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2025 Golden Leaf Contest for Published Authors
​Winners

At our Awards Ceremony on April 18. 2026, New Jersey Romance Writers was thrilled to announce the winners of our 2025 Golden Leaf Awards for published books. Please join us in congratulating our winners and finalists!

***Permission to forward granted and encouraged ****
Contemporary Long
Winner: A Light in the Darkness by Nika Rhone
Finalists: Courage, Dear Heart by Erica Alexander
A Chef's Kiss Christmas by Peggy Jaeger
Just the Way You Are by Nika Rhone
Contemporary Mid Length:
Winner: Deadlines, Donuts and Dreidels by Jennifer Wilck
Finalists: Maid for the Maestro by Diana Rock
True Dreams by Tracy Sumner
Contemporary Short:
Winner: The Way to a Cowboy's Heart by Barbara Ankrum
Finalists: The Cowboy's Miracle Baby by Barbara Ankrum
Dr. Alaska by Jillian David
Historical:
Winner: Love's Gift by Penelope Marzec
Finalists: Sanctuary by Morgan Malone
Madame Rebelle by Amber Leigh Williams
Novella:
Winner: You Give Good Game by Claire Marti
Finalists: Wrapping Up Christmas by Gracie Guy
The Gargoyle Affair by Amanda Reid
Paranormal:
Winner: A Witch to Change the World  by Suzanne Snowden 
Finalists: Island Wolf by Rachel Armstrong
Thrice Bound by Nicole E. Kelleher
Romantic Suspense:
Winner: Crossing Deadly Tides by Amber Leigh Williams
Finalists: Ultimate Justice by Tee O'Fallon
Vigilante Honor by Amber Leigh Williams
Erotic Romance:
Winner: Just Right by Sarah Spade
Finalists: Holiday in Handcuffs by Nicole Sanchez
Embracing Desire by Marie Tuhart
Best First Book:
Winner: A Witch to Change the World by Suzanne Snowden
Finalists: Dangerous Descent by Evie Jacobs
Ready to Play by Shefali Prem
Best Book by a New Jersey Author:
Winner: Holiday in Handcuffs by Nicole Sanchez
Finalists: The Maestro and the Roofer by Brianna Bancroft
Deadlines, Donuts and Dreidels by Jennifer Wilck

Categories

  • Contemporary Romance: Short: Novels set from 1970 to present that focus primarily on the romantic relationship and are between 40,000 and 60,000 words in length.
  • ​Contemporary Romance: Mid-Length: Novels set from 1970 to present that focus primarily on the romantic relationship and that are between 60,000 and 80,000 words in length.   
  • Contemporary Romance: Long: Novels set from 1970 to present that focus primarily on the romantic relationship and are 80,000 or more words.
  • Historical Romance: Novels set before 1970. 40,000 word minimum.    
  • Novella: short pieces of romantic fiction between 20-40,000 words. (Trade magazines do not normally fall under the proper word count; however, if your novella does, the acceptability of such work will be the decision of the contest chairperson.) 
  • Paranormal Romance: any romance novel in which either time travel, futuristic, fantasy world or paranormal happenings are a major element of the plot. 40,000 word minimum. 
  • Romantic Suspense: Novels in which suspense, mystery, or thriller elements constitute a major part of the plot. 40,000 word minimum.
  • Erotic Romance: Novels in which strong, often explicit, sexual interaction is an inherent part of the love story, character growth and relationship development and could not be removed without damaging the storyline. These novels may contain elements of other romance subgenres (such as paranormal, historical, novella, etc.).    
  • Best First Book: any romance novel from a first-time author not previously published in book ­length romantic fiction, regardless of publishing medium. The book must be entered in another category. Scores from that category will be used to determine the winner and finalists in the Best First Bookcategory. If the entrant is entering multiple books in the contest, only one may also be entered in the Best First Book category. There is no additional fee to have a book considered for Best First Book . No additional books need to be sent.
  • Best Book by a New Jersey Romance Author: Open to any entrant (regardless of whether they’re an NJRW member) who is a current, full-time resident of New Jersey. The book must be entered in another category. Scores from that category will be used to determine the winner and finalists in the Best Book by a NJ Romance Author category. If the entrant is entering multiple books in the contest, only one may also be entered in the Best Book by a NJ Romance Author category. There is no additional fee to have a book considered for Best Book by a NJ Romance Author. No additional books need to be sent.