— THE CHARISMATIC RAKE IN COWBOY BOOTS.... — With his irresistibly rugged looks, business superstar Jake Stratton was probably every woman's secret fantasy -- but Professor Libby Kincaid insisted she didn't want to babysit him during his visiting lecturer series! She told herself she had no interest in this brash corporate game player, but why did his casual touch scorch her skin, his knowing smile make her sizzle with awareness and ache with a hunger she couldn't name? Jake needed to know why Libby hid her vulnerable beauty beneath shapeless dresses, why her deep blue eyes glowed with longing and unspoken fear. But he was startled when desire for her stalked him, made him yearn to share his triumphs and his failures with this spirited sorceress whose seductive powers drew him to her. Libby didn't want to want any man, but Jake had awakened a reckless wanton when he kissed her. Could he teach her to be proud she'd survived her sorrows, and to trust the man who knew every secret in her soul?

    Intrigued by the enigmatic lawyer who defended abused children with abandon but who seemed untouched by his seductive charm, Michael wanted to thaw January's cool demeanor and light the fuse of the a dynamite he suspected lay under her skin. Was this confident, intimidating man her worst nightmare come back to haunt her, January wondered--or the man she could escape no longer... the one who would break down the defenses of a lifetime and cast away her pain? Michael vowed to slay her dragons and satisfy her hunger with searing embraces, but January feared that admitting the truth would mean betrayal. Could she show the warrior who'd conquered the fortress of her heart that he knew all her secrets, that she trusted in his love?

    BIG AND BRIGHT (Loveswept)

     Why live in the boring present when you have a century's worth of vintage couture to live up to? Why be ordinary with centuries of Vandermeir scandals to shape your destiny? Paisley Vandermeir was born on a hippie commune, transplanted to high society Manhattan at the vulnerable age of seven, and finally rescued and nurtured by her wild Aunt Izzy, whose Roaring 20s exploits still tarnish the family name. Paisley is the very definition of a "Vandermeir scandal" waiting to happen. It's simply a matter of what and when. Now, it's Christmas in Manhattan and Paisley Vandermeir has a scandalous scheme to set herself free from society’s expectations once and for all. Enter Christopher Quincy Maitland, the blond and gorgeous Rock of Gibraltar who carries the weight of his family's fortune on his shoulders--safe, dependable, scandal proof. Or is he? When irresistible force meets immovable object, what happens next is SCANDALOUS. “A truly enchanting romantic comedy with an ending that will make your heart melt…” —New York Times bestselling Patricia Rice, author of The Irish Duchess

    Once, the stunning, surprising model had lost herself in his midnight eyes and made them both believe they'd found a love without end... until Elise uncovered a shocking betrayal and insisted they separate. Sizzling passion had masked too much unspoken pain on both sides. Garrick knew he'd never truly be free of his obsession for this beautiful, humorous woman--and she did not imagine he'd reveal the private agony that compelled him to hide behind a wall of control. But when a terrifying accident shattered all their defenses, Elise and Garrick had one last chance to heal the heartbreak that had driven them apart, to know the dark and lonely places each had deep within. Could she persuade the lone wolf who'd captured her star in his hand that when she closed her eyes, all she saw was the man she loved?

    When Jesse Kincannon drove up in a low-slung black Porsche, Amanda Carter knew trouble had arrived. His father's will had left her half of the Flying K Ranch, and she'd been dreading the day she'd have to face the renegade who'd haunted her fantasies since girlhood...the boss's son who'd toyed with the foreman's daughter - and ruined her for any other man. She'd expected a brief visit, figuring that Jesse never had to work for anything in his life and wasn't about to start now. But he surprised her by pitching in to help - and by tempting her with an outlaw's kisses. Jesse had come to claim the lady who made his blood run thick and his heartbeat quicken, but the girl he'd called Sunshine still fought her desire for him. Amanda had never believed Jesse could want a woman like her, and feared he was only trying to seduce her into selling her share of the ranch. But if she could learn to trust this darling rogue, would he give her all the trouble she could handle ...forever

    He came to her by night, a savage warrior who knew that her prim suits hid silken lingerie and the heart of a rebel. Black Hawk was handsome, lethal, a kindred soul who burned with the same restless fever Elizabeth McCade had kept secret from all who knew her. With the dark knowledge of a sorcerer, the rugged Chickasaw leader bewitched her senses and made her promise to hide him from his enemies until his wounds had healed. But nothing could keep her safe from Hawk--he was her destiny, her obsession, her captive and her captor. He had claimed her, lassoed her body and spirit, branded her his, but he refused to let her share the danger that stalked him. Afraid of being enslaved by uncontrollable desire, Elizabeth fought Hawk's power over her... and shattering memories too painful to forget. Hawk had his own shadows to face, but once he had, could he make this warrior's woman see that it was not enough to be a legend, that what he wanted was to be a man... her man?

    — Dex Matthews was back, and Carly Winters still thought her ex-fiancé was too handsome for his own good... and hers! The brilliant marketing director had challenged and charmed her like crazy when they'd first met, stealing kisses and capturing her heart... even if he was impossibly methodical and she just as spontaneous. But she'd broken their engagement, hiding her insecurity by vowing she needed her independence more than she wanted Dex. He'd given her what she asked without demanding an explanation; he'd even taken a job miles away -- she wondered why he'd given up so easily. Now Dex had returned, more gorgeous and talented than ever, and if that wasn't enough, he was her rival in the office softball game! Competing with Dex at work had been painful enough... now she'd be struggling to beat him on the playing field too. Dex kissed her until she melted, insisting he loved her just as she was, but could he make Carly believe it was the two of them against the world?

