150 Award Genres
Children
- Children - Action
- Children - Adventure
- Children - Animals
- Children - Audiobook
- Children - Christian
- Children - Coming of Age
- Children - Concept
- Children - Educational
- Children - Fable
- Children - Fantasy/Sci-Fi
- Children - General
- Children - Grade 4th-6th
- Children - Grade K-3rd
- Children - Mystery
- Children - Mythology/Fairy Tale
- Children - Non-Fiction
- Children - Picture Book
- Children - Preschool
- Children - Preteen
- Children - Religious Theme
- Children - Social Issues
Christian
- Christian - Amish
- Christian - Biblical Counseling
- Christian - Devotion/Study
- Christian - Fantasy/Sci-Fi
- Christian - Fiction
- Christian - General
- Christian - Historical Fiction
- Christian - Living
- Christian - Non-Fiction
- Christian - Romance - Contemporary
- Christian - Romance - General
- Christian - Romance - Historical
- Christian - Thriller
Fiction
- Fiction - Action
- Fiction - Adventure
- Fiction - Animals
- Fiction - Anthology
- Fiction - Audiobook
- Fiction - Chick Lit
- Fiction - Crime
- Fiction - Cultural
- Fiction - Drama
- Fiction - Dystopia
- Fiction - Fantasy - Epic
- Fiction - Fantasy - General
- Fiction - Fantasy - Urban
- Fiction - General
- Fiction - Graphic Novel/Comic
- Fiction - Historical - Event/Era
- Fiction - Historical - Personage
- Fiction - Holiday
- Fiction - Horror
- Fiction - Humor/Comedy
- Fiction - Inspirational
- Fiction - Intrigue
- Fiction - LGBTQ
- Fiction - Literary
- Fiction - Magic/Wizardry
- Fiction - Military
- Fiction - Mystery - General
- Fiction - Mystery - Historical
- Fiction - Mystery - Legal
- Fiction - Mystery - Murder
- Fiction - Mystery - Sleuth
- Fiction - Mythology
- Fiction - New Adult
- Fiction - Paranormal
- Fiction - Realistic
- Fiction - Religious Theme
- Fiction - Science Fiction
- Fiction - Short Story/Novela
- Fiction - Social Issues
- Fiction - Southern
- Fiction - Sports
- Fiction - Supernatural
- Fiction - Suspense
- Fiction - Tall Tale
- Fiction - Thriller - Conspiracy
- Fiction - Thriller - Environmental
- Fiction - Thriller - Espionage
- Fiction - Thriller - General
- Fiction - Thriller - Legal
- Fiction - Thriller - Medical
- Fiction - Thriller - Political
- Fiction - Thriller - Psychological
- Fiction - Thriller - Terrorist
- Fiction - Time Travel
- Fiction - Urban
- Fiction - Visionary
- Fiction - Western
- Fiction - Womens
Non-Fiction
- Non-Fiction - Adventure
- Non-Fiction - Animals
- Non-Fiction - Anthology
- Non-Fiction - Art/Photography
- Non-Fiction - Audiobook
- Non-Fiction - Autobiography
- Non-Fiction - Biography
- Non-Fiction - Business/Finance
- Non-Fiction - Cooking/Food
- Non-Fiction - Cultural
- Non-Fiction - Drama
- Non-Fiction - Education
- Non-Fiction - Environment
- Non-Fiction - Genealogy
- Non-Fiction - General
- Non-Fiction - Gov/Politics
- Non-Fiction - Grief/Hardship
- Non-Fiction - Health - Fitness
- Non-Fiction - Health - Medical
- Non-Fiction - Historical
- Non-Fiction - Hobby
- Non-Fiction - Home/Crafts
- Non-Fiction - Humor/Comedy
- Non-Fiction - Inspirational
- Non-Fiction - LGBTQ
- Non-Fiction - Marketing
- Non-Fiction - Memoir
- Non-Fiction - Military
- Non-Fiction - Motivational
- Non-Fiction - Music/Entertainment
- Non-Fiction - New Age
- Non-Fiction - Occupational
- Non-Fiction - Parenting
- Non-Fiction - Relationships
- Non-Fiction - Religion/Philosophy
- Non-Fiction - Retirement
- Non-Fiction - Self Help
- Non-Fiction - Short Story/Novela
- Non-Fiction - Social Issues
- Non-Fiction - Spiritual/Supernatural
- Non-Fiction - Sports
- Non-Fiction - Travel
- Non-Fiction - True Crime
- Non-Fiction - Womens
- Non-Fiction - Writing/Publishing
Poetry
Romance
Young Adult
- Young Adult - Action
- Young Adult - Adventure
- Young Adult - Coming of Age
- Young Adult - Fantasy - Epic
- Young Adult - Fantasy - General
- Young Adult - Fantasy - Urban
- Young Adult - General
- Young Adult - Horror
- Young Adult - Mystery
- Young Adult - Mythology/Fairy Tale
