The RITA Awards are the Romance Writers of America (RWA) equivalent of the Oscars. For romance books. Actually, the RITAs are more akin to the SAG Awards since only authors can choose the finalists and vote on the winners. But “SAG equivalent” sounds a lot less cool, and there’s really no Oscar equivalent, so let’s go with that. The awards for the RITAs and the Golden Hearts are given out at a big, fancy ceremony every July at RWA’s national convention.

This year, GraveTells is going. And I am SO EXCITED I can hardly stand it! Before I crow about some of my absolute favorite books from 2015 that made the Finalist lists, here’s a little more insight into the RITA Awards [...]

If you loved Him, picking up Us is an easy win. If you haven't read Him yet, you are seriously missing out! Check out my review of Him, the 2015 GraveTells Book of the Year, here then pick up your copy of this must-read sequel at your favorite bookseller!

2015 was a hectic year for me personally, so I DNF’d a higher-than-usual number of books. Or maybe my newfound impatience with lagging pacing and meh storylines is just a side effect of getting older. In any case, that means that any story I actually finished last year left a memorable impression. This short list of romances represents the best of the best from my 2015 reading list. If none of the stories I’ve chosen are already close to your own heart, I hope you’ll give them a try. THANK YOU to all the authors below for your stellar work and for entertaining me when I needed it most. Much <3!

Book of the Year

 

From my review of [...]

This is a feel good romance that does everything right. The characters are addicting, the relationship is deep and well founded, and the outcome is believable. While told from dual male first person perspective (present tense), the dialogue of these two young men feels authentic: no shadow of an overtly female brain penning their thoughts and actions. Wes and Jamie are virile, rough young men, and the prose honestly reflects that. HIM is the 2015 GraveTells Book of the Year!