Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Promised to a Stranger | 1998 | Kate Collins | Buy |
| 2 | Courting Claire | 1999 | Kate Collins | Buy |
| 3 | His Forbidden Touch | 2000 | Kate Collins | Buy |
| 4 | Beloved Protector | 2001 | Kate Collins | Buy |
Before establishing herself as a cozy mystery author, Kate Collins published four contemporary romance novels between 1998 and 2001. Promised to a Stranger (1998) and the three titles that followed are traditional romance novels with the genre’s characteristic focus on romantic relationships and emotional resolution.
These early novels predate the Flower Shop Mysteries and show a different side of Collins’ output. They are of primary interest to readers who want a complete picture of her career, or to romance readers who come to her work from a different direction than the cozy mysteries.
The four titles are out of print in most formats and are likely harder to find than the Flower Shop books, but they represent the beginning of a writing career that would become primarily associated with the cozy mystery genre.