- Young Adult - Non-Fiction
- Young Adult - Paranormal
- Young Adult - Religious Theme
- Young Adult - Romance
- Young Adult - Sci-Fi
- Young Adult - Social Issues
- Young Adult - Thriller
Illustration Award
Recommend this book:
Follow Her Heart
M. L. Taylor
2019 Honorable Mention
417 Pages
Check current price
Romance - General
In Follow Her Heart you will find yourself touched by the extreme abuse young Jessie is subjected to at the hands of her brother, Martin. The author, M.L. Taylor, gives just enough detail to her condition which allows you to understand the measures she would take to rid herself of his cruelty. As her scheme to cheat rich noblemen begins to play out, an unexpected man threatens more than just her game. Lucian is a peril to her future and she finds herself at his mercy at every corner she turns until he is the only thing left for her survival. Yet, they each must deal with their own demons before peace can be found.
M.L. Taylor is exceptional in taking a topic, such as a nobleman falling for a poor girl, and twisting it to create a work all of its own. You will find Follow Her Heart is more than just a romance novel to enjoy as you become entwined in the lives of these two characters. The author's ability to weave suspense within the story line generates a web of possibilities as Jessie and Lucian's future unfolds. In my reading, if an author has the ability to make a reader want to cry, laugh, or get their heart racing, they are a good author; this book was more than good, it is outstanding. M.L. Taylor ends Follow Her Heart with the feeling there must be another book to tell the other half of Jessie's nightmares that haunted her.
Recommend this book:
Sea Cliff
A Love Story
Mary Deal
2019 Bronze Medal
347 Pages
Check current price
Romance - General
Rachael Connor, outwardly successful and a budding author, seemed to have it all. An inheritance from her father had assured her financial stability and she was able to choose when she worked for wages and when she indulged in her one true passion, writing. In Sea Cliff: A Love Story by Mary Deal, we find that Rachael has a dark secret that rules her life, even now as an adult and long after her father has died. Rachael and her brother Brandon were brought up by a tyrannical and abusive father who ruled their lives with both physical and mental abuse that Rachael still carries to this day. She is unable to form lasting relationships with men as she simply doesn’t know how, and consequently has resigned herself to a life of solitude with writing and meditation as her solaces. Enter Matthew Knight, a successful, ridiculously handsome and well-adjusted man who sets his sights on winning Rachael’s heart. True love, though, rarely runs smoothly and both Matthew and Rachael have to overcome the many barriers that life and their pasts put in their way before they can truly find each other.
Sea Cliff: A Love Story is a simple, carefully crafted romance, but what lifts it above others in the genre is its willingness to address societal issues that might otherwise be glossed over. Author Mary Deal has imbued her character of Rachael with all the angst and fear a sufferer of an abusive childhood would feel. As readers, we want to take Rachael and shake her, telling her to “get with the programme.” She has a man who clearly adores her and yet she looks for and finds myriad ways to push him away. Although both of the main characters are too perfectly beautiful/handsome for my liking, there was no stopping me from enjoying the twists and turns their convoluted relationship took. The concept of combining the feelings and actions of the characters in this story with the characters in the story Rachael was writing had the potential to be trite and clichéd and yet Deal made it work well. The writing style is simple and unpretentious, which I did enjoy, and I found myself flying through this book. I can definitely recommend this story to lovers of romance.
