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Notes

  • 'Novels of any length, tone, or style, set in any place or time, in which a romance plays a significant part in the story, though it is not necessarily the central plot. Other themes or elements take the plot beyond the traditional romance boundaries.'

    This award was inaugurated in 2009.

    Source: Romance Writers of Australia website, http://www.romanceaustralia.com
    Sighted: 18/08/2009

Latest Winners / Recipients

Year: 2020

winner y separately published work icon Just One Wish Rachael Johns , Sydney : HQ Fiction , 2019 16576881 2019 single work novel

'Three women, three secrets, one life-changing journey.

'Alice has always been a trailblazer as a scientist, activist, and mother. She knew her choices would involve sacrifices, but now, on the eve of her eightieth birthday, she's beginning to wonder if she's sacrificed too much.

'Alice's daughter Sappho rebelled against her unconventional upbringing, choosing to marry young and embrace life as a homemaker, but her status as a domestic goddess has recently taken a surprising turn.

'Ged, has always been the peacemaker between her grandmother and mother. A tenacious journalist she knows what she wants in life and love, yet when everything in her world starts falling apart, she begins to question whether she really knows anyone at all.

'At a crossroads in each of their lives, Alice, Sappho and Ged embark on a celebratory trip together, but instead of bringing them closer, the holiday sparks life-changing consequences and lifts the lid on a fifty-year secret.

'Can Ged rescue her family if their story is built on a betrayal?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

Year: 2019

winner y separately published work icon Tangled Vines Megan Mayfair , Edinburgh : Crooked Cat Books , 2018 15427513 2018 single work novel romance

'Amelia O'Sullivan is a photographer who has always viewed herself through the wrong lens. When her marriage publicly crashes around her, she flees to the safety of her aunt's country property to pick up the pieces. Can she adjust her focus to what she really wants from her life?

'Born into a wealthy and powerful family, Frederick Doyle may seem like a man who has it all, but behind the scenes, a bitter business feud threatens an irrevocable family split. As he fights for control of the winery he'd built from the ground up, he finds a supportive ally in Amelia and becomes increasingly beguiled by her creative spirit.

'Jill McMahon is a successful novelist suffering from writer's block over her latest manuscript. Finding her niece, Amelia, at her door, reminds her of the bonds of family, but in seeing Amelia and Frederick's relationship grow, a long-forgotten and painful secret threatens to re-surface.

'Can Amelia, Frederick and Jill untangle themselves from their pasts or will history simply repeat itself?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

Year: 2017

winner y separately published work icon Numbered Amy Andrews , Ros Baxter , Sydney : Mira Books , 2016 9298691 2016 single work novel romance

'Live every day like it was your last.

'Mathematician and many-time Loser in Love Poppy Devine believes in being prepared. So when she discovers she has breast cancer, all she has to do is dust off the carefully numbered bucket list she prepared years before with her best friend Julia.

'There are only two problems: Quentin, a gorgeous younger man with rock-star ambitions, wasn’t on her list. And take-a-risk Julia, has suddenly come over all disapproving.

'Together with Poppy’s hippy mother Scarlet, the three form an unlikely alliance to help Poppy realise her goals. Sky diving, swimming with sharks, cooking classes in Tuscany, visiting an orphanage in India are all part of the journey. Along the way, Poppy is forced to confront her best friend’s grief, her fraught relationship with her mother, and the fact that she really might be using her last available time on earth to make the most imperfect match of her life.

'But Poppy comes to learn that when your days are numbered there’s no such thing as perfect and love really is all you need.' (Publication summary)

