Tuesday, February 10, 2015

RNA Romantic Novel Awards: Shortlist for 2015



 The Romantic Novelists' Association announces shortlists for

The RoNAs (Romantic Novel Awards) 2015
including
The Romantic Novel of the Year 2015

Barbara Taylor Bradford to present the awards on 16th March

£5000 prize for winner of Romantic Novel of the Year

The contenders are announced today for the RoNAs (Romantic Novel Awards) 2015 and the overall, most prestigious, award – The Romantic Novel of the Year 2015.

The awards comprise six categories – Contemporary Romantic Novel, Epic Romantic Novel, Historical Romantic Novel, Romantic Comedy Novel, Young Adult Romantic Novel and the RoNA Rose Novel (for shorter and category romance) – with six authors shortlisted for each one.

Barbara Taylor Bradford, herself the author of thirty novels, will present the Romantic Novelists' Association (RNA) Awards for 2015 during a glittering ceremony in the Gladstone Library, One Whitehall Place, London SW1 on 16th March.

Once the category winners have been announced, and elegant star-shaped crystal trophies presented to mark their success, the winner of each category will go forward to compete for the overall prize of The Romantic Novel of the Year Award.  Barbara Taylor Bradford will reveal the author whose book has won the RNA's most prestigious and coveted award.

In addition to a special glass trophy, which is passed on from the previous year’s recipient, the winner of the Romantic Novel of the Year will also receive a cheque for £5000 (five thousand pounds).

There were a record number of entries this year and 2015 also sees three male authors amongst those contesting the awards. Novels submitted cover a wide spectrum of topics and subjects. Readers can expect anything from ditzy romantic comedies, and hot steamy contemporary romance to intrigue, suspense and bold, fearless heroes in highly charged dramatic or historical situations.

Each book was read by a panel of three independent readers drawn from an ever-growing list of over 100 volunteers. The readers, who are not members of the RNA, come from a variety of backgrounds and range in age from 18 to 85. All have one thing in common: they are passionate about romantic novels.

Since its inception in 1960 the RNA has promoted excellence in romantic fiction and its Chairman, Pia Fenton, commented, “The shortlists show that romantic fiction covers an amazing array of different sub-genres, all equal as far as we are concerned.  I love the diversity of the shortlisted books and authors, and I am thrilled that we had such a high number of entries this year, showing the popularity of this type of fiction. We are very grateful to all the publishers who supported these awards by sending us their entries.  Huge congratulations to all the authors who are shortlisted this year, it’s a great achievement!”

In previous years winners have included such well known and much loved names as  Joanna Trollope, Freya North, Rosie Thomas, JoJo Moyes and Rosamunde Pilcher.

The 2015 RNA Awards will be announced and presented by Barbara Taylor Bradford on 16th March in the Gladstone Library, One Whitehall Place, 2 Whitehall Court, London SW1A 2EJ.  The event starts at 6.00 pm and the awards presentation will start at 6.45 pm and will take approximately 45 minutes.

The Category Shortlists

Listed in alphabetical order

 The Contemporary Romantic Novel category is for mainstream romantic novels set post-1960 and includes genres such as chick lit, paranormal and romantic suspense.

 Julie Cohen, Where Love Lies, Bantam Press

Jenny Colgan, Christmas at Rosie Hopkins’ Sweet Shop, Sphere (Little, Brown)

Lucy Dillon, A Hundred Pieces of Me,  Hodder & Stoughton

Ciara Geraghty, Now That I’ve Found You, Hodder & Stoughton

Jill Mansell, The Unpredictable Consequences of Love, Headline Review

Katy Regan, The Story of You, Harper Fiction

The Epic Romantic Novel category contains serious issues or themes, including gritty, multi-generational stories.

 Elizabeth Buchan, I Can’t Begin to Tell You, Penguin Michael Joseph

Barbara Erskine, The Darkest Hour, Harper Fiction

Emma Fraser, We Shall Remember, Sphere (Little Brown)

Ella Harper, Pieces of You, Avon

Rosanna Ley, Return to Mandalay, Quercus

Alison McQueen, Under the Jewelled Sky, Orion Fiction

The Historical Romantic Novel category is for novels set in a period before 1960.

 Charlotte Betts, The Spice Merchant’s Wife,  Piatkus, (Little, Brown)

Stephen Burke, The Good Italian, Hodder & Stoughton

Marina Fiorato, Beatrice and Benedick, Hodder & Stoughton

Hazel Gaynor, The Girl Who Came Home, William Morrow, (Harper Collins)

Susan Lanigan, White Feathers, Brandon (O’Brien Press)

Isabel Wolff, Ghostwritten, Harper Fiction

The Romantic Comedy Novel is for consistently humorous or amusing novels.

