Image credit by Camilo Queipo Photography

Islington-based author, Emily Bell, has WON the Christmas/Festive Holiday Romantic Novel Award with her novel, This Year’s for Me and You, for the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s (RNA) annual Romantic Novel Awards for 2023. The awards celebrate excellence in romantic fiction in all its forms.

Emily grew up in Dublin. She has had various jobs including bookseller and tour guide and now writes full time. Her first book Baby It’s Cold Outside was an Irish Times bestseller. She lives in North London with her husband and daughter.

She commented, ‘I’m so amazed and thrilled to have had my book chosen among such talented company! I owe a big thanks to my publishers Michael Joseph, to my agent Rowan Lawton at the Soho Agency, and to everyone at the RNA, from reader judges to volunteers on the night, who makes these awards possible.’

Jean Fullerton, the RNA Chair, commented, ‘Once again the judges have had the almost impossible task of choosing winners for each of our romantic awards categories. Huge congratulations to our worthy winners.’

Sharon Ibbotson, the RNA Awards Coordinator, said, ‘Our Romantic Novel Awards in 2023 had nearly five hundred entries, which were whittled down to nine very worthy winners by our amazing reader-judges. Along with the winner of the Popular Romantic Fiction Award, their stories made people laugh, smile, weep and above all, fall in love. I am delighted to congratulate them for their success in our awards.’

The awards, which have been held since their inception in 1960, are highly respected in the UK publishing industry. Previous winners include Santa Montefiore, Joe Heap, Julie Cohen and Milly Johnson. The awards are unique in that they are judged entirely by readers, without input from any industry professionals.

The award categories for this year were as follows: The Fantasy Romantic Novel Award, the Jackie Collins Award for Romantic Thrillers, the Katie Fforde Debut Romantic Novel Award, the Christmas/Festive Holiday Romantic Novel Award, the Shorter Romantic Novel Award, the Romantic Saga Award, the Jane Wenham-Jones Award for Romantic Comedy, the Historical Romantic Novel Award, the Contemporary Romantic Novel Award, and the Popular Romantic Fiction Award (voted for by librarians, booksellers and book bloggers/reviewers).

The winners of the awards were announced during the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s Romantic Novel Awards ceremony, which was held at the Leonardo Royal Hotel London City on Monday 6th March 2023.

THIS YEAR’S FOR ME AND YOU BOOK BLURB (Publisher: Penguin Michael Joseph)

When Celeste discovers a list of New Year’s resolutions left behind by her late best friend, she is determined to complete them. Through Hannah’s last wishes Celeste begins to rediscover life – and love.