Romance Fiction Award Shortlist Announced for Valentine's Day

By Valerie Williamson - Suite 101.com
Published Feb 11, 2011

Shortlists for the UK's Pure Passion Awards were announced 10 February 2011 by Katie Fforde, chair of the Romantic Novelists' Association. "These awards celebrate the very best in romantic fiction," she says. The 2011 awards are divided between four categories, from the prestigious and long-standing Romantic Novel of the Year, to more recent awards which recognise various popular varieties of romantic fiction. These are the Historical Novel Prize, Romantic Comedy Award, and Love Story of the Year.

The Romantic Novel of the Year Awards 2011

Over 200 books were submitted for the coveted Romantic Novel of the Year Award. The shortlist of six titles has been selected by a panel of 85 readers from the general public. The ultimate winner will be selected by three independent judges, Amanda Craig, author and book reviewer, Foyle's War actor and contributor to the blog Vulpes Libris, Jay Benedict, and fiction buyer for Waterstone's, Janine Cook.

Past winners of this award include The Other Boleyn Girl by Philipa Gregory, which became both a popular BBC television drama and a feature film starring Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman. Rosamunde Pilcher won the award with Coming Home, which was made into a feature film starring Joanna Lumley and Peter O'Toole.

Romance Novel of the Year Finalists

To Defy a King, Elizabeth Chadwick, Sphere.
The Golden Prince, Rebecca Dean, HarperCollins.
Kissing Mr Wrong, Sarah Duncan, Headline Review.
The Jewel of St. Petersburg, Kate Furnivall, Sphere.
Amazir, Tom Gamble, Beautiful Books.
The Last Letter From Your Lover, JoJo Moyes, Hodder & Stoughton.

These six finalists were selected from a long list, announced last December, containing some very well known authors such as Jenny Colgan, Katie Fforde herself, Erica James and Maryland author, New York Times bestseller, Nora Roberts, who also writes crime fiction as J.D. Robb. JoJo Moyes is a past winner whose work has been compared to Rosamund Pilcher and, for Sarah Duncan, this is her second year running as a nominee for the award and only her second book. Tom Gamble is a rare nominee as one of the few male authors to be shortlisted.

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