The Whitney awards aren’t being announced until April 24th, but I thought it might be fun to get your opinion on who the winners should be. We’ll do this every Friday until they winners are announced.
[And yes, I am part of the Whitney Academy and will be casting my vote. And no, your opinion here, no matter how cleverly worded, will not sway my vote.]
So let’s get started. The finalists for BEST ROMANCE are:
- Counting the Cost, by Liz Adair
- Illuminations of the Heart, by Joyce DiPastena
- All the Stars in Heaven, by Michele Paige Holmes
- Santa Maybe, by Aubrey Mace
- Previously Engaged, by Elodia Strain
In the comments section, state which book you think should win 2009 Best Romance and why.
Or, if you have another favorite that didn’t make the list, you can go ahead and tell us about it too.
(And I’d love it if you’d repeat your comment over on the LDS Fiction post for that book.)
All the Stars in Heaven, by Michelle Paige Holmes. The writing is solid, the pacing is great, and it had me turning pages and not making dinner so that I could find out what happened.
My only concern with it is that it felt more like a mystery/thriller than a romance, in spite of the strong romantic element. But then I compared the depth of its romantic leads to the other romantic leads, and I felt like Holmes' characters and their romance were stronger overall.
My other favorite was Santa Maybe, which was really fun. I would have loved some recipes with it, though! She had me drooling with all her descriptions.
I still have about 2/3 of a book left to read in this category, so I'm not legally qualified to vote yet 🙂
I apologize. I have not read any of these books. But, simply based on titles, I like Santa Maybe. And, of course, I happen to notice no male authors in this category. Maybe at a future Whitney awards celebration there will be.
Charlie
I loved Santa Maybe! I also thought Previously Engaged was hilarious!:) I haven't read the others, but have a few on hold at the library. It will be interesting to see who wins!
They are all fabulous books. My favorite was Previously Engaged. Even though it was light hearted and laugh out loud funny, it was so deep in its way of reminding me the importance of kindness to others. I loved the way Isaac made me remember that falling head over heels in love again feeling. It was well written and I enjoyed the way the author interacts with her audience by answering question we were just asking in our minds.
My favorite was Santa Maybe. It is just so funny all the mix-ups there were through out the story.
I would have loved to have seen Marcia Lynn McClure's Saphyre Snow in this category. It is a darling and romantic retelling of Snow White. It has depth and shows how to look beyond the outward appearance and find the good in everyone 🙂
I was shocked that The Ball's in Her Court by Heather Justesen wasn't on this list. I would definitely vote that one as my favorite romance of the year.
Of the nominees listed, I enjoyed both Santa Maybe & Previously Engaged. Either of those would make great winners for this category.