Virginia Kantra

Virginia Kantra is a New York Times bestselling author, well-known for her works in the fiction genre. She has written several novels that span various genres, including contemporary romance, paranormal romance, and romantic suspense. Kantra has established herself as a bestselling author, with her novels topping the New York Times lists.

Kantra's latest release, "The Fairytale Life of Dorothy Gale," is a contemporary reimagining inspired by Dorothy's adventures in Oz. The novel follows Kansas graduate student Dee Gale as she flees personal heartbreak and public humiliation to enroll in the writing program at Trinity College Dublin. Meg and Jo, a contemporary novel inspired by the classic story Little Women, received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist and was a People Magazine pick. Beth and Amy, the latest addition to this series, is set to be released on May 25, 2021. Kantra's work has earned her numerous awards, including two Romance Writers of America's RITA (R) Awards, ten RITA nominations, and two National Readers' Choice Awards.

Kantra's novel "Carolina Dreaming," the fifth book in her Dare Island series, won the 2017 RITA (R) Award for Best Contemporary Romance - Midlength and was named one of BookPage's Top Ten Romance Novels of 2016. She is the author of more than twenty novels, including the popular Children of the Sea series and, in e-book format, The MacNeills stories. Kantra is married to her college sweetheart, a coffee shop owner who keeps her well supplied with caffeine and material. They make their home in North Carolina, where they raised three (mostly adult) children. Kantra is a firm believer in the strength of family, the importance of storytelling, and the power of love. Her favorite thing to make for dinner? Reservations.

