Catherine Tinley, from Newry, Co Down, is one of 9 finalists in the Goldsboro Books Historical Romantic Novel Award category with her novel Rags-to-Riches Wife, published by Mills & Boon Historical.
The winners of the awards will be presented by actor and presenter Larry Lamb in a digital event on Monday 8th March. Novelist Mike Gayle will also be presented with the 2021 Outstanding Achievement Award, in recognition of his extraordinary contribution to the field of romantic fiction.
The RNA’s awards are the only national literary prizes that recognise excellence in the genre of romantic fiction. In 2021 they comprise the Goldsboro Books Contemporary Romantic Novel Award, the Goldsboro Books Historical Romantic Novel Award, the Romantic Comedy Novel Award, the Sapere Books Popular Romantic Fiction Award, the Jackie Collins Award for Romantic Thrillers, the Romantic Saga Award, the Fantasy Romantic Novel Award, the Libertà Shorter Romantic Novel Award and the Katie Fforde Debut Romantic Novel Award.
In Rags-to-Riches Wife, lady’s maid Jane Bailey’s life is turned upside down by the arrival of wealthy gentleman Robert Kendal, who takes her to visit her long-lost, aristocratic grandfather. Travelling together, they succumb to a mutual attraction. Society decrees they cannot marry, but how long can Jane deny her heart?
Catherine has a busy day job managing an NHS maternity hospital, so mostly writes at the weekends. She won a Rita Award in the USA for her first book, Waltzing with the Earl. She lives in Newry, Co Down, with her husband, three YA children, 4 cats, and her beloved dog, Carey.
Since its inception in 1960 the RNA has promoted excellence in romantic fiction and RNA Chair, Imogen Howson, commented, “This year’s shortlists showcase, yet again, the wonderful variety of romantic fiction, with books from publishers large and small, from some authors who are household names and others who may well be the next big thing. In difficult times, the sales of romantic fiction rise, and these books—with all their humour, drama, excitement, and romance—remind us exactly why.”
The Category Shortlists (authors are listed alphabetically)
The Katie Fforde Debut Romantic Novel Award:
Cow Girl, Kirsty Eyre, HarperCollins UK
The Bookshop of Second Chances, Jackie Fraser, Simon & Schuster
The Silent Treatment, Abbie Greaves, Century, Cornerstone
This Is Not a Love Story, Mary Hargreaves, Trapeze
A New Life for Ariana Byrne, Liz Hurley, Hera Books
The Authenticity Project, Clare Pooley, Bantam Press
The Libertà Books Shorter Romantic Novel Award:
A Will, a Wish and a Wedding, Kate Hardy, Mills & Boon True Love
The Warrior Knight and the Widow, Ella Matthews, Mills & Boon Historical
The Day That Changed Everything, Catherine Miller, Bookouture
Second Chance for the Single Mum, Sophie Pembroke, Mills & Boon True Love
The Return of the Disappearing Duke, Lara Temple, Mills & Boon Historical
Cinderella and the Surgeon, Scarlet Wilson, Mills & Boon Medical
The Romantic Saga Award:
The Girl from the Tanner’s Yard, Diane Allen, Pan
The Variety Girls, Tracy Baines, Ebury
The Ops Room Girls, Vicki Beeby, Canelo
Bobby’s War, Shirley Mann, Bonnier Books UK
The Orphan’s Daughter, Sandy Taylor, Bookouture
Secrets of the Lavender Girls, Kate Thompson, Hodder & Stoughton
The Romantic Comedy Novel Award:
The Garden of Forgotten Wishes, Trisha Ashley, Bantam Press
Someday at Christmas, Lizzie Byron, Hodder & Stoughton
Christmas at the Island Hotel, Jenny Colgan, Sphere, Little, Brown
One Winter’s Night, Kiley Dunbar, Hera Books
Sunny Days and Sea Breezes, Carole Matthews, Sphere, Little, Brown
The Switch, Beth O’Leary, Quercus
The Jackie Collins Romantic Thriller Award:
The Forgotten Sister, Nicola Cornick, HQ
The House by the Sea, Louise Douglas, Boldwood Books
Death Comes to Cornwall, Kate Johnson, Dash Digital, Orion
The Twins, Jane Lark, One More Chapter, HarperCollins
Escape to the Little Chateau, Marie Laval, Choc Lit
The Fantasy Romantic Novel Award:
Echoes of the Runes, Christina Courtenay, Headline Review
The Start of Us, Hannah Emery, One More Chapter, HarperCollins
The Reluctant Witch, Amelia Hopegood, Independently Published
The Cornish Connection, Amanda James, Independently Published
Someday in Paris, Olivia Lara, Aria, Head of Zeus
The Goldsboro Books Contemporary Romantic Novel Award:
Where We Belong, Anstey Harris, Simon & Schuster
My One True North, Milly Johnson, Simon & Schuster
One Day in Summer, Shari Low, Boldwood Books
Eudora Honeysett is Quite Well, Thank You, Annie Lyons, One More Chapter, HarperCollins
Christmas for Beginners, Carole Matthews, Sphere, Little, Brown
The Little Shop in Cornwall, Helen Pollard, Bookouture
Mix Tape, Jane Sanderson, Bantam Press
The Takeover, T L Swan, Montlake
The Spark, Jules Wake, One More Chapter, HarperCollins
The Goldsboro Books Historical Romantic Novel Award:
Heartbreak in the Valleys, Francesca Capaldi, Hera Books
The Coming of the Wolf, Elizabeth Chadwick, Sphere, Little, Brown
Spirited, Julie Cohen, Orion Fiction
Daniel’s Daughter, Victoria Cornwall, Choc Lit
The French Wife, Diney Costeloe, Aria, Head of Zeus
People Like Us, Louise Fein, Aria, Head of Zeus
The Lost Lights of St Kilda, Elisabeth Gifford, Corvus
Rags-to-Riches Wife, Catherine Tinley, Mills & Boon Historical
The Skylark’s Secret, Fiona Valpy, Lake Union Publishing
The Sapere Books Popular Romantic Fiction Award:
Sing Me a Secret, Julie Houston, Aria, Head of Zeus
Christmas Wishes, Sue Moorcroft, Avon
Sunny Days and Sea Breezes, Carole Matthews, Sphere, Little, Brown
A Perfect Cornish Escape, Phillipa Ashley, Avon
The Two Lives of Lydia Bird, Josie Silver, Penguin
