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Latest Winners / Recipients

Year: 2023

winner y separately published work icon Kingdom of Chains Tanya Bird , Australia : Tanya Bird , 2022 26732470 2022 single work novel fantasy

She was trained to please. He was trained to kill.

'Isabel Maddock is living a lie. She is betrothed to a man she loathes, living in a place she does not belong. But the home she craves no longer exists, and the people from her youth are gone. Or are they? The wastelands are calling, but they are not for the faint of heart. Luckily a certain defender is close by to keep her safe. Very close. Too close. Into the wastelands they go, equally unprepared for what they will discover…

'Ryder Blackmane is a defender for life. His comrades are his family, and keeping them safe is all he has to offer the world. So when they are sent over the wall to investigate happenings in the east, he goes willingly, immune to everything outside of his orders. That is until he meets Lady Isabel. She is a caged bird whose scars call to his. Best to ignore the calls and follow orders. Follow orders. Follow orders. Loyalty is everything, but the lines are blurring…

'Kingdom of Chains is a standalone medieval dystopian romance. If you like a dark setting, heart-pounding action, and witty dialogue, then this epic love story is for you.'(Publication summary)

Year: 2022

winner y separately published work icon Defender of Hearts Tanya Bird , Australia : Tanya Bird , 2021 23802053 2021 single work novel historical fiction romance

'Half merchant. Half noble. Wholly aggrieved.

'Lyndal Suttone is done watching the merchants suffer. So when an opportunity to help them presents itself, she grabs hold of it with both hands. Now she must leave her family behind and step into a world she has no idea how to navigate. With her eyes fixed firmly on the prize, she is going to need someone to watch her back.

'Astin Fletcher has resigned himself to a life he was never supposed to live. His only purpose is to keep the king alive, a job that is becoming increasingly hard. The merchants are rising, and so is Astin’s pulse whenever Lyndal walks in the room. The middle Suttone sister has entered his territory, turning his purpose on its head. She has no idea what she is stepping into, and now it falls on him to safeguard her.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

Year: 2021

winner y separately published work icon High Flyer Michelle Diener , Australia : Eclipse , 2020 20806050 2020 single work novel science fiction romance

'Flying the head-of-planet around isn’t a job for the faint of heart. Especially not on Faldine, the planet in the Verdant String whose magnetic fields actively fight against technology, bringing down the ships of the unwary or the incompetent.

'Hana thrives on the challenge, though. Thrives on everything about her job. It keeps her from thinking too much about what happened to her during the war, and what she is becoming. A relationship with the head-of-planet himself, though, is more than she wants to deal with.

'Iver Sugotti feels like he fell into the role of head-of-planet by default. He knows he’s good at the job, and he’s enjoying the challenge of making tech work on a planet that eats tech for breakfast, but the one thing he really wants–Hana–seems out of his reach.

'His pilot has made it clear she’s not interested, and he can only respect the boundaries she’s set. But when someone wants him dead, he and Hana are plunged into an all-out race for their lives. Iver discovers those closest to him have betrayed him, but also, that his pilot is not as disinterested as she seems.

'As they try to outwit their enemies, they discover they are far better together than they are apart, and that Hana really is at her best when she’s flying high.

'HIGH FLYER is part of the Verdant String series, but can be read as a standalone novel.'

Source : publisher's blurb

Year: 2020

winner y separately published work icon Heart of Eon Anna Hackett , Australia : Anna Hackett , 2019 19765278 2019 single work novel science fiction romance

'Okay, maybe hijacking an alien commander’s warship wasn’t her best idea…

'Genius computer geek Wren Traynor prefers her high-tech comp lab to socializing with people, and she definitely prefers it over crawling through the bowels of the huge Eon warship she’s hijacked. When Earth’s Space Corps blackmails her into this deadly mission, Wren will do anything to help her beloved sisters and save the Earth from invasion by the insectoid Kantos aliens. That includes entering into a dangerous game of cat and mouse with the tall, hunky, and seriously enraged Eon war commander who captains the Rengard...

'War Commander Malax Dann-Jad is a born protector and has forged a successful career in service to the Eon Empire. Haunted by an early mission where he lost good warriors, he’s dedicated to protecting his ship and its crew. Especially since his warship is carrying a special, top-secret cargo. But one tiny, infuriating Terran puts all that at risk when she commandeers his ship and refuses to listen to reason!

'When the ravenous Kantos set their sights on the Rengard - using sneaky, underhanded tactics - Malax finds himself with an armful of curvy woman. He and Wren must join forces to fight back, and are shocked at their improbable, intense attraction. But with lives at risk, both will learn that strength comes in more ways than one, and love can hit when you least expect it, and that in order to survive, you have to put everything on the line!'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

Year: 2019

winner y separately published work icon Cursed Keri Arthur , Australia : KA Publishing , 2018 15426429 2018 single work novel fantasy romance

'Whomsoever draws the sword from the ancient seat of this land shall rule her, and they shall bring peace and prosperity to her people.

'For nearly a thousand years, the firstborn son of every Cannamore king has drawn the sword, and the land and her people have indeed prospered. Princess Nyx Bel-Hannon is neither male nor firstborn, but it's her hand that draws the sword rather than her twin brother's. Her reward: imprisonment.

'But a deep darkness now spreads across the kingdom, and her borders are threatened by creatures capable of magic powerful enough to destroy mountains and split the land asunder. Without the true heir to wield the sword, Cannamore risks annihilation. The king and crown prince want nothing more than to be permanently rid of Nyx, but cannot afford her blood on their hands. Instead, they give her to a fractious warlord in the hope he will do what they dare not.

'Nyx has no intention of letting the warlord get in the way of her thirst for revenge or the need to claim her throne. But it's a quest that may well destroy the kingdom she loves, because Nyx has been cursed by the god of war. It is her destiny to save Cannamore.

'Or utterly destroy it.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

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