Barbara Ankrum Books in Order

This page lists Barbara Ankrum books in publication order, series order, title-variant order, and recommended reading paths.

Quick Index

  • Scope: Barbara Ankrum novels, series, title variants, collections, and multi-author placements
  • Default Order: Series order for connected books
  • Best Starting Point: A Cowboy to Remember, The Cowboy’s Bride, or Passion’s Prize
  • Order Matters: Yes for Canadays of Montana, The Hardestys of Montana, Guardian Angel Chronicles, Band of Brothers, Almost Turner, and the western historical series
  • Includes: Contemporary western romance, historical western romance, holiday romance, romantic suspense, and category romance
  • Also Published As: Passion’s Prize as Holt’s Gamble; The Christmas Wish as Holiday Hearts; A Little Christmas Magic as Once a Hero; Road to You as Unexpected Hero
  • Not to be confused with: Barbara O’Neal, Barbara Freethy, or Barbara Delinsky, separate authors

Reading Paths

1. Publication Order

Best for tracking the catalog from early historical western romance into later Montana contemporary romance.

  1. Early historical western titles
  2. Almost Turner
  3. Late 1990s and early 2000s category romance
  4. Canadays of Montana
  5. Wild Western Rogues
  6. Band of Brothers
  7. Guardian Angel Chronicles
  8. The Hardestys of Montana

2. Series Order

Best for clean continuity inside each connected group.

  1. Wild Western Hearts
  2. Renegades
  3. Almost Turner
  4. Canadays of Montana
  5. Wild Western Rogues
  6. Band of Brothers
  7. Guardian Angel Chronicles
  8. The Hardestys of Montana

3. Beginner Path

A practical first route across Ankrum’s main romance types.

  1. A Cowboy to Remember (2014) – Novel – Canadays of Montana #1
  2. The Cowboy’s Bride (2024) – Novel – The Hardestys of Montana #1
  3. Every Time a Bell Rings (2019) – Novel – Guardian Angel Chronicles #1
  4. Passion’s Prize (1990) – Novel – Wild Western Hearts #1, also published as Holt’s Gamble
  5. The Lady Takes a Gunslinger (2015) – Novel – Wild Western Rogues #1

4. Contemporary Montana Path

Best for the later Tule and Marietta-connected titles.

  1. A Cowboy to Remember (2014) – Novel – Canadays of Montana #1
  2. Choose Me, Cowboy (2015) – Novel – Canadays of Montana #2
  3. Holiday Hearts (2016) – Novel – Canadays of Montana #3
  4. A Cowboy to Keep (2017) – Novel – Canadays of Montana #4
  5. Band of Brothers
  6. Guardian Angel Chronicles
  7. The Hardestys of Montana

5. Historical Western Path

Use this path for the older frontier and western historical romances.

  1. Passion’s Prize (1990) – Novel – Wild Western Hearts #1, also published as Holt’s Gamble
  2. Renegade Bride (1992) – Novel – Renegades #1, Wild Western Hearts #2
  3. Renegade’s Kiss (1993) – Novel – Renegades #2, Wild Western Hearts #3
  4. Chase the Fire (1991) – Novel – Wild Western Hearts #4
  5. Almost Paradise (1995) – Novel – Almost Turner #1
  6. Almost a Lady (1996) – Novel – Almost Turner #2
  7. The Lady Takes a Gunslinger (2015) – Novel – Wild Western Rogues #1
  8. The Ruination of Essie Sparks (2016) – Novel – Wild Western Rogues #2

Publication Order Master List

Current bibliography records list Barbara Ankrum with 30 books across eight named series, with The Way to a Cowboy’s Heart as the latest listed release.

