They say that all good things must come to an end.
I know as readers, that’s hard when the good thing in question is the series that we’ve been gobbling up. We’ve grown attached to the characters and the setting and everything about that series that kept us drumming our fingers wishing the author would hurry up and get that next book out!
Although, I’ll be honest and say that there are not very many series where I will stick around past the 6-8 book mark. Valerie Comer has some longer series that have held my interest past that point. I have read a couple of secular police procedural series that are well past 30 books that I still snap up. But generally? Six to eight is good for me.
As an author, I hate to admit, but often when I reach the end of a series, I’m ready for it to be over.
Maybe even for the same reasons readers are disappointed.
All the hours spent with those characters, in that setting, sometimes leave me dreaming of someplace new. A new character, with mysteries yet to be discovered.
I find that writing that final book can be a challenge, because half of my brain is already drifting into the what ifs of the next new thing, and so I have to drag myself back into the present to make sure I do justice to those final characters.
I never want to have the last book leave readers disappointed.
Tomorrow, the final book in my Hope Ranch series releases. Writing Hope at Last was different for me — on a number of levels. The characters are older. They’ve had a full life, filled with love and marriage and are now looking at love a second time around. That was all new for me. And the newness? Kept my mind from wandering.
I had so much fun with this final installment in Hope Ranch and I hope that readers who have been following along are looking forward to seeing Elise, the mother of the Hewitt siblings who have featured in previous books, find love again.
The question, though, was what type of man to give her.
Elise is new to her faith. She had a less than amazing relationship with the father of her children. And she’s firmly convinced the only thing ahead for her is time with her children and grandchildren.
Enter Dave. He married the love of his life and has been floundering since he lost her. And he’s in full time mission work–the same work he and his wife did all their years together.
In addition to nudging Elise and Dave toward their happy ending, I knew I needed to make sure there weren’t loose ends hanging that would make the series end unsatisfying. So we see the Hewitt kids and their new babies. We even take a little trip to Peacock Hill to touch base with Azure Hewitt — the Hewitt sibling who started it all.
So, while all good things must come to an end, it’s my hope that the end of the Hope Ranch series leaves readers with a long, happy, contented sigh.
Here’s the blurb:
A widow, a widower, and some matchmaking daughters.
Elise Hewitt came to Hope Ranch because there was nowhere left to go. She’s making a place for herself by helping with her daughter Indigo’s yarn business and watching her grandchildren, but neither of those things ignites any passion in her heart. Maybe she’s just too old for that.
Dave Fitzgerald’s call to the mission field is all he’s ever known. Now that he’s a widower, he’s more involved than ever before. Running a camp for young adults considering full-time missions is a break from the trouble-shooting assignments he usually seeks out, but a summer in the mountains of New Mexico isn’t any kind of hardship.
When Elise’s daughters get a look at the handsome older man, they begin to conspire to throw the two of them together. Everyone else in the family has found love at Hope Ranch, why shouldn’t their mom have a chance at love a second time around?
If you pre-ordered, your copy of Hope at Last will hit your Kindle tomorrow morning. It’ll also be available in Kindle Unlimited tomorrow if you’d rather read it that way.
I’d love to gift one US commenter a paperback copy (or an international commenter an e-copy) of Hope at Last. Do you love long series? Shorter ones? Or, let me know how you feel when series end to enter. I’ll choose a winner on Saturday morning.
Elizabeth Maddrey is a semi-reformed computer geek and homeschooling mother of two who lives in the suburbs of Washington D.C. When she isn’t writing, Elizabeth is a voracious consumer of books. She loves to write about Christians who struggle through their lives, dealing with sin and receiving God’s grace on their way to their own romantic happily ever after.
Yay! Have followed this series all along, and look forward to Elise’s story. I am sure it will be an amazing finale to the series!
It really depends. While I haven’t read them all yet I have all of the House of Winslow by Gilbert Morris and read the first 29. He had another series with about 10 I loved. It can depend on the series These all follow an event or a family through time.
Janet Tronstad has quite a lot of books set in Dry creek and while they are not all in one series they do share the location and some characters.
I think it really depends on the series many are set up at the beginning with how the series is related. (siblings, location etc) It often sets up the characters for the future books so I can see there will be x amount of books but it can often be sad to see it end.
