Tarnished/Soul Dance Books in Order

This series, published as Soul Dance, is one of Ann Gimpel's more unusual blends: historical paranormal romance set against the real dangers facing Romani communities in Europe before and during World War II. The fantasy pieces are strong, but the human stakes are never far away.

Shifters, gypsies, and vampires all have history with one another, and not much of it is friendly. That shared hatred creates the central pressure running across the books. Old grudges are real, but the larger threat is worse. If these communities cannot work together, magic itself may die out, and humans will not be far behind.

Each book follows a different lead. Tarnished Beginnings and Tarnished Legacy bring in Tairin and the consequences of mixed blood. Tarnished Prophecy shifts toward Ilona, a seer whose gifts become crucial once she is trapped in Dachau. Tarnished Journey follows Yara through a Europe where hiding is already a full-time act of survival before vampires even arrive.

The historical backdrop gives the series a different weight from Gimpel's modern urban fantasy. This is not just magic in costume. Borders, prison camps, and forced displacement shape the story at every turn.

If you want paranormal romance with a strong historical frame, a traveling-caravan feel, and a real sense that survival is both magical and political, this series stands out in her catalog. It is one of her better examples of using fantasy elements to intensify, rather than replace, the pressures of history.