AustLit logo

AustLit

Romance Writers of Australia, Romantic Book of the Year Award
or Ruby Awards
Subcategory of Awards Australian Awards
The material on this page is available to AustLit subscribers. If you are a subscriber or are from a subscribing organisation, please log in to gain full access. To explore options for subscribing to this unique teaching, research, and publishing resource for Australian culture and storytelling, please contact us or find out more.

History

Conducted by Romance Writers of Australia for published and unpublished writers. The contest year runs from August through to June, and the winners’ awards are made at the RWA conference in August.

Notes

  • Voted on by Australian readers, this contest is open to any Australian or New Zealand romance author who writes long or short romance novels. (Romance Writers of Australia website)

Latest Winners / Recipients (also see subcategories)v1902

Year: 2002

winner (Romance Book of the Year) y separately published work icon Daughter of Darkness Janet Woods , London : Robert Hale , 2001 Z980685 2001 single work novel romance historical fiction Four years after being drugged and tricked into marrying the 14-year-old Willow Givanchy, a suspected witch and unwanted daughter of his deadliest enemy, Gerard Lytton returns home to find his wife and family changed. Having lost none of her fiery independence, Willow has become a well-loved member of Lytton's family. But although nobly born, she cannot belie her mother's dark reputation and her father's dishonour. The pair fall in love, but is their love deep enough to overcome the obstacles of her parentage and reputation, which threaten to tear them asunder - especially in light of the mysterious events which begin to unfold. - From author's website

Year: 2000

winner (The Romantic Book of the Year Award) Romantic Novel y separately published work icon The Last T'En Broken Vows Cory Daniells , Milsons Point : Bantam Books , 1999 Z558136 1999 single work novel fantasy romance

'In a world of danger and dark enchantment, the most treacherous magic is desire . . .

'Trained in the arts of war and possessed of extraordinary healing gifts, Imoshen was one of the last of the legendary T'En, an ancient race who'd ruled Fair Isle for six centuries. But now, in the space of a heartbeat, all that Imoshen holds dear is gone...lost to invading soldiers and the relentless general who led them.

'All his life Tulkhan had heard tales of the T'En...of exotic women whose wine-dark eyes could see into a man's soul and read his mind. Yet nothing could have prepared him for the reality of Imoshen. Even surrounded by his Elite Guard, the fierce beauty would not surrender. But making the last living T'En royal his captive was a grave mistake. For soon Tulkhan will discover the full force of Imoshen's proud defiance, as this alluring temptress seeks to turn the tables and make her magnificent captor a prisoner of his own raging desire.

'From Cory Daniells comes a glorious romantic fantasy set against a backdrop of dark magic and daring, a spellbinding story of a man and a woman at the heart of a deadly conflict...and at the mercy of an irresistible hunger'.

Source: back cover blurb.

Year: 1999

winner y separately published work icon Boots in the Bedroom! Alison Kelly , Richmond : Mills and Boon , 1997 Z1170710 1997 single work novel romance
inaugural winner (The Romantic Book of the Year Award) Romantic Novel y separately published work icon The Lady and the Unicorn The Maiden and the Unicorn Isolde Martyn , Sydney : Bantam Books , 1998 Z197062 1998 single work novel romance historical fiction

'In 1470 the Wars of the Roses between the house of York and Lancaster threatens to tear England apart once more. In the middle of the conflict is a most unlikely heroine. For Margery, the beautiful and spirited ward of Warwick the Kingmaker, freedom is the only prize worth having. But it is a prize that could cost her her life. Sent to France on a mission for King Edward IV, she finds herself the target of a man who may be one of the king's most dangerous enemies. Richard Huddleston is bold, enigmatic and devastatingly handsome. He is used to getting what he wants, and he wants Margery to be his wife. Margery suspects that Richard has abandoned the king and the House of York and is conspiring with the rebel queen and the traitorous House of Lancaster. Caught between her role as a spy and a fierce passion that neither she nor Richard can deny, Margery finds her heart exposed to the ultimate danger: falling in love. Yet she cannot admit her real mission to Richard. For if she stays true to her noble cause, she'll save many men...and lose the one that matters most.'

Source: Author's website http://www.isoldemartyn.com (Sighted: 14/04/2010)

Works About this Award

Undercover Marc McEvoy , 2011 single work column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 20-21 August 2011; (p. 33)
A column canvassing current literary news including brief reports on the 2011 Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year winners and the Romance Writers of Australia Ruby Award winners.
X