I love reading about older couples finding love especially as I have aged. I also hate having a series come to an end as sometimes it’s like saying goodbye to old friends knowing you may never see them again.
Typically I’m not a huge fan of series. For some reason I never seem to get to the next one. Perhaps it’s because I like moving on to another adventure.
I love series.
I personally enjoy reading series and especially when they feature characters from other series. Or that they are all stand-alones but with characters from the other books. For me it does not matter how long the series is as long as it is a logical continuation of each other.
Thanks Margaret! I hope you love it!
It can definitely depend. It’s funny because I had never heard of Janet Tronstad before last week and now she’s popping up everywhere so I’m going to have to read some of hers I think.
It definitely can be like saying goodbye to friends. I’m a rereader though, so it’s more “see you later” for me :)
That’s so interesting! I would think CCR would be tough to find enough stand alones to keep you happy.
Me. Too!
(my me too comment was supposed to be under yours. :) Series are the best imo)
There definitely should be some reason things keep going. I love seeing previous characters show up in books, too.
I adore series, the longer the better, forme it’s like spending time with friends! I get very sad when a series ends😔
It definitely can be sad!
Thankfully there’s usually something new and exciting on the horizon too.
It depends on the series. Sometimes when I love every book so much (like your Peacock Hill series) I just want them to go on and on. Other times, I feel satisfied after the third book wraps it up.
That’s fair! (And I’m so glad you enjoyed Peacock Hill!)
I am usually sad when a series end because I have invested so much time getting to know them that it feels like family. I remember reading The Three Musketeers series abs how I refused to read The Man in the Iron Mask because it will be the end of getting to know d’Artagnan, Aramis and Porthos. I remember tearing up on the bus and I am not a crier.
The series length doesn’t bother me, as long as the books can still hold my attention! I have 43 books of a 46 book series, written by different authors. Not 46 different authors, though! I’ve read shorter series that I loved, I’ve read some about the same length that I now can’t stand. I like characters that are real, not some that seem to good to be true, and the series I don’t like is more like that, the characters aren’t believable any more. I have to say, I do love books with older couples!!
I love both long books and long series because I’m able to spend more time with my “friends” that way. There’s often a bit of a let down when I get to the end of a series I really enjoyed and I might take a day or two before starting another book.
Aww.
I wonder if multiple authors helps keep the series fresh from a writing standpoint too.
I can see that!
I really enjoy series, and I’ve enjoyed yours! Don’t put me in the drawing, since I got to read Hope at Last already – you did a great job! Recently I’ve read a few books that aren’t part of a series, so I wish the author had put in an epilogue, just to tie up a few loose ends :-)
I have loved this series and I am sad to see it come to an end. I’m definitely looking forward to more great stories by you Elizabeth! :)
I love series and am always sad to see a family and loved place go. I love your characters and Peacock Hill and Hope Ranch. Your characters are real and it’s always so fun seeing their growth.
I love reading series in general! I think long series are fun when they feature different people. I am also super excited read Hope at Last
Oh thank you! :)
Yes! Epilogues are a must for those loose ends.
It can be so hard. I’m glad you’ve enjoyed the Hewitts and the McIntyre’s!
Yay! Series are my favorite I think.
I enjoy a good series, but I agree with you about how long a series should be too. I typically don’t much like it when series goes beyond 5 books or so. Partly due to cost and partly due to attention span. Thanks for sharing!
I love to read book series because I really want to know what happened to the book characters and hoping it all went well for them. I love it when a series ends in a Happily ever after for the characters, I love it when the book characters grow up and have their own little families. The longest book series I have read had I believe 6 books and I loved them all. Thank you for sharing about your wonderful book series, I have not read any of your books but your series sounds Great and I will be looking it up. Have a Great week and stay safe.
I’m relatively new to Kindle Unlimited and loving it from a cost saving perspective!
Definitely hearing about the happy endings and growing families from prior characters is the best!
I like author series and do feel at home with all those lovely characters; however, I am not a big fan of all these multiple author boxsets…ugh…there is never an end and all those open scenarios all just left hanging out there in space, especially when the authors pop in like book 4 of a 6 book series….no beginning and no ending. My rant for today.
I prefer shorter series, 3-5 is usually good for me.
