Although Nora Roberts may be best known today for mainstream standalone titles like the eight romantic suspense novels that have been dramatized as Lifetime Television movies, such works actually constitute only a small volume of her output. Her sets alone – the trilogies and recent quartet – significantly outnumber the individual titles she has written for mainstream audiences, even without adding in her J.D. Robb In Death series, which are also mainstream publications.

Roberts prefers to ignore the publication of her first mainstream standalone novel. She considers the 1984 title Promise Me Tomorrow a poor indicator of the quality of her later work. Roberts, who holds the publishing rights to Promise Me Tomorrow, chooses not to let it be reprinted.

After that initial foray into mainstream standalone fiction, Roberts waited until 1987 to re-enter the field with her Bantam publication, Hot Ice. She continued, though, to write well-received standalones for her Silhouette publishers.

The Romance Writers of America presented Roberts with RITA awards for seven of her romantic  suspense standalone titles. Divine Evil won the 1993 RITA Award for Best Romantic Suspense;  Private Scandals, the1994 RITA Award for Best Contemporary Single Title; Hidden Riches, the 1995 RITA Award for Best Romantic Suspense; Carolina Moon, the: 2001 RITA Award for Best Romantic Suspense; Three Fates, the 2003 RITA Award for Best Romantic Suspense: Birthright, 2004 RITA Award for Best Contemporary Single Title; and, most recently, Tribute won the 2009 RITA Award for Best Novel with Strong Romantic Elements.

The list below includes the mainstream standalone romantic suspense titles Roberts has written during her career. Two titles are included that aren't standalones, but are difficult to place elsewhere. Sacred Sins and Brazen Virtue are actually related works, sometimes referred to as the Sacred Sins series or the D.C. Detectives series. These two titles constitute the only mainstream series Roberts has written, although she has produced many mainstream sets.

Nora Roberts Examiner's Note:

As of Jan. 18, 2011, readers will find all updates to the below list on the Nora Roberts Examiner's article, "Title list of Nora Roberts’ romantic suspense novels."

