Catherine Cowles writes the kind of romance that ruins you for other books. Her small-town settings feel like home, her protective heroes make you want to move to Montana or Colorado just to find your own brooding cowboy or firefighter, and her heroines are strong women healing from real trauma—not manufactured drama. The Wishing Well Springs and Tattered & Torn series deliver that perfect blend of emotional depth and romantic suspense that keeps you reading until 3 AM because you absolutely must know they'll get their HEA.
If you've devoured Cowles' backlist and are suffering from book hangover, these fifteen authors understand the assignment. They write protective alphas, found family, small-town charm, and the kind of emotional romance that makes you ugly cry in the best way.
Start here: The Coppersmith Farmhouse (Jamison Valley series) or Indigo Ridge (Edens series)
Vibes: Small-town Montana, second chances, single parents, found family
Heat level: Medium-high steam
If you love Catherine Cowles, Devney Perry is your next obsession. She writes small-town Montana romance with the same emotional depth and community feel. Her heroes are protective without being overbearing, her heroines have actual personalities and goals beyond the romance, and the found family elements hit just right.
The Coppersmith Farmhouse features Georgia, a widow with a baby who inherits a Montana farmhouse and finds herself falling for Jess, the sexy contractor renovating it. It's got the small-town setting, the healing-from-trauma arc, and the slow-burn romance that builds to explosive chemistry. Perry's Jamison Valley series is complete (eight books), so you can binge the whole interconnected world.
Her newer Edens series (set in the same universe, next generation) delivers the same small-town Montana magic with fresh characters. Perry writes beautiful prose—not purple, just genuinely lovely—while keeping the pacing tight and the emotions real.
Why you'll love her: She's Cowles' Montana twin. Same small-town vibes, same emotional punch, same protective heroes who respect their strong heroines.
Start here: Things We Never Got Over (Knockemout series) or No More Secrets (Blue Moon series)
Vibes: Small-town community, grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, humor with heart
Heat level: Medium-high steam
Lucy Score writes small-town romance with more humor than Cowles but the same tight-knit community feel and emotional depth. Things We Never Got Over became a massive BookTok sensation for good reason—Knox is the ultimate grumpy sheriff who falls for the sunshine newcomer despite his determination not to feel anything.
Score's small towns (Benevolence, Blue Moon, Knockemout) feel lived-in and real, populated with quirky supporting characters who get their own books. The banter is witty, the steam is satisfying, and beneath the humor is genuine emotion. Her heroes protect without being possessive in toxic ways, and her heroines give as good as they get.
The Knockemout series is ongoing (three books so far, all excellent), while Blue Moon is complete. All work as standalones but are more fun read in order because you get to see previous couples in supporting roles.
Why you'll love her: Small-town romance with more laughs but the same feels. Score proves romance can be funny and emotionally devastating in the same book.
Start here: Protecting Caroline (SEAL of Protection series) or Justice for Mackenzie (Badge of Honor series)
Vibes: Romantic suspense, protective military/law enforcement heroes, found family brotherhood
Heat level: Medium steam
Susan Stoker is the queen of romantic suspense with protective alpha heroes. If you love the suspense elements in Cowles' books—the stalkers, the danger, the heroes who will burn the world down to keep their women safe—Stoker delivers that in spades. She writes military romance (SEALs, Delta Force, Army) and law enforcement romance with actual suspense plots.
Fair warning: Stoker is prolific (100+ books) and formulaic. Her heroes are all variations on "ultra-protective alpha," her heroines often need rescuing, and the plots follow patterns. But if you're reading for that specific vibe—competent hero keeps heroine safe while falling hopelessly in love—Stoker is comfort reading perfection.
Start with SEAL of Protection (her most popular series) or Badge of Honor (Texas law enforcement). All her series are interconnected in the Stokerverse, so characters cross over constantly. The found family military brotherhood elements are strong, and the happily-ever-afters are guaranteed.
Why you'll love her: Maximum protective hero energy with romantic suspense. If you want the Cowles formula dialed to eleven, Stoker delivers.
Start here: The Air He Breathes or The Gravity of Us
Vibes: Emotional gut-punches, grief and healing, single parents, second chances
Heat level: Medium steam
Brittainy Cherry writes emotional romance that will absolutely destroy you in the best way. The Air He Breathes is about two people shattered by grief—he lost his wife and sons, she's escaping an abusive marriage—who find healing together. It's devastating and beautiful, heavy on the angst but with genuine hope and healing.
Cherry tackles hard topics: grief, abuse, addiction, loss. Her books are emotional roller coasters that require tissues. But they're never trauma porn—there's always hope, always healing, always love that helps characters rebuild. Like Cowles, Cherry writes broken people finding wholeness through connection, not through being "fixed" by romance.
