History of Koru Winners and Finalists

The history of the RWNZ Koru Contest

The Koru Published Book Award was started in 2014. It was RWNZ’s first full published book reader judged contest.

The Koru Award is a FULL BOOK readers’ choice award aimed at recognising excellence in romance writing within New Zealand and across our membership.

What is a Koru? The Koru is based on the shape of an unfurling frond of the silver fern. It is often used in Maori art to symbolise new creation, so is particularly suited to an award for fiction. The spiral shape conveys the ideas of perpetual movement, and also of a return to the point of origin. It symbolises growth and new life, but also continuity and peace. Balanced between the chaos of change and the calm of the everyday, the Koru represents harmony.

Koru Award of Excellence 2025

Overall WINNER Koru Award of Excellence – Fiona McArthur for Healing The Baby Doc’s Heart

LONG Category – books over 65,000 words

1. Falling For Provence                                          Alison Roberts WINNER
2. Masquerade                                                          Jennifer Raines
3. Return To Hope Creek                                       Alyssa J Montgomery
4. The Twelve Days Of Christian                        Carolyn Corvin

SHORT Category – books 40,000 to 64,999

1. Healing The Baby Doc’s Heart                       Fiona McArthur WINNER
2. Tinsel River                                                         Stephanie Ruth
3. The Reckoning                                                   Angelica Grymm

NOVELLA – 20,000 to 40,000 words

1. A Breath Of Fresh Air                                       Allegra Hall WINNER
2. Light Up My Heart                                            Joanne Speirs
3. The Regent’s Secret Matchmaker                Isabella Hargreaves

Best First Book

1. Control My Night                                              Sarah L Richhelm WINNER
2. Crossing The Bridge                                         Nancy Cunningham

Koru Award of Excellence 2024

Overall WINNER Koru Award of Excellence – Jax Calder for Keeping it Casual

LONG Category – books over 65,000 words

1. As The River Rises                                                 Fiona McArthur WINNER
2. The Unlikely Heir                                                  Jax Calder
3. Breaking All The Rules                                        Amy Andrews
4. Second Chance Love In Point Perry                 Jo Speirs
5. Decimus And The Wary Widow                        Emily Larkin

SHORT Category – books 40,000 to 64,999

1. Be My Baby                                                            Dakota Harrison WINNER
2. Falling For The King                                            Clare Miles
3. The Pub With No Food                                       Rachel Armstrong

NOVELLA – 20,000 to 40,000 words

1. Keeping It Casual                                                Jax Calder WINNER
2. A Summer Reunion                                            Fiona Marsden
3. Taniwha Creek                                                     Stephanie Ruth

Best First Book

1. Falling For The King                                         Clare Miles WINNER
2. Second Chance Love In Point Perry              Jo Speirs
3. Sit, Stay, Love                                                    Amy Hutton

Koru Award of Excellence 2023

Overall WINNER Koru Award of Excellence – Elizabeth Luly for From LA To London With Love

LONG Category – books over 65,000 words

1. From LA to London With Love                        Elizabeth Luly WINNER
2. Ally for Life                                                          Tania Roberts
3. The Stone in the Road                                       Frances Dall’Alba
4. Home Among the Palm Trees                          Rachel Armstrong
5. Ignite                                                                     Louise Duval

SHORT Category – books 40,000 to 64,999

1. Under the Spotlight                                               Megan Mayfair WINNER
2. The Baby Whisperer                                              Fiona McArthur 
3. Hometown Cowboy                                               Dakota Harrison

NOVELLA – 20,000 to 40,000 words

1. Vexing Lady Violet                                                 Cassandra Dean WINNER
2. His Big Book Stack                                                 Sadie King
3. Love in Venice                                                         Mollie Mathews

Best First Book

• From LA to London With Love                             Elizabeth Luly WINNER
• Taylor’s Law                                                              Jennifer Raines
• Reuinited with a Millionaire                                  Rachel Armstrong

Koru Award of Excellence 2022

Overall WINNER Koru Award of Excellence – Jayne Castel for Highlander Pledged

LONG Category – books over 65,000 words

1. Autumn Shadows                           Shirley Wine WINNER
2. What’s Italian for Yummy            Amy Blythe
3. Playing Offside                               Jax Calder
4. Safe In His Arms                           Alexa Rivers

SHORT Category – books 40,000 to 64,999

1. A Matter of Trust                           Fiona Marsden WINNER
2. Second Chance in Barcelona       Fiona McArthur 
3. An Ear To The Ground                 D.D. Line
4. Promise You Nothing                   Kris Pearson

NOVELLA – 20,000 to 40,000 words

1. Highlander Pledged                      Jayne Castel WINNER
2. My Big Fat Greek Christmas       Barbara DeLeo
3. Season For Second Chances        Megan Mayfair

Best First Book

• Little Blue Box                              Frances Dall’Alba WINNER
• Love and Rum                              Dani Maclean
• Mako Bay                                      Stephanie Ruth

Koru Award of Excellence 2021

Overall WINNER Koru Award of Excellence – Jay Hogan for Off Balance

LONG Category – books over 65,000 words

1. Off Balance                      Jay Hogan  WINNER
2. His Lady Of Iron            Charlotte Jardine
3. Snare                                Zoe Piper

SHORT Category – books 40,000 to 64,999

1. Bringing Back Emily  Joanne Hill WINNER
2. Her Biker’s Bite           M L Winters 
3. Feels Like Home          Dakota Harrison

