Just as filmmakers and movie stars have the Oscars, musicians have the Grammys and Bewildered Hearts have nothing, romance novelists have the Romantic Novel of the Year Awards, or RONAs to give them a hip acronym. Much like publishers, bloggers and members of the public the Romantic Novelists' Association separate the genre into five categories, covering every style in which people show affection. There's Contemporary, for the fashionable, Historical, for the old-fashioned, Young Adult, for the young adults, Comedy, for those with a sense of humour and Epic, for those with time on their hands. Somewhat foolishly, the victorious books were announced on the 26th of February, presumably in the belief that no other ceremonies were taking place that week. Those five winners will now contest for Romantic Novel of the Year, to be announced in May. Much like publishers, bloggers and members of the public the RNA chooses to ostracise the work of Mills & Boon, creating the RONA Rose for, 'Category or series and shorter romance - novels that focus on the developing love affair between the hero and heroine.' Unfortunately none of books deemed eligible for this award are considered for the main prize, but previous winners include such Bewildered Heart keywords as Kate Hardy and Liz Fielding. From this year's selection there are luminaries such as Fiona Harper, two nominations for Scarlet Wilson and titles that play upon the distinctive Mills & Boon custom of mixing gimmick with spoiler.
The six nominees were made of a cross-section of Harlequin's subgenres, although NASCAR yet again failed to make the grade, much like it has as a sport. There were two Historicals, two Rivas and two Medicals, covering every degree of loving from the nostalgic through to whatever Riva is. It is there we begin, with Harper's Always the Best Man. 'Standing at the altar, Damien's breathless as the woman he loves walks towards him - to marry another man.' Uh oh, Damien. Yet he needn't worry, because just like a real life wedding there is always a bridesmaid when all else has failed. Yet Damien can't stand Zoe and Zoe can't stand Damien. She is too vibrant, sexy and exciting for him and he is too handsome, intelligent and honorable for her, but somehow, through the author's sheer force of will, opposites attract, kiss, have numerous bouts of sex and then find love, allowing hero to overcome his inner conflict of being in love with someone else and heroine to overcome her inner conflict of being single and childless. Heidi Rice's The Good, the Bad and the Wild begins implausibly with a famous, sexy, bad-boy scriptwriter, suggesting the Romance genre has finally run out of believable occupations for its heroes. The heroine, Eva, is a timid, yet pretty, genealogy investigator and virgin, who has arrived in San Francisco to tell Nicolo Delisantro that his grandfather is an Italian Duke. Soon a hedonistic and poorly-motivated love affair begins, throwing few obstacles in the way of the characters and ending with everyone even more wealthy, happy and married than they were to begin with.
The two Medical(Tm) offerings are from Scarlet Wilson and both feature female nurses and male doctors finding affection at national landmarks and during obvious holidays. West Wing to Maternity Wing has for its hero yet another world-renowned neonatologist. However, this neonatologist is no ordinary neonatologist (Like the majority of neonatologists), the suitably-monikered Lincoln Adams is the White House neonatologist, but that doesn't seem to have much bearing on the plot. Six years ago, while aboard an aid boat on the Amazon River, Lincoln met Amy Carson and together they shared one glorious summer of hand-holding and wound-treating. Now Amy has returned, pregnant and in need of a trusted friend. Is the baby Lincoln's and how do two medical professionals explain the six year gestation period? Will the love they shared be rekindled? Will the President make a cameo appearance, perhaps to shout, 'Good for you, Doc,' down the Oval Office corridor and into the Rose Garden, where Lincoln gazes longingly into Amy's eyes to tell her he doesn't care who the father is, they're a family no matter what? Will breast cancer be clumsily worked into the narrative for reasons that aren't entirely obvious? If Amy can entrust Linc with her baby will she entrust him with her heart? For answers to all these questions, and possibly more, you would have to read the book.
