Wiggs began writing very early in life, finishing her first novel- A Book About Some Bad Kids– when she was only eight years old!
Wiggs would go on to graduate from Harvard University with dreams of becoming a novelist, but she temporarily pursued a career as a math teacher.
It was during this time that she would continue to read and eventually decided to begin writing again after running out of romance material to indulge in.
Wiggs’ work has topped the New York Times bestsellers list, but her books are also often finalists for the RITA Awards, which is considered to be the highest honor in romance writing that celebrates outstanding excellence in the romance novel and novella genre.
Wiggs’ won the RITA for “Best Romance of the Year” forLord of the Nightin 1993, with her second, third and forth RITA awards coming in 2000 when she won “Favorite Book of the Year” for The Charm School, 2001 for “Best Short Historical” with The Mistress and 2006 with Lakeside Cottage.
As well as that, Wiggs has also won the Peninsula Romance Writers of America Blue Boa Award, the Colorado Award of Excellence, the Holt Medallion and the Career Achievement Award from the Romantic Times (twice!).
If you are a fan of the romance and historical fiction work of Susan Wiggs and are looking to get stuck into some similar literature, you are sure to enjoy the likes of Debbie Macomber, Nora Roberts and Kristin Hannah.
Books By Susan Wiggs
Susan Wiggs’ works range from historical fiction to contemporary romance novels (If you like contemporary romance novels, check out Ugly Love and other books like it here) and even some suspenseful mysteries.
Wiggs also has a range of standalone novels, including her 1987 debut novel Texas Wildflower and her most recent book, the 2022 novel Sugar and Salt.
A fan favorite series is the aforementioned Bella Vista Chronicles, which is made up of the following books:
The Apple Orchard follows Tessa Delaney, who has recently inherited an apple orchard in the small town of Bella Vista, California.
Tessa is struggling to come to terms with the sudden loss of her mother and the revelation that she is the sole heir to the orchard, which is in dire financial straits.
As she tries to save the orchard, Tessa must also confront the secrets of her past.
The second novel is The Beekeeper’s Ball, which follows Isabel Johansen, a successful event planner who returns to her hometown of Bella Vista, California, to help her sister run the family beekeeping business.
The final novel in the series is The Lost and Found Bookshop and the book is about a woman named Natalie, who inherits a bookshop from her great-aunt, and the journey she takes to discover more about her family and herself as she runs the shop.
Some common themes in her novels include love, family, self-discovery, and the power of relationships.
Many of her novels also have a strong sense of place and often feature characters who are connected to a particular community or location.
Wiggs often explores the complexities of human emotions and relationships in her writing, and her novels feature strong, relatable characters who are facing challenges and trying to find their way in the world.
She is known for her heartwarming and uplifting stories, which often feature strong female protagonists and focus on themes of love, family, and self-discovery, much like Wiggs’s work.
There are a few books from Macomber that fans of Wiggs will enjoy, such as A Good Yarn.
The story focuses on Lydia Hoffman as she inherits a yarn shop in the town of Darling, Washington.
Lydia decides to take a break from her corporate job to run the shop.
As she gets to know the townspeople and the other shop owners, she begins to realize that there’s more to life than just climbing the corporate ladder.
Similar to Wiggs’s work, A Good Yarn is a heartwarming and uplifting story about love, friendship, and finding your place in the world.
The Cedar Cove series is also one that Wiggs fans may enjoy, focusing on a group of characters living and working in the fictional town of Cedar Cove, Washington.
The series focuses on the relationships between the characters and the personal and professional challenges they face.
Pros
Themes of positivity
A wide appeal to various audiences#
Cons
Some readers consider Macomber’s books to be overly formulaic and simplistic.
Nora Roberts writes romance, suspense, and mystery novels and, like Wiggs, is known for her compelling and relatable characters and her ability to create immersive and engaging romance stories.
Similar novels to Wiggs’s work includes Jewels of the Sun – the first in the Gallaghers of Ardmore trilogy- which follows successful New York City journalist Jude Murray, who inherits a cottage in Ardmore from her estranged father.
When she arrives in town, she meets Aidan Gallagher, a local pub owner and artist, and the two begin a romance.
Another romance story from Roberts that is similar to Wiggs in terms of style is The Next Always, which is a contemporary romance story with paranormal themes that tells the story of a woman who falls in love with the owner of a historic inn.
Kristin Hannah is a best-selling author known for her novels that explore relationships, family, and personal growth.
Many of her books are set in the Pacific Northwest and feature strong, independent women.
Similar themes in Susan Wiggs’s novels include love and loss, the bonds of family and friendship, and the search for happiness and fulfillment.
If you are a fan of Susan Wiggs and historical fiction, The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah is a book you will definitely want to try.
This novel revolves around two sisters in Nazi-occupied France during World War II and the choices they are forced to make to survive.
The book follows the sisters as they are separated by circumstance and forced to make their way in a world that is hostile and dangerous.
Vianne is a wife and mother who is left to defend her home and her daughter when her husband is sent to fight in the war, while Isabelle is a rebellious teenager who joins the resistance and becomes a courier, risking her life to deliver messages and aid to the Allied forces.
Another great choice is Firefly Lane, which tells the story of the lifelong friendship between two women, Tully and Kate.
The book spans three decades and follows the women through their ups and downs, as they support each other through heartbreak, triumph, and everything in between.
Pros
Hannah writes a wide range of fiction to appeal to various audiences, such as romance and historical fiction (If you like books with historical fiction and romance aspects, check out Books Like The Sworn Virgin).
Fans of the romantic works of Susan Wiggs are sure to find a lot to love when it comes to the works of Kristin Hannah, Nora Roberts and Debbie Macomber, all of whom are known for crafting uplifting stories filled with romance, positivity and strong female characters.
If you find that you have made your way through Susan Wiggs’s extensive collection of literature and are actively looking for similar books to add to your reading collection, you are sure to find a novel to engage you thoroughly with the work of either one of these prolific female authors.
Are Susan Wiggs’s Books Available In Other Languages?
Susan Wiggs’s literature has been published in various languages across the world, including Russian, Latvian, Hungarian, Dutch, French, Japanese, and German.
Noah Burton works as a Librarian full time, and is a blogger in his spare time. His goal is to write compelling recommendations for all of the most popular books he can find, from science fiction to romance.
With a passion for books, a drive to find new reads to get stuck into, and a love for sharing book recommendations with others, Noah can help you find the next novel for your bucket list.
