The RITAs are officially over! Before we get to the winners and a brief livestream recap, I personally want to thank every single one of you who participated. This is the first year where we’ve reviewed all of the nominees! How awesome is that? Seriously, this Challenge wouldn’t be anything without this lovely, thoughtful community of readers. I can’t wait to do it all again next year.
If you missed the livestream of either the Golden Heart or RITA Award ceremonies, they’re available on YouTube! You can view the Golden Heart ceremony here.
To watch the RITA Awards, you can either click this link or watch the embedded video below. Some highlights include author Angie Fox’s missing pants, Jill Shalvis reaching 100 books written, and Beverly Jenkins’ amazing speech for receiving the 2017 Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award. Have some tissues handy!
Her Every Wish by Courtney Milan – WINNER
Site grade: B+ from Carrie S
Grade from PamG: B
“The Husband Maneuver” by Karen Witemeyer in With This Ring
Grade from Phyllis L: B-
Grade from Darbi: B-
Let It Snow by Jeanette Grey
Grade from TheoLibrarian: D
“Let Us Dream” by Alyssa Cole in Daughters of a Nation
Site grade: A from Redheadedgirl
Grade from ppyajunebug: A-
Searching for Mine by Jennifer Probst
Grade from Phyllis L: C
Grade from Jillian Boyd: DNF
Tycoon by Joanna Shupe
Site grade: B+ from Redheadedgirl
Grade from Nerdalisque: B
Wild in Rio by Lyssa Kay Adams
Grade from Isabelle: C-
Grade from Kim W: C+
APB: Baby by Julie Miller
Grade from Jenica H: B
Grade from Erica: C
Breaking Good by Madeline Ash
Grade from Catherine Heloise: B+
Christmas on Crimson Mountain by Michelle Major – WINNER
Grade from Megan S: B
Grade from Allison H: B-
Falling for the Rancher by Tanya Michaels
Grade from ClaireC: B
Grade from Kat M: C
Far from Home by Lorelie Brown
Grade from LauraL: B+
Grade from Vasha: B+
His Stolen Bride by Barbara Dunlop
Grade from Catherine Heloise: C
Grade from Lori A: D
A Malibu Kind of Romance by Synithia Williams
Grade from Heather S: C
Overwhelming Force by Janie Crouch
Grade from Panda Queen: B
Searching for Disaster by Jennifer Probst
Grade from HeatherT: D
Grade from Darbi: D
Two Doctors & a Baby by Brenda Harlen
Grade from NinjaPenguin: DNF
Grade from K.N.O’Rear: C+
Do You Want to Start a Scandal by Tessa Dare
Site grade: A from Elyse
Grade from Winnay: A-
Duke of Sin by Elizabeth Hoyt
Site grade: A from Elyse
Grade from cbackson: B-
A Duke to Remember by Kelly Bowen – WINNER
Grade from Truusje: B-
Grade from MiddleClassManhattan: B+
Left at the Altar by Margaret Brownley
Grade from Phyllis L: B-
Grade from B. Bradley: D+
The Study of Seduction by Sabrina Jeffries
Grade from Fangirl Musings: A
Grade from ClaudiaA: B
Taming the Highlander by May McGoldrick
Grade from Omphale: C
Grade from Christine: C-
MAINSTREAM FICTION WITH A CENTRAL ROMANCE FINALISTS
The Color of a Promise by Julianne MacLean
Grade from Coco: B-
Grade from Catherine Heloise: B-
The Depth of Beauty by A. B. Michaels
Grade from Erika S: DNF
The Moon in the Palace by Weina Dai Randel – WINNER
Grade from Turophile: B-
Grade from ReneeG: C-
Now That It’s You by Tawna Fenske
Grade from HeatherMarie: B
Grade from Another Kate: C-
MID-LENGTH CONTEMPORARY FINALISTS
Back in the Saddle by Karen Templeton
Grade from Meagan M: C+
Grade from Mandi: C+
Barefoot at Midnight by Roxanne St. Claire
Grade from Erica: DNF
Grade from Turophile: C
Carolina Dreaming by Virginia Kantra – WINNER
Grade from ClaireC: C+
Fast Connection by Megan Erickson and Santino Hassell
Grade from QOTU: A-
Grade from cleo: B+
Lone Heart Pass by Jodi Thomas
Grade from Kate K.F: C
Grade from Iby: D