Year: 2013

winner (Romantic elements) y separately published work icon Queen of the Road Tricia Stringer , Chatswood : Mira Books , 2012 Z1920736 2012 single work novel romance romance 'Angela needed a miracle...She didn't expect it to come in the form of a red 18-wheeler. Juggling two jobs, raising her four-year-old daughter alone and drowning in debt, Angela Ranger is struggling to survive. So when Angela's father offers her a job driving trucks in the tiny rural town of Munirilla, she accepts. After all, it's only temporary. Despite taking to the road with ease, Angela finds moving to Munirilla may not be the godsend it seemed. Her accommodation is dingy, her fellow truckies are less than happy to see a woman on the road, and the locals are reluctant to use her services. There is one local who's glad to see her, though. Fill-in farm manager and loner, Coop, resists his natural tendency to avoid personal connections when he meets the efficient and gorgeous Angela. But Coop has problems of his own - sheep are going missing, his neighbours are acting strangely and the demons of his past are urging him to move on again. In Munirilla, both Angela and Coop will face the ultimate test of character. Will they follow reason and leave? Or follow their hearts and build a home in the small town...together?' (Publisher's blurb)
winner (Short sweet) y separately published work icon Bella's Wishlist Emily Forbes , Richmond : Mills and Boon , 2012 Z1908750 2012 single work novel romance
— Appears in: Un rêve pour Bella [and] Le retour du Dr Gabriel Armitage 2012;

— Appears in: Bellas højeste ønske [and] Et nødstilfælde 2013;

— Appears in: Bellas önskelista/Lyckans land 2013;
'Confined to her hospital bed, the only thing keeping shy Bella's vital signs in check (and giving her hope for the future) are the regular visits from Charlie Maxwell, SHH's most charming doc. Charlie's no stranger to crushed dreams but Bella's living on borrowed time. Suddenly, making Bella's deepest wishes come true is Charlie's only priority!' (Publisher's blurb)

Year: 2012

winner y separately published work icon Shattered Sky Helene Young , Sydney : Hachette Australia , 2011 Z1752586 2011 single work novel romance thriller 'On a routine surveillance flight east of the Australian coast, Captain Lauren Bennett's crew pick up a mayday call. A yacht is under fire. For the international smugglers operating below the radar of the navy and Border Watch, sinking a pleasure craft is just part of their day's work. Lauren has other ideas. As she pursues the men into the isolated country of Cape York, she'll need all the help she can get. That will mean joining forces with the cynical navy officer Callam Granger, who's already shown his contempt for her. What will it take to convince him she's right this time? Can they put aside their old animosities to outwit, outrun and ultimately out-fly the traffickers? Or will another death shatter Lauren's life completely?' (From the publisher's website.)
winner (Long romance) y separately published work icon The Lady Risks All Stephanie Laurens , New York (City) : Avon Books (United Kingdom) , 2012 6344786 2012 single work novel historical fiction romance

'The Lady Risks All in this delightfully sexy and sensuous historical romance novel from the creator of the recklessly romantic Cynster family—Regency England’s most irrepressible clan of sexy rogues and ladies—as well as the acclaimed Bastion Club books. The notorious Neville Roscoe, who lives boldly outside the bounds of proper society, is one of Laurens’s most unforgettable heroes—and the story of his seduction of prim, straight-laced Miranda Clifford is filled with intrigue, danger, and passion that will thrill not only Stephanie Laurens fans, but devoted readers of Lisa Kleypas, Johanna Lindsey, and Mary Balogh as well.' (Publisher's blurb)

winner (Short sexy) y separately published work icon Marrying the Enemy Nicola Marsh , Richmond : Mills and Boon , 2012 6345032 2012 single work novel romance
— Appears in: Gift med fjenden [and] Kærlighedens frugt 2014; Sicilien i blodet [and] Under den hede sol [and] Gift med fjenden 2018;

— Appears in: Guldkantat hjärta [and] Kärlekens revansch 2014;

'Jewellery designer and heiress Ruby Seaborn will do anything to save her family's company from financial ruin. And she means anything. Including proposing a strictly business marriage to diamond-mine magnate Jax Maroney—the only man able to restore the Seaborn jewellery empire to its former glory! She needs his money; he needs her socialite credentials—it's a win-win solution. And if they indulge in certain…fringe benefits of their marriage along the way, that's fine. Because luckily Ruby's heart is as unbreakable as the precious gems she works with…isn't it?' (Publisher's blurb)

Works About this Award

Mining for New Romance Scenarios Linda Morris , 2013 single work column
— Appears in: The Age , 20 August 2013; (p. 34)
A Romance with Writing Turns into Thriller Danica Fellows , 2010 single work column
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 10 June 2010; (p. 8)
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