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Latest Winners / Recipients

Year: 2024

winner y separately published work icon The Protector's Mistake Leah Ashton , Australia : Leah Ashton , 2023 27427946 2023 single work novel romance

'Professional Catfish Investigator Paige Emmett knows better than anyone not to trust a pretty face. And former Delta Force operator Tyler Cerra is definitely far too hot to be trusted.

'Charmingly awkward Paige is definitely not Tyler’s type – although, it’s hardly relevant given he hasn’t even kissed a woman in years. The mistakes of Tyler’s past haunt him, and he’s accepted his reclusive life as all that he deserves.

'So an explosive, mutual – and unwanted – attraction takes them both by surprise.

'And then they’re thrown together in the Colorado wilderness, danger at their heels.

'They must work together to survive. But what if trusting each other is a fatal mistake?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

Year: 2023

winner y separately published work icon Jackson Nyssa Kathryn , Australia : Nyssa Kathryn , 2022 26730584 2022 single work novel romance

'Sometimes it’s the oldest wounds that cut deepest.

'River Harp fell in love with her brother’s best friend, a boy who was practically part of the family…a boy who broke her heart before leaving town. Sixteen years later, he’s back for her brother’s funeral. And River wants nothing to do with the man. At least, that’s what she keeps telling herself.

'Because there are problems in her life much bigger than Jackson’s return. Like the fact her brother is still alive—and she’s the only one who believes it. River will do whatever it takes to uncover the truth and find Ryker. Even if it means seeking help from the man she’s spent almost two decades getting over.

'As a teen, Jackson Ford had one plan: get the hell out of Lindeman, Washington, away from his abusive drunk of a father, and never return. Fate had other plans, however, and now he’s back to bury Ryker, his Delta Force teammate. His brother in every way but blood.

'At the funeral, she’s the first person he sees. The only person he sees. Walking away from River once was hard enough, even if it was for her own good. Walking away a second time may prove impossible…especially after he realizes she’s digging into her brother’s suspicious death.

'When River’s search for answers puts her in the sights of dangerous men, Jackson will do anything and everything to keep her safe. Even if it means losing his heart—and his life—in the process.' (Publication summary) 

Year: 2022

winner y separately published work icon The Powerbroker Anna Hackett , Australia : Anna Hackett , 2021 24957634 2021 single work novel romance thriller

'She’s undercover in a dangerous motorcycle club, and her unwanted protector is the city’s most lethal man.

'Police Detective Brynn Sullivan is dedicated to her job and living up to the memory of her cop father. She’s out to prove herself on her biggest case yet—stopping a dangerous drug from flooding the streets of San Francisco. She needs to go undercover with the city’s wildest, most dangerous motorcycle club, and that means using any contact she can to get in there.

'Even the dark, powerful ex-military man who rules the city’s streets from the shadows—Vander Norcross.

'After years fighting for his country as commander of a covert Ghost Ops team, Vander Norcross has built Norcross Security into a thriving business to keep his family and friends safe. He’s a powerbroker in San Francisco, with his finger on the pulse of what’s happening—both legal and not so legal. When his friend asks a favor putting a detective—a female one—undercover with the Iron Wanderers MC, Vander is not on board.

'It goes against every protective instinct he has, but Brynn proves to be tenacious, annoying, smart, and far too tempting.

'Brynn and Vander strike enough sparks to start an inferno, but when dangerous players up the stakes, they find themselves with a bounty on their heads. On the run, with only each other to depend on, Brynn discovers she has an even bigger battle on her hands—capturing the heart of a man who thinks he’s too dangerous to ever fall in love.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

Year: 2021

winner y separately published work icon Easy Target Shannon Curtis , Hurlstone Park : Info Block Press , 2020 22126460 2020 single work novel romance thriller

'It's all fun and games until someone gets murdered...

'In this gripping new action suspense from award-winning author Shannon Curtis, an undercover bodyguard must protect a witness who is unaware of her guardian. The only problem - she's on a killer's hit list, and they're playing a dangerous game of hunter and prey deep in the Californian wilderness.

'A former soldier struggling with loss, grief and guilt...

'Undercover bodyguard Knox Landon has an easy job monitoring this pretty principle - he's got her routine down pat. Work, sleep, repeat. Hired by her father, he watches over her from a safe distance, but after coming to her rescue after a physical attack in a hotel room, he realises he's going to have to get up close and personal in order to protect his client's daughter.

'A woman who has already faced too much betrayal...

'Logistics manager, Michaela Robson, is fighting the whistleblower stigma after busting an illegal drug smuggling ring at work, and hopes to build trust with her work team at the company's annual retreat. The last thing on her mind is a steamy workplace romance with the new alpha male freight handler on her team, but Knox has the uncanny ability to be there for her when she desperately needs him, and of showing her that freight isn't the only thing he can handle so skilfully.

'Caught in a sniper's crosshairs, Michaela must decide whether she can trust this man full of secrets. For Knox, though, protecting this woman means facing his own demons, consequences be damned.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

Year: 2020

winner y separately published work icon Defiant Leah Ashton , Australia : Leah Ashton , 2019 18378128 2019 single work novel romance

'Wrong Place. Wrong Time. Wrong Man — yet he made her feel so right.

'A prim and proper high school teacher

'Recently divorced Bethwyn Banfield just wanted one out-of-character night on the town, and the tall, dark, tattooed stranger she meets is not what she was looking for. But their instant, electric attraction is undeniable.

'The cop with a bad boy past

'WASP Team Undercover cop Damon Nyhuis has spent two years infiltrating the notorious Notechi Motorcycle Club, doing whatever it takes to remain in deep cover. But when he sees his high school calculus teacher in a bar looking as hot as she did thirteen years ago, the last thing he is thinking about is his job. And that turns out to be the biggest mistake of his life.

'A race through the desert

'Kidnapped and dragged to the middle of nowhere, Beth and Damon must escape the murderous Notechi — but to do so is only the beginning of their ordeal. The desert is vast, desolate and unforgiving, and the Notechi are right on their heels.

'Their passion as hot as the sun

'In the cool of the desert night they run, but in the lethal heat of the day they must rest — and quickly, lust becomes so much more.

'First, they must make it home. But then — can there really be a future for the teacher who wants her own family, and the cop who makes certain he's always alone?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

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