2006 RITA® Winners & Finalists

Contemporary Single Title Romance

* Winner: Lakeside Cottage - Susan Wiggs

• Finalists:

All I Need Is You (aka Wedding Survivor) - Julia London

A Crazy Kind Of Love - Maureen Child

Heartbreak Hotel - Jill Marie Landis

Picket Fence - Kimberly Cates

Turn My World Upside Down - Maureen Child

You've Got Male - Elizabeth Bevarly

First Book

* Winner: Show Her The Money - Stephanie Feagan

• Finalists:

Charmed & Dangerous - Candace Havens

Finders Keepers - Linnea Sinclair

The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Men I've Dated - Shane Bolks

Poison Study - Maria V. Snyder

Spirited Away - Pamela Labud

A Texas State Of Mind - Ann DeFee

Worth Every Risk - Dianna Love

Inspirational Romance

* Winner: Heavens To Betsy - Beth Pattillo

• Finalists:

Chloe - Lyn Cote

Pocketful Of Pearls - Shelley Bates

Remember Me - Deborah Bedford

A Sheltering Love - Terri Reed

Long Contemporary Romance

* Winner: Worth Every Risk (aka Last Chance to Run) - Dianna Love

• Finalists:

Blackberry Winter - Cheryl Reavis

The Business Of Strangers - Kylie Brant

The Father Factor - Lilian Darcy

Her Last Defense - Vickie Taylor

Hometown Girl - Margaret Watson

The Secret Wife - Carrie Weaver

A Texas State Of Mind - Ann DeFee

Under The Mistletoe - Kristin Hardy

Long Historical Romance

* Winner: The Devil to Pay - Liz Carlyle

• Finalists:

The Dark Queen - Susan Carroll

A Most Unsuitable Man - Jo Beverley

Mr. Impossible - Loretta Chase

The Perfect Rake - Anne Gracie

Sin And Sensibility - Suzanne Enoch

This Rake Of Mine - Elizabeth Boyle

To Pleasure A Prince - Sabrina Jeffries

Novel with Strong Romantic Elements

* Winner: Lady Luck's Map Of Vegas - Barbara Samuel

• Finalists:

Blue Smoke - Nora Roberts

Charmed & Dangerous - Candace Havens

Ex And The Single Girl - Lani Diane Rich

The Me I Used To Be - Jennifer Archer

Sweetgrass - Mary Alice Monroe

Table For Five - Susan Wiggs

The Tiara Club - Beverly Brandt

Paranormal Romance

* Winner: Gabriel's Ghost - Linnea Sinclair

• Finalists:

After Midnight - Teresa Medeiros

Dark Lover - J.R. Ward

Ghost Walk - Heather Graham

The Misted Cliffs - Catherine Asaro

My Shadow Warrior - Jen Holling

Spirited Away - Pamela Labud

A Taste Of Crimson - Marjorie M. Liu

Regency Romance

* Winner: A Reputable Rake - Diane Gaston

• Finalists:

The House Party - Jeanne Savery

Just Say Yes - Myretta Robens

Miss Whitlow's Turn - Jenna Mindel

Romance Novella

* Winner: "The Naked Truth About Guys" in The Naked Truth - Alesia Holliday

• Finalists:

"Blood Lust" in Bite - Vickie Taylor

"Glad Rags" in The True Love Wedding Dress - Connie Brockway

"Highland Handfast" in The Betrothal - Joanne Rock

Playing For Keeps - Cherry Adair

"A Proper Englishwoman" in Talk Of The Ton - Eloisa James

"Simon Says" in Secrets - Jane Thompson

Romantic Suspense

* Winner: Survivor In Death - J.D. Robb

• Finalists:

Close-Up - Virginia Kantra

Crazy Hot - Tara Janzen

Darker Than Midnight - Maggie Shayne

In Deep Voodoo - Stephanie Bond

The Marriage Trap - Elizabeth Thornton

Nothing To Fear - Karen Rose

Tangle Of Lies - Patricia Potter

Short Contemporary Romance

* Winner: The Marriage Miracle - Liz Fielding

• Finalists:

Between Midnight And Morning - Cindy Gerard

Hot To The Touch - Jennifer Greene

One Night In Texas - Jane Sullivan

Really Hot! - Jennifer LaBrecque

The Rich Stranger - Bronwyn Jameson

The Rugged Loner - Bronwyn Jameson

The Ruthless Groom - Bronwyn Jameson

Suspicious - Heather Graham

Short Historical Romance

* Winner: The Texan's Reward - Jodi Thomas

• Finalists:

Abbie's Outlaw - Victoria Bylin

Highlander In Love - Julia London

His Secondhand Wife - Cheryl St. John

It Happened One Autumn - Lisa Kleypas

The King's Mistress - Terri Brisbin

To Love A Thief - Julie Anne Long

When We Meet Again - Victoria Alexander

Traditional Romance

* Winner: Princess Of Convenience - Marion Lennox

• Finalists:

Smart Boys & Fast Girls - Stephie Davis

Who Needs Boys? - Stephie Davis