Her books are mostly standalones, so you can pick based on trope. They're slower-paced than typical contemporary romance, more focused on emotional development than plot momentum. Perfect for when you want all the feels.
Why you'll love her: Cowles' emotional depth turned up higher. Cherry makes you ugly cry, then puts your heart back together.
Start here: Say You'll Stay (Return to Me series) or We Own Tonight (Second Time Around series)
Vibes: Second-chance romance, military heroes, emotional depth, family drama
Heat level: Medium-high steam
Corinne Michaels writes emotional contemporary romance, often featuring military heroes (Navy SEALs particularly) with serious emotional baggage. Say You'll Stay reunites childhood sweethearts after years apart, both carrying wounds that need healing. Michaels excels at second-chance romance where the history between characters adds weight to every interaction.
Her books tackle grief, loss, PTSD, and family drama with sensitivity. The emotional arcs are satisfying—her characters work through real issues rather than having everything magically resolved by love. Like Cowles, Michaels writes heroes who are alpha but emotionally available, and heroines who are strong even when they're struggling.
Most of her series are complete, offering satisfying binge-reads. The Salvation series and Return to Me series are particularly strong, with interconnected friend groups and recurring characters.
Why you'll love her: Military romance with emotional complexity. Michaels delivers the protective hero and trauma healing Cowles fans crave.
Start here: The Simple Wild or Ten Tiny Breaths (Ten Tiny Breaths series)
Vibes: Healing and redemption, opposites attract, fish-out-of-water, emotional depth
Heat level: Medium steam
The Simple Wild is BookTok gold for good reason. Calla, a sophisticated city girl, travels to Alaska to reconnect with her dying father—a bush pilot she barely knows. She clashes with Jonah, her dad's grumpy pilot, in that enemies-to-lovers way that somehow becomes the most swoon-worthy slow burn. The Alaskan wilderness setting is gorgeously rendered, and the emotional journey hits hard.
Tucker writes beautiful prose and complex emotional arcs. Her characters have real depth—not just trauma for plot purposes but genuine psychological realism. Ten Tiny Breaths (her earlier series) is heavier, dealing with survivor's guilt and trauma, but equally compelling.
Most of her books are standalones or duologies, making them easy entry points. The writing is more literary than typical commercial romance without sacrificing emotional satisfaction or happy endings.
Why you'll love her: Emotional depth with gorgeous settings. Tucker writes healing journeys that feel authentic, plus swoon-worthy romance.
Start here: Tumble (Gibson Boys series) or Crazy (Landry Family series)
Vibes: Small-town romance, big families, blue-collar heroes, humor and heart
Heat level: Medium steam
Adriana Locke writes small-town contemporary romance with big, messy families and blue-collar heroes. Tumble features the Gibson brothers in Tennessee—a large family of construction-working hotties with complicated dynamics. The small-town setting has that same tight community feel as Cowles' work, and Locke excels at writing authentic family relationships (including the dysfunction).
Her heroes are protective but playful, her heroines are strong and sassy, and the banter is excellent. The Landry Family and Gibson Boys series are both complete, offering satisfying binge-reads with interconnected characters. Less suspense than Cowles, more focus on relationship development and family drama.
Locke writes fast—she has 30+ books across multiple series. Quality is consistent, and the books are quick, satisfying reads perfect for when you need guaranteed HEA with minimal angst.
Why you'll love her: Small-town charm with big family dynamics. Locke delivers community and connection without the heavy suspense elements.
Start here: Knight (Dream Man series) or The Gamble (Colorado Mountain series)
Vibes: Alpha heroes, romantic suspense, found family, small-town Colorado
Heat level: High steam
Kristen Ashley writes unapologetically alpha heroes and the strong women who challenge them. Her Colorado Mountain series offers small-town romance with suspense elements—very similar vibe to Cowles' Colorado settings. The heroes are protective to the point of possessive (which you'll either love or find too much), and the heroines stand their ground.
The Gamble features a woman who rents a mountain cabin and falls for the hot mountain man who owns it, then gets caught up in local danger. Ashley's signature style: alternating POV, British spelling (she's Australian), lots of internal monologue, and VERY alpha heroes who say things like "honey" and "baby" constantly.
Her Dream Man series is grittier romantic suspense with law enforcement heroes. Rock Chick series is lighter and more humorous. She has 50+ books, and readers tend to either love her style or find it not for them—worth trying to see which camp you're in.
Why you'll love her: If you love Cowles' alpha heroes and wish they were even MORE alpha, Ashley is your author. Small-town Colorado settings seal the deal.
