RITA and Golden Heart Finalists Announced!

The Romance Writers of America announced the finalists for the RITA and Golden Heart awards today. (The RITA is for published romances; the Golden Heart is for unpublished manuscripts) A big congratulations to all of the finalists. A complete list, separated by genre, can be found at RWA's site here.

As usual there was a mix of books I was happy to see, some I was saddened to see  snubbed. And a couple whose inclusions in the nominees prompted a great, big HUH?

A few I'm rooting for:

Rebel by Zoe Archer [Paranormal Romance] Not my favorite of the Blades of the Rose, but I love the concept and Zoe's writing.


Twice Tempted by a Rogue by Tessa Dare [Regency Historical Romance] This was by far my favorite of the Stud Club series. The writing is just gorgeous and I adored the hero, Rhys.

Simply Irresistible by Jill Shalvis [Contemporary Single Title Romance] I adored this book. The heroine was so quirky, and had a wonderful character arc. Plus it was, as usual, funnier than hell.

(RITA, the RITA statuette, and Golden Heart are registered trademarks of the Romance Writers of America)