Wilson's other novel, Her Christmas Eve Diamond, tackles every hospital worker's favourite time of year, late December. 'Nurse Cassidy Rae is a stickler for rules, but even she revels in the magic of Christmas, unlike new registrar Brad Donovan, who hates Christmas. With his surfer-boy looks and cocky charm, he's severely testing Cassidy's goodwill to all men.' Uh oh, Nurse Cassidy Rae, there's nothing sexier than a misbehaving official keeper of records, but how could you spend a life celebrating by-the-book festivities with someone incapable of joy? Brad Anderson has swapped Australia for Scotland to forget his tragic back-story, only to meet the Head Nurse who inspires him to smile once again, while wearing an embarrassing jumper. In turn, perhaps Brad teaches Cassidy to relax and take a more freewheeling approach to running a hospital. The final nominee is the first Harlequin Historical to make the grade, albeit only for its title. Betrothed to the Barbarian is a Carol Townend tale of sacrifice, secrecy and regal responsibility that does not use barbarian as literally as Bewildered Heart had hoped, which is a shame considering the TLC reality show of the same name. Despite her reservations the heroine is forced into a demanding proposition, she must marry a man she loves and wants to marry. Princess Theodora of Constantinople is duty-bound to wed Duke Nikolaos on the orders of the Emperor, but as much as she would like to, she harbours a dark secret. Yes, she is the titular barbarian, having spent ten years in exile where she gave birth to a child. Will her disgrace destroy her future, or will it turn out that through some incredible contrivance the Duke also used to be a barbarian and is, in fact, the father?
Having read the blurbs of the novels that failed to take home the coveted prize, what about the winning book itself? What could have possibly beaten out such eminently readable love stories as those previously discussed? As it turned out Britain's most beloved married couple, Richard and Judy, presented the award to Sarah Mallory for Beneath the Major's Scars, making Mallory a consecutive winner, having triumphed last year with The Dangerous Lord Carrington. Her latest book tells the story of Zelah Pentewan, a spirited heroine with a tragic past who meets and falls for a secretive hero with a tragic past. Fleeing from scandal, having been seduced by a married man and losing her baby during childbirth, she takes a job as a librarian for the enigmatic and facially-scarred Major Dominic Coale. Slowly she warms his cold heart as he persuades her to have a second shot at vulnerability. What follows sounds suspiciously like Beauty and the Beast, sprinkled with the usual Mills & Boon touches, but the powerful conclusion does indeed reveal that beneath the Major's scars there lies a Major, and there are a handful of subplots if this resolution fails to completely satisfy. Without having read the novel, Mallory's effort appears to be a worthy victor, despite negative reviews and unremarkable plotting. What do these five books tell us about the fortunes of Mills & Boon and reader preferences? To answer that question with, 'Very little,' would suggest there was something to learn from all this and therefore the answer, 'Very little,' is misleading.
The six nominees were made of a cross-section of Harlequin's subgenres, although NASCAR yet again failed to make the grade, much like it has as a sport. There were two Historicals, two Rivas and two Medicals, covering every degree of loving from the nostalgic through to whatever Riva is. It is there we begin, with Harper's Always the Best Man. 'Standing at the altar, Damien's breathless as the woman he loves walks towards him - to marry another man.' Uh oh, Damien. Yet he needn't worry, because just like a real life wedding there is always a bridesmaid when all else has failed. Yet Damien can't stand Zoe and Zoe can't stand Damien. She is too vibrant, sexy and exciting for him and he is too handsome, intelligent and honorable for her, but somehow, through the author's sheer force of will, opposites attract, kiss, have numerous bouts of sex and then find love, allowing hero to overcome his inner conflict of being in love with someone else and heroine to overcome her inner conflict of being single and childless. Heidi Rice's The Good, the Bad and the Wild begins implausibly with a famous, sexy, bad-boy scriptwriter, suggesting the Romance genre has finally run out of believable occupations for its heroes. The heroine, Eva, is a timid, yet pretty, genealogy investigator and virgin, who has arrived in San Francisco to tell Nicolo Delisantro that his grandfather is an Italian Duke. Soon a hedonistic and poorly-motivated love affair begins, throwing few obstacles in the way of the characters and ending with everyone even more wealthy, happy and married than they were to begin with.
