I love the RITA’s! I remember my very first RWA National conference back in 1998, it was in Anaheim, CA and the theme for the award ceremony that year was old Hollywood glam. They had a red carpet for all of us to walk down and they had great desserts at the reception afterward (including the chocolate RITA’s!) and it was just such fun. It really is like the Oscars for us romance writers. And I love dressing up for it, pulling out my sequins and bling to glam it up because it’s not just for the finalists! We’re all celebrating the best of the best in our genre.

Well, one of my favorite subgenres as a reader is romantic suspense and boy do we have some great books nominated this year.

One Scream Away by Kate Brady “Snappy dialogue, good police procedural details and twisty psychology create white-hot tension that thriller fans will love…” Publishers Weekly. I met Kate last year at my publisher dinner because we both write for Grand Central and she’s a lovely woman. It’s always amazing to me how it’s the quiet ones who can get so dark because this book is dark and gritty and oh-so-creepy, but full of wonderful characters and great action. This is also Kate’s debut novel and it’s also nominated in the Best First book category. Go Kate!

Waking the Dead by Kylie Brant “This author is quickly carving out a place for herself in the psychological suspense genre.” — RT Bookclub This is the third book in Brant’s Mindhunters series and sounds right up my ally, all about criminal profilers that really get into the psyche of the killers.

A Dark Love by Margaret Carroll “STARRED REVIEW! Romantic comedy author Carroll (The True Match) brings tight prose and excellent pacing to her tense first thriller.” Publishers Weekly. This is about an abused woman who has run across country to start a new life, it sounds similar to the movie Sleeping With the Enemy, and it’s gotten fantastic reviews.

Whisper of Warning by Laura Griffin “A gripping romantic suspense that will keep you guessing until the final page.” Fresh Fiction Laura is actually a chapter mate and is super nice and way talented. I haven’t read this book yet, but I’ve read others by Laura and she’s fantastic.

Stolen Fury by Elisabeth Naughton “Naughton deftly distills deadly intrigue, high adrenaline action, and scorchingly hot passion.” Chicago Tribune I have seen the books from this series everywhere so I know people must be gobbling them up. And from reading the back cover blurb, I can see why, they’re romantic adventure thrillers with modern-day treasure hunters. Y’all know that’s a subject matter near and dear to my heart!

Dark Country by Bronwyn Parry “…intricate thriller that balances romance and suspense…” Book Thingo I admit I hadn’t actually heard of Bronwyn before looking up these finalists, but that’s because she’s an Australian author and so far her books aren’t available here in the states, which is too bad because they sound wonderful. They’re set in her home country and wrought with tension and suspense. So hopefully they’ll print them stateside soon so the rest of us can enjoy Ms. Parry’s work.

Promises in Death by J.D. Robb “The characters are compelling, the plot suspenseful and the sci-fi twist is an added dimension.” Fort Worth Star-Telegram Well, y’all know I’ve blogged about my obsession with JD Robb and the In Death series before so I’m tickled to see Eve and Roarke represented in this category. Though I haven’t reached this book in particular I have no doubt it’s as captivated as the rest of the books. Great characters, tight suspense and finger-scorching passion so be careful while turning those pages!

Kill for Me by Karen Rose “A page-turner from the get-go…Without doubt, Rose is in the top echelon of suspense masters!” RT BookReviews Karen Rose books are unlike any other romantic suspense. They’re dense and packed with characters that move in and out of her books like a giant family so you get to know people and you see them again and again. And they’re bloody and intense and gritty and oh-so-wonderful. And I know Karen too and she’s super friendly and just a great lady.

So congrats to all these wonderful authors and their books. I know I’ll be there in Orlando cheering you on and rooting for one of my favorite categories. So how about you, readers? Are you romantic suspense fans? Finalist Laura Griffin has graciously donated a copy of her RITA nominated book, Whisper of Warning, for today’s blog. So be sure to comment for a chance to win!