Americana Books In Order

Publication Order of Americana Books

Chronological Order of Americana Books

Publication Order of New Americana Books

Americana is a series of romance books authored by New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Janet Dailey. Before her death, Dailey wrote romance books which have been translated into over dozen different languages and more than 300 million copies of her novels have been sold over the world. The author began the publication of Americana series in 1976 when the first novel Dangerous Masquerade the first novel in the series was published. The series concluded after fifty books with Darling Jenny marking the last series installment. Each of the books in the series features distinct heroes and heroines and courtships that take place in different parts of the world.

Janet Dailey was born in 1944 in Storm Lake, Lowa and passed on in 2013 aged 69 years. She studied at a secretarial school in Nebraska before meeting the love of her life, Bill. The couple worked together in the land development and construction industry until they retired traveling throughout the United States. Their travels across the American states inspired the author to write the Americana series. Dailey was the first American novelist to write for Harlequin. During her entire writing career, she authored approximately 90 novels, and over twenty of these books have been featured in New York Times bestseller list. She has also won various awards for her work and featured in both television and radio.

Dangerous Masquerade

From the New York Times, bestselling author comes Dangerous Masquerade, the first novel in Americana series by Janet Dailey. In this debut novel, we are introduced to Laurie, an orphan who was raised by her uncle after the death of her father. Her uncle’s wife adores her daughter more than Laurie and always reminds her that she is a burden to their family. However after Laurie attains the legal age, she moves out, for she considers this to be the only best option available. LaRaine, her cousin, too happens to move out as well and as a result, Laurie’s aunt requests her to welcome her daughter and live together.

It is revealed that the two girls have opposing personalities, for one Laurie is a well-mannered young woman, unlike her cousin who is a gold digger with an ambition of getting married to a wealthy man. She also longs to become a movie star. Fortunately for the young LaRaine, her dreams of marrying a wealthy man and becoming an actress are finally answered. However, to finalize everything first, she has to fly all the way to Alabama and meet her future husbands, aunt. However, she convinces Laurie to travel to her place and meet her man’s aunt in Alabama. In the meantime, LaRaine’s husband to be is in South America attending a business meeting.

The man later makes his way back home in Alabama and discovers the whole ordeal. Instead of sending Laurie away, he tells her that she should not worry but instead stay. However, the man later proves to be a womanizer after he begins abusing Laurie, which is evident through the mark left behind in Laurie arms and wrist. The man continues threatening Laurie both physically and emotionally, however despite all these tortures, Laurie has a feeling that he is a good person, a strong man capable of providing for her and meeting her every need. Can these two troubled couples finally come to terms with each other? What will happen if LaRaine discovers that her cousin has fallen in love with the man she “loved”?
Dangerous Masquerade is a brilliant start to a fantastic series. It is an easy read, fast paced, lots of romantic adventure. Even though the plot features some instances of romance, there are no graphic sex scenes.
Secondly, the characterization is simply out of this world. The author has made vivid descriptions about her characters, and this makes them come alive. There is Laurie; she is an orphan fed up with all the constant blame and insults that her aunt keeps on tossing her way. You will adore her from the moment the author introduces her. She is an excellent example of what it takes to make a marriage work. Even though “her” man regularly abuses her, she does not quit, but instead, she has faith in him and believes that he will one day change for the best. Then there is Laurie’s aunt, the self-centered woman. She passionately hates Laurie despite her good behavior. This is somewhat a reflection of the society that we live in. It is nearly impossible to find a woman who adores a child that is not hers. In such families, hatred, anger, and jealousy are frequently directed to the “odd one out.”

Northern Magic

Northern Magic is the second installment in Americana Series by Jane Dailey. The novel is set in Alaska and was first published in 1982 in a time when there were no GPS, no cell phones, and global warming was never an issue of concern to humanity. The story introduces us to Shannon Hayes who receives a one-way flight ticket from her boyfriend. She only receives the travel ticket, without a letter or a phone call from her fiancé. Nevertheless, she packs everything that she will need for the long flight to meet her boyfriend; she then informs her folks that she is supposed to wed that weekend and then sets off to the Last Frontier.

When she arrives at her destination, she does not meet her fiancé, and to make matters worse; there is not a single phone that she could use to communicate with him. When she enquires about the whereabouts of her boyfriend, everyone she comes across informs her that they had not seen him or heard from him for two weeks. Shannon finds herself stranded in a hotel with nowhere else to go. Fortunately, her unlimited resources aid her in hiring a search party to help her trace her fiancé. During this search party, Shannon meets a man named Cody, a man who instantaneously captures her heart. Cody is an ambitious man, stubborn, a man who always gets what he wants and pursues Shannon without hesitation. With the sparks of passion flying between the Cody and Shannon, who will end up marrying Shannon? Is it Rick, the man they rescued who happens to be her fiancé or the stubborn Cody?