2017 RITA® Winners & Finalists

Contemporary Romance: Long

Miracle on 5th Avenue by Sarah Morgan

Always a Bridesmaid by Lizzie Shane

Hot in Hellcat Canyon by Julie Anne Long

Make Me Sin by J.T. Geissinger

Pansies by Alexis Hall

Snowfall on Haven Point by RaeAnne Thayne

Tender Is the Night by Barbara Freethy

Contemporary Romance: Mid-Length

Carolina Dreaming by Virginia Kantra

Back in the Saddle by Karen Templeton - HarperCollins, Harlequin, Special Edition - Gail Chasan

Barefoot at Midnight by Roxanne St. Claire - Self-published - Kristi Yanta

Fast Connection by Megan Erickson & Santino Hassell - Self-published

Lone Heart Pass by Jodi Thomas - HarperCollins, Harlequin, HQN - Brittany Lawery & Susan Swinwood

Off the Hook by Laura Drewry - PRH/Random House, Bantam, Loveswept - Junessa Viloria

Once and for All: An American Valor Novel by Cheryl Etchison - HarperCollins, Avon, Impulse - Priyanka Krishnan & Rebecca Lucash

Tell Me How This Ends by Victoria De La O - Macmillan, St. Martin's Press, Swerve - Eileen Rothschild

The Turning Point by Marie Meyer - Hachette, Grand Central, Forever Yours - Megha Parekh

Wanderlust by Roni Loren - PRH/Penguin, Berkley - Kate Seaver

Contemporary Romance: Short

Christmas on Crimson Mountain by Michelle Major

APB: Baby by Julie Miller - HarperCollins, Harlequin, Intrigue - Allison Lyons

Breaking Good by Madeline Ash - Tule, Holiday - Sinclaire Sawhney

Falling for the Rancher by Tanya Michaels - HarperCollins, Harlequin, American - Johanna Raisanen

Far from Home by Lorelie Brown - Riptide - Gwen Hayes & Sarah Lyons

His Stolen Bride by Barbara Dunlop - HarperCollins, Harlequin, Desire - Kathryn Lye

A Malibu Kind of Romance by Synithia Williams - HarperCollins, Harlequin, Kimani - Shannon Criss

Overwhelming Force by Janie Crouch - HarperCollins, Harlequin, Intrigue - Allison Lyons

Searching for Disaster by Jennifer Probst - Simon & Schuster, Pocket Star - Lauren McKenna

Two Doctors and a Baby by Brenda Harlen - HarperCollins, Harlequin, Special Edition - Susan Litman

Erotic Romance

Off the Clock by Roni Loren

The Dirty Secret by Kira A. Gold - HarperCollins, Harlequin, Carina Press - Libby Murphy

The Master by Tara Sue Me - PRH/Penguin, Berkley - Claire Zion

Ravenous by M. S. Force - HTJB - Linda Ingmanson

Three Sweet Nothings by Nikki Sloane - Self-published - Lori Whitwam

First Book

Once and for All: An American Valor Novel by Cheryl Etchison

Alterations by Stephanie Scott - Bloomsbury, Spark - Meredith Rich

Close to You by Kara Isaac - Simon & Schuster, Howard - Beth Adams

The Distance from A to Z by Natalie Blitt - HarperCollins, HarperTeen - Annie Berger

Summer of Supernovas by Darcy Woods - PRH/Crown BFYR - Emily Easton

Historical Romance: Long

No Mistress of Mine by Laura Lee Guhrke

Dukes Prefer Blondes by Loretta Chase - HarperCollins, Avon - May Chen

How I Married a Marquess by Anna Harrington - Hachette, Grand Central, Forever - Michele Bidelspach

Susana and the Scot by Sabrina York - Macmillan, St. Martin's Press - Monique Patterson

Historical Romance: Short

A Duke to Remember by Kelly Bowen

Do You Want to Start a Scandal? by Tessa Dare - HarperCollins, Avon - Tessa Woodward