 David Atkinson, Love Byte, Buried River Press

Jane Costello, The Time of Our Lives, Simon & Schuster

Lucy-Anne Holmes, Just a Girl, Standing in Front of a Boy, Sphere (Little, Brown)

Milly Johnson, The Teashop on the Corner, Simon & Schuster

Mhairi McFarlane, It’s Not Me, It’s You, Harper Fiction

Laura Tait and Jimmy Rice, The Best Thing That Never Happened To Me, Corgi

The Young Adult Romantic Novel features protagonists who are teenagers or young adults.

Cat Clarke, A Kiss in the Dark, Quercus

Keren David, Salvage, Atom, (Little, Brown)

Imogen Howson, Unravel, Quercus

Sarra Manning, The Worst Girlfriend in the World, Atom, (Little, Brown)

Joss Stirling, Misty Falls, Oxford University Press

Joss Stirling, Struck, Oxford University Press

The RoNA Rose Award recognises the best in category/series and shorter romance that focus on developing a love affair between the hero and heroine.

Louise Allen, Scandal’s Virgin, Harlequin Mills & Boon Historical

Caroline Anderson, Risk of a Lifetime, Mills & Boon Medical Romance

Fiona Harper, Taming Her Italian Boss, Harlequin Romance/Mills & Boon Cherish

Margaret McPhee, The Gentleman Rogue, Harlequin Mills & Boon Historical

Carol Townend, Unveiling Lady Clare, Harlequin Mills & Boon Historical

Scarlet Wilson, The Heir of the Castle, Harlequin Romance/Mills & Boon Cherish

The RNA has been giving out awards for excellence in romantic fiction since the organisation was started in 1960.  For a list of past winners please see our website.

Here follows a brief description of each novel in category order:

Contemporary Romantic Novel 

Julie Cohen, Where Love Lies, Bantam Press

Felicity believes she’s happily married, until she starts to experience a strange phantom scent, closely followed by the overwhelming feeling of being in love—with a man who’s not her husband. The feeling is so strong and urgent that she begins doing things that no one can understand.

Jenny Colgan, Christmas at Rosie Hopkin’s Sweet Shop, Sphere (Little Brown)

Rosie Hopkins is looking forward to Christmas in the little Derbyshire village of Lipton, buried under a thick blanket of snow. Her sweetshop is festooned with striped candy canes, large tempting piles of Turkish Delight, crinkling selection boxes and happy, sticky children. But when a tragedy strikes at the heart of their little community, all of Rosie's plans for the future seem to be blown apart. Can she build a life in Lipton? And is what's best for the sweetshop also what's best for Rosie? 

Lucy Dillon, A Hundred Pieces of Me, Hodder & Stoughton

Gina’s sorting out her life so she can make a fresh start; only the hundred possessions that mean the most can stay. Each item holds a memory, and letting go is hard, but what comes into the space Gina creates in her house – and fragile heart – changes her world forever.

Ciara Geraghty, Now That I’ve Found You, Hodder & Stoughton

Vinnie is a single father, struggling to raise his children on his own. One day, Vinnie has a panic attack while driving Ellena weekly taxi fareto her physiotherapy session. Ellen reluctantly drives Vinnie to the hospital. Its the first time she has driven a car since an accident a year before. The pair embark on a cautious friendship.

Jill Mansell, The Unpredictable Consequences of Love, Headline Review

Set in a stunning seaside town in Cornwall, this is the story of photographer Sophie, a secret she has harboured for years, and hotelier Josh and a small dog he can't control. When they meet, a series of events is triggered and lives will be changed ... forever!

Katy Regan, The Story of You, Harper Fiction

The summer Robyn King and Joe Sawyer were sixteen, things happened that changed their lives forever. When their lives collide again, fourteen years later, it feels like it’s all happening again. Can they get over the traumatic events of their past to have a future together?

Epic Romantic Novel

Elizabeth Buchan, I Can’t Begin to Tell You, Penguin Michael Joseph

In 1942 Denmark has been invaded by the Germans and Kay Eberstern, a British woman married to a Dane, has to decide which side she is on. In London, the undercover organisation, SOE, is working hard to get the Danish resistance up and running – work that engages coders, listeners and the agents in desperately secret and dangerous work. Will Kay join them and risk destroying her family, her marriage and her life?

Barbara Erskine, The Darkest Hour, Harper Fiction

Sussex 1940. The Battle of Britain has begun. Spitfire pilot Tony and would-be war artist Evie meet. She resents him; she loves him; she paints his portrait. 70 years later art historian Lucy tries to find out what happened to this enigmatic couple in a story of secrets, lies and restless ghosts.

Emma Fraser, We Shall Remember, Sphere (Little Brown)

Moving between occupied Poland in the Second World War and 1989, We Shall Remember is the gripping, poignant and honest story of the choices a young medical student is forced to make while under fire, and the repercussions of her decisions for future generations.

