I had fun seeing the RITA and Golden Heart award nominations go up yesterday. There were some really good books up there! At first, I was just noting that I had read more of the nominees(and had more in my TBR) than in past years. But then, as I pondered this list of books that stood out in the minds of RITA/Golden Heart judges, it made me think on a more subjective level about what makes a book really stand out in my mind.
Certainly polished writing helps. If the reader is constantly slogging through poor punctuation, clumsy phrasing, and the inveterate abuse of homophones, it’s hard for the story to speak to one. However, beautiful words without heart just won’t do it. And that’s where I find things hard to quantify.
Both historical and contemporary romances set in England abound, and there are plenty of Scottish romances (especially Scottish romances with the word “Highlander” in the title). In fact, 
I like lots of books, but the list of books I absolutely love is a much shorter one. Laura Kinsale’s work figures prominently on it, however. Whether deeply dark or somewhat lighter, her prose captures the mood of her stories vividly, and I am in awe of the versatility of her voice. Her writing runs the gamut from the lighter tone and Regency world of her upcoming 
