The RITA Award Ceremony is an exciting end to the RWA conference, and a special moment for the finalists.  One of these authors will win the coveted RITA statue for Contemporary Series Romance.

Not-So-Perfect Past by Beth Andrews
Nina Carlson knows all about Dillon Ward. Knows he served time in prison. Knows nobody pulled out the welcome mat when he moved to Serenity Springs. But that doesn’t stop her from renting him a place to live. And when someone crashes into her bakery, he’s just the man to fix the damage.

And Nina isn’t the only one who thinks Dillon’s the perfect man for the job: her two kids have taken a shine to him. Still, she can’t afford to get close to Dillon, even if he is tempting her to toss out her good girl shoes. Because it’s not that she doesn’t trust him. It’s that she doesn’t trust herself.

From the Outside by Helen Brenna                           
With rumors he has a mistress in every major city, rookie NASCAR driver Roberto Castillo is the quintessential playboy.  That is, until Cargill Motorsports orders him to clean up his act.  Fortunately, he’s found just the girl to put a shine on his tarnished public image. 

There’s not a girl in America who could out-wholesome pretty actress Mallory Dalton.  When Roberto suggests they date–for appearances only–Mallory knows that Roberto’s bad-boy reputation could ruin her good-girl image.  But maybe that just what she wants …    Unfortunately, even the best laid plans can … backfire.

The Snow-Kissed Bride by Linda Goodnight
A secluded cabin nestled in the Rockies is the perfect place for Melody Crawford to hide from the world. With her two faithful dogs, she fearlessly puts her life on the line to rescue missing people…but the rest of her life is a mystery.

Ex-army ranger John North needs Melody-s help–she knows the unforgiving mountains better than anyone. Melody sees John as an outsider, but this enigmatically beautiful woman calls to the man inside him. She needs to trust him, and, come what may, he-ll break down her barriers–kiss by snowy kiss….

Single Mom Seeks… by Teresa Hill                                                 
Gorgeous men were like fudge…   Delicious, sensual and mostly bad for you.

At least that’s what single mother Lily Tanner thought. Especially when Nick Malone moved in next door. Nick was a feast for her eyes, all rippling muscles and perfect proportions. After her disastrous marriage, Lily wanted nothing to do with men ever again. Yet when Nick needed help keeping the salivating neighborhood housewives at bay, he turned to her. His idea was simple: pretend they were a couple to ward off the others. But his methods–close contact and lots of touching–were wreaking havoc on Lily’s convictions. Because, as with fudge, after just one taste of Nick Malone, she wanted more!

Revealed: a Prince and a Pregnancy by Kelly Hunter
When heiress Simone Duvalier sashays back into Rafael Alexander’s life, Rafe can’t wait for her to head back home and leave him to his empire-building in Australia. They once shared so much, but all that remains are memories and the desire to bed her…

The Christmas Love-Child by Jennie Lucas                             
It’s Christmas time in London, and unwittingly Grace is swirled into the sumptuous and scandalous world of Prince Maksim Rostov. When the unworldly secretary learns he took her innocence in exchange for a business deal, broken-hearted she flees.

But when Maksim discovers Grace’s pregnancy secret, the ruthless Russian drags her to his guarded mansion in snowy Moscow. There he’ll keep her as his captive bride and unwilling princess….

One-Night Mistress…Convenient Wife by Anne McAllister
Three years ago Natalie was utterly humiliated when handsome, debonair Christo Savas rejected her clumsy advances. Now, suddenly, unexpectedly she finds herself at Christo’s beck and call.

Natalie is older now, wiser by far. She won’t fall for him again — she hopes.

But Christo has other ideas now that the little firecracker has grown up. Now he is more than ready to take what she once offered. He wants just one night to satisfy his desire — But one night is never enough!

Duty, Desire, and the Desert King by Jane Porter                      
As the black sheep of the Fehrs, a powerful desert family, middle son Zayed has sworn off love and marriage. This playboy prince is happiest when cruising the casinos of Monte Carlo. But then family tragedy leaves him as heir to his kingdom’s throne. Custom dictates that a wife must be seated beside him, and he’s got just the bride in mind…

Rou Tournell is a feisty, independent woman — and if she won’t marry Zayed for duty, maybe desire will help persuade her…

I Still Do by Christie Ridgway
Shy librarian Emily Garner needed to live a little. And a chance meeting with childhood love Will Dailey proved Sin City was the perfect place for a wild weekend. So wild, in fact, that they barely remembered getting hitched….

Will hadn’t seen Emily in years…and now she was his wife! She was every bit the schoolboy fantasy he remembered. But he’d spent the past seventeen years weighed down by family responsibilities, and now all he wanted was to enjoy the carefree bachelor life. He didn’t want to be tied to sweet, beautiful, deliciously innocent Emily…did he?

Good luck to the finalists!  It’s easy to see why these books were nominated just by reading the back blurbs. 

What about you?  Have you read any of these novels?  If not, which ones would you buy based on the back copy?   I’m giving away three novels to three commenters – your choice, first come, first serve.    So share your thoughts for a chance to win:  Duty, Desire, and the Desert King by Jane Porter,  One-Night Mistress…Convenient Wife by Anne McAllister, or The Christmas Love-Child by Jennie Lucas.