 Nora Roberts' mainstream standalone vovels

• Promise Me Tomorrow, Pocket, 1984 – Beautiful young architect Sarah Lancaster meets womanizer Byron Lloyd, a member of the architectural firm that has just hired her.
• Hot Ice, Bantam, 1987 – Wealthy Whitney MacAllister joins with professional thief Douglas Lord in a hunt for a hidden fortune.
• Sacred Sins, Bantam, 1987 – Psychiatrist Tess Court and Washington D.C. police detective Ben Paris search for a serial killer known as “The Priest.”
• Brazen Virtue, Bantam, 1988 – Mystery writer Grace McCabe helps Ben Paris’ partner, Ed Jackson, trap her sister's killer.
• Sweet Revenge, Bantam, 1989 – Princess Adrianne needs Philip Chamberlain’s assistance as she seeks revenge against her father.
• Public Secrets, Bantam, 1990 – Pop music star's Brian McAvoy’s daughter Emma needs to know who was behind the kidnapping and murder of her infant brother.
• Genuine Lies, Bantam, 1991 – Aging movie star Eve Benedict hires Julia Summers to write her biography, but Eve’s stepson, Paul Winthrop, has reservations.
• Carnal Innocence, Bantam, 1991 – Famous concert violinist Caroline Waverly turns to Tucker Longstreet when murders disrupt the small town of Innocence, Mississippi.
• Divine Evil, Bantam, 1992 – Sculptor Clare Kimball and Sheriff Cameron Rafferty discover what was behind the suicide of Clare’s father.
• Honest Illusions, Putnam, 1992 – Roxy Nouvelle, daughter of a famous magician, and escape artist Luke Callahan specialize in jewel thefts.
• Private Scandals, Putnam, 1993 – Network journalist Finn Riley and talk show host Deanna Reynolds confront a violent rival.
• Hidden Riches, Putnam, 1994 – Philadelphia antiques dealer Dora Conroy and former police captain Jed Skimmerhorn find a connection between stolen antiques and a series of murders.
• True Betrayals, Putnam, 1995 – Kelsey Byden, reunited with the mother who had been imprisoned the murder of her lover, joins with gambler Gabe Slater find the truth behind that death.
• Montana Sky, Putnam, 1996 – Jack Mercy’s three daughters, half-sisters Tess, Lily and Willa, must spend a year together at Jack’s Montana ranch to meet the terms of his will.
• Sanctuary, Putnam, 1997 – Photographer Jo Ellen Hathaway returns to her family’s Georgia home, Sanctuary, after receiving anonymous photographs of her mother, who had disappeared years earlier
• Homeport, Putnam, 1998 – Dr. Miranda Jones and art thief Ryan Boldari investigate fraudulent art.
• The Reef, Putnam, 1998 – Marine archaeologist Tate Beaumont and salvager Matthew Lassiter search for a jeweled amulet called Angelique's Curse.
• River’s End, Putnam, 1999 – Olivia MacBride as a child witnessed the death of her mother, a Hollywood star. Years later Noah Brady helps her find the murderer.
• Carolina Moon, Putnam, 2000 – Tory Bodeen returns to her South Carolina hometown where she and Cade LaVelle attempt to solve the mystery surrounding the death of her childhood friend, Cade’s sister, Hope LaVelle.
• Midnight Bayou, Putnam, 2001 – After Declan Fitzgerald buys the dilapidated Louisiana mansion, Manet Hall, he needs Angelina Simone’s help in clearing out the ghosts.
• The Villa, Putnam, 2001 – Sophia Giambelli and Tyler MacMillan fight sabotage attempts after their two family wineries merge.
• Three Fates, Putnam, 2002 – Malachi, Gideon and Rebecca Sullivan try to reunite the Three Fates, small silver statues of mythological significance.
• Birthright, Putnam, 2003 – Archaeologist Callie Dunbrook and her ex-husband confront the secrets of her own heritage while on a dig in the small town of Woodsboro.
• Remember When, Putnam, 2003 – Nora Roberts and J.D.Robb join forces in this tale of Laine Tavish, insurance investigator Max Gannon and a fortune in stolen diamonds. When, over 50 years later, Laine's granddaughter writes a book about the diamonds, Eve Dallas gets involved. In 2010 the two parts of Remember When was reissued by Putnam as two separate publications – Hot Rocks  and Big Jack.
• Northern Lights, Putnam 2004 – Former Baltimore cop Nate Burke searches for the murderer of Meg Galloway’ s father after he takes on the job of police chief in Lunacy, Alaska.
• Blue Smoke, Putnam, 2005 – Baltimore arson investigator Reena Hale meets Carpenter Bo Goodnight and encounters violence from a mysterious stalker.
• Angels Fall, Putnam, 2006 – Former chef Reece Gilmore has only local author, Jamison Brody's support when she says she has seen a murder in Angel's Fist, Wyoming.
• High Noon, Putnam, 2007 – Police Lieutenant Phoebe MacNamara, Savannah's top hostage negotiator, finds her romance with Duncan Swift affected by a series of threats against her life.
• Tribute, Putnam Adult, 2008 – Former child star Cilla McGowan and her neighbor, graphic novelist Ford Sawyer, investigate the death of Cilla’s grandmother, movie star Janet Hardy.
• Black Hills, Putnam Adult, 2009 – Ex-cop Cooper Sullivan and wildlife biologist Lil Chance, childhood sweethearts, reunite when Lil’s Black Hills wildlife refuge is threatened. 
  
• The Search,  Putnam, 2010 –  Search and rescue dog trainer Fiona Bristow joins with Simon Doyle to track a copycat killer on Washington's Orcas Island.
• Chasing Fire, Putnam, April 2011 – Smokejumper Rowan Tripp's romance with Gull Curry is interrupted by a killer who blames her for the death of her former jump partner.