Heart of Texas
contemporary romance
Series · family saga romance
MacGregors
The MacGregors series by Nora Roberts has 10 known books (10 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with Playing the Odds (1985).
- Books
- 10 known books (10 novels)
- Published
- 10
- First published
- 1985
- Status
- completed
- Shelved under
- Romance
- Last checked
Start here: Playing the Odds (1985) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
Playing the Odds
Playing the Odds (1985) opens the MacGregors saga with Serena, a blackjack dealer and one of patriarch Daniel MacGregor's four adult children, resisting the spouse her father has already decided is right for her. It runs 320 pages.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Playing the Odds - Book 2:
Tempting Fate
Tempting Fate (1985) continues Daniel MacGregor's matchmaking campaign against attorney son Caine, the second of his four adult children steered toward a match he's already chosen for them.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Tempting Fate - Book 3:
All the Possibilities
All the Possibilities (1985) turns Daniel MacGregor's matchmaking toward his senator son Alan, the third of his four adult children maneuvered toward a spouse against their initial resistance. It runs 218 pages.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of All the Possibilities - Book 4:
One Man's Art
One Man's Art (1985) closes out the first run of MacGregor children with reclusive cartoonist Ian, the last of Daniel MacGregor's four adult children to be steered toward a match he's already decided is right for them.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of One Man's Art - Book 5:
For Now, Forever
For Now, Forever (1987) works backward to tell Daniel MacGregor's own courtship of his wife Anna -- the origin story for his lifelong, unapologetic belief in engineered happy endings. It runs 360 pages.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of For Now, Forever - Book 6:
Rebellion
Rebellion (1988) is a Scottish-set prequel to the MacGregors saga, following Daniel MacGregor's grandparents generations before his own matchmaking campaigns begin.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Rebellion - Book 7:
The MacGregor Brides
The MacGregor Brides (1997) picks up the family a decade on, marrying off Daniel MacGregor's grandchildren in pairs as the patriarch's matchmaking reach extends to the next generation. It runs 373 pages.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The MacGregor Brides - Book 8:
The MacGregor Grooms
The MacGregor Grooms (1998) continues marrying off Daniel MacGregor's grandchildren in pairs, following directly on from The MacGregor Brides as the family saga moves into its next generation.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The MacGregor Grooms - Book 9:
The Winning Hand
The Winning Hand (1998) is part of the run that rounds out the extended MacGregor family's romances, with Daniel MacGregor -- older but no less determined -- still orchestrating matches from behind the scenes.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Winning Hand - Book 10:
The Perfect Neighbor
The Perfect Neighbor (1999) closes out the MacGregors saga, the last of the family romances Daniel MacGregor keeps quietly engineering even in his later years.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Perfect Neighbor
About the MacGregors series
The MacGregors is Nora Roberts's sprawling, multi-generational family saga about Daniel MacGregor, a strong-willed Scottish-American patriarch, and his lifelong, unapologetic campaign to matchmake every one of his children and grandchildren into happy marriages. The earliest books focus on Daniel's four adult children — blackjack dealer Serena, attorney Caine, senator Alan, and reclusive cartoonist Ian — as Daniel maneuvers each of them toward a spouse he's already decided is right for them, usually against their initial resistance. For Now, Forever works backward to tell Daniel's own courtship of his wife Anna, the origin story for his belief in engineered happy endings, while Rebellion is a Scottish-set prequel following Daniel's grandparents generations earlier. The later books, published a decade on, catch up with the next MacGregor generation: The MacGregor Brides and The MacGregor Grooms marry off Daniel's grandchildren in pairs, while The Winning Hand and The Perfect Neighbor round out the extended family's romances as Daniel, older but no less determined, keeps orchestrating matches from behind the scenes.
Across nine books and roughly a decade and a half of real-world publication, the series functions less as a tightly plotted saga and more as a loosely connected family tree: Daniel MacGregor's outsized personality and matchmaking schemes are the constant that ties every couple's story together.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in the MacGregors series?
Nine novels: Playing the Odds, Tempting Fate, All the Possibilities, One Man's Art, For Now Forever, Rebellion, The MacGregor Brides, The MacGregor Grooms, The Winning Hand, and The Perfect Neighbor, plus a handful of category-romance-era short novels; this listing covers the nine full-length novels most commonly cited as the core series.
What order should I read the MacGregors in?
Publication order, starting with Playing the Odds. The series follows the extended MacGregor family across two generations, with patriarch Daniel MacGregor's matchmaking connecting every book.
Do I need to read the MacGregors in order?
Not strictly — each book is a standalone romance — but reading in order helps keep the large, extended family tree straight as it grows across the series.
Who is Daniel MacGregor?
The family's Scottish-American patriarch, whose unapologetic matchmaking of his children and grandchildren is the connecting thread across every book in the series.
Is there a Nora Roberts MacGregor prequel?
Yes — Rebellion is set generations earlier in Scotland and tells the story of the MacGregor family's origins, ahead of Daniel MacGregor's own generation.
If you like the MacGregors series
Reading order last verified .