Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fantasy Man | 1988 | Marie Ferrarella | Buy |
| 2 | Strings | 1988 | Marie Ferrarella | Buy |
| 3 | Mother Knows Best | 1989 | Marie Ferrarella | Buy |
| 4 | Sail Away | 1989 | Marie Ferrarella | Buy |
| 5 | Mother for Hire | 1989 | Marie Ferrarella | Buy |
| 6 | Cupid Connection | 1990 | Marie Ferrarella | Buy |
| 7 | Moonlight and Lace | 1990 | Marie Ferrarella | Buy |
| 8 | Slow Larkin’s Revenge | 1991 | Marie Ferrarella | Buy |
| 9 | All That Glitters | 1991 | Marie Ferrarella | Buy |
| 10 | The Baby Bargain | 1991 | Marie Ferrarella | Buy |
| 11 | Free Spirits | 1991 | Marie Ferrarella | Buy |
| 12 | Beyond Summer | 1991 | Marie Ferrarella | Buy |
| 13 | Tangled Web | 1991 | Marie Ferrarella | Buy |
| 14 | Gerrity’s Bride | 1995 | Marie Ferrarella | Buy |
| 15 | Bound for Bliss | 2006 | Marie Ferrarella | Buy |
Close to Home is a 15-book series that Marie Ferrarella published between 1988 and 2006. The series lives up to its name: these are romances grounded in everyday life, where love happens in kitchens, living rooms, and the neighborhoods where the characters already belong. Fantasy Man opens the series, and the books run through domestic-themed titles like Mother Knows Best, Mother for Hire, and The Baby Bargain before concluding with Bound for Bliss.
The long publication span means readers can follow Ferrarella’s style as it developed over nearly two decades. The earlier books from the late 1980s have a breezy, lighthearted quality, while later entries bring a bit more depth to the family dynamics. All 15 books share a focus on characters who find love without looking far from home, and the warmth of the settings matches the warmth of the romances.