Start here: Rule (Marked Men series) or Salvaged (Saints of Denver series)
Vibes: Tattooed bad boys with hearts of gold, new adult/contemporary, found family
Heat level: High steam
Jay Crownover writes edgier contemporary romance with tattooed heroes, pierced heroines, and the kind of rough-around-the-edges characters who are secretly marshmallows inside. The Marked Men series (set in Denver) features interconnected friends—tattoo artists, bar owners, mechanics—building family from friendship.
Rule is classic friends-to-lovers with Shaw (Rule's straight-laced best friend's twin sister) falling for him despite him being covered in ink and piercings. Crownover writes excellent character growth—her heroes start emotionally unavailable and learn to be vulnerable. The found family elements are strong, and the Denver setting feels authentic.
Saints of Denver (spin-off series) features slightly older, more established characters. Both series are complete. Less suspense than Cowles, more focus on emotional barriers and personal growth, but the protective hero element remains strong.
Why you'll love her: If you want the protective alpha in tattooed bad-boy packaging, Crownover delivers. Found family vibes are excellent.
Start here: Beneath This Mask (Beneath series) or Real Good Man (Real Duet)
Vibes: Steamy alpha billionaires/millionaires, power dynamics, Southern settings
Heat level: Very high steam
Meghan March writes hot, fast-paced romance with wealthy, powerful heroes and the strong women who refuse to be intimidated by them. Her alpha heroes are possessive and dominant (in the bedroom and out), but her heroines hold their own. The steam level is high—March doesn't fade to black.
The Beneath series (New Orleans setting) and Mount series (small-town Tennessee) are both complete trilogies featuring interconnected characters. Real Duet is her most popular standalone pair. March's books are quick, addictive reads—you can finish one in a sitting, then immediately want the next.
Less focus on trauma healing than Cowles, more emphasis on power dynamics and sexual tension. But the emotional connection is still present—these aren't just steamy romances, they're love stories with genuine feeling beneath the heat.
Why you'll love her: When you want Cowles' protective alpha cranked to maximum with more steam and less suspense. March delivers guaranteed page-turners.
Start here: The Falling (Brightest Stars trilogy) or After (if you want the Wattpad phenomenon)
Vibes: Emotional angst, complicated relationships, new adult
Heat level: Medium-high steam
Anna Todd writes emotionally intense new adult romance with complicated, flawed characters who make mistakes and have to work through real relationship issues. The Falling follows an enlisted soldier and the woman he falls for despite trying not to—it's angsty, emotional, and deals with military life realistically.
Todd is famous for the After series (Hardin and Tessa's toxic-turned-growth relationship), but her newer work is more mature and less problematic while maintaining emotional intensity. Her characters have real flaws, relationships require actual work, and the angst is high without being melodramatic.
Best for readers who love emotional roller coasters and don't mind messier relationship dynamics. Todd doesn't write perfect heroes—she writes realistic ones who sometimes screw up but grow.
Why you'll love her: Emotional intensity and complicated relationships. Todd writes the messy reality of love, not just the swoon.
Start here: Bossman or The Baller (co-written with Penelope Ward)
Vibes: Workplace romance, enemies-to-lovers, banter-heavy, contemporary settings
Heat level: High steam
Vi Keeland writes sexy contemporary romance with excellent banter and chemistry. Her heroes are alpha but with personality—cocky, successful, and challenged by heroines who won't take their crap. Bossman is workplace enemies-to-lovers done right, with genuine tension and satisfying payoff.
Keeland often collaborates with Penelope Ward, and their co-written books are consistently excellent. The dialogue is witty, the sexual tension is palpable, and the emotional arcs are satisfying. Less small-town and suspense than Cowles, more urban contemporary with different tropes, but the quality and emotional satisfaction are comparable.
Most books are standalones or duologies, making them easy to sample. They're fast-paced, addictive reads perfect for when you need a guaranteed satisfying romance without committing to a long series.
Why you'll love her: Witty banter with serious steam. Keeland writes chemistry that leaps off the page.
Start here: Full Measures (Flight & Glory series) or Fourth Wing (if you want fantasy romance)
Vibes: Military romance, PTSD and trauma, emotional depth, found family
Heat level: Medium-high steam
Rebecca Yarros writes military romance with emotional depth and respect for military life and trauma. Full Measures follows a college student whose father is killed in Afghanistan, who then falls for his best friend—a complicated, emotional journey through grief and guilt.
Yarros handles PTSD, survivor's guilt, and military family dynamics with sensitivity and realism. Her military heroes are protective but vulnerable, dealing with real psychological consequences of service. The found family military brotherhood elements are strong, similar to Cowles' tight-knit communities.
