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:
The Parfit Knight
Rockliffe Book 1
Stella Riley

2018 Bronze Medal
221 Pages
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Romance - Historical

The Parfit Knight, Book One of the Rockliffe Series by Stella Riley, is a historical romance set in Georgian England. Meet Dominic “Nick” Ballantyne, the Marquis of Amberley. At thirty-four, he’s a wealthy, worldly, and athletic nobleman just as comfortable dancing with Madame Du Barry at Versailles as gambling at White’s or driving his own carriage across the English countryside. What Nick didn’t expect to be comfortable with was falling in love with Rosalind, a twenty-two-year-old woman who lives a secluded life far from the worldly enticements of London or Paris. As fate would have it, a wounded driver and a winter storm bring him to Rosalind’s door. But fate wasn’t through with Nick just yet, for he soon realized that he and Rosalind had crossed paths before in a tragic accident that left her blind.
In The Parfit Knight, Riley touches on themes of love, guilt, jealousy, and most of all, blindness. In the eyes of society, Rosalind’s blindness renders her flawed, despite her wealth and beauty. Her well-meaning family and devoted servants keep her out of sight. Nick, on the other hand, is blind to Rosalind’s visual impairment. He sees only her beauty, both inside and out. Others are blind to Nick’s goodness, while Rosalind sees it clearly. This engaging tale of true love in search of the truth is told in a flowing, richly descriptive, and emotionally evocative narrative. Riley is an expert at bringing out the deepest emotions of her protagonists. An entertaining and satisfying read. Highly recommended.
Recommend this book:
Tender Touch
Western Historical Romance
Charlene Raddon

2018 Silver Medal
319 Pages
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Romance - Historical

Life was tough for the early settlers who followed wagon tracks across the country to start a new life in Oregon. Diseases like cholera plagued their every move. Other dangers waited for them at every turn. Add to that the struggles some women faced with abusive husbands. Like the one Brianna was running away from. Barret, her husband, was a beast of a man who abused his wife in every way possible. Brianna hoped that in venturing west with a wagon train she could escape his abuse. But there were others – men who would try to abuse her along the way and men who abused the women she befriended.
Charlene Raddon’s historical novel, Tender Touch, follows one woman’s struggle to escape marital abuse and create a new life for herself on the rugged Oregon Trail. In an era when people looked the other way if witnessing abuse, Brianna is a character who finds a strength she never knew she had, not only to escape a madman husband, but to survive on a wagon trek across the country. What she finds is a life full of people who can and do genuinely love her, people she cares about equally in return. Her journey was more than a physical one; it was a journey of self discovery as she searches deep within to find the strength to face all of her fears, not just the fear of the man (or men) who abused her. With believable characters, this story’s plot moves with amazing attentiveness to detail that allows the reader to ride along on the wagon train and feel like they are part of the story. A great read.
Recommend this book:
Satyr’s Son
A Georgian Historical Romance (Roxton Family Saga Book 5)
Lucinda Brant

2018 Silver Medal
360 Pages
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Romance - Historical

Satyr’s Son: A Georgian Historical Romance is book five in the Roxton Family Saga by Lucinda Brant, a compelling historical romance with memorable characters and a great plot. The setting is London, in 1786, and Lord Henri-Antoine is back from a Grand Tour to a life of ease, but he is afflicted with a dreadful illness. He meets Lisa Crisp, an intelligent, sharp-witted, but penniless orphan, under very strange circumstances. She is a woman who fights against poverty by offering her services to the poor. At a wedding that they both attend, Henri makes Lisa an unusual offer, but she accepts it and thus begins a romantic tale that will transport readers to the heights of delight and keep them mesmerized.
The novel is well-written and its unabashed emotion, coupled with the unexpected plot turns, will have readers' eyes filled with tears of joy. Lucinda Brant injects a lot of humanity into her characters and readers can easily connect to them. The novel offers very subtle lessons in the art of love and hope, opening readers' hearts to the mystery of attraction and how true love can transform one’s destiny. Satyr’s Son: A Georgian Historical Romance features a great plot, fast-paced and intricately woven with surprises that no one would see coming. The setting has great historical references, well-imagined and written with mastery. The glowing moments of tenderness were the best part of this novel for me and I loved the crisp and powerful writing. This one is a masterpiece, a delightful read in its genre.
Recommend this book:
Black Widow
A Spellbound Regency Novel
Lucy Leroux

