FIRST PLACE:

I BID ONE AMERICAN, a Regency romantic mystery by Amy Corwin

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

An American heiress nobody wants; a duke every woman desires; and a murder no one expects.

When Nathaniel, Duke of Peckham, meets Charlotte, he’s suspicious of her indifference.  Too many women have sought—and failed—to catch him.  Happily, Charlotte is more interested in dead pharaohs than English dukes and laughs at both him and his suspicions.

Her resistance crumbles, however, when a debutante seeking to entrap Nathaniel gets murdered.  All too soon, his reputation as a misogynist makes him a suspect, and Charlotte impulsively comes to his aide.

Unfortunately, both are unaware that a highwayman interested in rich heiresses is following Charlotte.  And that another debutante lies dead in Nathaniel’s carriage.

http://www.amycorwin.com

SECOND PLACE:

Retribution! The Champion Chronicles: Book One by M. Flagg

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Dreams often reflect hidden desires . . . even if they are terrifying. Michael Malone, a unique creature of the night, has taken down three evil sorcerers. He’s not entirely successful. Faced with eternal suffering, a compassionate soul helps this Champion create an intricate fantasy until he can be rescued by the Georgian Circle. His tale of passion and suspense is tinged with many truths. Eternal devotion to a Guardian of Souls and a troubled teenager forces this mystically enhanced vampire to dream of survival. He yearns to be in Alana’s arms. He vows to protect Lukas, his mortal son. As he confronts his guilty, undead life his imagination runs wild. But Michael begins to lose hope, believing that there is no such thing as redemption. Why did the commanding Champion jeopardize his own immortality? Michael Malone has two very good reasons. One is revenge and the other is love.

www.Mflagg-author.com

THIRD PLACE:

ALL MY HOPES AND DREAMS, a Cactus Rose, by Celia Yeary

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

To escape an arranged marriage, beautiful, proper Cynthia Harrington from East Texas impulsively marries Ricardo Romero, a striking, sensual Spaniard who ranches on the far western edge of the Texas frontier. Innocently, she steps into a hotbed of anger, rivalry, and strong wills. As she struggles to gain a foothold in the hostile household and foreign ranch community, she finds that her biggest challenge is to make her husband love her.

Ricardo creates his own problems by marrying an outsider, angering his mother, father, and his jealous ex-lady friend. Then, the Texas Rangers arrive looking for a killer, and Cynthia saves Ricardo’s mother in a confrontation with the wanted man. Ricardo realizes that his delicate bride has more grit and spunk than he thought, and his greatest trial becomes a race to pursue his own wife and persuade her to stay with him.

www.celiayeary.com