Recommend this book:
Noémie's Journey
Victoria Saccenti
2019 Silver Medal
318 Pages
Check current price
Romance - General
When Richard Winters points his Harley away from New York and heads south, looking for peace and a release from the memories of a devastating love affair, he wants nothing more than solitude and an opportunity to find himself again. The small town of Summitville in North Carolina where nobody knows him seems a great place to start again. What he doesn’t count on, though, is meeting the beautiful and desirable young Creole woman by the name of Noémie, whose desirability he must fight if he truly is to fulfill his promise to himself of no romantic entanglements. Set in the mid-sixties, against the background of the Civil Rights Movement, Noémie’s Journey by Victoria Saccenti explores the reality of life for a beautiful coloured woman in the South. Laws may have changed, but attitudes will take generations to change. Richard, a Yankee from up north, has no perception of what an interracial relationship will entail in North Carolina in the sixties, but Noémie knows well the ingrained racism of her fellow residents that she deals with every single day of her life.
Noémie’s Journey serves to remind us just how far we have come in the forty years in race relations, but equally it also makes us examine our feelings toward people who are different to us, today a touchstone for American society as much now as it ever has been. Author Victoria Saccenti does a superb job of highlighting the institutional and deep racism that was just below the surface of civil society, especially in the South, in those turbulent years of the mid to late sixties. At its heart this book is a love story and a beautiful one at that. I particularly loved the author’s ability to convey the depth of love and the power of their passion in her words without ever having to resort to crudity or erotica. As a reader, I felt the build-up of sexual tension and reveled in the “when will they”, just as much as the participants. This is a real fillip to the author and it is what makes this book so very readable and one of the best of its genre. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can highly recommend it to all readers who like a true romance, but also enjoy a bit of action and thoughtful social comment.
Recommend this book:
Nena
The Viking Treasure Huntress Series Book One
Ann Boelter
2019 Gold Medal
424 Pages
Check current price
Romance - General
Nena knew the gods would one day choose a man for her, but at nineteen it seemed they were waiting. In earnest, Nena had no qualms about this delay. She loved her life as a warrior, the feel of a weapon in her hand, the thrill of battle. All the things she loved about her life would cease to be when the gods revealed the one they chose for her. The gods had their methods, but she had never expected the attack on a friendly tournament to be part of their plan. She had intended to fight to the death, and take as many of the enemy with her as possible. Fate had other plans. The proud warrior princess found herself at the mercy of the enemy. There was one way to secure her freedom; to give herself willingly to the one who held her captive. Their people were enemies, and yet she saw something in her captor, something that made her question everything she thought she knew, and her path no longer seemed clear.
Nena is the first book in Ann Boelter's The Viking Treasure Huntress Series. Straight off, I am going to say this is without a doubt a must-read book. It has everything you could ask for: action, adventure, romance, conflict, and amazing characters. Whether main or supporting characters, you will find them rich, vibrant, and believable as you join them on their amazing journey. As I neared the end, I found myself releasing a breath when I discovered another chapter. This is a tale I did not want to end. I loved the bonds and relationships between the characters, the intense wanting and drives. The intimate scenes were written to encompass passion, yet handled with taste. I loved this story, and I highly recommend every page of it. From prologue to epilogue, Nena will captivate your attention, and hold you in its clutches long after the final page. I whole-heartedly recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good story, whether you're looking for action, romance, historical fiction, adventure, or just a tale to entertain. In my eyes, this is a brilliant read, and I look forward to reading more from Ann Boelter in the future.
Recommend this book:
Trashy Romance Novel
Jacqueline E. Smith
2018 Bronze Medal
Kindle Edition
Check current price
Romance - General
Some writers dream of fame and fortune when they put pen to paper; she only thought of her celebrity crush and how they’ll only meet in her written fantasies. At least until her stories became bestsellers and turned into a television miniseries. Jacqueline Smith’s Trashy Romance Novel chronicles Delaney Brooks’ whirlwind adventure in Scotland as bestselling author Lorelei DuBois. Brooks (aka DuBois) and her best friend, Gemma, who is introduced to everyone as her personal assistant, meet the star-studded cast that will bring The Surrogate series to life. She’s especially thrilled and a nervous wreck when her longtime celebrity crush Matthew Kent is playing the role she based his character on. Being in Scotland takes her breath away, but not as much as when she meets Hollywood bad boy Colin Ward. Sparks fly in the enchanted country, but do they last after the final wrap?
