She has written more than 100 novels since she first picked up her writing pen in 1983.
Having also written under the name JoAnn Robbins and JoAnn Robb, JoAnn Ross is best known for writing romance, women’s fiction, and romantic suspense novels.
She is a member of the Romance Writers of America Honor Roll and has won several awards over the years.
An impressive award she has won is the Romantic Time’s Career Achievement Award.
Some of JoAnn Ross’s most popular novels include The Inheritance, The Homecoming, and Stormy Courtship.
Interestingly, JoAnn Ross even includes small elements of her own life in her books.
For example, the setting for her Shelter Bay series is the real-life location where her long-term husband proposed to her.
In terms of variety, JoAnn Ross has standalone books and book series to choose from, giving readers plenty of options.
If you love novels like The Homecoming and The Inheritance by JoAnn Ross, you’ll also enjoy the work of similar authors such as Emily March, Raeanne Thayne, Sherryl Woods, and Brenda Novak. These authors all write epic romance novels too.
Books By JoAnn Ross
When it comes to JoAnn Ross, we are truly spoiled for choice. There are over 100 romance novels and women’s fiction books to choose from (If you like woman’s fiction, you might also like the works of Liane Moriarty and similar authors. Check them out here).
As you can imagine, a collection of over 100 novels leaves readers with plenty of variety.
So much so, summarizing all of JoAnn Ross’s books isn’t that easy to do.
Therefore, we’ll give you a general overview of this author’s books and touch on a few of her most popular novels to date (see also “Authors Like Penny Vincenzi“).
The most popular series of books JoAnn Ross has written is Shelter Bay. The first book in the series is called The Homecoming.
This heartwarming book follows Navy SEAL Sax Douchett as he returns home.
The local hero’s journey of reconnecting with a lost love is complicated, inspiring, full of secrets, and full of romance.
A lot of JoAnn Ross’s books also center around some sort of crime.
It isn’t uncommon for the main characters in the book to fall in love before coming across a dangerous situation.
More often than not, this includes some sort of killing.
As far as themes are concerned, most of JoAnn Ross’s books contain love, danger, violence, lust, family, mystery, crime, and drama.
Almost all of her books are filled with suspense and sensual tension too.
Authors Like JoAnn Ross
Emily March
Geralyn Dawson, known more famously by her pen name Emily March is an American author and USA Today bestselling author. She is most famous for her collection of romance novels.
In total, Emily March has written 35 novels and contributed two novellas to anthologies.
This is a recommended must-read if you love contemporary romance, adult fiction (If you like adult fiction novels, check out Authors Like Diane Chamberlain), and a hapless fairytale. Another must-read is Hummingbird Lake.
This novel is set in Eternity Springs, where a pediatric surgeon tries to escape her painful past.
She struggles to do so until she meets Colt Rafferty who has an equally painful past.
Pros
This author’s books are perfect for anyone that loves romance.
Each story is designed to make you think more about love.
There are 35 novels to choose from.
Cons
These books aren’t influenced by history as much as JoAnn Ross’ books.
Themes
The main themes in these books are romance, love, danger, drama, family, passion, and support. These are all things these books have in common with JoAnn Ross’ novels.
These are good books to read if you love a positive ending.
We have a great selection of books to choose from.
These books aren’t as heavily influenced by crime.
Cons
Some readers might find these books a little bit too lovey-dovey.
Themes
The themes that shine through Raeanne Thayne’s stories more than anything else are courage, love, passion, temptation, family, desire, and hardship.
Sherryl Woods
Next, we have Sherryl Woods. Born in 1944, Sherryl Woods is an American author who has published more than 100 romance and mystery novels. Her first novel was published in 1982.
You might also know this author by the name of Alexandra Kirk or Suzanne Sherrill. One of her most recent releases is The Inn at Eagle Point.
This is a mystery novel that sees protagonist Abby O’Brien head home to save her family’s inn. Along the way, she reconnects with her ex Trace Riley.
This is a great book for anyone that loves a good love story, mystery, and temptation.
Another fantastic read is Stealing Home. This is a messy romance novel about a broken family, a messy divorce, and a woman that’s falling for a man she shouldn’t.
Pros
These novels are very similar to those written by JoAnn Ross.
Compared to the likes of Raeanne Thayne, Sherryl Woods’ stories are packed with more mystery.
Sherryl Woods has written more than 100 novels, so you have plenty to be going on with.
Cons
These novels aren’t history-based like a lot of JoAnn Ross’s books. This might not make them the best choice if you love JoAnn novels for the research that has gone into them.
Themes
The key themes presented in most Sherryl Woods novels are love, romance, mystery, temptation, forgiveness, second chances, and family.
Brenda Novak
Brenda Novak has a bit more in common with JoAnn Ross than the other authors we’ve looked at so far.
Similar to JoAnn Ross, Brenda Novak writes contemporary romance novels that are heavily influenced by history.
All of her books have been carefully researched to ensure they remain true to history.
In terms of what the reader can expect, Novak’s books sit nicely in the romantic suspense genre.
They are mysterious, passionate, intriguing, and packed with romance. What more can a romantic novel lover want?
One intense novel we recommend is When We Touch. This book is a romantic rollercoaster that contains twists, turns, and plenty of drama.
Another very good read is When Summer Comes. This is a heavy-hitting novel that shows how love and loss can hit us at any moment.
Pros
Brenda Novak’s books are historically accurate.
Brenda Novak has published both standalone books and series.
The books Brenda Novak writes are incredibly thought-provoking.
Cons
These books don’t contain as much crime and mystery as JoAnn Ross’s books.
Themes
The main themes in this author’s novels include love, family, self-discovery, hardship, loss, passion, friendship, and death.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to contemporary romance, JoAnn Ross takes some beating.
Arguably the queen of this genre, JoAnn Ross has written almost 150 novels related to love, romance, betrayal, and mystery.
However, that doesn’t mean we can’t find other authors that write these kinds of books (see also “Authors Like Alice Clayton“).
In today’s post, we’ve shown you the very best authors that write similarly to JoAnn Ross.
We’re not saying they’re better, but you’ll enjoy them if you love the books JoAnn Ross has written.
Aside from just telling you who the best similar authors are, we told you more about the books they write and what themes make them similar to JoAnn Ross’s novels.
Now you have our list of similar authors at your fingertips, you can start to choose what books you want to read next.
You might want to make a note of the authors you like best because there’s a very good chance you’ll want to remember them in the future.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does JoAnn Ross Still Write?
A lot of you will probably be happy to hear that yes, JoAnn Ross does still write.
She continues to release new novels every so often and is currently working on Honeymoon Harbor. This is a contemporary romance series for HQN.
What Was JoAnn Ross’s First Book?
JoAnn Ross’s first book was a story she wrote when she was a child. The novella was called a Tragic Tale of Star-Crossed Ducks.
Incredibly, she only wrote this story when she was seven years old.
What Is JoAnn Ross’s Most Recent Book?
The most recent novel JoAnn Ross published was Snowflakes and Starlight: A Novel. This novel was released in 2022.
It consists of 3 Christmas stories. It will come as no surprise that all 3 stories focus on finding love.
Hi, my name is Anna Davis and I have been working with books for five years now. I got a job at my local library, so I could be closer to all of the books! I created this website in the hopes of inspiring others to start reading again. Who knows, maybe you’ll find your new favorite book from my site!