  • Passion’s Prize (1990) – Novel – Wild Western Hearts #1, also published as Holt’s Gamble
  • Chase the Fire (1991) – Novel – Wild Western Hearts #4
  • Renegade Bride (1992) – Novel – Renegades #1, Wild Western Hearts #2
  • Renegade’s Kiss (1993) – Novel – Renegades #2, Wild Western Hearts #3
  • Almost Paradise (1995) – Novel – Almost Turner #1
  • Almost a Lady (1996) – Novel – Almost Turner #2
  • To Love a Cowboy (1998) – Novel – Standalone category romance
  • I’ll Remember You (1999) – Novel – Try To Remember multi-author placement
  • This Perfect Stranger (2001) – Novel – Standalone category romance
  • A Fair to Remember / A Cowboy to Remember (2014) – Novel – Canadays of Montana #1
  • Pistols and Petticoats (2014) – Collection – With Adrienne deWolfe and Sharon Ihle
  • Choose Me, Cowboy (2015) – Novel – Canadays of Montana #2, Copper Mountain Rodeo placement
  • The Lady Takes a Gunslinger (2015) – Novel – Wild Western Rogues #1
  • The Christmas Wish / Holiday Hearts (2016) – Novel – Canadays of Montana #3
  • The Ruination of Essie Sparks (2016) – Novel – Wild Western Rogues #2
  • A Little Christmas Magic / Once a Hero (2017) – Novel – Band of Brothers #2
  • A Cowboy to Keep (2017) – Novel – Canadays of Montana #4
  • Road to You / Unexpected Hero (2018) – Novel – Band of Brothers #3
  • Unsung Hero (2019) – Novel – Band of Brothers #1
  • Every Time a Bell Rings (2019) – Novel – Guardian Angel Chronicles #1
  • The Christmas Fix Up (2021) – Novel – Guardian Angel Chronicles #2
  • Calling All Angels (2022) – Novel – Guardian Angel Chronicles #3
  • The Cowboy’s Bride (2024) – Novel – The Hardestys of Montana #1
  • Cowboy Don’t Go (2024) – Novel – The Hardestys of Montana #2
  • The Cowboy’s Miracle Baby (2024) – Novel – The Hardestys of Montana #3
  • The Way to a Cowboy’s Heart (2025) – Novel – The Hardestys of Montana #4

Related Works and Where They Fit

Wild Western Hearts

  • Passion’s Prize (1990) – Novel – Wild Western Hearts #1, also published as Holt’s Gamble
  • Renegade Bride (1992) – Novel – Wild Western Hearts #2, also Renegades #1
  • Renegade’s Kiss (1993) – Novel – Wild Western Hearts #3, also Renegades #2
  • Chase the Fire (1991) – Novel – Wild Western Hearts #4

Bibliography sources place these four stories in Wild Western Hearts but differ on whether to sort them by first publication date or later series sequence.

Renegades

  • Renegade Bride (1992) – Novel – Renegades #1
  • Renegade’s Kiss (1993) – Novel – Renegades #2

Almost Turner

  • Almost Paradise (1995) – Novel – Almost Turner #1
  • Almost a Lady (1996) – Novel – Almost Turner #2

Canadays of Montana

  • A Cowboy to Remember (2014) – Novel – Canadays of Montana #1, also published as A Fair to Remember
  • Choose Me, Cowboy (2015) – Novel – Canadays of Montana #2
  • Holiday Hearts (2016) – Novel – Canadays of Montana #3, first published as The Christmas Wish
  • A Cowboy to Keep (2017) – Novel – Canadays of Montana #4

Tule Publishing lists Holiday Hearts as Canadays of Montana #3 and notes that it was first published as The Christmas Wish.

Wild Western Rogues

  • The Lady Takes a Gunslinger (2015) – Novel – Wild Western Rogues #1
  • The Ruination of Essie Sparks (2016) – Novel – Wild Western Rogues #2

Band of Brothers

  • Unsung Hero (2019) – Novel – Band of Brothers #1
  • Once a Hero (2017) – Novel – Band of Brothers #2, previously titled A Little Christmas Magic
  • Unexpected Hero (2018) – Novel – Band of Brothers #3, previously titled Road to You

The Tule series page lists Band of Brothers as Unsung Hero, Once a Hero, and Unexpected Hero by series number, while release dates place Once a Hero and Unexpected Hero before Unsung Hero.

