Unlikely Heroes Books In Order

Publication Order of Unlikely Heroes Books

Unlikely Heroes is a series of short romance novels written by Jenny Wood. The books follow the exploits of a group of alpha males with backgrounds in dangerous career fields who need a gentle hand to guide them back into civilian life.

+The Story
Alvin was serving his country abroad when he heard the news. His entire family was gone. Alvin could barely contain his emotions as he took the first flight back home to bury the last vestiges of the life he knew.

As difficult as the funeral was, though, Alvin found that the hours and days that followed were even harder. The veteran did not know what to do with himself, how to continue living a life that was largely isolated, where all the people he had ever known were dead and buried.

But then Carter came into the picture and everything changed. Before he became a school teacher, Carter was just a high school boy who couldn’t take his eyes off Alvin. And when they met at the funeral, Carter knew that his life wouldn’t find meaning until he made his emotions known to Alvin.

But first, Carter had to nurse Alvin back to emotional health, to banish the dark cloud that was slowly crushing him, to show Alvin that there was more to life than the death of his entire family seemed to suggest.

Over the course of the novel, the pair grows closer as Alvin is forced to conclude that his heart might have the capacity to accept new love even in light of the tragedy that had rocked his life.

‘Don’t Leave Me Alone’, which tells Alvin and Carter’s story, is not only the first novel in the Unlikely Heroes series but it is only essential reading for anyone who wants to enjoy the sequels.

The Unlikely Heroes novels do not necessarily depend on one another. You can start this series from any novel and you won’t feel all that confused.

Each installment focuses on the romantic adventures of a particular couple. And it possible for any reader to specifically hone in on the romance of the protagonists at the center of each novel, ignoring any references made to earlier novels.

That being said, Jenny Wood wrote these novels in such a way that you are more likely to enjoy her stories to the fullest if you read them in the order they were published.

A lot of the protagonists at the center of each novel first appeared as supporting characters in previous books. For instance, while Carter and Alvin monopolize the spotlight in the first novel, its sequel, ‘He Needed A Hero’, introduces readers to Josh whose story begins when he moves in with Alvin and Carter as he attempts to acclimate to his injuries.

Lane Bennett, the hero of the third novel, is also acquainted with Alvin. In fact, the pair works together at their community’s fire station.

It becomes easier to appreciate the trials surrounding each novel if you know the backstories of all its characters, backstories that were first covered in previous novels.

A thorough knowledge of the Unlikely Heroes world will accentuate your enjoyment of the individual novels. This is especially true when it comes to the themes which you will only appreciate fully if you follow the plot threads that are introduced, dropped and eventually picked up against throughout the series.

A central aspect of the Unlikely Heroes series is that very idea of unlikely heroes. Most of the protagonists are strong heavily muscled alpha males with dangerous careers. Some of them are soldiers, others are firefighters, and you even have a few law enforcement officers.

Jenny’s heroes are well versed with the ways of the world. They spend their days facing danger and emerging victorious. But that does not make them invincible. And the hurts that scar them the most often emanate from sources against which they are incapable of defending.

And it is when they are at their lowest, lost and confused that they find the one individual capable of giving meaning to their life. This unlikely hero drags them out of their shell and shows them how to bask in the joys of life.

It should be noted that the Unlikely Heroes books are so short they are better described as novellas. The stories that Jenny Woods tells are simple, sweet, and straightforward. She spends a lot of time delving into the minutiae of her characters’ personalities especially with regards to their sexuality.

+The Author
Jenny Wood is an American author that writes romance novels with gay characters. She has a husband and children who support her writing career. Jenny imputes her success as an author to her enthusiastic reading habit.

+He Needed a Hero
Josh thought his life was over when an injury forced him to go back home. He was fortunate to have people like Alvin and Carter in his life who agreed to house him temporarily as he tried to figure his life out.

Josh knew it would take him time to acclimate to his prosthesis. He knew that learning to walk wouldn’t be easy. But he did know how much of a challenge the whole situation would present.

By the time Josh collides with Teddy, a broken café worker, he has neither the time nor the patience to handle the situation delicately. By the time the pair goes their separate ways, both Josh and Teddy are embarrassed about the way things played out.

When Josh decides to make amends for his actions, he has no idea how drastically his second encounter with Teddy will change both of their lives.

+Show Me Another Way
Kevin is an attorney who spends his days helping families meet their adoption needs. Even though Kevin is so good at helping other people find happiness, his own life is largely free of joy.

The painfully shy fellow was resigned to an isolated life. But then he met Lane Bennett and everything changed. Lane was quite bitter about the way his relationship with his fiance ended.

And he did not believe that he would ever overcome the hurt that had consumed him as a result. But then he saw the timid attorney and, as a result, felt his hope for a brighter, more romance-filled future surge forth once more.