Books in series
#1
Awakenings
2006
Despite the questions of her roommates and the objections of her fiancé, Jamie Evans persists in enrolling in a college course that seems an odd choice for a young woman of her background. What no one can know is that the course, The Psychology of the Lesbian Experience, will propel Jamie onto a journey of self-awareness and realization. For the required fieldwork, Jamie is paired with the darkly beautiful Ryan O'Flaherty - a boldly "out" and sexually adventurous lesbian. This somewhat unlikely pair, slowly, and sometimes painfully, becomes aware that what they feel for each other is more than just friendship. The temptation to live life on her own terms is great, but so are the costs, as Jamie struggles to break out of her establishment-fashioned, pre-ordained mold. If she can summon the courage, however, she might find out that love, and life, have so much more to offer than she ever dreamed.
#2
Beginnings
2006
Seven months, eight months, nine months ... a lifetime. Exchanging gentle kisses at the top of Mt. Tam, Jamie and Ryan declare their love for one another. Studying for exams and training for the AIDS Ride, they experience the tentative fumblings and frustrations of adjusting to a new relationship. Though Ryan is determined to proceed at a pace that is comfortable for her neophyte partner, their need for each other grows stronger with every passing hour- whether they are together or apart. "We begin a magical journey. A journey of exploration, a journey of wonder, a journey of commitment. A journey we make together." The speech at the beginning of their 560 mile biking odyssey epitomizes their feelings about the Ride, and about the beginnings of the life they plan to share.
#3
Coalescence
2006
In the first two books of this series, Jamie and Ryan forged a friendship (Awakenings), and realized that they had fallen deeply in love (Beginnings). This book brings the two of them together for their honeymoon in idyllic Pebble Beach. Here they commit themselves to sharing their lives together. They begin to experience and explore the emotional and physical expressions of their love, as well as the conflicts and compromises that plague all new relationships.
#4
Disclosures
2006
June in San Francisco and a young woman's thoughts turn to ... Pride Weekend! Ryan begins to introduce Jamie to some of the "secrets" of the lesbian lifestyle. The first night they make love in her family home, Jamie falls asleep while Ryan whispers "Go goinnne Dia thu." ay God keep you. He's going to have to work overtime as specters from Ryan's troubled past come back to haunt the new lovers.
#5
Entwined
2006
In Awakenings, the first of 26 novels of the series, we met Ryan O’Flaherty and Jamie Evans, juniors at the University of California at Berkeley. Since then we’ve followed them from the first flicker of attraction to their declarations of love, struggles with their families and a long, love-filled honeymoon. Now they’re back in Berkeley, enjoying their summer vacation. But even though they’re madly in love, small issues keep cropping up to interrupt their bliss. From expensive haircuts to expensive cars, Jamie's money—and what it can buy—continues to be a problem that she and Ryan struggle with. When Jim Evans, already in denial over his daughter's declared preference of a mate, receives a report from the bank that Jamie has given Ryan access to her checking account, he becomes more convinced than ever that the money is the only reason that Ryan has latched onto Jamie. Jamie knows her father’s suspicions are groundless, but she has a difficult time convincing him of that. She’s confident that he’ll love Ryan once he gets to know her. But for now Ryan has to satisfy herself with getting to know Catherine Evans, hoping that impressing her will go a long way towards reaching Jim.
#6
Fidelity
2007
Fidelity is the sixth installment in a twenty-six book series following the lives of Jamie Evans and Ryan O’Flaherty. Jamie, Ryan, their friends, families and the times they live in are chronicled in the series, which was created for the reader who hates to have a book end just when it’s getting good. In Fidelity, the new lovers are forced to determine if absence really does make the heart grow fonder. Jamie’s headed to Rhode Island to back-up her vow to spend more time with her mother, and Ryan’s going to Santa Cruz to prepare for the upcoming volleyball season. A week isn’t a long time when it’s measured against a lifetime commitment, but in the “can’t breathe without you” stage of their nascent relationship they view their separation with a mixture of dread and resignation. One person who’s very happy to have the couple separated is Jamie’s father. He takes the opportunity to make his objections to their bond more than clear—in his usual manipulative way.