    Racing from his Barbados condo, he got there in time to pull the figure onto his water scooter and escape the danger...only to tumble headlong onto the beach with an astonishingly beautiful and furious woman. Bahira Massoud was Eve and Venus rolled into one magnificently exotic creature, Hawk noted, but she was more than annoyed at being rescued from a diving flag, not a shark, by this fierce brute whose gaze could melt coral. When her eyes flashed, Hawk knew he must possess this sea goddess, but could a siren who smelled of lemon and cinnamon be the spice that his life had been missing? Bahira's body ached for this powerful stranger who made her feel cherished, but did she dare surrender to this master of seduction? Hawk was the risk she'd always feared taking, the desire she yearned to taste, but would loving him mean losing control over her life?

    But not until he heard the entrancing music of her guitar on a moonlit beach did he realize how deeply she'd made him desire her before he ever knew her name. Damien Averone felt that he was the music Ginnie Summers was playing, the embodiment of her longing for a man to awaken her to passion and soothe the fire in her blood. Ginnie felt unnerved, aroused, and excited by the ruggedly sexy man whose gaze burned her with its heat, but did she dare tangle with a lover who commanded her surrender with kisses of velvet flame? She'd always run from other people's expectations, but now she was overwhelmed by Damien's intensity. With a suddenness that frightened her, he'd drawn her into his arms... and into his life. Ginnie tasted like everything Damien had ever been hungry for, but once the powerful businessman betrayed the lovely sea siren, could she learn to forgive him for loving her too much?

    His wicked, confident smile taunted her, made her burn with restless longing--and wonder what secrets he could teach her. When his mouth ravished hers with hot, hungry kisses, Cheyenne reveled in the intense, searing pleasure--and he was shocked to discover a wildcat in his arms, a woman of spirit who'd risk admitting she loved him. Caleb Strong had vowed revenge on the town that had hurt his family and driven him away years before, but what he felt for Cheyenne was dangerous enough to send him running for cover. Could she prove her love was strong enough to survive his doubts and a town without pity?

    — Robert Stone expected the worst when his widowed mother told him she was staying in Tucson with a "friend" instead of returning to New York -- had this lonely, wealthy woman been suckered by a con artist? Robert arrived at Winter Holt's craft shop like a warrior on the warpath, but fighting was the last thing on his mind once he met the spirited lady who ran the place! Winter made him long to tangle his fingers in the silken cascade of her ebony hair, to kiss away the secret sadness only his eyes could detect, but she'd vowed never to let another man inside her shattered heart -- especially a man who ran his life by a schedule and believed that love could be planned! Robert tried to persuade her that they could bridge their very different lives. Terrified of losing herself if she left her beloved desert to be with him, Winter wanted to believe Robert's promises. Could her ghosts surrender to the healing power of his love?

    — Liss Tremayne was desperate to locate the ranch before the snow completely obliterated the road, but night had fallen in the Canadian Rockies. Why had she left her safe life behind to bring her two young sons into the wilderness, to share a cattle ranch with a man she knew didn't want her there? But Kirk Allbright had his own reasons for wishing Liss hadn't invaded his sanctuary: the scent of her hair, the silk of her skin, the glow in her dark eyes when he stole a kiss -- all were irresistible, and dangerous to a man who valued his privacy and found it so hard to trust anyone. Liss kept insisting all she wanted from Kirk was friendship, that the ache in her heart could never be soothed by his magic, but when he built snowmen for her children and tempted their mom to run a little wild, Liss felt his sweet fire melt her heart at last. Could this city girl surrender a little of her independence for a family man who loved watching the sunset reflected in her eyes?

    and ignited a hunger for the lady herself.Cassidy groaned when she realized she'd mistaken Zach, the enigmatic genius who'd made a fortune designing toys, for the secret contact who'd promised the young reporter a story that could make her career. When his addictive lips made her confess that Zach's company was under attack, and that she was trying to discover who was determined to betray him, Zach welcomed the lovely sleuth into his office - ad vowed to make her part of his life.Cassidy had sacrificed her childhood to raise her brother, yet she'd fallen for a man who still had his toys. Zach warned her he wouldn't play fair when he played to win her love. Could she learn to count on the hero who'd captured her soul?

    J. Carlson was dashing but difficult, a mystery man who drove Cassandra Lockland mad with a mocking glance or a wicked put-down. How could she be attracted to a man she could barely tolerate, a man who enjoyed baiting her about her business and did his best to provoke her each time they met? Enough of struggling to maintain her composure--she was through with letting him rile her! When she boldly challenged him Carlson saw the fire beneath her cool facade and knew he must pursue her He teased and tormented her with kisses that demanded everything and more, but could this author of passionate love scenes transform her fantasies into sizzling reality? Cassandra inspired him, tantalized him--and made him yearn to reveal the need he sensed in her to love and be loved. But once he'd taught her not to be afraid, could she make him see that all she feared was losing the man who'd shaped her soul only for him?