Off the Hook by Laura Drewry
Grade from Lindsey R: C-
Once and For All: An American Valor Novel by Cheryl Etchison
Grade from JayneH: B-
Tell Me How This Ends by Victoria De La O
Grade from NoeRD: C+
Grade from Erica: F
The Turning Point by Marie Meyer
Grade from JahnaviS: B-
Grade from Another Kate: B
Wanderlust by Roni Loren
Grade from KB: C
Affective Needs by Rebecca Taylor
Grade from Faellie: B+
Grade from Coco: B
The Distance from A to Z by Natalie Blitt
Grade from PamG: C
The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout – WINNER
Grade from Coco: A-
Summer of Supernovas by Darcy Woods
Grade from HeatherMac: B
ROMANCE WITH RELIGIOUS OR SPIRITUAL ELEMENTS FINALISTS
Close to You by Kara Isaac
Grade from Hope: C-
Keeper of the Stars by Robin Lee Hatcher
Grade from Julia S: C+
Grade from Iola: B
My Hope Next Door by Tammy L. Gray – WINNER
Grade from Samantha: D
Trust My Heart by Carol J. Post
Grade from LauraL: B-
Grade from DonnaMarie: C-
Bayou Shadow Hunter by Debbie Herbert
Grade from Dominika: C
Grade from Ms. G: B-
The Beast by J R Ward
Grade from Danica: B
The Champion of Barésh by Susan Grant
Grade from EllieM: B+
Enchanted Warrior by Sharon Ashwood
Grade from Leanne H: B-
Grade from Spice: D
Ghost Gifts by Laura Spinella
Grade from Samantha D: DNF
Grade from Mina Lobo: B
The Leopard King by Ann Aguirre
Grade from cbackson: DNF
Grade from Roo: A-
The Pages of the Mind by Jeffe Kennedy – WINNER
Grade from Malin: B-
Grade from PamG: A
Where the Wild Things Bite by Molly Harper
Site grade: B- from Amanda
Grade from PamG: B
Alterations by Stephanie Scott
Grade from LibrarianJessi: C+
Before Goodbye by Mimi Cross
Grade from Leigh: C+
Close to You by Kara Isaac
Grade from Bluetomarto: B-
The Distance from A to Z by Natalie Blitt
Grade from Meagan M: D
Once and For All: An American Valor Novel by Cheryl Etchison – WINNER
Grade from Beth R: B
Summer of Supernovas by Darcy Woods
Grade from Shannon B: A
All the Dead Girls by Rita Herron
Grade from chezamanda: F
Grade from Shannon B: C
Atone by Beth Yarnall
Grade from Shana: D+
Grade from Roo: D-
Field of Graves by J. T. Ellison
Grade from Pepper C: B-
Killer Countdown by Amelia Autin
Grade from HollyS: B-
Grade from Shana: C
Mr. and Mr. Smith by HelenKay Dimon
Grade from JayneH: B+
Grade from Malin: B-
One Minute to Midnight by Nico Rosso
Grade from BoxerLover2: B
Grade from Catherine Heloise: A
Repressed by Elisabeth Naughton – WINNER
Grade from JayneH: B+
Grade from The Other Kate: B
Tall, Dark and Damaged by Sarah Andre
Grade from Shoppermom: B+
LONG CONTEMPORARY FINALISTS
Always a Bridesmaid by Lizzie Shane
Grade from Neonails: B-
Grade from Jillian Boyd: B+
Hot in Hellcat Canyon by Julie Anne Long
Grade from HeatherMac: A
Grade from Crystal Anne with an E: B+
Make Me Sin by J. T. Geissinger
Grade from JahnaviS: DNF
Grade from Julia S: B+
Miracle on 5th Avenue by Sarah Morgan – WINNER
Grade from Isabelle: B-
Pansies by Alexis Hall
Grade from PamG: A-
Grade from HeatherT: B-
Snowfall on Haven Point by RaeAnne Thayne
Grade from Scifigirl1986: A-
Tender Is the Night by Barbara Freethy
Grade from Scifigirl1986: C-
The Dirty Secret by Kira A. Gold
Grade from HeatherT: C+
The Master by Tara Sue Me
Grade from garlicknitter: B+
Grade from Jillian Boyd: A
Off the Clock by Roni Loren – WINNER
Site grade: B+ from Amanda
Grade from Meg: B+
Ravenous by M. S. Force
Grade from Notorious: DNF
Three Sweet Nothings by Nikki Sloane
Grade from VeronicaMcD: B-
Grade from Nerdalisque: F
Dukes Prefer Blondes by Loretta Chase
Site grade: B from Carrie
Grade from MiddleClassManhattan: A
How I Married a Marquess by Anna Harrington
Grade from Fangirl Musings: B+
Grade from NoeRD: B-
