I vincitori dei rita awards 2011

Come ogni anno in luglio, la RWA ha eletto anche quest'anno  I MIGLIORI ROMANCE del 2010, nelle varie categorie, durante la più importante kermesse dedicata a questo genere negli Stati Uniti,la Annual Conference della RWA (Romance Writers of America), che fa incontrare tutti i rappresentanti del mondo romance made in Usa: autrici, aspiranti autrici, editori, agenti e, durante la giornata della raccolta dei fondi per l'analfabetismo anche le lettrici (che possono  far firmare i libri dalle loro autrici preferite...e di autrici lì ce ne sono davvero centinaia!). Quest'anno la RWA’s 31st Annual National Conference ha scelto come sede New York e il 1 luglio,  durante una serata di gala, sono state assegnate le ambite statuette ( per vedere tutti i romanzi finalisti,andate qui). ECCO I VINCITORI nelle categorie pù importanti (per vederli tutti andate qui e qui per vedere tutti i finalisti):

 MIGLIOR ROMANCE STORICO REGENCY

The Mischief of the Mistletoe di Lauren Willig

Arabella Dempsey’s dear friend Jane Austen warned her against teaching. But Miss Climpson’s Select Seminary for Young Ladies seems the perfect place for Arabella to claim her independence while keeping an eye on her younger sisters nearby. Just before Christmas, she accepts a position at the quiet girls’ school in Bath, expecting to face nothing more exciting than conducting the annual Christmas recital. She hardly imagines coming face to face with French aristocrats and international spies…
Reginald “Turnip” Fitzhugh—often mistaken for the elusive spy known as the Pink Carnation—has blundered into danger before. But when he blunders into Miss Arabella Dempsey, it never occurs to him that she might be trouble.  When Turnip and Arabella stumble upon a beautifully wrapped Christmas pudding with a cryptic message written in French, “Meet me at Farley Castle”, the unlikely vehicle for intrigue launches the pair on a Yuletide adventure that ranges from the Austens’ modest drawing room to the awe-inspiring estate of the Dukes of Dovedale, where the Dowager Duchess is hosting the most anticipated event of the year: an elaborate 12-day Christmas celebration. Will they find poinsettias or peril, dancing or danger? And is it possible that the fate of the British Empire rests in Arabella and Turnip’s hands, in the form of a festive Christmas pudding?  

MIGLIOR ROMANCE STORICO

His at Night di Sherry Thomas

Elissande Edgerton is a desperate woman, a virtual prisoner in the home of her tyrannical uncle. Only through marriage can she claim the freedom she craves. But how to catch the perfect man?
Lord Vere is used to baiting irresistible traps. As a secret agent for the government, he’s tracked down some of the most devious criminals in London, all the while maintaining his cover as one of Society’s most harmless—and idiotic—bachelors. But nothing can prepare him for the scandal of being ensnared by Elissande.
Forced into a marriage of convenience, Elissande and Vere are each about to discover they’re not the only one with a hidden agenda. With seduction their only weapon against each other—and a dark secret from the past endangering both their lives—can they learn to trust each other even as they surrender to a passion that won’t be denied?

**BRAVA SHERRY, CE L'HA FATTA ANCHE QUEST'ANNO!**

MIGLIOR ROMANZO CON UNA ACCENTUATA COMPONENTE ROMANTICA

Welcome to Harmony di Jody Thomas

Sixteen-year-old runaway Reagan has always wanted a place to belong. She's never had a real home of her own, but perhaps she could borrow someone else's. Under an assumed name and identity, she moves to Harmony, Texas, but keeps her distance from the welcoming townsfolk. Until prairie fires threaten Harmony-and Reagan learns the true meaning of family, friends, and home.

MIGLIORE RACCONTO BREVE ROMANTICO (NOVELLA)

 "Shifting Sea"  in Burning Up di Virginia Kantra

Major John Harris has survived war, but he’s not so sure he’s prepared to survive inheriting a Scottish estate. While riding near the sea one day, Jack encounters a beautiful siren of a woman, Morwenna. Morwenna is unlike any woman Jack has ever met. She’s bold, independent, and no one in town seems to know who she is. There’s something almost otherworldly about her. The question is, is Jack ready to learn the truth about the woman who is swiftly capturing his heart? “Shifting Sea” is a prequel to the Children of the Sea series.

