And the Winners of the 2015 Science Fiction Romance Galaxy Awards Are…

The Iron Seas, by Meljean Brook
Best Steampunk Series
Airships + zombies + a Mongol Horde = a rollicking good time, in this alternate-Earth steampunk romance. The series itself is massive, with short stories, novellas, and several full length novels (the last one, The Kraken King, was originally published serially in eight parts), and it’s been lauded for its worldbuilding and complex and unexpected heroines.
 

The Phoenix Adventures, by Anna Hackett
Most Fun New Series
Described as “Indiana Jones in space, with more Romance, and assassins,” Anna Hackett’s The Phoenix Adventures takes readers on galactic adventures complete with a series of stunningly attractive brothers, sexy cyborgs, and one long-lost Mona Lisa. What more could a person ask for?
 

Mission to Mahjundar, by Veronica Scott
Creepiest Use of Ancestors
A wicked stepmother! A blind heroine! A super sexy Special Forces officer from the intergalactic government! Plus, it won an award for the “Creepiest Use of Ancestors,” which really should justify further examination all on its own. In a column for USA Today‘s romance blog, Scott writes that “[a] good SFR novel contains all the elements I enjoy—a dire situation in an intergalactic location where anything can and does happen, a mix of military and civilians working together (or in opposition), a growing attraction between the hero and heroine as they race against time to solve the problem, escape the dangers, save the day!”
 

Lana’s Comet, by Lyn Brittan
Best ‘Opposites Attract’ Story; Most Persuasive Smiling Heroine
When a sexy and controlled drill instructor meets a beautiful and obnoxious new recruit on a secret mission, things are inevitably going to heat up. Lana’s Comet was recognized for its interracial romance and social commentary, including “themes of racism, privilege, and gender roles,” as well as for its action and its “terrific” secondary characters. As Brittan remarks, “who says people can’t get a little loving on the third deck between invasions?”
 

Into the Black, by Sheryl Nantus
Most Mysterious SFR; Most Elegant HEA; Best Shipboard Mystery
A heroine who captains a space-brothel meets a hero in law enforcement in this sci-fi mystery romance. The SFR Galaxy judges praised this book for its “believably bleak, gritty world of a workaday future” and note that “[t]he captain and the marshal make a great pair, and with the sexual tension between the two at a constant boil, it’s only a matter of time before they give in to each other.”
 

The Magic Born series, by Sonya Clark 
Best Dystopian Worldbuilding
Set in 2065, this trilogy (Trancehack, Witchlight, and Firewall) features a world divided by magic, where those with magical abilities are segregated by the government and stripped of their rights. Judge Marlene Harris lauded this series for its “dystopian worldbuilding that resonates both with some of the less savory parts of history and with modern-day politics.” For her part, Clark says that worldbuilding is the thing she finds most appealing about science fiction-romance.
 

The Phoenix Institute, by Corrina Lawson
Best Superhero Origin Series
I’m super sold by this description: “This series is kind of an X-Men/Batman crossover, if everyone is not just gender-bent but also talent-switched.” Featuring “nuclear explosion sex,” Gregori Rasputin, and a lot of action, this series sounds like an awful lot of fun.
The Phoenix Institute series is ongoing, with five books already published and more coming this year.
 

The Paradox series, by Rachel Bach
Best SFR Masquerading As Space Opera; Best Edge of Your Seat Mercenary Heroine; Most Outstanding Alien Conspiracy; Most Satisfying Trilogy Conclusion
From Judge Marlene Harris: “This series starts out as pure space opera, but includes a love story that can be read as either “Romeo and Juliet on steroids” or “Beauty and the Beast” where both parties think that their lover is “Beauty” while they themselves are the “Beast.”” The Paradox series follows Devi Morris, a mercenary with a lot of ambition who joins the crew of a ship so famous for its misadventures that one year of work onboard equals five years anywhere else. It got awesome reviews from authors Ilona Andrews and Felicia Day.
 

The Harmony series, by Jayne Ann Krentz writing as Jayne Castle
Still Standing Award (Best Long Running Series)
I’m a little obsessed with Jayne Ann Krentz, who writes contemporary romance under her real name, historical romance under the name Amanda Quick, and science fiction/paranormal romance under the name Jayne Castle. She’s published over 120 novels, 32 of which have made the NYT Bestseller list, and she’s a big force for SFR in the romance community.
The Harmony series has been going since 2000, and attaches to another long-running Krentz series, Arcane Society. Based in the far future, on a planet with ancient cities, professional ghost hunters, and adorable pets named “dust-bunnies,” it’s a must read for lovers of science fiction-romance.
 

Spark Rising, by Kate Corcino
Exceptional Story Elements
Judge Laurie A. Green praised Spark Rising for its imaginative worldbuilding–a mysterious cataclysm destroyed the Earth’s fossil fuels and left behind Dust, a substance that produces energy when used by certain people, called Sparks–and for its “compelling” romantic conflict. It’s the first book in series called the Progenitor Saga–the second, Direct Current, is currently in progress.
Do you take your sci-fi with a little romance?