No Mistress of Mine by Laura Lee Guhrke – WINNER
Grade from Shoppermom: B-
Grade from ReneeG: B-
Susana and the Scot by Sabrina York
Grade from Robin R: B
Grade from HeatherT: B-
Did you watch the RITA livestream? What you’d think? Were you surprised by any of the winners?
Thanks for putting all the review grades in one place. I was interested in how the winners compared to Bitchery opinion (which, in my mind, was a lot more “wtf how did this get to be a finalist” than the official list reflects, probably because wtf reviews are more fun to read than positive ones), but not so interested I would put that info together myself if someone else didn’t. I’m pleasantly surprised the winners skewed toward general agreement with SB grades (with the exception of the one D victor).
So interesting – looks like none of the highest graded books won in any of their categories, with the exception of ya and possibly paranormal.
Thanks for putting all this together!
I am relieved that none of the books won where reviewers here pointed out truly horrendous racism or abuse. (The one inspirational winner that was rated a D, the reviewer found that it was steeped in problematic aspects of conservative Christian culture, but really the D was because they thought it was poorly structured and often dull, too much tell not show.) I think it is totally reasonable to expect the RITAs to do better at not including horrible finalists, though…
This was a lot of work on everyone’s part! What a fantastic resource. I’m happy to see that the awards aligned pretty well with the SBTB reviews.
I love reading the RITA Award Review Challenge reviews. Every year, I’m always impressed by the thoughtful and engaging responses. Everyone’s gif game in particular was A+++ this year.
This recap literally illustrates that good books, like beauty, are often in the eyes of the beholder. Vive la difference!
This was a huge undertaking on everyone’s part. Thanks to everyone who participated. I read many of the reviews, and especially enjoyed the ones where two readers reviewed the same book.
Congratulations to the winners
Thank you Amanda et. al. in letting us lurkers get in on the review fun! I can’t wait to see what next year brings.
As always, it was great fun to review! Thanks for letting us contribute!
It’s good to see that, with only a couple exceptions, the winners were books that got above average reviews. Thanks to everyone writers, reviewers and RT members.
I’m relieved that the winners (mostly) received respectable grades from SBTB reviewers. I agree with Vasha, though, that I’d love to see the RITAs be more discerning in what they allow to become a finalist.
Great job, reviewers – they were all delightful and informative to read.
This is so interesting — thanks for compiling.
How are finalists selected? I agree that it’s a relief that the books that most horrified the Bitchery seemed not to win…but why aren’t the nominees of a higher caliber in the first place?
It is interesting that the pool of books are those submitted by either author or publisher–no real selection process. The website also mentions that online signups to judge the books opens at a particular time….
I think this was a great set-up and plan for the RITAs. I’ve enjoyed the reviews, and love how you created this nice and easy to follow page, with links to the reviews. I’m very impressed with how this turned out, and appreciate the work from all the reviewers and the site to have done this. Thank you!
Joining in with the thanks for setting all of this up, and giving us a chance to read and review the books! And this index page is fantastic, thank you!
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