Duke of Sin by Elizabeth Hoyt - Hachette, Grand Central - Amy Pierpont

Left at the Altar by Margaret Brownley - Sourcebooks, Casablanca - Mary Altman

Study of Seduction by Sabrina Jeffries - Simon & Schuster, Pocket Books - Micki Nuding

Taming the Highlander by May McGoldrick - Macmillan, St. Martin's Press, Swerve - Elizabeth Poteet

Mainstream Fiction with a Central Romance

The Moon in the Palace by Weina Dai Randel

The Color of a Promise by Julianne MacLean - Self-published - Pat Thomas

The Depth of Beauty by A. B. Michaels - Red Trumpet - Rachel Daven Skinner

Now That It's You by Tawna Fenske - Amazon, Montlake - Krista Stroever & Christopher Werner

Paranormal Romance

The Pages of the Mind by Jeffe Kennedy

Bayou Shadow Hunter by Debbie Herbert - HarperCollins, Harlequin, Nocturne - Ann Leslie Tuttle

The Beast by J. R. Ward - PRH/Penguin, Berkley - Kara Welsh

The Champion of Baresh (aka Star Champion) by Susan Grant - Self-published - Mary Moran, editor

Enchanted Warrior by Sharon Ashwood - HarperCollins, Harlequin, Nocturne - Ann Leslie Tuttle

Ghost Gifts by Laura Lee Spinella - Amazon, Montlake - Alison Dasho

The Leopard King by Ann Aguirre - Self-published - Sasha Knight

Where the Wild Things Bite by Molly Harper - Simon & Schuster, Pocket Books - Abby Zidle

Romance Novella

Her Every Wish by Courtney Milan

"The Husband Maneuver" in With This Ring by Karen Witemeyer - Baker, Bethany House - Charlene Patterson

Let It Snow by Jeanette Grey - Hachette, Grand Central, Forever Yours - Megha Parekh & Lexi Smail

"Let Us Dream" in Daughter of a Nation by Alyssa Cole - Self-published - Nina S. Gooden

Searching for Mine by Jennifer Probst - Evil Eye Concepts - Liz Berry & M. J. Rose

Tycoon by Joanna Shupe - Kensington - Peter Senftleben

Wild in Rio by Lyssa Kay Adams - Self-published - Elaine Kulhanek

Romance with Religious or Spiritual Elements

My Hope Next Door by Tammy L. Gray

Close to You by Kara Isaac - Simon & Schuster, Howard - Beth Adams

Keeper of the Stars by Robin Lee Hatcher - Thomas Nelson - Ami McConnell & Leslie Peterson

Trust My Heart by Carol J. Post - Amazon, Waterfall - Erin Calligan Mooney

Romantic Suspense

Repressed by Elisabeth Naughton

All the Dead Girls by Rita Herron - Amazon, Montlake - Alison Dasho

Atone by Beth Yarnall - PRH/Random House, Bantam, Loveswept - Sue Grimshaw

Field of Graves by J. T. Ellison - HarperCollins, Harlequin, MIRA Books - Nicole Brebner

Killer Countdown by Amelia Autin - HarperCollins, Harlequin, Romantic Suspense - Carly Silver

Mr. and Mr. Smith by HelenKay Dimon - PRH/Random House, Bantam, Loveswept - Shauna Summers

One Minute to Midnight by Nico Rosso - HarperCollins, Harlequin, Carina Press - Rhonda Stapleton

Tall, Dark and Damaged by Sarah Andre - Self-published - Anya Kagan, Touchstone Editing

Young Adult Romance

The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Affective Needs by Rebecca Taylor - Ophelia House - Maya Packard

The Distance from A to Z by Natalie Blitt - HarperCollins, HarperTeen - Annie Berger

Summer of Supernovas by Darcy Woods - PRH/Crown BFYR - Emily Easton