RWA Announces 2019 RITA & Golden Heart Finalists

Romance Writers of America (RWA), the trade association for romance fiction authors, has announced the finalists for the 2019 RITA® and Golden Heart® Awards. The RITA recognizes excellence in published romance novels and novellas. The Golden Heart recognizes excellence in unpublished romance manuscripts.

The winners will be announced at the 2019 RWA Annual Conference in New York City, July 24-27.

Categories that include works of genre interest are listed below. The complete list is here.

2019 RITA Finalists

Best First Book

Celebrity Spin Doctor by Celia Mulder
InkSpell Publishing
Audrey Bobak, editor

Lady in Waiting by Marie Tremayne
HarperCollins, Avon Impulse
Elle Keck, editor

The Last Wolf
by Maria Vale
Sourcebooks, Casablanca
Deb Werksman, editor

A Wicked Kind of Husband by Mia Vincy
Self-published

Paranormal Romance

To Catch a Rogue by Bec McMaster
Self-published
Olivia Ventura, editor

Dearest Ivie by J. R. Ward
Ballantine Bantam Dell, Ballantine Books
Kara Walsh, editor

Debriefing the Dead by Kerry Blaisdell
The Wild Rose Press, Black Rose
Callie Lynn Wolfe, editor

Haunted Hearts by Kimberly Dean
Self-published

The Last Wolf by Maria Vale
Sourcebooks, Casablanca
Deb Werksman, editor

Out of Body by Suzanne Brockmann
Self-published

Romance Novella

Bad Blood by M. Malone
Self-published
Angela Ramey, editor

Catching Irish
by Katy Regnery
Self-published
Tessa Shapcott, editor

Dragon Lord by Dana Marton
Self-published
Diane Flindt and Linda Ingmanson, editors

“The Dragons of Summer” by Jeffe Kennedy
in Seasons of Sorcery
Self-published

“Lead Counsel” by Aurora Rey
in The Boss of Her: Office Romance Novellas
Bold Strokes Books, Inc.
Ashley Tillman, editor

Loving the Secret Billionaire by Adriana Anders
Self-published
Kim Cannon and Nancy Smay, editors

Saved by the Cowboy by A. J. Pine
Grand Central Publishing, Forever Yours
Madeline Colavita, editor

2019 Golden Heart Finalists

Paranormal Romance

  • Bless Your Heart and Other Southern Curses by Heather Leonard
  • Touch 3.3 by Valen Cox
  • The Transformation of Alexis Doe by Jilly Wood
  • Warrior of Eden by Fenley Grant
  • Witch Way Down by Chelly Pike