Oh man. I am that way as a reader but I’ll confess to still participating as an author because they’re a great way to give readers a sample and find new fans. That said, some of the 20+ author ones are a past a line to me.
Oh man. Odd numbers are killer though. 3 is fine. But odd numbers after that make boxing the series a nightmare.
I love series in general no matter the length, BUT I actually have a difficult time staying on top of all the books in a series. So, there are many series that I’ve started, but few I’ve finished. Honestly, it’s cause I’m a full-time working mom. I read when I can. I’m finding that a lot of authors are publishing books really fast now, too. For example, I adore Jody Hedlund’s novels, but she publishes SO fast I truly can’t keep up especially with my full-time job + motherhood status. I also give up on series when each book really begins to look like every other book in the series. Formulaic writing is really noticeable in long-running series.
I’m the same as you don’t really like them to go past 6-8 mark! Congrats on your final installment would love to get a copy!
It can definitely be hard to keep up when your favorite authors are putting the books out fast!
Thank you!
I Love series and Elizabeth Your books sound amazing as I love reading about older couples Thank you for the wonderful Post!
Aw yay! I hope you get to read about Elise and Dave
I like to read long or short series. The only drawback for me on a long series is that I sometimes get sidetracked and forget there are more books to read because I lose patience waiting for the new books to arrive. It’s easier if the series is already finished when I start reading it.
I have heard that sentiment before – I’m not a big binge reader but I respect it.
I love series. It depends on the story lines as to how many books the series can continue. I am reading a series that just released the 27th book. Thank you for the opportunity. God bless you.
That’s true – some authors can definitely pull off long series
I enjoy series but sometimes it gets to be overwhelming if they go to long.
They definitely can get overwhelming!
Happy Book Release!
I think 3-5 is a good number for most series.
I love series but like you,I get bored after 6-8 books so not real long series.
One of my absolute favorite themes in a story is when a widow/widower finds love again! I think it’s extra fun when the adult kids play matchmaker….so your book is already a must-read for me :-) It ticks so many boxes for this reader!
I agree, I think a series is good at about 4- 6 books, after that I’m ready too move on to something new. I can stretch it to 8 if it’s something I’m REALLY invested in :-)
I like a series to be maybe 6-8 books or less. Any more, I may not get them all at once and then I’ll probably totally forget to get the rest of the books. If they come as a box set on Kindle, then more is ok. I’d love to read this book, although I haven’t read all the rest of the series yet. Thanks for the chance.
I don’t have Kindle or read through that program. I hate how it works.
I do love e-copy as long as it’s ebook or any of those series. I love both long & short love stories. No matter the age
I’m definitely a binge reader so finding completed series is a plus. I don’t object to the big multi-author collections per se, but I find the quality can very a LOT. I get what you are saying about the crime series. It’s like watching on TV: 20 plus episodes per season with some season-long character development arcs. The crime genre has the puzzle at the center of the story and character changes as something secondary. Romance has character development front and center. I imagine the romance equivalent would be to have some of the characters, whose stories come later, get to meet and grow over the earlier books. It would be an interesting “ensemble cast” approach to try out.
She is a lovely lady who I did get to meet and the location is good Country Montana I think. and has some lovely characters that pop up a lot.
Thank you! I hope Hope at Last is a satisfying end for you!
Thanks! Three works when there aren’t a lot of extra characters who I’m left wondering about.
6-8 is a nice length for sure.
Oh yay! I hope you love my take on those themes :)
I think (hope!) it can be read without the rest of the series. That’s always my goal – for books to stand alone if necessary.
What do you hate about it?
Yes! And there are authors who do it well (Valerie Comer’s Urban Farm Fresh series comes to mind – I believe she’s coming up on book 14 there soon. And I still love reading those, although I’ll admit sometimes I forget who people are I’d they’re from the earlier books. But that’s probably a me problem not a book one :) )
I prefer shorter series 4-5 books :)
Oooh, your book definitely sounds interesting :) And your post made me think of Carolyne Aarsen. I love her series because they tend to be 4 books (I can easily follow a 5-book one, but that’s kind of my limit), and she’s had the next series either still be in the same setting/town, or it’s the cousins of the siblings in the previous series.
I don’t really follow series. I read things out of order if I read them at all. I do better with stand alones.