I could not put Trashy Romance Novel down for more than ten minutes without wanting to dive back in. Jacqueline Smith portrayed Delaney Brooks, a shy writer who never expected to make it big, so well that I identified with her instantly. The snippets of The Surrogate novels brought a nice touch to how Delaney and Gemma ended up in Scotland in the first place with all these movie stars – it was not just an implied fact that is almost forgettable as the story moves along. The book also shows how movie stars are really human beings like everyone else – they have jobs, fall in and out of love, and learn from their mistakes. I especially loved reading how Delaney’s love for Colin evolved similarly to her character Corrine’s love for Tristan; I am glad Delaney was able to get her happily-ever-after in the end.
Recommend this book:
A Good Game
D.D. Shaw
2018 Silver Medal
358 Pages
Check current price
Romance - General
A Good Game by D.D. Shaw is the first book in The Vision series and is a gorgeous read. Charlotte and Trent are two awesome characters for the sheer reason that nothing seems normal in their lives and each of them seems to carry something tragic deep inside. Charlotte doesn’t like the path her life is taking, and what she hates most is the fact that she may eventually end up married to a very rich man. But when Trent enters her life, she begins to believe in something more powerful and higher. To help Charlotte break free, Trent will have to sacrifice much more. Being the creator of illusions, can Trent help Charlotte see reality as it is, and can Charlotte ever forgive Trent for his deception?
This is a brilliantly plotted and well-written story, one that combines elements from different genres, including fantasy, romance, and the paranormal. The characters are interesting and they are crafted with a lot of substance to keep readers fully engaged in the story. I enjoyed the prose, which is descriptive and punctuated with great dialogues. The story begins in a way that piques the reader’s curiosity as they read about a strange moment between the young Charlotte and the tall man with huge hands. The author introduces something in the narrative that will awaken the reader’s sense of anticipation. The author make readers see the fears and the dreams of the characters and creates in them the feeling that something terrible could happen at any moment. A Good Game is suspenseful and D.D. Shaw has what it takes to hold the reader’s attention throughout the narrative.
Recommend this book:
Vida Blue
Romantic Action Adventure
Susie Perez Fernandez
2018 Honorable Mention
380 Pages
Check current price
Romance - General
Vida Blue by Susie Perez Fernandez is the story of a young woman named Ariadne Cordero, who goes by Ari, as she deals with abrupt and unexpected changes in her life following the departure of her partner, Santos. Ari is the ideal woman: young, beautiful, intelligent, and wealthy. As she collects the pieces of her life and makes a transatlantic move, a series of introductions and men filter into her life in what, by all accounts, feel like happy accidents. As a renewed sense of affection and longing blossoms, Ari questions her feelings and motives. It isn't until she is catapulted into the dark machinations of danger that lurk behind every smile and around every corner that Ari is forced to confront a life - her own life - in danger and a heart that yearns to live and love once more.
Vida Blue by Susie Perez Fernandez will sweep readers across the globe with a narrative and plot that cross borders nearly as much as the story itself steers the heart rate up. This is an action romance, something we don't come across as often as we'd like, and the scheming that is drawn out by the author is spectacular. The characters are engaging (particularly Ari and her friends), and in a rich twist that starts at the book's beginning, the reader is hooked with questions, the answers to which are only slowly revealed. It's rare to find a story where every page is packed with suspense, but the pacing is even-handed and smooth. In less skilled hands Vida Blue might have felt rushed, but Susie Perez Fernandez has written a book that provides a perfect blend of energy, action, and...of course...romance.
Recommend this book:
Oliver's Diary
A LGBTQ+ Love Story
Robert Groves
2018 Finalist
142 Pages
Check current price
Romance - General
Oliver's Diary: A LGBTQ+ Love Story is a nonfiction book about relationships written by Robert Groves. Oliver fell in love with Christopher Standridge from the time they were in third grade together. He wasn’t the first boy Oliver had felt attracted to, but he would remain an intense attraction for much of his young adult and adult life. As a child, Oliver knew he was different, and he seemed to revel in his unique gender identity issues. He loved to dress in his sister's clothing and play at being a beauty contestant with his cousin. His parents did what they could to keep him out of his sister's clothing, but did little else to discourage him as he strove to understand what made him tick. Years later, he’d finally come out to them and realize that they had instinctively known about him being gay all along. Chris had been a bitter enemy in first and second-grade, but third grade changed things. There was a cessation of hostilities, which gave way to a casual friendship and, eventually, a first kiss. Chris would be Ollie’s first lover, and the first man to break his heart. While Ollie had no doubts at all about his being gay, Chris wasn’t so sure.