2018 Gold Medal
250 Pages
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Romance - Historical

Regency, the paranormal, and mystery are all woven seamlessly into a spellbinding historical romance that will surely delight any reader. Black Widow by Lucy Leroux is Book Two in A Spellbound Regency Novel series and it follows the story of Amelia Montgomery and Gideon Wells, the Earl of Flint. Amelia is shocked when she discovers her husband, Martin, dead and blood all over the place. Every finger is pointing at her and Lord Worthing. Her husband’s cousin, Gideon Wells, returns home after working at the War Office and is determined to prove that Amelia is to blame for the death of his cousin. He plans to make sure she pays for it. Then when he meets Amelia, he feels an irresistible desire for her and, before long, he understands that both of them are in more danger than anything he thought he could do to her. Does he have the courage to risk all for love or will he leave Amelia alone?
Lucy Leroux has just become one of my favorite authors and I must say that I enjoyed the different aspects of her tale — the awesome writing, the expert character handling, the unpredictable plot lines, and the vivid setting. Her characters are three-dimensional and readers will enjoy the way they evolve through the conflict. The author knows how to use appearance versus reality to create a sense of mystery and enhance the suspense in the story. The characters are fleshed out and the backstory is intelligently handled. Black Widow is a real page-turner, filled with drama and a conflict that escalates in ways no one could see coming. I simply loved it.
Recommend this book:
The Soldier's Seed
Southern Skyes Book 1
Sharyn Bradford Lunn

2017 Finalist
280 Pages
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Romance - Historical

The Soldier's Seed: Southern Skyes Book 1 by Sharyn Bradford Lunn is a story set deep in the rich, dynamic and very diverse history of Australia. Book 1 in the series follows Nicholas Thomas, who is a soldier in the New South Wales Corps. Nicholas is tired of his life and he does not really care for Sydney Town. Wanting a change, he takes it upon himself to start a new settlement where he wishes to find himself and create a path that he could follow and build his life on. However, it is not easy, especially when he has to face troubles that come with establishing your own settlement.
His real tests begin when he falls in love with a woman that he has no business falling in love with. She is a convict, he is a soldier, and there is no place in this land where he can live a happy life with her. Devastated and conflicted, he sets out on a path that leads him to tragedy. However, luck is on his side when he meets a beautiful woman who might be just what he needs. But will he give it a chance? Will he allow himself to love once again?
Set in the 1800s, the novel takes the reader to a time and a place that we are not familiar with, yet at the same time, Sharyn Bradford Lunn writes the novel in such a way that you feel like you are reading about your home. The characters are very well-developed, primarily because she did her research really well. She went deep into the history of this rich country and pulled off writing a novel that is thrilling, interesting, entertaining and simply marvelous. Brilliantly well-constructed!
Recommend this book:
The Renegade Wife
Children of Empire Book 1
Caroline Warfield

2017 Finalist
323 Pages
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Romance - Historical

The Renegade Wife by Caroline Warfield is a historical romance novel which takes the reader from the wilds of Canada to London society and back. Rand Wheatly wishes for nothing more than the sanctity of his cabin in the wilds of Canada, fleeing from a failed relationship and family betrayal. However, when he arrives, he finds a woman and her two children have taken up residence. At first Rand is livid, demanding they leave immediately, but he soon softens to Meggy Blair and her renegade family. As time passes, Rand learns of the reasons why Meggy fled her husband, and resolves to help the little family however he can. Yet, with a brutish Scottish soldier on their tail, Rand must return to England, and face demons of his past in order to find happiness with the woman he has come to love. Can he put his heart on the line again, not knowing what the end result might be?
I certainly was not expecting some of the turns in this novel, and that is what kept me fully engaged in the story from start to finish. I appreciated Miss Warfield’s adherence to historical fact of the time, especially involving how a woman and her children were property upon marriage. It seems so antiquated to us now that a man could openly abuse his family and not face repercussions for it. Miss Warfield has carefully woven a plot around such constraints to create a beautifully written historical novel. The Renegade Wife by Caroline Warfield harkens back to the historical romance authors of old, and I gladly look forward to the next installment in her Children of Empire series!
Recommend this book:
I Close My Eyes
Regina Puckett

2017 Finalist
182 Pages
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Romance - Historical

I Close My Eyes by Regina Puckett is a fantastic historical romance that you will love. I am a huge fan of Regina Puckett and her brand of writing; she is brilliant with her characterizations and how she builds the story. I Close My Eyes is the perfect Regina Puckett novel, the characters are wonderful, the story is fast paced and the plot is wonderfully constructed. I loved the setting and the main protagonists; they were wholesome and very human, which is a specialty of this wonderful writer. They had a wonderful chemistry that blossomed with time and developed right in front of our eyes.
The story follows two very different, yet similar people. The Duke of Greystone, Phillip, is really not looking for a wife and he is not really ready for one. Lady Jane, the daughter of the Duke of Rutherford, just wants some peace and quiet so that she can regroup and go back to the ball. She had no idea that the room she chooses to hide in was already occupied by Phillip. What happens next is their story that unfolds from that one room. Phillip is intense while Jane is looking for a future in which she will have the happiness she has always craved. But can they find what they are looking for in each other?
What more can I say about this novel? I truly enjoyed Phillip’s development; he grew and learnt to love with all his heart and soul. Jane changed as well, she learnt to bend the right way and she opened her heart to the future she deserved. They both learnt together and they loved together. I Close My Eyes is yet another amazing novel by this remarkable writer!
Recommend this book:
You're the Rogue That I Want
Rogues of Redmere, Book 1
Samantha Holt