MIGLIOR ROMANCE ROMANTIC SUSPENSE  

Silent Scream di Karen Rose

When a teenage girl dies in a suspicious fire, Detective Olivia Sutherland is assigned to track down the arsonist. Then she discovers something more sinister: a vicious blackmailer who preys on young people and murders without hesitation. Making her work even harder is sexy firefighter David Hunter. He's not only sharing the case but sparking memories of their long-ago night of passion, when feelings were left unspoken and hearts were broken. David has his own ghosts, and a million regrets. But while he and Olivia try to face the wall of pain between them, a diabolical puppet master is pulling strings to make a group of twentysomethings do his bidding. Soon Olivia and David are scouring the city for a calculating criminal who seems tantalizingly close—and is moving in for the kill .

 MIGLIOR ROMANCE PARANORMAL

 Unchained: The Dark Forgotten di Sharon Ashwood

 Ashe Carver, monster-killer, has the scars to prove it. But faced with a custody battle, she's hung up her stakes and taken a job at the public library, determined to show the courts and her ten-year-old daughter that she's as good a mother as she is a hunter. Easier said than done. There are lovelorn vampires haunting the library, a slime demon in the shopping mall, and her new-mom sister needs a hand with her ghostbusting biz. Then, after centuries guarding a supernatural prison, Captain Reynard strides into her world like a hero from the library's Must Reads. Smokingly gorgeous, passionate and courageous to a fault, he has only weeks to live unless Ashe finds the thief who took his soul. Ashe picks up her weapons to save the day—but not every problem can be solved with a stake. With so much tragedy in her past, Ashe fears the disaster she sees ahead—and prays she doesn't fail everyone. Again.Memories are the hardest monsters to kill.

 MIGLIOR ROMANCE OPERA PRIMA

Pieces of Sky di Kaki Warner

 Pregnant and burdened with a terrible secret, Jessica has left England for the American West in search of a new life. Brady, a hard-bitten rancher haunted by the violence of his past, is desperate to protect his land and family from a blood feud that has already claimed one brother. She’s fancy hats and pamphlets on deportment. He’s rough manners and twenty years of blood on his hands. An improbable pair. But after their stagecoach crashes and Jessica is stranded at his high mountain ranch until she gives birth, antipathy slowly becomes attraction. He teaches her to trust and laugh again — she helps him find the joy he’d lost. Faced with hard choices and unspeakable loss, they draw strength from each other to overcome the horrors of their pasts, and in the process find redemption, forgiveness, and ultimately love.

 MIGLIOR ROMANCE CONTEMPORANEO

 

Simply Irresitible di Jill Shalvis

In one fell swoop, Maddie loses her boyfriend (her decision) and her job (so not her decision). But rather than drowning her sorrows in bags of potato chips, Maddie leaves L.A. to claim the inheritance left by her free-spirited mother-a ramshackle inn nestled in the little coastal town of Lucky Harbor, Washington.

Starting over won’t be easy. Yet Maddie sees the potential for a new home and a new career-if only she can convince her two half-sisters to join her in the adventure. But convincing Tara and Chloe will be difficult because the inn needs a big makeover too.
The contractor Maddie hires is a tall, dark-haired hottie whose eyes-and mouth-are making it hard for her to remember that she’s sworn off men. Even harder will be Maddie’s struggles to overcome the past, though she’s about to discover that there’s no better place to call home than Lucky Harbor.

Sinceramente ho letto solo due o tre dei romanzi vincitori, ma senza dubbio aver vinto un RITA è sempre un 'fattore attenzione' per quanto mi riguarda. Sono felicissima per la mia amata Sherry Thomas che anche quest'anno si porta  a casa il pregevole riconoscimento (anche se questo non è certo il suo romanzo che mi è piaciuto di più). Qualche titolo da mettere nel carrello dei prossimi acquisti l'ho già individuato. Spero sia un suggerimento di lettura per tutte quelle di voi che leggono in inglese. Avete già letto qualcuno di questi libri? Cosa ne pensate?