UPDATED TO ADD: Found another book and another anthology.
The RITA and Gold Heart finalists were announced and, out of curiosity, I looked over the list. I was mildly surprised when I realized how many finalists I had in my TBR pile. I remember that I still had books from last year’s list of finalists as well. So I decided, since I didn’t do it last year, that I would — as a personal challenge — read the finalist from both years. Not counting the anthologies that contained the novellas, the total is 16 17 books. It would have been 17 18, except I read Unchained by Sharon Ashwood last month (Paranormal Romance finalist). I didn’t count books like J. D. Robb’s In Death books because I’m still too far behind to read them as part of this challenge. There were a few books that are part of series that I thought would be best not to read out of order, and have at least the first book in my stack to read. I didn’t count those either (My Forbidden Desire by Carolyn Jewel; The Fire King by Marjorie M. Liu; Darkness Unknown by Alexis Morgan; Surrender of a Siren by Tessa Dare ).
2010 RITA Finalists:
- The Better Part of Darkness by Kelly Gay
- Stolen Fury by Elisabeth Naughton
- A Not-So-Perfect Past by Beth Andrews (Winner)
- Revealed: a Prince and a Pregnancy by Kelly Hunter
- Make Me Yours by Betina Krahn
- Revealed by Kate Noble
- “A Little Night Magic” by Allyson James in Hot for the Holidays
- “Annalise and the Scandalous Rake” by Deb Marlowe in The Diamonds of Welbourne Manor
- “Charlotte and the Wicked Lord” by Amanda McCabe in The Diamonds of Welbourne Manor
- “This Wicked Gift” by Courtney Milan in The Heart of Christmas
- “On a Snowy Christmas” by Brenda Novak in The Night Before Christmas (ADDED)
- “The Christmas Eve Promise” by Molly O’Keefe in The Night Before Christmas (ADDED) (Winner)
2011 RITA Finalists:
- Enemy Within by Marcella Burnard
- The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
- When Harry Met Molly by Kieran Kramer
- Red-Hot Renegade by Kelly Hunter
- The Forbidden Rose by Joanne Bourne
- His at Night by Sherry Thomas
- Stormwalker by Allyson James
- Sins of the Heart by Eve Silver
- Water Bound by Christine Feehan
- Renegade Angel by Kendra Leigh Castle (ADDED)
- Provocative in Pearls by Madeline Hunter
- “Shifting Sea” by Virginia Kantra in Burning Up
I will track my progress on my personal challenge page.