The Cowboys books in order

The Cowboys is Leigh Greenwood's thirteen-book Western historical romance series beginning with Jake (1997), in which cowboy Jake Maxwell takes on eight orphan boys for a cattle drive in 1866 Texas, with each subsequent book following one of the boys into adulthood and love.

Reading order

# Title Published Author Buy on Amazon
1 Jake 1997 Leigh Greenwood Buy
2 Ward 1997 Leigh Greenwood Buy
3 Buck 1998 Leigh Greenwood Buy
4 Chet 1998 Leigh Greenwood Buy
5 Sean 1999 Leigh Greenwood Buy
6 Pete 1999 Leigh Greenwood Buy
7 Drew 2000 Leigh Greenwood Buy
8 Luke 2000 Leigh Greenwood Buy
9 Matt 2001 Leigh Greenwood Buy
10 The Mavericks 2005 Leigh Greenwood Buy
11 A Texan’s Honor 2006 Leigh Greenwood Buy
12 Texas Tender 2007 Leigh Greenwood Buy
13 Texas Loving 2008 Leigh Greenwood Buy

Jake (1997) opens the series with Jake Maxwell, a cowboy who has lost his ranch and can’t find trail hands. Isabelle Davenport, trying to place eight orphan boys in homes, persuades Jake to take them on for a cattle drive. The arrangement brings together a makeshift family on the Texas range, with Jake and Isabelle’s evolving relationship anchoring the first novel.

Each subsequent book takes one of the orphan boys — now grown, shaped by the cattle drive and the years since — through his own romantic story. The premise gives the series both variety and continuity: different heroes, settings, and romances across thirteen novels, all connected by the shared history of that original drive. Ward, Buck, Chet, Sean, Pete, Drew, Luke, Matt, and others each get their turn through Texas Loving (2008), the final novel in the sequence.

The Cowboys is the series most readers associate with Greenwood’s name, and Jake in particular appears regularly on lists of Western historical romance introductions for new readers to the genre.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books are in the The Cowboys series?

There are thirteen books in the The Cowboys series, published between 1997 and 2008.

What is the first book in the The Cowboys series?

The first book in the The Cowboys series is Jake, published in 1997.

Do I need to read The Cowboys series in order?

The Cowboys series works best in order for readers who want to follow the chosen family of orphan boys from Jake through to their adult stories. Jake and Isabelle Davenport’s story in the first book establishes the community that each subsequent novel draws on. However, the later books — following each grown orphan through his own romance — function as standalone stories once the premise is established. Readers can pick up individual volumes based on the character they find most appealing and still follow the romance plot without the full series context.

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