A North Yorkshire author has won a national award for her romance novel.

Jane Lovering, who lives near Kirkbymoorside, has won the Contemporary Romantic Novel award category, in the Romantic Novelists' Association's (RNA) annual awards, for her novel, 'A Cottage Full of Secrets.'

The awards celebrate romantic fiction in all its forms.

Jane who works in the Co-op as a day job, said: "I am delighted, grateful and somewhat over-awed to have won the Contemporary Romantic Novel Award.

"My huge thanks go out to everyone – the RNA, friends, my publishers and agent – for supporting me and who will now have to put up with my general levels of over-excitement."

York Press: Jane LoveringJane Lovering (Image: Jane Lovering)

'A Cottage Full of Secrets' takes readers back to 1973, and character Stella makes a home in a cottage in Yorkshire.

Fast forward to 2022, and Tamzin moves into the cottage and begins to investigate Stella's past, little suspecting that they share a background of abuse.

With help from new friends, Tamzin frees herself from her past and makes a new future.

Jane began writing when she was a single mother of five and has published 25 novels of various genres since 2008.

The RNA awards have been held since 1960, and are highly respected in the UK publishing industry.

They are judged entirely by readers, without input from industry professionals.

Sharon Ibbotson, the RNA Awards Coordinator, said: "Our Romantic Novel Awards in 2023 had nearly five hundred entries, which were whittled down to nine very worthy winners by our amazing reader-judges.

"Along with the winner of the Popular Romantic Fiction Award, their stories made people laugh, smile, weep and above all, fall in love. I am delighted to congratulate them for their success in our awards.’

For more information about Jane and her books, visit her website: www.janelovering.co.uk