Kantra's work has received widespread acclaim and praise from critics and readers alike. Kirkus Reviews described her Dare Island series as "wonderful," while Publishers Weekly called her work "excellent and emotional." JoAnn Ross, a New York Times bestselling author, described herself as a "long-time Virginia Kantra fan girl" and praised Kantra's characters for being as rich as those of Nora Roberts. The Romance Reader also praised Kantra's work, stating that she "writes fantastic contemporary romance." Kantra's website and social media pages offer excerpts of her work, as well as information about upcoming releases.
Children of the Earth Books
# Title Year
1 Midsummer Night's Magic 2011
Children of the Sea Books
# Title Year
1 Sea Fever 2008
2 Sea Witch 2008
3 Sea Lord 2009
4 Immortal Sea 2010
5 Forgotten Sea 2011
Dare Island Books
# Title Year
1 Carolina Home 2012
2 Carolina Girl 2013
3 Carolina Man 2014
4 Carolina Blues 2014
5 Carolina Dreaming 2016
6 Carolina Heart 2016
Family Secrets Books
# Title Year
1 A Forbidden Seduction 1995
2 A Forbidden Seduction (By: Sara Wood) 1995
3 Uncharted Waters (By: Linda Castillo) 2003
4 Uncharted Waters 2003
5 The Impossible Alliance (By: Candace Irvin) 2003
6 The Impossible Alliance 2003
7 A Verdict of Love (By: Jenna Mills) 2003
8 A Verdict of Love 2003
9 The Cinderella Mission (By: Catherine Mann) 2003
10 The Cinderella Mission 2003
11 The Phoenix Encounter / Secret Encounter 2003
12 The Phoenix Encounter / Secret Encounter (By: Linda Castillo) 2003
13 Enemy Mind 2003
14 Broken Silence (By: Maggie Shayne, Eileen Wilks, Anne Marie Winston) 2003
15 Pyramid of Lies 2003
16 Enemy Mind (By: Maggie Shayne) 2003
17 Pyramid of Lies (By: Anne Marie Winston) 2003
18 The Player 2003
19 The Bluewater Affair 2003
20 The Player (By: Evelyn Vaughn) 2003
21 The Bluewater Affair (By: Cindy Gerard) 2003
22 The Billionaire Drifter 2003
23 Her Beautiful Assassin 2003
24 The Billionaire Drifter (By: Beverly Bird) 2003
25 Fever 2004
26 Fever (By: Linda Winstead Jones) 2004
27 Blind Attraction 2004
28 Blind Attraction (By: Myrna Mackenzie) 2004
29 The Parker Project 2004
30 The Parker Project (By: Joan Elliott Pickart) 2004
31 The Insider 2004
32 Check Mate 2004
33 The Insider (By: Ingrid Weaver) 2004
34 Check Mate (By: Beverly Barton) 2004
35 Ripple Effect 2004
36 Ripple Effect (By: Vickie Taylor) 2004
37 Close Quarters 2004
38 Close Quarters (By: Judith Lyons) 2004
39 Racing Hearts 2004
40 Racing Hearts (By: Lilian Darcy) 2004
41 Blind Attraction / The Parker Project (By: Joan Elliott Pickart) 2004
Family Secrets Series in Chronological Order
# Title Year
1 Enemy Mind 2003
2 The Cinderella Mission (By: Catherine Mann) 2003
3 Pyramid of Lies 2003
4 The Phoenix Encounter / Secret Encounter (By: Linda Castillo) 2003
5 The Impossible Alliance (By: Candace Irvin) 2003
6 The Player 2003
7 Broken Silence (By: Maggie Shayne, Eileen Wilks, Anne Marie Winston) 2003
8 The Bluewater Affair 2003
9 Enemy Mind (By: Maggie Shayne) 2003
10 Pyramid of Lies (By: Anne Marie Winston) 2003
11 A Verdict of Love 2003
12 The Player (By: Evelyn Vaughn) 2003
13 The Billionaire Drifter 2003
14 The Bluewater Affair (By: Cindy Gerard) 2003
15 Fever 2004
16 Her Beautiful Assassin 2003
17 Blind Attraction 2004
18 A Verdict of Love (By: Jenna Mills) 2003
19 The Parker Project 2004
20 The Insider 2004
21 The Billionaire Drifter (By: Beverly Bird) 2003
22 Check Mate 2004
23 Fever (By: Linda Winstead Jones) 2004
24 Blind Attraction (By: Myrna Mackenzie) 2004
25 Ripple Effect 2004
26 The Parker Project (By: Joan Elliott Pickart) 2004
27 Uncharted Waters 2003
28 Close Quarters 2004
29 The Insider (By: Ingrid Weaver) 2004
30 Racing Hearts 2004
31 Check Mate (By: Beverly Barton) 2004
32 Ripple Effect (By: Vickie Taylor) 2004
33 A Forbidden Seduction 1995
34 The Cinderella Mission 2003
35 Uncharted Waters (By: Linda Castillo) 2003
36 The Impossible Alliance 2003
37 Close Quarters (By: Judith Lyons) 2004
38 Racing Hearts (By: Lilian Darcy) 2004
39 The Phoenix Encounter / Secret Encounter 2003
40 A Forbidden Seduction (By: Sara Wood) 1995
41 Blind Attraction / The Parker Project (By: Joan Elliott Pickart) 2004
Firstborn Sons Books
# Title Year
1 Born Brave 2001
2 Born Brave ( By: Ruth Wind) 2001
3 Born a Hero ( By: Paula Detmer Riggs) 2001
4 Born a Hero 2001
5 Born To Protect 2001
6 Born Royal (By: Alexandra Sellers) 2001
7 Born Royal 2001
Sweet Home Carolina Books
# Title Year
1 The Reforming of Matthew Dunn 1998
2 The Passion of Patrick MacNeill 1998
3 The Temptation of Sean MacNeill 2000
4 Mad Dog and Annie 2000
Trouble In Eden Books
# Title Year
1 All A Man Can Do 2002
2 All a Man Can Ask 2003
3 All A Man Can Be 2003
4 Stolen Memory 2005
Standalone Novels
# Title Year
1 Guilty Secrets 2004
2 Close-Up 2005
3 Home Before Midnight 2006
4 Meg and Jo 2019
5 Beth and Amy 2021
6 The Fairytale Life of Dorothy Gale 2023
Families are Forever Books
# Title Year
1 Friday's Child 1998
2 Secondhand Dad 1998
3 A Husband Waiting to Happen 1998
4 Angus's Lost Lady 1998
5 Partners in Parenthood 1998
6 Home For Christmas 1998
7 Her Second Chance Family 1999
8 The Daddy Trap 1999
9 Murphy's Child 1999
10 The Hijacked Wife 1999
11 Anything for His Children 1999
12 Code Name: Santa 1999
13 The Comeback of Conn MacNeill 2000
Men In Blue Books
# Title Year
1 The Reforming of Matthew Dunn 1998
2 While She Was Sleeping (By: Diane Pershing) 1998
3 Engaging Sam (By: Ingrid Weaver) 1998
4 Girls' Night Out (By: Elizabeth August) 1998
5 One Silent Night (By: Debra Cowan) 1998
6 Murphy's Law (By: Marilyn Pappano) 1998
7 Bridger's Last Stand (By: Linda Winstead Jones) 1999
8 The Tough Guy and the Toddler (By: Diane Pershing) 1999
9 Most Wanted (By: Maggie Price) 1999
10 One Moment Past Midnight (By: Emilie Richards) 1999
11 An Officer and a Gentle Woman (By: Doreen Owens Malek) 1999
12 Marrying Mike... Again (By: Lisa Gardner) 2000
13 A Place to Call Home (By: Sharon Sala) 2000
Virginia Kantra Anthologies
# Title Year
1 Femme Fatale 2003
2 Man of My Dreams 2004
3 Over The Moon 2007
4 Shifter 2008
5 Burning Up 2010
6 Tied with a Bow 2011
7 Heart of the Matter 2013
8 Ask Me Why 2015