2005 RITA® Winners & Finalists

Contemporary Single Title Romance

* Winner: Bet Me - Jennifer Crusie

• Finalists:

Blue Flame - Jill Shalvis

Daisy's Back In Town - Rachel Gibson

Golden Lies - Barbara Freethy

In The Mood - Suzanne Macpherson

An Irresistible Bachelor - Jessica Bird

Street Smart - Tara Taylor Quinn

Summer By The Sea - Susan Wiggs

This Can't Be Love - Kasey Michaels

First Book

* Winner: Time Off For Good Behavior - Lani Diane Rich

• Finalists:

American Idle - Alesia Holliday

Do Me, Do My Roots - Eileen Rendahl

A Man In A Kilt - Sandy Blair

Rules Of Engagement - Kathryn Caskie

The Runaway Duke - Julie Anne Long

Inspirational Romance

* Winner: Grounds To Believe - Shelley Bates

• Finalists:

At The Scent Of Water - Linda Nichols

Gabriel's Discovery - Felicia Mason

Hero In Her Heart - Marta Perry

A Nest Of Sparrows - Deborah Raney

Long Contemporary Series Romance

* Winner: John Riley's Girl - Inglath Cooper

• Finalists:

Body Search - Jessica Andersen

The Cop - Jan Hudson

A Family Christmas - Carrie Alexander

Hidden Agenda - Maggie Price

Joint Forces - Catherine Mann

A Marriage Of Majors - Elizabeth Ashtree

A Real Hero - Jean Brashear

Long Historical Romance

* Winner: Shadowheart - Laura Kinsale

• Finalists:

Beloved Impostor - Patricia Potter

The Butler Did It - Kasey Michaels

Highlander Unbound - Julia London

The Linnet - Elizabeth English

Moon In The Water - Elizabeth Grayson

My Pleasure - Connie Brockway

To Find You Again - Maureen McKade

Wedded Bliss - Barbara Metzger

Novel with Strong Romantic Elements

* Winner: A.K.A. Goddess - Evelyn Vaughn

• Finalists:

American Idle - Alesia Holliday

Do Me, Do My Roots - Eileen Rendahl

The Ocean Between Us - Susan Wiggs

Time Off For Good Behavior - Lani Diane Rich

Paranormal Romance

* Winner: Blue Moon - Lori Handeland

• Finalists:

Come To Me - Lisa Cach

Divided In Death - J.D. Robb

Heart Of The Hunter - Tina St. John

The Immortal Highlander - Karen Marie Moning

Shadow Fires - Catherine Spangler

Visions In Death - J.D. Robb

Wet And Wild - Sandra Hill

Regency Romance

* Winner: A Passionate Endeavor - Sophia Nash

• Finalists:

Moonlight And Mischief - Rhonda Woodward

The Rules Of Love - Amanda McCabe

Romance Novella

* Winner: "Her Best Enemy" in Night's Edge - Maggie Shayne

• Finalists:

"Daydream Believer" in Man Of My Dreams - Maggie Shayne

"The Edge Of Memory" in Mysteries Of Lost Angel Inn - Kathleen O'Brien

"Father And The Notorious Miss Neuman" in A Wife For Papa - Lynn Collum

"The First Kiss" in Lady Whistledown Strikes Back - Julia Quinn

"Midsummer's Night's Magic" in Man Of My Dreams - Virginia Kantra

"Out On A Limb" in Mistletoe And Mayhem - Christie Ridgway

"Surrender" in Essence Of Midnight - Julie Elizabeth Leto

"Wolf Moon" in Moon Shadows - Nora Roberts

Romantic Suspense

* Winner: I'm Watching You - Karen Rose

• Finalists:

Body Double - Vicki Hinze

Code Name: Princess - Christina Skye

Colder Than Ice - Maggie Shayne

Fatal Error - Colleen Thompson

Have You Seen Her? - Karen Rose

Just Past Midnight - Amanda Stevens

Mimosa Grove - Dinah McCall

Shady Lady - Elizabeth Thornton

Short Contemporary Romance

* Winner: Miss Pruitt's Private Life - Barbara McCauley

• Finalists:

A Family Of His Own - Liz Fielding

Hers For The Weekend - Tanya Michaels

Like A Hurricane - Roxanne St. Claire

Meeting At Midnight - Eileen Wilks

Tall, Dark And Texan - Jane Sullivan

We've Got Tonight - Jacquie D'Alessandro

When He Was Bad... - Jane Sullivan

Short Historical Romance

* Winner: A Wanted Man - Susan Kay Law

• Finalists:

The Countess Bride - Terri Brisbin

A Lady Of Distinction - Deborah Simmons

My Favorite Thief - Karyn Monk

My Seduction - Connie Brockway

The Princess Masquerade - Lois Greiman

Rules Of Engagement - Kathryn Caskie

The Unexpected Wife - Mary Burton

Traditional Romance

* Winner: Christmas Eve Marriage - Jessica Hart

• Finalists:

The Bowen Bride - Nicole Burnham

The Game Show Bride - Jackie Braun

Gino's Arranged Bride - Lucy Gordon

The Last-Minute Marriage - Marion Lennox