#7
Getaway
2007
Getaway is the seventh installment in a twenty-six book series following the lives of Jamie Evans and Ryan O’Flaherty. Jamie, Ryan, their friends, families and the times they live in are chronicled in the series, which was created for the reader who hates to have a book end just when it’s getting good. In Getaway, Jamie returns from a stressful visit with her East Coast relatives to reconnect with Ryan, who's been at an intensive volleyball training camp. They're both in need of a break and they decide to take a trip with Ryan's cousin, Caitlin. Jamie's mother Catherine surprisingly asks to join the trio, and they gladly user her connections to make the trip all the more special. From the Teacups to Space Mountain, the foursome grow closer in the enchantment of the Magic Kingdom. But not all of the thrills and spills come from the rides. Jamie and Ryan experience some ups and downs from long-buried secrets and surprising revelations that may cause a disruption in the Fantasyland they share.
#8
Honesty
2008
Honesty is the eighth installment of the planned twenty-six book serial novel I Found My Heart in San Francisco. The previous books in the series are also available here on Amazon. In this book, the fun they had on their short holiday is a fading memory as Jamie and Ryan return to the world of family, school and sports. Jamie is determined to have it out with her father over his treatment of Ryan. But Ryan is dreading that discussion, fearing that the secrets she's been keeping will be revealed. In theory, Honesty is the best policy. But in practice other concerns can influence when it's best to hide the truth, even at your own peril
#9
Intentions
2009
New Book - Intentions is the ninth installment of the twenty-six book serial novel I Found My Heart in San Francisco. In this book, Jamie tries to acclimate to her changing relationship with her father, Jim. Despite his promise to honor and respect her and Ryan’s relationship, she has her doubts—both about his sincerity and his ability to follow through. It certainly seems that he’s trying, though, and that means the world to her. Ryan’s even more suspicious of Jim, but she has good reason to be. She doesn’t have the same familial bond that Jamie has, and she’s seen a side of him that Jamie’s never personally faced. Catherine has seen her husband at his worst, and years of apathy are starting to fade away, replaced with an anger she’s never expressed to Jim. She has to contend with these unpleasant feelings while trying to maintain a civil atmosphere for Jamie’s sake. It proves to be harder than she would have guessed Meanwhile Jordan and Mia have been making sparks with their flirting and late-night make out sessions. The issue is whether Mia can be, or even wants to be, in a relationship with a woman. She can clearly play the game, but it’s not clear Jordan views this as a game. Still, their sparks could easily start a romantic flame.
#10
Journeys
2010
Journeys is the tenth installment of the twenty-six book serial novel I Found My Heart in San Francisco.
Love is in the air! Martin and Maeve find themselves having a big, joyous wedding - with Catherine’s fingerprints are all over the celebration.
Jim is determined to win Catherine back and is on his best behavior. She's seen this sort of thing before, but she still seems willing to give him another chance. How thin is the ice he’s skating on?
Jamie and Ryan are as busy as ever, but Ryan is burning the candle at both ends, and Jamie’s determined to rein her in. Ryan’s a tough one to corral, especially when it comes to being a member of a team.
Mia and Jordan are beginning to stumble into a relationship. But are they ready? Jordan’s future has always focused on her sport, and Mia has always been the ultimate free spirit.
With all this going on that the whole family needs to come together and celebrate all they have to be thankful for. They get just that chance - along with quite a few friends who have become part of the extended family-of-choice. And that’s just how Ryan and Jamie like it.
#11
Karma
2011
Karma is the eleventh book in the I Found My Heart in San Francisco series.
Love can be a dangerous game. When to risk, when to run, when to submit. Jordan and Mia have been playing the game as nonchalantly as they can manage, but their feelings are harder and harder to dismiss.
Jim and Catherine have had so many ups and downs that they’ve lost track. Their game might be just about up, even though neither of them seems ready to suffer a loss.
