The 2016 RITA Finalist Reading Challenge

The RITA is a contest put on by the Romance Writers of America that is basically the Oscars of the Romantic Fiction world. If you write romance this is the award you want listed in your bio.

 “The RITA is the highest award of distinction in romance fiction. It recognizes excellence in published romance novels and novellas. Up to 2,000 romance novels are entered in the RITA competition each year. After the first round of judging by published romance authors, entries that meet the qualifications to become a finalist then advance to the final round. The winners will be announced at a black-tie awards ceremony held at the annual RWA Conference.

This years conference will be held in San Diego, California with the award ceremony happening on July 16 between 8-10pm PT.

For further information on the finalist (who their publishers and editors were) and a list of previous winners check out 2016 RITA Finalist Announcements page.

Each year I try to read at least one book from each category to see what the judges and romance industry as a whole might be looking for. This year I decided to turn it into a game.

Warning: The 2016 RITA Finalist Reading Challenge is not for the faint of heart.

Here are the rules:

1. You must read each and every book listed in every section. That is a total of 85 books! You can buy the book, borrow it through kindle unlimited (if that is an option) or borrow it through the library and yes, Audiobook versions count as reading the book.
2. If you’ve already read a book you do not need to reread it. Just skip to #3.
3. You must share on at least 1 social media outlet what book you are reading and when you are reading it. Use #RITAGH and #curvyreader in the text so that I can follow along with you.
4. After reading each book you must either leave a starred or written review on Amazon or GoodReads for said book, write a review blog post or do a review video on Youtube.
5. Once you have read every book in each category publicly state who you think or hope will win the RITA for each category (don’t forget to include #RITAGH and #curvyreader in your text) either on a social media account, a blog post or a Youtube video. The categories are: Best First Book, Contemporary Romance: Long, Contemporary Romance: Mid-Length, Contemporary Romance: Short, Erotic Romance, Historical Romance: Long, Historical Romance: Short, Inspirational Romance, Paranormal Romance, Romance Novella, Romantic Suspense, & Young Adult.
6. You must have your guesses shared by the start of the award ceremony on July 16 @ 8pm PT. That means, as of today, you have 100 days to read 85 books. So, in order to succeed you need to average about 9 books every 10 days. Definitely doable don’t you think??
7. After we find out who won, post on a social media account how many of your guesses you got right. (Don’t forget to use #RITAGH and #curvyreader)

You might be wondering, “Why on earth would anyone want to do this?”, and while I can’t speak for anyone else I can list the reasons why I think this is a good idea.

• I am a writer in the romance field and I feel it’s important to know what kind of stories and what style of writing the judges and romance industry as a whole is currently looking for. I feel the RITA finalists are a good representation of that.
• It’s exciting to know who is a finalist and guess who might win but unless you’ve already read every book listed you can’t give a fair guess. Therefore the need to read each one arises.
• By buying or borrowing the books, publicly sharing what you are reading, and leaving a review you are doing the best thing you could ever do for any author. Even if you didn’t care too much for the book, as long as your review is respectful it helps. If you are a fellow writer you know how important this is to the author. If you are a reader just know that the more romance books that get talked about, the more publishers look to produce them, the more writers get a chance to have their story published. It’s a win win for everyone.
• As voracious readers we tend to get into reading ruts where we only read from certain genres or certain themes. This challenge is a good way to read a few books in genres you wouldn’t normally pick up and potentially find a new favorite author in the process.

I know 85 books in 100 days is a bit stressful. Not to mention the potential cost of such a challenge. If you would like to join the challenge but don’t think you’ll finish in time and/or can’t afford to purchase so many books, don’t worry. You can still participate. For any book you didn’t get to or couldn’t purchase or borrow just read the blurbs and any chapter previews (if there are any) and base your guesses off of that. Then continue with rules 3, 5, 6 & 7.

If you are one of the authors listed below, come join the fun! You know you are dying to scope out your competition. The only rule for you guys is that you can’t list your guesses because that would be weird. However, sharing what books you’ve read from the list below with your fellow authors  and readers would be a great show of camaraderie and support.  You could also share this challenge with your readers to see if they would like to participate.

Leave a comment below to let me know you are up to the challenge!

