Congratulations to the National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award Winners
Best First Book Category
First Place Winner – Blood Marraige
Author: Regina Richards
Publisher/Imprint: Self-Published
Editor: Ally Broadfield
London 1813
Elizabeth is dying of the same disease that has decimated her entire family. When a late night walk with a mysterious stranger leads to marriage, she suddenly finds herself in as much danger of losing her heart as her life. At turns fascinated and frightened by the man she has married, Elizabeth suspects her husband is hiding a dark secret.
Still, when he’s accused of a series of vampire-style killings, she finds it hard to believe him a murderer. As the evidence mounts against him and friends and relatives die, Elizabeth must decide who to believe and whether to follow her head or her heart.
Second Place Winner - A Bride Opens Shop in El Dorado, California
Author: Keli Gwyn
Publisher/Imprint: Barbour Publishing
Editor: Rebecca Germany
Agent: Rachelle Gardner
An ever-resourceful widow, Elenora Watkins arrives in El Dorado ready to go into partnership with Miles Rutledge. When he refuses, Elenora becomes the competition across the street. Is this town big enough for the two of them? Miles can’t help but stick his well-polished boot in his mouth whenever he comes face-to-face with Elenora. Can he find a way to win her heart while destroying her business? Miles’s mother, Maude, is bent on Elenora becoming her new daughter-in-law while Elenora’s daughter, Tildy, thinks Miles would make a perfect papa. How far will these meddlers go to unite this enterprising pair?
A Bride Opens Shop in El Dorado, California is a Christian historical romance novel.
On Amazon | On BN | On GoodReads
Third Place Winner - Secrets of a Wedding Night
Author: Valerie Bowman
Publisher/Imprint: St. Martin’s Press
Editor: Holly Blanck
Agent: Kevan Lyon
HOW TO STOP A WEDDING
Young, widowed, and penniless, Lily Andrews, the Countess of Merrill, has strong opinions on marriage. When she spots a certain engagement announcement in The Times, she decides to take action. She will not allow another hapless girl to fall prey to a man—particularly the scoundrel who broke her heart five years ago. Anonymously she writes and distributes a pamphlet entitled “Secrets of a Wedding Night,” knowing it will find its way into his intended’s innocent hands…
HOW TO SEDUCE A WIDOW
Devon Morgan, the Marquis of Colton, desires a good wife and mother to his son—someone completely unlike Lily Andrews, the heartless beauty who led him on a merry chase five years ago only to reject him. When Devon’s new fiancée cries off after reading a certain scandalous pamphlet, he vows to track down the author and make her pay. But when he learns it’s his former fiancée Lily, he issues a challenge: write a retraction or prepare to be seduced—to find out how wonderful a wedding night can be…
On Amazon | On BN | On GoodReads
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The National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award is sponsored by First Coast Romance Writers (FCRW), an affiliate of Romance Writers of America®. FCRW is an organization for both published and unpublished writers. The chapter is dedicated to promoting excellence in romantic fiction through monthly meetings and workshops where published and unpublished writers share knowledge about the constantly evolving publishing industry.
RomanceAwards.com is the home of the National Excellence in Romance Fiction Awards (NERFA), a contest that recognizes the best romance novels and novellas published each year. The site also provides information about the Romance Industry and includes a directory of other romance novel awards.