Virginia’s literary landscape is on fire. From steamy romances to make you blush to edge-of-your-seat thrillers that’ll keep you up all night, discover these local literary rockstars whose fresh ink will revolutionize your reading list.
Romancing in the Commonwealth
In The Summer We Ran by Audrey Ingram (Zibby Publishing), Tess Murphy’s mom scores a cooking gig at a grand Charlottesville estate one summer. There, Tess has a whirlwind romance with high-society Grant Alexander, ending in heartbreak. Two decades later, the two face each other again for the first time when both are running for governor of Virginia.
If you like romance with a bit of a twist, Northern Virginia–native April Asher mixes Girlmore Girls with Halloweentown in A Simple Twist of Fate (St. Martin’s Griffin). It’s a paranormal rom-com with plenty of magic, even more romance, and all about fate and second chances.
Gripping Thrills
Richard Wenzel’s A Writer in Tuscany (Atmosphere Press) unveils a sinister plot disrupting an idyllic Italian retreat filled with international guests. Beyond his gift for storytelling, Wenzel is also a physician with an illustrious medical career at VCU Health.
Journey to 1942 with Shenandoah Valley’s Maggie Stiefvater in The Listeners (Viking). At the elegant Avallon Hotel & Spa, manager June Hudson faces an impossible task: Her staff must provide luxury service to Nazi diplomats secretly housed by the State Department—while their own loved ones fight at the front.
This article originally appeared in the August 2025 issue.
