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Favourite Historical Romance
Subcategory of Australian Romance Readers Awards
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Latest Winners / Recipients

Year: 2020

winner y separately published work icon Marry in Scarlet Anne Gracie , New York (City) : Berkley Publishing Corporation , 2020 18559129 2020 single work novel romance historical fiction

'When a duke denied...

'The proud and arrogant Duke of Everingham is determined to secure a marriage of convenience with heiress Lady Georgiana Rutherford. He's the biggest prize on the London marriage mart, pursued by young unmarried ladies and their match-making mamas, as well as married women with a wandering eye. He can have any woman he wants. Or so he thinks...

'...Hunts an independent lady...

'Lady Georgiana Rutherford—irreverent and unconventional—has no plans to marry. Having grown up poor, Lady George has no intention of giving up her fortune to become dependent on the dubious and unreliable goodwill of a man. Especially a man as insufferable as the Duke of Everingham, whose kisses stirs unwelcome and unsettling emotions...

'...Sparks are sure to fly

'The more she defies him, the more the duke wants her, until an argument at a ball spirals into a passionate embrace. Caught in a compromising position, the duke announces their betrothal. George is furious, and when gossip claims she deliberately entrapped the duke—when she was the one who was trapped—she marches down the aisle in a scarlet wedding dress. But the unlikely bride and groom may have found love in the most improbable of places—a marriage of convenience.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

Year: 2019

winner y separately published work icon Marry in Secret Anne Gracie , New York (City) : Berkley Publishing Corporation , 2019 17145997 2019 single work novel romance historical fiction

'Lady Rose Rutherford—rebel, heiress, and exasperated target of the town's hungry bachelors—has a plan to gain the freedom she so desperately desires: she will enter into a marriage of convenience with the biggest prize on the London marriage mart.

'There's just one problem: the fierce-looking man who crashes her wedding to the Duke of Everingham — Thomas Beresford, the young naval officer she fell in love with and secretly married when she was still a schoolgirl. Thought to have died four years ago he's returned, a cold, hard stranger with one driving purpose—revenge.

'Embittered by betrayal and hungry for vengeance, Thomas will stop at nothing to reclaim his rightful place, even if that means using Rose—and her fortune—to do it. But Rose never did follow the rules, and as she takes matters into her own unpredictable hands, Thomas finds himself in an unexpected and infuriating predicament: he's falling in love with his wife...'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

Year: 2018

winner y separately published work icon Marry in Scandal Anne Gracie , New York (City) : Berkley Publishing Corporation , 2018 13410345 2018 single work novel romance historical fiction

'A shy heiress and a well-known rake face a scandal-forced marriage that might be true love in the latest irresistible romance from the national bestselling author of Marry in Haste.

'Shy young heiress, Lady Lily Rutherford, is in no hurry to marry. She dreams of true love and a real courtship. But when disaster strikes, she finds herself facing a scandal-forced marriage to her rescuer, Edward Galbraith, a well known rake.

'Despite his reputation Lily is drawn to the handsome Galbraith. In the gamble of her life, she agrees to marry him, hoping to turn a convenient marriage into a love match.

'As heir to a title, Galbraith knows he must wed, so a convenient marriage suits him perfectly. But there is a darkness in his past, and secrets he refuses to share with his tender-hearted young bride. All Lily's efforts to get close to him fall on stony ground, and in desperation she retreats to his childhood home--the place he's avoided for nearly a decade.

'Must Lily reconcile herself to a marriage without love? Or will Galbraith realize that this warm-hearted, loving girl is the key to healing the wounds of his past--and his heart?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

Year: 2016

winner y separately published work icon The Summer Bride Anne Gracie , New York (City) : Berkley Publishing Corporation , 2016 9661438 2016 single work novel romance

'Fiercely independent Daisy Chance has a dream—and it doesn’t involve marriage or babies (or being under any man’s thumb). Raised in poverty, she has a passion—and a talent—for making beautiful clothes. Daisy aims to become the finest dressmaker in London.

'Dashing Irishman Patrick Flynn is wealthy and ambitious, and has entered society to find an aristocratic bride. Instead, he finds himself growing increasingly attracted to the headstrong, clever and outspoken Daisy. She’s wrong in every way—except the way she sets his heart racing.

'However, when Flynn proposes marriage, Daisy refuses. She won’t give up her hard-won independence. Besides, she doesn’t want to join the fine ladies of society—she wants to dress them. She might, however, consider becoming Flynn’s secret mistress...

'But Flynn wants a wife, not a mistress, and when Flynn sets his heart on something, nothing can stand in his way...'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

Year: 2014

winner y separately published work icon The Winter Bride Anne Gracie , Melbourne : Penguin Books , 2014 6731776 2014 single work novel romance historical fiction

'Damaris Chance's unhappy past has turned her off the idea of marriage forever. But her guardian, Lady Beatrice Davenham, convinces her to make her coming out anyway – and have a season of carefree, uncomplicated fun.

'When Damaris finds herself trapped in a compromising situation with the handsome rake Freddy Monkton-Coombes, she has no choice but to agree to wed him – as long as it's in name only. Outwardly, her new husband seems to accept her terms, but really Freddy has a plan of his own: to seduce his reluctant winter bride.

'Will Damaris's secrets destroy her chance at true happiness? Or can Freddy help her cast off the shackles of the past, and yield to delicious temptation?' (Publisher's blurb)

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