2006 RITA® Winners & Finalists

Contemporary Single Title Romance

* Winner: Lakeside Cottage by Susan Wiggs

• Finalists:

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

A Crazy Kind Of Love by Maureen Child

Heartbreak Hotel by Jill Marie Landis

Picket Fence by Kimberly Cates

Turn My World Upside Down by Maureen Child

You've Got Male by Elizabeth Bevarly

First Book

* Winner: Show Her The Money by Stephanie Feagan

• Finalists:

Charmed & Dangerous by Candace Havens

Finders Keepers by Linnea Sinclair

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

Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

Spirited Away by Pamela Labud

A Texas State Of Mind by Ann DeFee

Worth Every Risk by Dianna Love

Inspirational Romance

* Winner: Heavens To Betsy by Beth Pattillo

• Finalists:

Chloe by Lyn Cote

Pocketful Of Pearls by Shelley Bates

Remember Me by Deborah Bedford

A Sheltering Love by Terri Reed

Long Contemporary Romance

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

• Finalists:

Blackberry Winter by Cheryl Reavis

The Business Of Strangers by Kylie Brant

The Father Factor by Lilian Darcy

Her Last Defense by Vickie Taylor

Hometown Girl by Margaret Watson

The Secret Wife by Carrie Weaver

A Texas State Of Mind by Ann DeFee

Under The Mistletoe by Kristin Hardy

Long Historical Romance

* Winner: The Devil to Pay by Liz Carlyle

• Finalists:

The Dark Queen by Susan Carroll

A Most Unsuitable Man by Jo Beverley

Mr. Impossible by Loretta Chase

The Perfect Rake by Anne Gracie

Sin And Sensibility by Suzanne Enoch

This Rake Of Mine by Elizabeth Boyle

To Pleasure A Prince by Sabrina Jeffries

Novel with Strong Romantic Elements

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

• Finalists:

Blue Smoke by Nora Roberts

Charmed & Dangerous by Candace Havens

Ex And The Single Girl by Lani Diane Rich

The Me I Used To Be by Jennifer Archer

Sweetgrass by Mary Alice Monroe

Table For Five by Susan Wiggs

The Tiara Club by Beverly Brandt

Paranormal Romance

* Winner: Gabriel's Ghost by Linnea Sinclair

• Finalists:

After Midnight by Teresa Medeiros

Dark Lover by J.R. Ward

Ghost Walk by Heather Graham

The Misted Cliffs by Catherine Asaro

My Shadow Warrior by Jen Holling

Spirited Away by Pamela Labud

A Taste Of Crimson by Marjorie M. Liu

Regency Romance

* Winner: A Reputable Rake by Diane Gaston

• Finalists:

The House Party by Jeanne Savery

Just Say Yes by Myretta Robens

Miss Whitlow's Turn by Jenna Mindel

Romance Novella

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

• Finalists:

"Blood Lust" in Bite by Vickie Taylor

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

"Highland Handfast" in The Betrothal by Joanne Rock

Playing For Keeps by Cherry Adair

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

"Simon Says" in Secrets by Jane Thompson

Romantic Suspense

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

• Finalists:

Close-Up by Virginia Kantra

Crazy Hot by Tara Janzen

Darker Than Midnight by Maggie Shayne

In Deep Voodoo by Stephanie Bond

The Marriage Trap by Elizabeth Thornton

Nothing To Fear by Karen Rose

Tangle Of Lies by Patricia Potter

Short Contemporary Romance

* Winner: The Marriage Miracle by Liz Fielding

• Finalists:

Between Midnight And Morning by Cindy Gerard

Hot To The Touch by Jennifer Greene

One Night In Texas by Jane Sullivan

Really Hot! by Jennifer LaBrecque

The Rich Stranger by Bronwyn Jameson

The Rugged Loner by Bronwyn Jameson

The Ruthless Groom by Bronwyn Jameson

Suspicious by Heather Graham

Short Historical Romance

* Winner: The Texan's Reward by Jodi Thomas

• Finalists:

Abbie's Outlaw by Victoria Bylin

Highlander In Love by Julia London

His Secondhand Wife by Cheryl St. John

It Happened One Autumn by Lisa Kleypas

The King's Mistress by Terri Brisbin

To Love A Thief by Julie Anne Long

When We Meet Again by Victoria Alexander

Traditional Romance

* Winner: Princess Of Convenience by Marion Lennox

• Finalists:

Smart Boys & Fast Girls by Stephie Davis

Who Needs Boys? by Stephie Davis