangerous case gives him every reason to stay guarded, and one very good reason not to.

Tex

by Zoe Dawson

2022

When a black-ops mission goes bad, SEAL Michael Tex Penn faces a JAG investigation led by Nora Wilson. Their clash over secrets turns into partnership once the truth sends them into danger.

Blitz

by Zoe Dawson

2023

Blitz moves fast for a living, but this time the danger catches up in unexpected ways. The woman at the center of the chaos might be the only one who can keep pace with him.

Bondo

by Zoe Dawson

2023

Bondo is built for pressure, but the next mission tests more than his field skills. A smart woman in the middle of the chaos makes the stakes painfully personal.

Easy

by Zoe Dawson

2023

SEAL Matthew Easy Hitchcock rescues executive Jacqueline Devers from a Venezuelan prison, then gets stranded with her behind enemy lines. Survival depends on trust they do not have time to build.

Gator

by Zoe Dawson

2023

Gator is all power, instinct, and stubborn loyalty. When the stakes climb and a woman in trouble gets too close, he has to fight for more than the mission.

GQ

by Zoe Dawson

2023

As a shadowy enemy closes in, GQ heads to London with the team, CIA, and MI6. Personal questions about his father collide with his growing pull toward cryptologist Celeste Potter.

Safeguarding Kelly

by Zoe Dawson

2023

Kelly needs a safe place, a clear head, and somebody she can trust. The latest NCIS case offers none of that, especially once feelings start getting in the way.

Buck

by Zoe Dawson

2024

Buck is used to keeping his head down and getting the job done. Then a volatile mission and a hard-to-resist woman leave him with far more to lose.

D-Day

by Zoe Dawson

2024

D-Day has seen enough action to know how quickly plans fall apart. What he does not expect is a connection strong enough to matter in the middle of the mess.

Hazard

by Zoe Dawson

2024

Hazard lives up to his call sign when danger turns ugly and personal. In the middle of a secret war, he finds himself drawn to someone just as tough as he is.

Kodiak

by Zoe Dawson

2024

Kodiak is the kind of operator who can take a hit and keep moving. What stops him short is the woman caught in the middle of the team's next covert fight.

Shark

by Zoe Dawson

2024

Deployed to Haiti to protect the U.S. embassy, Shark meets seismologist Madeline Towson just as unrest spikes. The mission is tense enough before desire gets involved.

Twister

by Zoe Dawson

2024

Twister is assigned to protect divers recovering the remains of a lost U.S. submarine off Bali. Sadie is fearless in the water, which makes staying focused much harder.

Bear

by Zoe Dawson

2025

Dakota Bear Locklear joins a rescue op in South America with CIA liaison Bailee Thunderhawk. The mission uncovers missing people, buried history, and feelings neither of them can ignore.

Boomer

by Zoe Dawson

2025

Boomer is built for impact, but the next operation hits where it hurts. A covert assignment and a woman he cannot shake force him to risk more than usual.

Brawler

by Zoe Dawson

2025

Deep in the Ecuadorian jungle, Christian Brawler Beckett stumbles across a furious zoology student fleeing armed men. Recovering lost weapons is hard enough before Emily Shade becomes part of the mission.

Dagger

by Zoe Dawson

2025

In Caracas, SEAL Kade Dagger Hollis must protect architect Quinn Cole, the widow of his dead brother. Their past is raw, the city is unstable, and neither can afford a mistake.

Skull

by Zoe Dawson

2025

Skull, the team's brooding dog handler, teams up with the unpredictable undercover operative Hummingbird after Archer Hazard and his fiancée are abducted. Their chemistry is almost as explosive as the mission.

Zorro

by Zoe Dawson

2025

Zorro heads to Rio for training and a leadership conference, only to meet Dr. Everly Quinn, the widow who once kissed him when he was unconscious. A terrorist attack leaves no room to avoid each other.

New

Breakneck

by Zoe Dawson

2026

Kelly Breakneck Gatlin joins a DEA and RCMP operation to take down a cartel, only to collide with Sergeant Blair Brown. Restraint is his plan, but Blair makes that nearly impossible.

Where should I start?

If you want funny, dog-filled romance: LeashedGroomedHounded
If you want small-town secrets and heat: A Perfect MessA Perfect MistakeA Perfect Dilemma
If you want military romantic suspense: RuckusKid ChaosCowboy
If you want paranormal world-building: AfterLifeAfterMath

Author bio

Zoe Dawson writes romance that moves easily between dog-park comedy, small-town secrets, military suspense, and urban fantasy. She also writes as Karen Anders, and her publishing life stretches back to the late 1990s. She grew up in Vermont, the Green Mountain State she still speaks of with real affection, and now lives in North Carolina.

That mix of places shows up in her books.

Before novels, there was poetry. Dawson has said she loved writing from early on, and she also spent time making art, including decoupage pieces built around her poems. The bigger turn came when her grandmother handed her The Sheik at sixteen. That old romance opened a door, and Dawson eventually moved from poems to fiction, first trying historical work and then contemporary romance.

She writes across genres on purpose.

Under the Zoe Dawson name, her shelves include romantic suspense, romantic comedy, new adult contemporary, and urban fantasy. Leashed kicks off the playful Going to the Dogs series, where friendship and pets matter just as much as the love story. A Perfect Mess starts the Hope Parish books, a Louisiana-set run of secrets, class tension, and tangled family history. Then there is Ruckus, which launches her long-running SEAL Team Alpha stories, and Commanding Sia, the opening NCIS novel.

Readers usually know what they will get even when the setting changes. Strong heroines. High emotion. A clear sense of place. And a story that keeps the romance front and center, whether the backdrop is a New York dog park, a bayou town, or a dangerous military operation.

Her fantasy side shows up in AfterLife, the first Starbuck Chronicles novel, while books like Leaving Yesterday lean into healing, family strain, and the pull of a small town. Across the board, she seems drawn to people carrying old hurt, people who have something to prove, and people who are better together than they are alone.

She has also picked up some notable recognition along the way.

Hemingway, from SEAL Team Alpha, won a Maggie Award of Excellence and was also a HOLT Medallion finalist. Hollywood was a HOLT finalist. Commanding Sia was a Daphne du Maurier Contest finalist, and AfterLife earned a RONE nomination. The awards matter, but the bigger picture is simple: she has built a large backlist and kept writing in several lanes without losing the happily-ever-after core.

At home, Dawson still makes room for the rest of her life. She paints. She plays World of Warcraft, where she has mentioned playing a Night Elf Druid. She has two daughters, and in October 2024 she became a grandmother to a grandson she gets to see every week.

That feels right for her books somehow.

Even when the plots involve kidnappings, covert ops, or long-buried secrets, there is usually a homey counterweight in Dawson's work: found family, everyday loyalty, a dog underfoot, or a town that will not let people disappear from each other for long. If you want the short version, start with the series that matches your mood. Funny and warm, go with Leashed. Small-town and messy, try A Perfect Mess. High-stakes and action heavy, pick up Ruckus.

Edited by

Richard Reis

Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.

Anurag Ramdasan

Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.

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