Even though Jamie and Ryan have been together for mere months, they are called upon to make sacrifices and take risks they would have considered impossible before love strengthened them. Karma teaches us that what goes around comes around. For better or worse.
#12
Lifeline
2012
A significant trauma changes lives, and Jamie and Ryan recently learned that lesson the hard way. The press has been relentless in their pursuit of the couple and both women are more determined than ever to maintain their privacy. But that determination hasn’t made things any easier. Ryan’s withdrawn and angry and Jamie’s at a loss for how to reach her. She desperately wants to support her, but it's very tough to maintain her own mental health, much less be able to pull Ryan out of whatever dark place she goes when things are tough. A lovely break over the New Year with Mia and Jordan helps a lot, but when they return the pressure begins anew. Can they summon the courage and strength to be each other's lifeline back to normalcy?
#13
Monogamy
2012
Things are looking up. Ryan's back in the saddle—the effects of her trauma slowly fading. Jamie's thoroughly relieved to have her back. She's not as happy that her hyperactive lover has to jump into another sport. Ryan's sure softball will help end her collegiate career on an up note. Will the third time be the charm? Jordan's working harder than she thought possible. But it's not having Mia by her side that wears on her. Mia feels the same, and Jordan soon learns that Mia's not able to delay gratification—no matter the consequences. Wrapping up their last semester at Cal involves a tremendous amount of work for the high-achieving women. The question is how to accomplish all they're called to do while having time for each other. Love is the key, and expressing that love in words, actions and deeds is what will keep them together.
#14
Nurture
2013
Nurture is the fourteenth installment of the I Found My Heart in San Francisco series.
#15
Osmosis
2013
Osmosis is the fifteenth installment of the I Found My Heart in San Francisco series.
A gradual, often unconscious process of absorption or learning.
It's been six months since the trauma of Karma. Both Jamie and Ryan are slowly but steadily regaining their footing. When they have time alone, everything seems just as it had been before Christmas. But their alone time is severely compromised. With each of them playing a varsity sport, their weekends are always given over to their teams—rather than each other. Since neither of them would consider quitting, their options are few. So they're committed to wringing every bit of togetherness out of their schedules that they can.
Mia and Jordan have a lot of time alone—but Jordan's working so hard she spends much of that time sound asleep. The demands on her body and mind are overwhelming, but Mia's learning how to be a supportive partner…despite being disconnected from all of her friends and family. Luckily, loving Jordan makes every sacrifice easily worth it.
Catherine's having a tougher time of it. Her divorce is causing her more turmoil than she'd expected, and having her lover so far away makes her feel very, very alone. Maybe it would be better if she started over. Conor's all in favor of that…especially if he can be part of her re-start.
Every member of the clan experiences some growth pains, but one thing holds them all together. Love is the answer, no matter the question.
#16
Paradigm
2014
In Paradigm, the sixteenth book of the I Found My Heart in San Francisco series, there are plenty of short tempers and sharp words to go around.
Ryan's grouchy and unsettled over their looming graduation, and Jamie finds herself unusually suspicious of both Ryan and Catherine's actions. Things are so tense between Jamie and her mom that Catherine enlists Ryan's help to reach out to her. Then, while trying to rise above her petty feelings, Jamie performs a feat of self-sabotage that comes back to bite
her. It's not just the Berkeley house that's rattled. Martin and Conor nearly come to blows over Conor's flirtations, and even Maeve is affected by the discord. But Mia's back in Berkeley, and she always adds a little cheer. If only Jordan were free to travel...
#17
Quandary
2014
In Quandary, the seventeenth book of the I Found My Heart in San Francisco series, summer has arrived and with it-Graduation.
Graduation was supposed to be an ending-the final act in a long, academic sprint. But Ryan's running harder than ever-so hard she won't have time to even attend her ceremonies. She's not about to complain...much. Finally playing in the NCAAs is the real culmination to her college career, and she's going to make the most out of the opportunity.