The 2016 RITA Finalists

Best First Book

• Altered by Marnee Blake
• Forget Tomorrow by Pintip Dunn
• Night Hush by Leslie Jones
• No Better Man by Sara Richardson
• A Noble Masquerade by Kristi Ann Hunter
• Pairing Off by Elizabeth Harmon
• The Strongest Steel by Scarlett Cole
• Viking Warrior Rising by Asa Maria Bradley

Contemporary Romance: Long

• Brokedown Cowboy by Maisey Yates
• Fire Me Up by Kimberly Kincaid
• Love Me Sweet by Tracy Brogan
• Love Somebody Like You by Susan Fox
• Once Kissed by Cecy Robson
• Ransom Canyon by Jodi Thomas
• Redemption Bay by RaeAnne Thayne
• Searching for Beautiful by Jennifer Probst
• Second Chance Summer by Jill Shalvis
• The Secret Sister by Brenda Novak

Contemporary Romance: Mid-Length

• A Cold Creek Christmas Story by RaeAnne Thayne
• Dances Under the Harvest Moon by Joanne Rock
• Falling for Mister Wrong by Lizzie Shane
• Him by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy
• Just Say Yes by Elizabeth Hayley
• Love After All by Jaci Burton
• The Marriage Contract by Katee Robert
• Not a Fairy Tale by Romy Sommer
• Once Pure by Cecy Robson
• Romancing Miss Right by Lizzie Shane

Contemporary Romance: Short

• A Bramble House Christmas by CJ Carmichael
• Carter Bravo’s Christmas Bride by Christine Rimmer
• Chance of a Lifetime by Marissa Clarke
• Heated Moments by Phyllis Bourne
• His Lost-and-Found Bride by Scarlet Wilson
• The Nanny Plan by Sarah M. Anderson
• One Night with Her Bachelor by Kat Latham
• The Prince She Never Forgot by Scarlet Wilson
• Tempting the Knight by Heidi Rice
• Three Nights Before Christmas by Kat Latham

Erotic Romance

• Break Me Down by Roni Loren
• For Real: A Spires Story by Alexis Hall
• Say My Name by J. Kenner
• Sugar by Seressia Glass
• Three Little Mistakes by Nikki Sloane

Historical Romance: Long

• Bella and the Beast by Olivia Drake
• Earls Just Want to Have Fun by Shana Galen
• If the Viscount Falls by Sabrina Jeffries
• Tiffany Girl by Deeanne Gist
• Tremaine’s True Love by Grace Burrowes

Historical Romance: Short

• Falling into Bed with a Duke by Lorraine Heath
• It Started with a Scandal by Julie Anne Long
• Say Yes to the Marquess by Tessa Dare
• Secrets of a Scandalous Heiress by Theresa Romain
• The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy by Julia Quinn
• Sweetest Scoundrel by Elizabeth Hoyt

Inspirational Romance

• A Love Like Ours by Becky Wade
• Mistletoe Justice by Carol J. Post
• The Mountain Midwife by Laurie Alice Eakes
• A Noble Masquerade by Kristi Ann Hunter
• The Rescued by Marta Perry

Paranormal Romance

• Midnight’s Kiss by Thea Harrison
• Must Love Chainmail by Angela Quarles
• Possessed by a Wolf by Sharon Ashwood
• The Shattered Court by M. J. Scott
• Soulbound by Kristen Callihan
• Stars of Fortune by Nora Roberts
• Viking Warrior Rising by Asa Maria Bradley

Romance Novella

• All’s Fair in Love and Scandal by Caroline Linden
• Blue Streak: A Blue Series Novella by Jules Barnard
• “Desert Heat” by Merline Lovelace
• “Her Secret Prince” by Madeline Ash
• “Let It Shine” by Alyssa Cole
• Nice Girls Don’t Ride by Roni Loren
• One Little Kiss by Robin Covington
• The Resurrection of Sam Sloan by Erin Quinn
• Toward the Sunrise by Elizabeth Camden

Romantic Suspense

• Barefoot with a Bodyguard by Roxanne St. Claire
• Barefoot with a Stranger by Roxanne St. Claire
• Facing Fire by HelenKay Dimon
• Fatal Frenzy by Marie Force
• Flash Fire by Dana Marton
• In the Waning Light by Loreth Anne White
• She Can Kill by Melinda Leigh
• The Strongest Steel by Scarlett Cole
• Target Engaged by M. L. Buchman

Young Adult Romance

• The Anatomical Shape of a Heart by Jenn Bennett
• Followed by Frost by Charlie N. Holmberg
• Rikki by Abigail Strom
• Unspoken by C. C. Hunter

Let the reading begin!

Friday @ 9am “How To Handle Your Families Concern Over Your Weight”

Monday  @ 9am “Tax Deductions for Writers and Bloggers”

• What do you think of the books and authors that made the list?
• Have you read any of the books listed above? If so, what did you think of it?
• Are you brave enough to join the 2016 RITA Finalist Reading Challenge? If so, let me know in the comments below!