Alyssa Palombo Books in Order

How to Read Alyssa Palombo’s Books

If you are new to Alyssa Palombo, the most important thing to know is that all of her novels are independent standalone works. You do not have to worry about missing critical plot lines, recurring character arcs, or complex series continuity. This gives you complete freedom to start with whichever story captures your interest first.

However, depending on what type of reader you are, there are three main pathways we recommend for diving into her bibliography:

• The Musical & Passionate Start (Recommended): Start with her debut, The Violinist of Venice (2015). It perfectly introduces her signature blend of historical accuracy, lush romance, and classical music.
• The Dark & Gothic Route: Start with The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel (2018), a spooky, atmospheric reimagining of Sleepy Hollow with a strong feminist perspective.
• The High-Stakes Intrigue Path: Start with The Assassin of Venice (2024) or The Borgia Confessions (2020) for stories filled with espionage, shifting alliances, and Renaissance power struggles.

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Reading Alyssa Palombo’s books in publication order allows you to experience her development as a writer as she transitions from lush romantic biographies of historical artists to high-stakes political intrigue, gothic retellings, and contemporary fiction. Here is the order in which they were released:

1. The Violinist of Venice (2015) – Set in 18th-century Venice, this debut tells the story of Adriana d'Amato, a young woman who secretly studies violin under the composer Antonio Vivaldi, leading to a passionate, decades-long forbidden affair.
2. The Most Beautiful Woman in Florence (2017) – Set in 15th-century Florence, this novel follows Simonetta Cattaneo Vespucci, the legendary Renaissance beauty who became the muse for Sandro Botticelli's masterpiece, The Birth of Venus.
3. The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel (2018) – A gothic retelling of Washington Irving's classic story, told from Katrina's perspective. It details her forbidden romance with schoolmaster Ichabod Crane and her search for the truth after his mysterious disappearance on All Hallows' Eve.
4. The Borgia Confessions (2020) – Set in Rome starting in 1492, this novel explores the corrupt and powerful Borgia family through the alternating perspectives of Cesare Borgia and a Vatican servant named Maddalena Moretti.
5. Heavy Metal Symphony (2021 / 2023) – Written under the pseudonym A.K. Palombo, this is her first contemporary novel. It follows Ava Tomei, the lead singer of a symphonic metal band in Buffalo, as the pressure of recording their fifth album strains her relationship with the band's keyboardist and composer.
6. The Assassin of Venice (2024) – A high-stakes historical thriller set in 16th-century Venice, following Valentina Riccardi, a courtesan-turned-assassin who works for the city's secretive Council of Ten.

Chronological Setting Order

For readers who prefer to travel through time sequentially, you can read her novels in order of their historical settings. While Heavy Metal Symphony brings you to the modern era, the historical works span from the early Renaissance to the late 18th century:

• Mid-15th Century (1460s–1470s): The Most Beautiful Woman in Florence. Experience the artistic height of the Renaissance and the rise of the Medici circle.
• Late 15th Century (1492 onwards): The Borgia Confessions. Dive into the papal politics and dark secrets of Rome under Pope Alexander VI.
• 16th Century: The Assassin of Venice. Explore the dangerous political underworld of Renaissance Venice filled with courtesans and spies.
• Early 18th Century (1700s): The Violinist of Venice. Immerse yourself in the musical world of Baroque Venice alongside Antonio Vivaldi.
• Late 18th Century (1790s): The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel. Travel to the misty, superstitious village of Sleepy Hollow, New York.
• Modern Day: Heavy Metal Symphony. Return to the contemporary music scene of Buffalo, New York.

What to Know Before You Start

Alyssa Palombo’s books are defined by strong, complex female protagonists who push against the societal constraints of their eras. Her background as a classically trained mezzo-soprano heavily influences her writing; music is almost always a central theme, acting as a language of passion and rebellion for her characters. Even her contemporary work, Heavy Metal Symphony, mirrors this musical focus by shifting the lens to modern symphonic metal. Because her books are standalones, you can pick up any title that aligns with your favorite historical setting or trope without worrying about continuity gaps.