The two Medical(Tm) offerings are from Scarlet Wilson and both feature female nurses and male doctors finding affection at national landmarks and during obvious holidays. West Wing to Maternity Wing has for its hero yet another world-renowned neonatologist. However, this neonatologist is no ordinary neonatologist (Like the majority of neonatologists), the suitably-monikered Lincoln Adams is the White House neonatologist, but that doesn't seem to have much bearing on the plot. Six years ago, while aboard an aid boat on the Amazon River, Lincoln met Amy Carson and together they shared one glorious summer of hand-holding and wound-treating. Now Amy has returned, pregnant and in need of a trusted friend. Is the baby Lincoln's and how do two medical professionals explain the six year gestation period? Will the love they shared be rekindled? Will the President make a cameo appearance, perhaps to shout, 'Good for you, Doc,' down the Oval Office corridor and into the Rose Garden, where Lincoln gazes longingly into Amy's eyes to tell her he doesn't care who the father is, they're a family no matter what? Will breast cancer be clumsily worked into the narrative for reasons that aren't entirely obvious? If Amy can entrust Linc with her baby will she entrust him with her heart? For answers to all these questions, and possibly more, you would have to read the book.
Wilson's other novel, Her Christmas Eve Diamond, tackles every hospital worker's favourite time of year, late December. 'Nurse Cassidy Rae is a stickler for rules, but even she revels in the magic of Christmas, unlike new registrar Brad Donovan, who hates Christmas. With his surfer-boy looks and cocky charm, he's severely testing Cassidy's goodwill to all men.' Uh oh, Nurse Cassidy Rae, there's nothing sexier than a misbehaving official keeper of records, but how could you spend a life celebrating by-the-book festivities with someone incapable of joy? Brad Anderson has swapped Australia for Scotland to forget his tragic back-story, only to meet the Head Nurse who inspires him to smile once again, while wearing an embarrassing jumper. In turn, perhaps Brad teaches Cassidy to relax and take a more freewheeling approach to running a hospital. The final nominee is the first Harlequin Historical to make the grade, albeit only for its title. Betrothed to the Barbarian is a Carol Townend tale of sacrifice, secrecy and regal responsibility that does not use barbarian as literally as Bewildered Heart had hoped, which is a shame considering the TLC reality show of the same name. Despite her reservations the heroine is forced into a demanding proposition, she must marry a man she loves and wants to marry. Princess Theodora of Constantinople is duty-bound to wed Duke Nikolaos on the orders of the Emperor, but as much as she would like to, she harbours a dark secret. Yes, she is the titular barbarian, having spent ten years in exile where she gave birth to a child. Will her disgrace destroy her future, or will it turn out that through some incredible contrivance the Duke also used to be a barbarian and is, in fact, the father?
Having read the blurbs of the novels that failed to take home the coveted prize, what about the winning book itself? What could have possibly beaten out such eminently readable love stories as those previously discussed? As it turned out Britain's most beloved married couple, Richard and Judy, presented the award to Sarah Mallory for Beneath the Major's Scars, making Mallory a consecutive winner, having triumphed last year with The Dangerous Lord Carrington. Her latest book tells the story of Zelah Pentewan, a spirited heroine with a tragic past who meets and falls for a secretive hero with a tragic past. Fleeing from scandal, having been seduced by a married man and losing her baby during childbirth, she takes a job as a librarian for the enigmatic and facially-scarred Major Dominic Coale. Slowly she warms his cold heart as he persuades her to have a second shot at vulnerability. What follows sounds suspiciously like Beauty and the Beast, sprinkled with the usual Mills & Boon touches, but the powerful conclusion does indeed reveal that beneath the Major's scars there lies a Major, and there are a handful of subplots if this resolution fails to completely satisfy. Without having read the novel, Mallory's effort appears to be a worthy victor, despite negative reviews and unremarkable plotting. What do these five books tell us about the fortunes of Mills & Boon and reader preferences? To answer that question with, 'Very little,' would suggest there was something to learn from all this and therefore the answer, 'Very little,' is misleading.
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