Find Your Perfect Nora Roberts Read

How to get started with her vast catalog

Romance legend Nora Roberts has a new book coming out next month. Mind Games is about Thea, a girl who shares a unique ability with her grandmother, Lucy. When Thea's parents are murdered shortly after dropping her and her brother off to stay with Lucy for the summer, both grandmother and granddaughter bear witness to the brutal killing in their nightmares.

La Nora, as she is known by her legions of fans, has had an astonishing run. Over the course of her four-decade career, Roberts has written nearly 250 books, around six a year, most of which have been New York Times Best Sellers. Along the way, she has been a gamechanger in the industry. Incorporating elements of suspense and fantasy, her books defy genre norms. She is also the author of the bestselling In Death series, written under the pseudonym J. D. Robb. Here are some of our favorites La Nora titles divided into a few of her popular subgenres. Find your perfect Nora Roberts read!

Second-chance love

Roberts married her first husband when she was just a teenager, something she has characterized as a mistake: "I was married the first time when I was seventeen. Don't ever do that." They divorced after fifteen years of marriage and she met her keeper husband a few years later. Maybe this is why she likes writing second chance romances. And we love reading them! Here are a few favorites.

The Liar

After Shelby Foxworth loses her husband, she is devastated to learn that he was an adulterer and a liar, using multiple false identities. Seeking comfort in her Tennessee hometown, she meets Griff. But her husband had secrets she has yet to discover. And even in this small town, danger is closer than she knows.

The Search

After surviving a brush with the serial killer who murdered her fiancé, Fiona has found peace and purpose as a successful dog trainer on an island off Seattle's coast. When Simon looks to her for help with his out-of-control puppy, sparks fly. But the danger of her past comes calling in the form of a copycat killer.

Black Hills

Cooper Sullivan spent the summers of his youth on his grandparents' South Dakota ranch, sharing innocent games and stolen kisses with the neighbor girl, Lil Chance. Now, twelve years after they last walked together hand in hand, fate has brought them back to the Black Hills.

Renovation romance

"He did a really good job, and looked good in a tool belt, and I kept him," Roberts said cheekily of meeting her carpenter husband when she hired him to build some bookshelves. Perhaps this explains her penchant for writing romances that focus on renovations and home improvement. Here are some we like.

Midnight Bayou

Ever since he saw Manet Hall, Declan has been determined to restore the dilapidated New Orleans mansion. Legend has it that the house is haunted and Declan begins to suspect that it's true. Only the companionship of Angelina, an alluring local, can distract him from the ghostly presence in the house.

Tribute

Cilla, a former child star who has moved on to restoring homes, comes to Virginia to save the dilapidated farmhouse where her grandmother, a legendary actress, died decades ago. As well as connecting with her quirky, charming neighbor, she finds a cache of mysterious secrets from the past.

The Obsession

No matter how close she gets to happiness, Naomi can't outrun the sins of her father. Now a successful photographer, she has found a place that calls to her, a rambling old house in need of repair, far from where she came. As she reluctantly finds connections with her new neighbors, Naomi feels her defenses falling away.

The Next Always (#1 in the Inn BoonsBoro Trilogy)

As the Montgomery brothers begin renovating a historic hotel in their hometown, architect Beckett is also hoping to rebuild his relationship with his teenage crush, Clare. (This story is likely close to the author's own heart as she and her husband bought and restored the real Inn BoonsBoro, a charming bed and breakfast, complete with rooms named after famous couples from literature.)

Gal pals

Roberts often features lovely female friendships in her novels. "If you’re a woman and you don’t have a circle of women, then find one," she said in one interview. Here are three novels (all trilogy starters) that celebrate sisterhood and girl power.

Vision in White (#1 in the Bride Quartet series)

Wedding photographer Mackensie is most at home behind the camera, but her focus is shattered moments before an important wedding rehearsal when she bumps into the bride-to-be's brother. Four best friends plan weddings and find love of their own in this delightful series.

Dance Upon the Air (#1 in the Three Sisters Island Trilogy)

Fleeing an abusive husband, Nell finds a refuge on the charming Three Sisters Island. But as she settles in, wondering if she can ever truly escape her fear, she learns that the island suffers under a terrible curse. Now, with the help of two new friends, she has the chance to save her new home . . . and herself.

Born In Fire (#1 in the Irish Born Trilogy)

Margaret Mary, the eldest Concannon sister, is a glass artist with an independent streak as fierce as her volatile temper. Dublin gallery owner Rogan Sweeney, falls in love with her art and wants to help support her career. When he comes to Maggie's studio, their fierce attraction is incendiary.

Paranormal passion

"Magic exists. Who can doubt it, when there are rainbows and wildflowers, the music of the wind and the silence of the stars?" Roberts often incorporates elements of fantasy in her novels. Many of these include characters in a realistic world who possess paranormal abilities, including her upcoming book, Mind Games, coming out on May 21.

Carolina Moon

As a girl, Tory's one escape from poverty and abuse was visiting her best friend, Hope. But then Hope was murdered, a brutal act that Tory experienced in a psychic vision. Years later, Tory returns to her hometown to start a business and try to find a measure of peace. But danger still lurks nearby.

Inheritance (#1 in The Lost Bride Trilogy)

When Sonya McTavish inherits the estate from an uncle she never knew she had, it comes with a stipulation. She must live in the clifftop manor for at least three years. As she settles into her new (possibly haunted) home, it becomes clear that she has inherited far more than just a house.

Jewels of the Sun (#1 in Gallaghers of Ardmore series)

Determined to reevaluate her life, Jude flees America to immerse herself in the study of Irish folklore. Finally back home in Ireland after years of traveling, Aidan possesses an uncommon understanding of his country's haunting myths. And in Jude, he sees a woman who can both soothe his heart and stir his blood.

A woman in a man's world

Roberts is known for her feisty, tenacious female characters. Many of them are leading the charge in male-dominated careers. "I think you need a strong woman or a woman who finds her strength through her journey in the story. Independent, strong, interesting." Here are a few great reads featuring powerful women.

Chasing Fire

For Rowan, returning to Montana to fight wildfires feels like coming home even in the wake of loss. Gull is this year's best rookie and he's hoping to convince Rowan to break her rule about hooking up with other smoke jumpers. But everything is thrown off balance when last year's tragedy rears its ugly head.

The Witness

The woman known as Abigail Lowery lives alone in a small town in the Ozarks. A freelance security systems designer, she keeps to herself, saying little, revealing nothing. Her sharp mind and private nature intrigues local police chief Brooks Gleason. But secrets from her past could endanger them both.

Blue Smoke

Reena Hale's destiny was forged by the fire that leveled her family's pizzeria when she was young. Now an arson investigator, she finds her strength and wits constantly tested, although sometimes the job seems like a snap compared to her love life. Then she meets Bo Goodnight, who seems different.

Birthright

When five-thousand-year-old human bones are found at a construction site in the small town of Woodsboro, the news draws archaeologist Callie Dunbrook out of her sabbatical. Now, she's got her hands full, from rumors that the site is cursed to the presence of her irritating—but irresistible—ex-husband, Jake.

As always we love to hear what you think. Let us know if you have any Nora Roberts favorites to add to this list.

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Read more by Ashly Moore Sheldon