We started with 52 covers, which was then pared down to 21, and then to one. Readers made their selection and it was a well-deserved win. 🙂

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Let’s take a peek at the book behind the cover.

CONFESSIONSofalittleblackgown

Confessions of a Little Black Gown
Author: Elizabeth Boyle
Release Date: March 31, 2009

Thalia Langley spied him in the shadows and in an instant, knew the man before her was no pious saint. He might claim to be the Duke of Hollindrake’s unassuming country cousin, Milo Ryder, but no man that handsome, so arresting could be anything but… well, he simply must be an unrepentant rogue. His cat-like grace and power leaves Tally shivering in her slippers at the notion of all the wicked, forbidden things he might be capable of doing . . . to her, or the secrets he could uncover.

Indeed, Lord Larken is no bumbling vicar, but a master spy there in His Majesty’s service to find—and murder—a notorious pirate freed in a daring prison escape. Devoted to the Crown, Larken’s not about to let an interfering (and not entirely innocent) Mayfair miss disrupt his ruthless plans. He cannot be tempted . . . not even by the little black gown she dons to tantalize him . . . a dress revealing enough to lead even Larken astray.

Click on the preview of  Jon Paul’s website below to check out his gallery of gorgeous illustrations.

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Now that the contest is over, the winner chosen, which cover(s) deserves an Honourable Mention? Click here to see the finalists again.

AvonContestshistoricals
By Avon Books, Contests24 Comments on The Best Historical Romance Cover of 2009 is…

24 Replies to “The Best Historical Romance Cover of 2009 is…”

  1. Knight Of Pleasure is my first choice. There were so many good covers it was hard to choose. There is just something special about The Seduction Of A Duke, too.

  3. Definitely Knight of Pleasure (with Knight of Desire as close second… those covers are just gorgeous).

  7. I voted for Confessions of a Little Black Gown. I just love it! But, I’m not gonna lie, looking at the other covers made me want to check them out. Like Taboo and I spent about 15 min trying to figure out who wrote Addicted.

    I love the covers of books. Thats why I will still buy books even though I’m getting a Kindle for Christmas.

  9. Congratulations to Elizabeth! I can’t remember which one I finally voted for in the contest because there are so many of them that I really liked. However, there is just something fresh and creative about the Addicted cover. It really stands out and is unique….I love the color scheme and the laces on that corset….sexy.

    Many of these covers were also nominated in Cover Cafe’s annual cover contest in the HST and Two Image categories. I can’t wait to see which covers end up in our finalists and which covers win the top spots when the public votes in late spring 2010.

    I love this site and use it to locate new and exciting Historical covers for our contest!

    Linnae

  11. This is a gorgeous cover and think I voted for it (def. one of my faves). I asked for a black dress on my next book but they said Lizbo already had one. No fair! But it’s OK because I like mine too. Damn, Avon is doing some great covers these days.

  12. The winner is absolutely stunning!! Big congrats to Elizabeth. Thank you to all who voted for my covers. I was so pleased with the cover for Knight of Pleasure that I got all weepy when I 1st saw it. The men in my house were quite amused.

    Margaret

  16. There were so many lovely covers! I also liked THE SEDUCTION OF A DUKE because it was fun, flirty, and a little different from the usual historical covers.

  17. I loved the dresses in Knight of Pleasure and Knight of Desire, the covers were awesome because of the dresses. Also, I loved Memoirs of a Scandalous Red Dress – it was almost as wonderful as Confessions of a Little Black Gown.

  19. Pingback: And the winner is . . . . | Elizabeth Boyle Blog

  20. LOVED the cover! LOVED the book and, quite frankly, the whole series from “This Rake of Mine” (I ADORE Jack) but I have to be fair. I’ve loved this series from “Something About Emmaline”.

    No. No. I take that back – I’ve loved it from “Stealing the Bride”. Yes, that’s it. Well, to tell the truth, I would read Elizabeth Boyle’s grocery list. She’s that good.

    Congrats to you and the brilliant people who got you that cover!

  21. Thanks again to everyone who voted for my cover. I must say that when I saw it, and that jpg. opened on my computer screen and it was so beautiful, I cried. And like Margaret said, the men in the house just didn’t get it–now they do. 🙂 And Santa, you don’t want to read my grocery list–it is truly boring, it always starts the same way, Apples, bananas, milk . . .

  22. I loved his work so much I bought the limited time only ‘The Art of Romance’ 😀 it’s so beautiful, I pet it all the time lol

  23. I want to thank Camille for the very nice comment regarding my work and for everyone that voted for the cover “Confessions of a Little Black Gown” by Elizabeth Boyle. I have done quite a few of Ms. Boyle’s covers and I would have to say, they have been some of my best covers. I notice I had a couple of others in the top 21…”Knight of Desire and Memoirs of a Scandalous Red Dress. I’ve been doing the covers of Romance Novels for over 25 years and and have produced over 1200 covers and still love doing them.. especially the Historical Covers, for I love history and visiting the different periods through my artwork. I thank you again!…

    Regards,

    Jon Paul
    http://www.jonpaulstudios.com

  24. I actually bought this book because of the cover. It was sitting on the shelf and it grabbed my attention – so much so that I took it home with me 🙂 Turns out it was a great story with lots of twists, turns and humor and it was worth a 5-star review.

    Congratulations to Elizabeth, Jon and Thomas on a well-deserved award 😀

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