Ella Harper, Pieces of You, Avon

Lucy was always sure of one thing – life with soulmate Luke. But after eight heartbreaking years craving a baby, that future is crumbling. With Luke in a coma Lucy is forced to reassess everything. Especially when she meets Stella. Because Stella has a secret that will change Lucy’s world forever ...

Rosanna Ley, Return to Mandalay, Quercus

Set in Burma, land of scorching heat and monsoons, green paddy fields and golden temples, Eva Gatsby searches for the truth of her grandfather’s past. Caught between love, loyalty and integrity, Eva finds herself in the centre of a conspiracy dating from the final Burmese dynasty ...

Alison McQueen, Under the Jewelled Sky, Orion Fiction

London 1957. In a bid to erase her past, Sophie Schofield weds an ambitious diplomat, but nothing is quite what it seems. Under The Jewelled Sky unravels the fragile construct of a dysfunctional British family’s disintegration in the wake of World War II, India’s shocking partition, and a scandal with devastating consequences.

Historical Romantic Novel

 Charlotte Betts, The Spice Merchant’s Wife, Piatkus, (Little Brown)

Kate Finche’s spice merchant husband drowns after the Great Fire of London destroys their livelihood. Destitute, she seeks refuge in The House of Perfume, where blind perfumer Gabriel Harte awakens Kate's senses to a new world. But as she flees from forbidden love, her husband's murderer comes looking for her …

Stephen Burke, The Good Italian, Hodder & Stoughton

Enzo Secchi, harbourmaster for Massawa, Eritrea’s main port, is a loyal Italian civil servant. His only problem is that he is lonely. When Mussolini decides to invade neighbouring Ethiopia, a new law is introduced, prohibiting relationships between Italian men and local women – for Enzo, both events will have far-reaching consequences.            

Marina Fiorato, Beatrice and Benedick, Hodder & Stoughton

Hidden in the language of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing are several clues to an intriguing tale.  The text suggests that the lovers Beatrice and Benedick had a previous, youthful affair that ended bitterly. But how did the two meet, why did they part, and what brought them together again?

Hazel Gaynor, The Girl Who Came Home, William Morrow, (Harper Collins)

Inspired by true events, this New York Times bestseller is the poignant story of a young Irish woman, those she travels with aboard RMS Titanic, and the sweetheart she leaves behind. This story is a seamless blend of fact and fiction that explores the tragedy's impact and its lasting repercussions on survivors and descendants.

Susan Lanigan, White Feathers, Brandon (O’Brien Press)

In 1913, Eva Downey is awarded a legacy to attend a finishing school in Kent. Escaping her suffocating family, she finds kinship and love. But when war breaks out and her fiancé refuses to enlist, Eva’s family force her to make an impossible choice, one with devastating consequences.

Isabel Wolff, Ghostwritten, Harper Fiction

Jenni, a ghost writer, is asked to pen the memoirs of Klara, who, as a child, was imprisoned on Java during the Japanese occupation of World War II.  But the harrowing details compel Jenni to confront her own devastating memories, and a secret she’s spent a lifetime burying.

Romantic Comedy Novel

David Atkinson, Love Byte, Buried River Press

If your dead wife emailed offering to find you a new girlfriend, what would you do? Andy Hunter receives delayed emails from his late wife, leading to all sorts of trouble. This funny, heart-warming and moving romantic comedy is a bitter-sweet tale of second chances and self-discovery.               

Jane Costello, The Time of Our Lives, Simon & Schuster

When Imogen, Meredith and Nicola win a VIP holiday at Barcelona’s hippest new hotel, they plan to switch off in unapologetic luxury. But between a robbery, a run-in with hotel security staff and an encounter on a nudist beach, the friends stumble from one disaster to the next.

Lucy-Anne Holmes, Just a Girl, Standing in Front of a Boy, Sphere (Little, Brown)

Jenny Taylor is rollicking along in life, with a steady job, great friends and her handsome, driven fiancé, Matt. But suddenly she falls in love at first sight with Joe King, her mother comes to stay in order ‘to bond’ and she’s forced to face a past she’d rather forget.

Milly Johnson, The Teashop on the Corner, Simon & Schuster

A motley band of misfits, all craving companionship, find a haven of conversation, cake and literary-themed goods at lovely Leni Merryman’s ‘Teashop on the Corner’.  As their hearts are slowly mended by Leni, will they return the favour when she needs it most?

Mhairi McFarlane, It’s Not Me, It’s You, Harper Fiction

Life seems pretty good for Delia Moss, Newcastle City Council press officer. She lives in her home city with her long term partner, publican Paul. But when she proposes, and shortly after receives a panicked text message from Paul meant for The Other Woman, her world as she knows it falls apart. A strange and exciting odyssey of self discovery follows, where Delia must learn to say: it's not me, it's you.

