Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Summer by the River | 2021 | Debbie Burns | Buy |
| 2 | Home Is Where Your Bark Is | 2024 | Debbie Burns | Buy |
| 3 | Bigger Than Us | 2025 | Debbie Burns | Buy |
Debbie Burns’ standalone novels extend beyond her Rescue Me series while maintaining her focus on community and connection. Summer by the River (2021), Home Is Where Your Bark Is (2024), and Bigger Than Us (2025) each offer self-contained stories.
Summer by the River came first and established the tone for her non-series work: warmhearted fiction with strong settings and characters who find their way into unexpected relationships. Home Is Where Your Bark Is followed three years later, bringing Burns’ love of animals (a staple of her Rescue Me books) into a standalone format.
Bigger Than Us is the newest of the three, scheduled for 2025. Burns writes at a steady pace, and her standalone titles let her explore stories that do not fit neatly into her existing series. Readers who already enjoy the Rescue Me books will find the same sensibility here, just without the recurring cast.