McNaught first clicked with the reading public when her book Whitney My Love (considered by many to be the first full-length Regency historical novel) was published as a paperback original in 1985, promptly winning the Romantic Times Award for Best New Historical Novel. As a result of her newfound fame, two previously published romantic tales were reissued with commercial success. By the 1990s, McNaught had switched to contemporary romance, and with 1998's Night Whispers, she segued into romantic suspense, an area she has honed to polished perfection.

A spectacular storyteller with legions of loyal fans, McNaught proves her chops with each successive book. Honors and awards have followed in a steady stream. In addition to the Affaire de Coeur Golden Pen Certificate, she has received a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award honoring her entire body of work. Hers was the first romance novel ever chosen as a main selection by the Book-of-the-Month Club; and her titles consistently turn up on The New York Times bestseller list.

In between books, McNaught devotes herself to several charities and is active in the promotion of women's literacy.