Guardian Angel Chronicles

  • Every Time a Bell Rings (2019) – Novel – Guardian Angel Chronicles #1
  • The Christmas Fix Up (2021) – Novel – Guardian Angel Chronicles #2
  • Calling All Angels (2022) – Novel – Guardian Angel Chronicles #3

The Hardestys of Montana

  • The Cowboy’s Bride (2024) – Novel – The Hardestys of Montana #1
  • Cowboy Don’t Go (2024) – Novel – The Hardestys of Montana #2
  • The Cowboy’s Miracle Baby (2024) – Novel – The Hardestys of Montana #3
  • The Way to a Cowboy’s Heart (2025) – Novel – The Hardestys of Montana #4

FictionDB lists The Hardestys of Montana as a four-book contemporary romance series ending with The Way to a Cowboy’s Heart in February 2025.

Standalone and Category Romance

  • To Love a Cowboy (1998) – Novel – Standalone category romance
  • I’ll Remember You (1999) – Novel – Try To Remember multi-author placement
  • This Perfect Stranger (2001) – Novel – Standalone category romance

Collections

  • Pistols and Petticoats (2014) – Collection – With Adrienne deWolfe and Sharon Ihle

Dependencies & Notes

  • Publication order means first known release order, not current reissue order.
  • Several books have title variants. Do not count every retitle as a separate story.
  • Read The Hardestys of Montana in numbered order because it follows one family ranch.
  • Read Canadays of Montana in numbered order for family and Marietta continuity.
  • Read Band of Brothers by series number if you want the intended sequence, not by publication date.
  • Read Guardian Angel Chronicles in numbered order for the clearest holiday and angel-series progression.
  • Read Renegade Bride before Renegade’s Kiss for the Renegades pairing order.
  • Passion’s Prize and Holt’s Gamble should be treated as the same story unless checking a specific edition.
  • The Christmas Wish and Holiday Hearts should be treated as the same Canadays of Montana #3 story.
  • A Little Christmas Magic and Once a Hero should be treated as the same Band of Brothers #2 story.
  • Road to You and Unexpected Hero should be treated as the same Band of Brothers #3 story.
  • Web of Days appears in at least one bibliography without enough verified publication data. Check the author’s official bibliography before placing it in a finished master list.

FAQs

Do you need to read Barbara Ankrum books in order?

Read the connected series in order. Standalone category romances and collections can be read separately.

What is the best Barbara Ankrum book to start with?

Start with A Cowboy to Remember for Canadays of Montana, The Cowboy’s Bride for The Hardestys of Montana, or Passion’s Prize for the historical western catalog.

Are Passion’s Prize and Holt’s Gamble the same book?

Yes. Bibliography records note Passion’s Prize as the original title and Holt’s Gamble as the rerelease title.

What is Holiday Hearts by Barbara Ankrum?

Holiday Hearts is Canadays of Montana #3. It was first published as The Christmas Wish.

Where does Once a Hero fit?

Once a Hero is Band of Brothers #2. It was previously titled A Little Christmas Magic.

Is The Hardestys of Montana complete?

Current bibliography records list four books in The Hardestys of Montana, ending with The Way to a Cowboy’s Heart.

What is Barbara Ankrum’s newest known book?

The Way to a Cowboy’s Heart is the newest known release included here. It was published in 2025 as The Hardestys of Montana #4.

Change Log

  • Last checked: June 15, 2026
  • What changed: Added The Hardestys of Montana, clarified major title variants, separated publication order from series-number order for Band of Brothers, and noted Web of Days as needing verification before placement.
  • Most recent known release included: The Way to a Cowboy’s Heart (2025)