Guiness Gang
romantic suspense
Series · historical romantic suspense
Vanza
The Vanza series by Amanda Quick has 4 known books (4 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with With This Ring (1998).
- Books
- 4 known books (4 novels)
- Published
- 4
- First published
- 1998
- Status
- completed
- Shelved under
- Romance, Historical Fiction, Thriller
- Last checked
Start here: With This Ring (1998) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
With This Ring
With This Ring is the novel that opens Vanza, by Amanda Quick, first published in 1998 at 384 pages. It's followed in the reading order by I Thee Wed, in a series of 4 books that ran from 1998 to 2005.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of With This Ring - Book 2:
I Thee Wed
I Thee Wed is the 2nd entry in Vanza, by Amanda Quick, published in 1999 at 320 pages. It follows With This Ring and precedes Wicked Widow in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of I Thee Wed - Book 3:
Wicked Widow
Wicked Widow is the 3rd entry in Vanza, by Amanda Quick, published in 2000 at 319 pages. It follows I Thee Wed and precedes Lie by Moonlight in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Wicked Widow - Book 4:
Lie by Moonlight
Lie by Moonlight is the 4th entry in Vanza, by Amanda Quick, published in 2005 at 385 pages. It follows Wicked Widow and closes out the 4-book series, which ran from 1998 to 2005.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Lie by Moonlight
About the Vanza series
The Vanza novels are set among the members and graduates of a private, semi-secret Regency-era discipline -- part martial art, part philosophy of self-command -- that trains its adherents to read a room, control their emotions under pressure, and act decisively when it matters. Amanda Quick uses Vanza training as a plausible way to give her heroes and heroines an edge without turning them into professional spies or detectives outright: a Vanza-trained protagonist can walk into a den of thieves, a gaming hell, or a killer's study and keep their head, which is exactly the skill each book's mystery plot puts to the test. Each of the four novels is a self-contained romantic mystery -- theft, blackmail, murder, a family secret with teeth -- built around a new pair of protagonists, with the Vanza discipline itself, rather than any single continuing couple, as the connective tissue between books.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in Amanda Quick's Vanza series?
Four: With This Ring (1998), I Thee Wed (1999), Wicked Widow (2000), and Lie by Moonlight (2005).
Do the Vanza novels need to be read in order?
No -- each is a standalone romantic mystery with a new pair of leads. They share only the Vanza discipline and setting, not a continuing plot or couple.
What is "Vanza" in these books?
A private Regency-era discipline of self-command and observation that Quick's protagonists draw on to stay composed and capable when a mystery turns dangerous -- a recurring device rather than a real historical order.
Is the Vanza series connected to Amanda Quick's other series?
It stands on its own; it does not share characters or continuity with the Arcane Society, Lavinia Lake and Tobias March, Ladies of Lantern Street, or Burning Cove series.
If you like the Vanza series
Reading order last verified .