Laura Tait and Jimmy Rice, The Best Thing That Never Happened To Me, Corgi

A brilliantly funny, feel-good story of first love, second chances and everything in between, written in alternative chapters by Laura Tait (who writes as Holly) and Jimmy Rice (as Alex).

Young Adult Romantic Novel

Cat Clarke, A Kiss in the Dark, Quercus

When Alex meets Kate, the attraction is instant. Alex is funny, good-looking, and a little shy everything that Kate wants in a boyfriend. Alex can't help falling for Kate, who is pretty, charming and maybe just a little naïve ... But one of them is hiding a secret, and as their love blossoms, it threatens to ruin not just their relationship, but their lives.

Keren David, Salvage, Atom, (Little, Brown)

Siblings Aidan and Cass were separated twelve years ago, when Cass was adopted by a wealthy family. Now her picture is on the front page of the newspapers, and Aidan tracks her down via Facebook. But will their reunion bring joy – or uncover old secrets which threaten both their lives?

Imogen Howson, Unravel, Quercus

Lissa has found her long-lost twin – and exposed the horrifying reason why the government imprisoned her. Running for their lives, Lissa and Lin discover more escaped twins, allies at last. But a terrifying threat waits in the shadows ... Can Lissa protect Lin in a world that wants to destroy her?

Sarra Manning, The Worst Girlfriend in the World, Atom, (Little, Brown)

Franny Barker’s best friend, Alice, is the worst girlfriend in the world according to the many boys of Merrycliffe-on-Sea. She toys with them, and dumps them. But she’ll never dump fashion obsessed Franny. Nothing and no one can come between. Not even wannabe rock-god and sultry-eyed manchild, Louis Allen, who Franny’s been crushing on hard. Until Alice sets her sights on Louis. Suddenly, the BFFs are bitter rivals. Is winning Louis’s heart worth more than their friendship? There’s only one way for Franny to find out.

Joss Stirling, Struck, OUP

Behind the walls of an exclusive boarding school lurks a sinister web of corruption. Raven Stone doesn’t know where to go for help.  She is drawn to enigmatic Kieran Storm – a fellow student with a killer intellect. Is he a potential ally or yet more trouble?

Joss Stirling, Misty Falls, OUP

Misty is a one-girl disaster zone, born with a Savant 'gift' that means she can never tell a lie. So when she meets Alex, Misty thinks someone so perfect could never be hers. But a serial killer is stalking young people and soon one of them will be taken to the edge of death –and beyond.

RoNA Rose Award

Louise Allen, Scandal’s Virgin, Harlequin Mills & Boon Historical

Lady Laura Campion, the infamous Scandal’s Virgin, hides heartbreak beneath a brittle mask. Then she discovers that her lost child is the ward of Avery Falconer, Earl of Wykeham. Laura will use any weapon against Avery to recover her daughter, even as she falls in love with her enemy.

Caroline Anderson, Risk of a Lifetime, Mills & Boon Medical Romance

Ed and Annie are doctors with reasons for staying single. He might have a potentially fatal genetic disorder, she’s had a messy relationship and twin daughters. Nothing to say they can’t have a fling – but then things get serious and Ed realises he can’t run away from the truth forever.

Fiona Harper, Taming Her Italian Boss, Harlequin Romance/Mills & Boon Cherish

Free spirit Ruby Lange is packing her vintage suitcase and heading for Venice to become Max Martin’s travelling nanny. But as the city works its magic, Ruby discovers her buttoned-up boss is masking a huge heart – and that she just might be the woman to help him trust it again!

Margaret McPhee, The Gentleman Rogue, Harlequin Mills & Boon Historical

Emma Northcote stares in amazement. For across the ballroom is Ned Stratham – who once held her heart. But that was another life in another part of London. Gone forever. For only now does Ned realise their deeper connection – one that could destroy them both if Emma ever discovered the truth …

Carol Townend, Unveiling Lady Clare, Harlequin Mills & Boon Historical

THE SECRETS BEHIND HER EYES …
Sir Arthur Ferrer notices her at the Twelfth Night joust. Something about her eyes captivates him, but when he goes to find her she's disappeared! Clare has been running from a dark past, but this handsome knight seems determined to unveil her secrets. Dare she let him glimpse her real self?

 Scarlet Wilson, The Heir of the Castle, Harlequin Romance/Mills & Boon Cherish

Tycoon Callan McGregor is bereft when the closest person he has to a father dies, and it's down to him to organise the inheritance of Annick Castle. And the most suitable candidate seems to be stunning lawyer Laurie Jenkins.  Even though she makes the usually brooding Callan's pulse race, this is business – he cannot afford a distraction. But she's a bubbly breath of fresh air who shakes the castle and Callan to its foundations. This time, he's not going to walk away – from either his home or from Laurie ...

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