Robert Groves’s nonfiction biographical memoir, Oliver's Diary: A LGBTQ+ Love Story, is a frank and stunningly beautiful account of a life well-spent, despite the odds. One can’t help but fall in love with Ollie as you read his story. There’s the heartbreak of the tormentors who make his life a misery, and the unconscious callousness of the people who seem intent in their ignorance on alienating and defining him by his sexual identity above all else. While the AIDS crisis affected everyone to some degree or another, I felt as though I were living it so much more intensely seeing it through Ollie’s eyes and experiences. Most moving in this simply incredible work is Ollie’s heart, his capacity for love and care for his patients, his friends and for those two awesome men he loved. I doubt there’s a reader who will be able to remain dry-eyed at portions of this profound and beautiful book; I know I wasn’t. Every so often, I’m fortunate enough to read a life-changing book, but rarely have I read one that has affected me as profoundly as this book did. Reading Oliver’s Diary was a privilege and an honor, and I’m so pleased I got the opportunity to review it. Oliver's Diary: A LGBTQ+ Love Story is most highly recommended.
Recommend this book:
Looking Glass Friends
A Novel Inspired by Real Love Letters
E. L. Neve
2017 Finalist
454 Pages
Check current price
Romance - General
A unique and refreshing love story is chronicled in Looking Glass Friends: A Novel Inspired by Real Love Letters by E.L. Neve. The relationship that grows between Neil and Ellie begins with her gift to him of a book, Atlas Shrugged. Neil worked in the local bakery that Ellie frequented, and she felt compelled to share this work with him. This book literally changed Neil’s life in many ways. Through email communications, they discovered a connection not felt in each of their marriages. The deep level of sharing and understanding between them did not exist elsewhere in their lives. Ellie is devoted to her little five-year-old son and thinks it would be devastating to disrupt his life. Whether this soulmate relationship survives at all, or if it will culminate in a permanent relationship, is the main theme of the story.
E.L. Neve has written a compelling story in Looking Glass Friends. The focus is on the meeting of minds, rather than a physical sexual relationship – and that is truly refreshing in today’s romantic genre of books. The quality of the author’s writing is superb and thought-provoking. The development of the four main characters – Neil and Ellie, and their spouses Jake and Fay – is certainly intriguing. Likewise, the concepts of what qualities a meaningful love relationship should entail is interesting to mull over while reading this novel. This is a novel to be cherished and considered, not read through quickly - a true gem in the contemporary world of love stories.
Recommend this book:
Mended
Kayla Marie
2017 Finalist
374 Pages
Check current price
Romance - General
When an author's first novel is as well-written as Kayla Marie's Mended, you can be sure she's going to develop a legion of fans just waiting for her next book. What a wonderful, engaging and touching story this is...and that coming from a reviewer who is not a fan of romantic fiction!
So what makes Mended a cut above most romances? It's the author's skill at bringing her characters to life so well that readers can see and feel everything they are experiencing, be it the rush of a new love, the heartache of past trauma, or the difficulties of dealing with current issues and people in their lives. In this case, readers meet Ashley, a widow of four years, and her troubled young son, Emmett, who have just moved into the small town of Mason, Alabama. Ashley has moved here in hopes of keeping Emmett on the straight and narrow after some stints in juvenile detention in the big city.
Enter into their lives, Wade...handsome, rugged and kindly but troubled by demons he doesn't want Ashley or Emmett to know about. It doesn't take long for Ashley and Wade to be fiercely drawn to each other, but both are too afraid to tell the other how they feel. Finally getting to what they both desire takes up most of the book, but in the meanwhile, Wade's entrance into Emmett's life is the best thing that could happen for that boy.
In Mended, Kayla Marie has crafted an excellent story, with realistic characters, life-like dialogue and beautiful descriptions. Emotions run deep and readers identify with the introspection of the two protagonists. Mended is romance, but it's a lot more: it's deep, rich with homey values, and raises issues readers may well be dealing with in their own lives. Well done, Kayla Marie. Now, how long before we get to read your next book?