Her Flight & Glory series is complete (five books), offering satisfying interconnected military romance. (Fourth Wing and Iron Flame are her fantasy romance books that took BookTok by storm—different genre but same emotional depth and protective heroes.)
Why you'll love her: Military romance with psychological realism. Yarros writes trauma and healing with care, plus swoon-worthy protective heroes.
Start here: Sweet Surrender (Willow Springs series) or My Favorite Player (Honey Mountain series)
Vibes: Small-town romance, grumpy/sunshine, second chance, family drama
Heat level: Medium steam
Laura Pavlov writes sweet small-town romance with emotional depth and excellent banter. Her Willow Springs series offers interconnected family romance—siblings, cousins, and friends in a tight-knit community. The grumpy/sunshine dynamic is her specialty, with brooding heroes softened by persistent heroines.
Pavlov's books have that same cozy small-town feel as Cowles but with more humor and less suspense. The family dynamics are realistic (including the dysfunction and healing), and the found family elements are strong. Her heroes are protective without being overbearing, and her heroines are likeable with actual personalities.
She writes in series, typically 3-4 books per series, all interconnected. They work as standalones but are more fun in order. Fast, satisfying reads perfect for binge-reading.
Why you'll love her: Small-town charm with less angst. Pavlov delivers feel-good romance with emotional payoff.
Start here: Bittersweet (True North series) or Him (co-written with Elle Kennedy)
Vibes: Small-town Vermont, sports romance, found family, LGBTQ+ inclusive
Heat level: Medium-high steam
Sarina Bowen writes romance across multiple genres—contemporary, sports, LGBTQ+—all with emotional depth and excellent character development. Her True North series (Vermont apple farm family) offers small-town romance with the same community feel as Cowles' work. Each book follows a different family member, building an interconnected world of broken people finding healing and love.
Bittersweet is second-chance romance between childhood sweethearts reunited when he returns to help his family's farm. Bowen handles difficult topics (alcoholism, family dysfunction, grief) with sensitivity while maintaining hope and humor. Her characters feel real—flawed, struggling, but ultimately good people trying their best.
True North series is complete (nine books), providing substantial binge-reading. Bowen also writes excellent sports romance (Brooklyn Bruisers series, co-written books with Elle Kennedy). She includes LGBTQ+ romances naturally throughout her series.
Why you'll love her: Small-town family romance with emotional authenticity. Bowen writes healing and found family beautifully.
Catherine Cowles fans are looking for specific elements: emotional depth, protective heroes, small-town or suspense settings, and HEAs that feel earned. Here's how to navigate these recommendations based on your mood:
Want small-town romance like Cowles:
Devney Perry (Montana), Lucy Score (various), Adriana Locke (Tennessee), Laura Pavlov (small-town anywhere), Sarina Bowen (Vermont)
Want romantic suspense with danger:
Susan Stoker (maximum protective alpha with suspense), Kristen Ashley (alpha heroes, Colorado settings)
Want military romance:
Susan Stoker, Corinne Michaels, Rebecca Yarros
Want maximum emotional depth/angst:
Brittainy C. Cherry, K.A. Tucker, Corinne Michaels, Anna Todd
Want more steam/heat:
Meghan March, Kristen Ashley, Vi Keeland, Jay Crownover
Want humor with your feels:
Lucy Score, Adriana Locke, Laura Pavlov, Vi Keeland
Want found family themes:
Devney Perry, Jay Crownover, Sarina Bowen, Susan Stoker
Want second-chance romance:
Corinne Michaels, Devney Perry, Sarina Bowen
Want complete series to binge:
Devney Perry (Jamison Valley), Kristen Ashley (multiple), Jay Crownover (Marked Men), Sarina Bowen (True North)
Most of these authors write in series with interconnected characters. While books typically work as standalones (each couple gets their HEA), you'll enjoy them more reading in order because you'll see previous couples in supporting roles and watch the community develop.
Many of these authors are on Kindle Unlimited, making them easy to sample without commitment. Check KU before purchasing if you're a subscriber.
Heat levels vary. If steam is important to you (either wanting more or wanting less), check reviews or the "Look Inside" feature to gauge whether an author's heat level matches your preferences. Generally: Susan Stoker is medium, Meghan March and Kristen Ashley are high, Brittainy Cherry is medium.
Tropes matter in romance. If you have specific tropes you love (enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, grumpy/sunshine, brother's best friend), search the author's backlist—most romance authors hit multiple tropes across their series.
The romance reading community is amazing. Join BookTok, romance-specific Facebook groups, or Goodreads romance groups to find more recommendations and discuss books with fellow romance readers who get it.
Happy reading, and may your TBR never empty! 💕