2017 Finalist
Kindle Edition
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Romance - Historical

You’re the Rogue That I Want is the first book in the Rogues of Redmere series, written by Samantha Holt. Red is a smuggler who lives and works by his own rules. When Hannah St. John meets with him in a bar, he is anything but impressed with the woman who seeks his assistance in smuggling an ancient Egyptian artifact across the border. Although he first rejects her request, Red and Hannah inadvertently cross paths again, which ultimately leads Red to bend to her wishes. Little does Hannah realize that Red is, in fact, of royal blood, nor does Hannah know that the stone they are carting is cursed. With both feeling an inexplicable desire for each other, it is just a matter of time before they bend to each other’s wills.
Samantha Holt’s intricate tale of a rogue-smuggler of title is more charming than not. Initially loathing each other, Hannah and Red are glad to finally part ways after their first meeting, but it is not long before they are pulled back towards each other, in order to smuggle an artifact over the border and into her father’s hands. I liked how Hannah thought Red to be a low-life bum, smuggling goods in order to make ends meet, only to find out that he was titled and did it for adventure, and nothing more. As each member of Red’s crew becomes ill, blaming the curse of an artifact for their ailments, it is not long before Red and Hannah are forced to work with each other, one on one, to get the job done. Red’s longing for Hannah is overridden by his desire to get back to his men, but he is inexplicably lured back into her company by an invisible pull, as Hannah inadvertently steals his heart in every possible way. I quite enjoyed You’re the Rogue That I Want, and recommend it to fans of mystery, madness and mayhem, which is embroiled in a love that will withstand all that gets in its way.
Recommend this book:
Heart of the Highlands: The Beast (Protectors of the Crown Book 1)
The Beast
April Holthaus

2017 Honorable Mention
326 Pages
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Romance - Historical

Heart of the Highlands: The Beast is a historical romance novel by April Holthaus set in the wild lands of medieval Scotland. Part one in the Protectors of the Crown series, the novel weaves the expected intense romantic action into an unexpectedly intriguing political landscape. The Protectors of the Crown are allied to King James V of Scotland and are set to work against the burgeoning threat of English invasion. One such warrior is the Beast, our hero Ian MacKay, who captures nineteen-year-old Keira Sinclair when she is on her way to marry her betrothed, a powerful man whom she doesn’t love. Amidst the war and threat all around them, this unlikely pair first find attraction, then love despite their differences.
Romance fans will find very little to complain about in Heart of the Highlands: The Beast, as author April Holthaus displays a split-perspective narrative which follows both Ian and Keira through their gamut of emotions. The Highlands of Scotland are beautifully described and the political plot between the clans and the warriors is well developed and credible, grounding the whole romantic storyline in a place that feels real. I particularly enjoyed Holthaus’s use of dialogue to make the broad Scots’ accents stand out, and the fact that Keira was a feisty heroine rather than a passive one. Overall, The Beast was a highly enjoyable romance, and I’d recommend it to any reader looking for a lavish, imaginative and high-quality story to lose themselves in for a while.
Recommend this book:
No Good Deed
Intertwined Souls Series, Book 5
Mary D. Brooks

2017 Bronze Medal
464 Pages
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Romance - Historical

No Good Deed: Intertwined Souls Series, Book 5 is an historical fantasy written by Mary D. Brooks. While this is the fifth book in the Intertwined Souls Series, the author includes enough background information to enable readers to enjoy No Good Deed on its own. The story is set in the early 1950s, in the aftermath of the Second World War. Eva and Zoe Lambros have returned to Sydney, Australia, after their involvement in the resistance. Eva has learned to her surprise that she is the heir to a considerable fortune, including the Muller family industry which she will head along with her uncle. The two women have been trying to begin a family; however, Zoe has not succeeded in becoming pregnant, and adoption is becoming something they are reluctantly considering. When a freak accident at Eva's workplace leaves her with a fractured skull and comatose, any other considerations are dropped as Zoe and the rest of their family wait for her recovery.
Mary D. Brooks' historical fantasy, No Good Deed: Intertwined Souls Series, Book 5 is well-written, impeccably researched and absorbing. I was most impressed by the author's ability to weave the women's story in with the historical backdrop of the war and the Nuremberg Trials. The flowering and impact of Eva's paranormal gifts, which have been passed along through her family for generations, is described in a sobering fashion with the past stories of her and her aunt's electro-shock therapy sessions in German asylums for the condition, adding another grim reminder of the costs of being considered 'different' at that time in history. No Good Deed is a family saga that will delight fantasy and historical novel buffs alike. It's highly recommended.
