Overview of the Romance genre, with 2011 RITA (r) Award Winners from the Romance Writers of America. Images from Author Web sites or Flickr, with attribution.

1. Winner for Regency Historical Romance
Mischief of the Mistletoe by Lauren Willig (Penguin) Book 7.
Lauren Willig's mix of action, adventure, and romance among English and French spies during
the Napoleonic Wars is immensely popular. Willig's novels jump from present-day Eloise,
researching her dissertation in England, to the adventures of spies centered around the
mysterious Pink Carnation. These are swashbuckling, romantic romps with witty dialogue and
fun, well-plotted mysteries.
Start with: The Secret History of the Pink Carnation (Book 1) “steamy, suspenseful”
In this irresistible Regency Christmas caper, Arabella Dempsey accepts a position at a quiet
girls' school in Bath, but she hardly imagines coming face to face with French aristocrats and
international spies. Guest appearances by Dempsey's best friend Jane Austen and characters
from previous installments of the Pink Carnation series round out the laugh-out-loud holiday-
themed romance of intrigue.
Winner for Historical Romance
Sherry Thomas (Random House, Bantam Books) - Her 4th book and 2nd RITA Award - she
won last year with NOT QUITE A HUSBAND
Sherry Thomas burst onto the scene with PRIVATE ARRANGEMENTS, aPublisher Weekly
Best Book of 2008. Her sophomore book, DELICIOUS, is aLibrary Journal Best Romance of
2008. Lisa Kleypas calls her "the most powerfully original historical romance author working
today."
His at Night
Determined to escape her tyrannical uncle, Elissande Edgerton sets a marriage trap for Lord
Vere, a secret agent for the English government.
Steamy and engaging
Winner for Inspirational Romance
Irene Hannon In Harm’s Way
“If you’re looking for edge-of-the-seat suspense or tender, heartwarming romance—without
gratuitous violence, explicit love scenes or vulgar language—you’re in the right place! My books
have been called clean, compelling fiction, and that sums up my style nicely.”
RITA Finalist - An Eye for An Eye
In Harm’s Way - (Book 3, Heroes of Quantico)
FBI special agent Nick Bradley has seen his share of kooks during his fifteen years with the
Bureau, from the guy who insisted he’d been abducted by aliens to the woman who claimed
God had told her to assist the FBI by acting as His intermediary on difficult cases. But Rachel
Sutton is an enigma. She seems normal when she shows up at the FBI office in St. Louis—until
she produces a tattered Raggedy Ann doll she found and tells him it gives her bad vibes. Nick
dismisses her—only to stumble across a link between the doll and an abducted infant, setting in
motion a chain of events that uncovers startling connections…and puts Rachel’s life on the line.
Winner for Young Adult Romance
Julie Kagawa - The Iron King (Harlequin Teen)
Book 1 of the Iron Fey series Book 4 - Iron Knight
“My name is Meghan Chase.
In less than twenty-four hours I'll be sixteen. Countless stories, songs, and poems have been

2. written about this wonderful age, when a girl finds true love and the stars shine for her and the
handsome prince carries her off into the sunset.
I don't think it will be that way for me. “
When her half-brother is kidnapped, Meghan Chase, who has recently learned that she is the
daughter of the summer faery king, must journey into a strange world she never imagined to
face an unknown enemy and save those she loves.
Winner for Romance Novella
Virginia Kantra - “Shifting Sea” in Burning Up (Penguin Group) With Angela Knight, Nalini
Singh, and Meljean Brook (Iron Duke, steampunk)
"Shifting sea " by Virginia Kantra is a prequel story to her "Children of the sea" series.
Children of the Sea paranormal romance “(First book in series) Sea Witch - The undeniable
passion between police chief Caleb Hunter and Margred, a legendary being of the sea who is
able to shape-shift into seductive human form, may change the fate of humankind.”
Winner for Romantic Suspense
Karen Rose - Silent Scream (Grand Central publishing)
Detective Olivia Sutherland works with firefighter David Hunter, with whom she shared a night
of passion years earlier, to track down a sadistic blackmailer and killer who is using a group of
college students to do his bidding.
Winner for Paranormal Romance
Unchained: The Dark Forgotten by Sharon Ashwood Book 3 of the series. Frostbound is the
newest (book 4). Book 1 is Ravenous (Feb 2009)
When the custody battle for her 10-year-old daughter forces her to take a job at the public
library, former demon hunter Ashe Carver finds her two worlds colliding when the dashing
Captain Reynard, who has spent centuries guarding a supernatural prison, demands that she
finds the thief who took his soul. Original.
Winner for Contemporary Single title Romance
Simply Irresistible by Jill Shalvis - Book 1 of the Lucky Harbor novels
After losing both her boyfriend and her job, Maddie Moore, claiming the inheritance left by her
free-spirited mother, arrives in the town of Lucky Harbor, Washington where she must convince
her two half-sisters to join her in a business venture as well as convince herself to take a
chance on love. .
“In this heartwarming and sexy contemporary romance from bestseller Shalvis (Instant
Temptation), Maddie Moore meets the man of her dreams, but must fight her inner demons to
make it work. “