Jamie's taking things much more in stride. She's giddy about the prospect of spending days lounging around the house, reading and reflecting. They'll finally have time to relax and make some plans for the future-if she can only figure out a way to get Ryan to relax along with her. That's much easier said than done.
Their lives wouldn't be normal without a few bumps and jolts along the way. That's their normal. But Mia and Jordan are back, they're with their families and they're all racing for home.
#18
Renewal
2015
Renewal is the eighteenth book of the I Found My Heart in San Francisco series.
Degrees in hand, Jamie and Ryan are set to spend the summer doing nothing but relaxing and enjoying each other’s company. Or maybe that’s just Jamie’s plan.
Ryan’s idea of relaxing includes taking a full load of summer school courses and tutoring Jennie nearly every day—nothing like Jamie’s ideal of reading, hanging out with friends and taking a few trips. They both thought being finished with school would give them so much free time they’d never be able to fill it. But that hasn’t been the case. The days just seem to fade away—another thing Ryan hates.
But as much as she hates having time slip away, her bigger irritation is the marriage preparedness class she and Jamie are involved in. For someone who loves learning, she could hardly be less interested in sharing her own feelings, and hearing about other people’s relationships. That has Jamie stumped, but she’s finding that loving Ryan O’Flaherty requires a near constant shifting of expectations. Every day brings new challenges and joys. A continual renewal of their commitment to love one another to the best of their ability.
#19
Synchronicity
2015
Synchronicity is the nineteenth book in the I Found My Heart in San Francisco series.
Summer is drawing to a close. Jamie’s been able to relax, to read, to spend time with her mom, enjoying the fruits of her idleness. Ryan, of course, has filled every day to the brim. If she’s not babysitting or tutoring she’s working full time on the O’Flaherty cousins’ rehab project. But a forced vacation is in her immediate future—if Jordan makes the final roster of the 2000 U.S. Olympic squad.
Wanting only the best for her buddy, Ryan desperately wants Jordan’s dream to come true. Even if it means a long trip to the other side of the world. The trip would be more fun if they could talk Catherine into joining them. But her summer has been filled with plans for taking Jennie into her home. She’s very determined to make that happen, even if it means she’s unable to travel. But it’s been a long time since Catherine had to make a child her priority, and her skills might need a little polishing.
Meaningful coincidences create synchronicity, and getting all of them to Sydney will require that and more.
#20
Trust
2016
Trust is the twentieth book of the I Found My Heart in San Francisco series.
HOME AGAIN. AT LAST.
Their month in Australia had been wondrous in every way. But four weeks away from home has both Ryan and Jamie missing their family. It's going to be sweet to get back into their regular routine. Now that Jennie's in the mix, things will change a little, but the O'Flaherty-Evans-Smith team is eager to welcome her into the clan. But things rarely go exactly as planned when Jennie is involved. Catherine's determination to provide a safe, secure home for the girl is strong. It remains to be seen if it's strong enough to reach the wounded parts of Jennie's psyche.
Ryan's ready to get back to work as an unpaid laborer, and Jamie's just as eager to return to her life of leisure. Two people could hardly have more diverse definitions of "taking time off." Given that Ryan's always got a few irons in the fire, it's no surprise she's ready to take aggressive action to flush away the vestiges of the carjacking. Whether she can do that by force of will is another question that awaits an answer.
Now that Mia and Jordan are back in Berkeley, they have to get their own routine going. Mia's certain she can find a lucrative career with her American Studies degree in her clutches, but Jordan's resigned to low wages and a bad schedule while she finishes up her degree. While they're both very thankful to be back home, closeness simply gives Mia and Anna Lisa more opportunities to drive each other crazy-something they're both masters at.
The O'Flaherty Cousins construction project is rolling along at a good clip. But the boyos have put in a tremendous amount of work, giving up every weekend to complete the task. Now it's decision time again. Will the rewards make up for the sacrifices?
Every relationship has its challenges. But most of them can be overcome by love and commitment and, most of all, Trust.