NOVELLA – 20,000 to 40,000 words

1. Holly Ever After      Anna Foxkirk WINNER
2. Purr-fect Pitch        Carolyn Wren
3. Price Of Duty          Fiona M Marsden

Best First Book

Abandoned Hearts          Lisa Stanbridge

Koru Award of Excellence (published book) 2020

Overall WINNER Koru Award of Excellence – Lucy Parker The Austen Playbook

Long Category – book over 65,000 words

1. Lucy Parker  – The Austen Playbook – WINNER
2. Leigh D’Ansey – The Beaumont Betrothal
3. Kate O’Keeffe – No More Horrible Dates
4. Adrienne Smith – Home Of The Heart
5. Juanita Kees – Shadows Over Wogan Creek

Short Category – 40,000 to 65,000 words

1. J C Harroway  – The Proposition – WINNER
2. EQUAL Yvonne Lindsay – Vengeful Vows and Jennie Kew  – This Time Around
   4. Amy Talbot – Reclaiming Paradise
   5. Fiona McArthur – Lacy

Novella Category – under 40,000

1. Zoe Piper – Meet Me At The Altar – WINNER
2. Megan Mayfair – The Christmas Movie Date
3. Annie Seaton – Her Outback Haven

Best First Book – Adrienne Smith – Home Of The Heart

Koru Award of Excellence  2019 

Overall Award for Excellence
Primrose and the Dreadful Duke by Emily Larkin

Long Romance:

Primrose and the Dreadful Duke by Emily Larkin  – FIRST
Stealing the Snow Leopard’s Heart by Zoe Chant – Second Equal
The Sweetest Song by Zoe Piper – Second equal    ​

The Realm of Silence by Jude Knight – fourth
Cowboy Stole My Heart by Soraya Lane – fifth     ​

Short Romance:

Can’t Tie Me Down by Janet Elizabeth Henderson  – FIRST EQUAL
Holly’s Heart by Fiona McArthur – FIRST EQUAL
Her Dirty Little Secret by JC Harroway – Third
House of Thorns by Jude Knight – Fourth    ​

Novella:

The Purple Hills by Alissa Callen  – FIRST
A Christmas Kiss in London by Joanne Dannon  – Second
Winter’s Promise by Jayne Castel – Third  ​

Best First Book:

(With only two novel – or book – length BFB entries, we will only be giving a first place getter.)
Gold Medal Hero by Jena Petrie – FIRST
Degree Absolute – WA Cooper

Koru Award of Excellence 2018

Long Romance
The Currency Lass – Tea Cooper – FIRST EQUAL
Ruining Miss Wrotham – Emily Larkin – FIRST EQUAL
The Modern Woman’s Guide To Finding a Knight – Anna Klein – THIRD

Worth The Risk – Holly James
Trusting Miss Trentham – Emily Larkin

Short Romance
Devoted – JC Harroway – FIRST
Hollow – Steffanie Green – SECOND
Under The Stars- Kendra Delugar- THIRD

The Baby Merger – Yvonne Lindsay
Her Outback Cowboy – Annie Seaton

Novella
Road Trip Baby – Fiona Marsden – FIRST EQUAL
Runaway Christmas Bride – Isabella Hargreaves – FIRST EQUAL
A Scot for Christmas – Bronwen Evans – THIRD EQUAL
Forbidden River – Brynn Kelly – THIRD EQUAL

Best First Book
The Modern Woman’s Guide To Finding a Knight – Anna Klein – FIRST
Under The Stars – Kendra Delugar -SECOND
Masked – Marija Greenhill – THIRD

Overall Award for Excellence – this year was a three way tie
Devoted – JC Harroway
The Currency Lass – Tea Cooper
Ruining Miss Wrotham – Emily Larkin

Koru Award of Excellence 2017

LONG ROMANCE
WINNER – Deception Island, by Brynn Kelly
SECOND PLACE – Unmasking Miss Appleby, by Emily Larkin
THIRD EQUAL Bound to the Bounty Hunter, by Hayson Manning AND Recovery, by J.C. Harroway

SHORT SEXY ROMANCE

WINNER- Italian Undercover Affair, by Jayne Castel
SECOND- An Improper Governess, by Amy Rose Bennett
THIRD – The Most Scandalous Ravensdale, by Melanie Milburne

SHORT SWEET ROMANCE
WINNER – Backpack and a Red Dress, by Maddie Jane
SECOND PLACE – Tempting Fate, by Erin Moira O’Hara
THIRD PLACE – Fixed Up, by Maddie Jane

And for the category of “Best First Book”, the eligible entrants are:

WINNER – Deception Island, by Brynn Kelly
Recovery, by J.C. Harroway
Fixed Up, by Maddie Jane

AND WINNER ON THE NIGHT WITH HIGHEST OVERALL SCORE

WINNER – Backpack and a Red Dress, by Maddie Jane
SECOND PLACE – Deception Island, by Brynn Kelly
THIRD PLACE – Unmasking Miss Appleby, by Emily Larkin

Koru Award of Excellence 2016

Long Romance

1st Leeann Morgan – All of Me
2nd Ada Maria Soto – Bowerbirds and Empty Nests
4th Lucy Parker – Act Like It
5th Bronwen Evans – A Whisper of Desire
5th Leeann Morgan – Loving You

Short Romance

1st Darian Smith – Currents of Change
2nd Sue MacKay – Reunited… In Paris
3rd Frances Housden – The Chieftain’s Daughter

Sweet Romance

1st Louisa George – Tempted By The Italian Surgeon
2nd Michelle de Winton – Burned by Blackmail
3rd Kristina O’Grady – I Choose You

Best First Book – Darian Smith