#21
United
2017
It has taken over two years, but Jamie’s finally received the one gift Ryan’s held tantalizingly out of reach—a visit to her ancestral home. Having never been, Jamie’s got some preconceived notions that she has to banish quickly. But while the Ireland of her imagination doesn’t exist, the reality satisfies her in ways that continually surprise.
Putting Ryan in context is just one more way of understanding her as fully as possible. Jamie’s constant quest. Through their weeks of travel she learns not just more about Ryan, but about them as a couple.
The Emerald Isle shines like a gemstone in this examination of place, culture, and family, with Jamie finally able to add to her study of the most fascinating, frustrating, fulfilling woman ever to emerge from Ireland’s shores.
#22
Vengeance
2018
Vengeance is the twenty-second book of the I Found My Heart in San Francisco series.
It’s easy, not to mention tempting, to blithely commit some serious errors in judgment when you’re young. Most of them become distant memories as the years tick by. But every once in a while a youthful indiscretion is more like a ticking time bomb, counting down until it blows.
Catherine Smith has had her share of misfortune, but few of her travails have shaken her like the revelation she faces now. It’s unsettled every part of her life; from her relationship with Giacomo, to Jamie, and even to Jennie. All she wants is some time alone to grapple with her feelings, but when you’re raising a high school student, your time is not your own. Her instinct is to run and hide, but she desperately needs the love and support of her family. Trying to hide a secret prevents those who love you from offering the right kind of support, though, so Catherine has to struggle to balance her needs with those of the people she loves the most. Sadly, her instincts are not great.
Jamie once again feels shut out, and she has a hard time dealing with it. But she’s so busy, with Aisling visiting, and starting her final semester of real estate classes at Cal that she’s largely able to play the waiting game.
Of course, when Ryan O’Flaherty’s in the mix, free time is never in abundance. Ryan’s trying to spend time with Aisling, Caitlin, and the new O’Flaherty Cousin’s Project while taking a full class load at Cal, and training for the AIDS Ride. And in her spare time, she’s determined to find out what’s bothering Catherine.
Just another few months amidst the mayhem of Clan O’Flaherty-Evans, the liveliest spot in town.
Author
Susan X. Meagher
Author · 48 books
Susan X Meagher was born in southern Illinois and grew up in East St Louis. She attended college in Chicago and started her working career there. She and her partner moved to the Los Angeles area in the late 80's. It was there that she started to write. Her first few books were simply posted on the web and became the I Found My Heart in San Francisco series. In 2002 she moved to New York and divides her time between Manhattan and the Jersey Shore. She has published thirteen books in the series and has gone on to write many individual books as well. She has partnered with other authors on two short story books and has written many stories that have been published in other mainstream anthologies. Susan is active in the lesbian author community and loves to attend Women's week at Provincetown and the GCLS annual conventions. Her stories revolve around the relationships that two women can build when given a chance and how those relationships can strengthen the individual and the partnership. Her genre is lesbian romance/fiction and she believes strongly in the happy ending that we all so deserve. Susan X Meagher was awarded a 2011 Lesbian Fiction Readers’ Choice Award for Favorite Lesbian Fiction Writer. She is the recipient of the 2014 Alice B. Medal for her body of work. From the author's website: I live in New York with my spouse, Carrie. We've lived in Chicago and Los Angeles for significant periods, but New York fits us very well. I love to discuss my work and fiction in general. My goal in writing is to explore feelings. I want to entertain, but I also want to make people think. I've heard that life is all about finding out who we are. To me, life if about finding out who other people are. I'm interested in the small details of life, that's how a story about two young women in college is slowly becoming a 26 book series. The joke in Seinfield was that it was about nothing. I feel the same about most of my books. They are about the many things that happen when nothing is happening. The small joys and sorrows of everyday life can be fascinating, especially if you care about the people involved. I try to create characters that will make a reader care deeply. I'm always interested in hearing how close I am to that goal. So please drop me a line whenever you have a comment or a question about a story. Writing is a pretty solitary pursuit and it's great to know that I'm not alone.
