charity anthology** Length: 20 pages A late night game of cards turns into something far more intriguing when Edwina Merriweather confesses a secret to one of the most charming and debauched men in London. Contrary to popular opinion, Dina is not in town to find a husband. Instead, she’s resolved to find a rake. Francis Chevalier is fascinated by the drunken spinster offering up her virginity like a piece of cake. Torn between the need to have her and the desire to protect her from her own stupidity, he politely declines. Undeterred, Dina returns with a proposition so daring even Chevalier cannot refuse.

    Their father, Mac Taylor, is a builder who fixes up old buildings in their small town, and the boys are afraid he'll be too busy to help them out with the new demands of their school. They decide to write to Santa and ask for a mother. When they see the new music teacher, Nell Davis, at school, she meets all their requirements, and they realize this is the mom they've requested. Mac is attracted to Nell, but is reluctant to pursue her, as his wife had walked out on him, and he doesn't want to risk hurting his children. The romance blossoms despite his fears, and the story is filled with the joy and anticipation of Christmas as the magic of the children's wish comes true.

     Alice has never felt so lonely. Having lived both a life of poverty and then of riches due to her father making his fortune later in life, Alice finds herself sent from America to England, in order to marry the Charles, the Earl of Allerton. Charles is much too generous. Over the years, he has given his brother too much money to free him from debts and is now forced to find a rich bride. Knowing that Miss Jones has a large fortune, Charles prepares to meet his betrothed. He is horrified by her lack of manners. Mortified by his beautiful yet embarrassing bride to be, Charles tries to keep his distance, whilst still preparing for their Christmas wedding. Alice finds him distant and unfriendly, whilst his aunt, Lady Fossett, is nothing short of cruel. When offensive notes begin to arrive, Alice struggles against the urge to return home, leaving her new life in England behind. With their Christmas wedding only a few weeks away, Charles and Alice must find a way to come together. Will Alice be able to confront Charles about the notes? Or will Charles continue to push her away, right when she needs him the most?

    "Cute story. Perfect for a lunch hour!"Restless and alone on Christmas Eve, Niki decides it’s time to scratch the itch and heads into a nearby town for some action. Once there, it isn’t sex she finds, but a fight instead, that is until tall, dark and handsome intervenes…Dean recognizes the stunning but surly Cougar for what she is the minute she gets close. Now it’s up to him to show her just how far a night of passion can go.

    Deep in the Scottish Highlands stood a well, left behind by the Northmen who had built a longhouse upon the site. The longhouse eventually crumbled, the Norse died off, but the well remained. The well was built in the trees, high above the land, and built in dark gray stone that is native to the area. Upon the stones of the well were carved these words:May your journey be quiet and your days of joy long. May your deeds remain strong for Odin. May your love stay true to your noble heart.This well, so alone upon the hill, soon became the stuff of legends, It was said that a young Northman fell in love with a local Taevali maiden. Her parents forbid her to see him so, in desperation, she stole away on a cold December night with the intention of marrying her Norse lover in secret. They were followed by her parents but rather than be separated, the desperate lovers ran to the longhouse and hid in the well. There was a terrible storm that night and the run off from the mountains that kept the well supplied with water soon overflowed, dooming the lovers on what would be the Christian holiday of Christmas.Now, their spirits wander the trees where the well is, where they met their deaths, together in spirit as they could not be together in life. It is said that if lovers make a wish upon the well during this holiday time, the spirit of the young Northman and his lovely maiden will grant the lovers one wish for their marital happiness, one wish that will bind them together for eternity.THE LEGEND OF THE SPIRIT WATERS by Kathryn Le Veque - The legend begins with a Norseman and his native lover.THE HANDFASTING by Glynnis Campbell: A French knight betrothed to a Highland heiress falls in love with his spirited bride, until he realizes he's been tricked into wedding the wrong sister.THE THIEF'S DAUGHTER by Suzan Tisdale: Onnleigh, betrayed and abandoned, makes one simple wish: a better life for her child. Connor MacCallen, widowed and newly made chief of his clan, appeases his grandmother by making a wish for wife and children. Will fate intervene and make those wishes come true?THE WOLF OF SKYE by Hildie McQueen: Fate's wicked sense of humor strikes Highland guard Faolan Mackinnon when he ends up betrothed to Catriona Grant, a fiery lass, who he met only minutes earlier. WISH UPON A WINTER SOLSTICE by Emma Prince: To test the powers of a legendary well, Keita trespasses onto her enemy's lands. She never expects to come face to face with the man they call the Demon of Loch Moy--or succumb to the dark heat her captor stirs within her.Enjoy this special holiday collection of new material for a limited time.

    It doesn't take long before her boss, the charming and sharp businessman Patrick Collins, deceives her into being part of his plan to land the biggest account of his life. However, he never expected that he would fall for her. Suddenly, he finds himself trapped between a ruthless billionaire client, who has her own eyes set on Patrick, and his deep affection for the beautiful Chloe.What follows is a sensual and passionate journey of self-discovery, as Chloe faces the harsh reality of jealousy, love and money in the big city. Stimulating, amusing and highly arousing, Deceived is a romance that will excite and titillate your senses.

    Clare must look after her siblings and run the household. Now she must add to her worries the fate of Dominic, a poor orphan who has inspired the wrath of the king himself. Clearly Linnet has no time to consider her own desires—much less notice the attentions of a certain handsome, powerful magistrate…Sir Anthony Tait is at a loss for how to capture Linnet’s interest. If only she would be still long enough for courting. Outright seduction seems the only answer. But will his kisses be enough to persuade her—or might Anthony have something to learn from young Dominic about matters of the heart? And in saving the boy’s future, might Anthony and Linnet at last create their own?

    One kissThe first time Noah Bryant meets Colbie Michaels they collide at the top of a snowy mountain in California and sparks fly. Swamped by sudden emotion – and a desire she can't control – Colbie panics. Before he can get her phone number or last name, she's gone. When they serendipitously meet again in Seattle one week later, Noah is certain Colbie is his destiny, and he can't make the mistake of losing her again.One night... One forever loveColbie wants to believe in a happily-ever-after, but experience tells her falling for Noah is more likely to lead to a broken heart. But how can she resist him as he sets out to prove that they're destined to be together? Especially when he's intent on fulfilling every last one of her secret desires and he’s willing to keep proving it to her every day...and every sweet and sinful night.

    It wasn’t until years later when Nick introduced her to fencing that they finally had a proper outlet for their frequent arguments.Having just emerged from mourning following her mother’s death, Eleanor is exactly where she wishes to be at the age of four-and-twenty: an on-the-shelf spinster and unofficial companion to her aunt. Unfortunately, her ambitious uncle has other plans for her future. On the eve of his house party, he lays down his ultimatum: either Eleanor marries the man of his choosing, or he'll force her seventeen-year-old sister to do so instead.When Nick unexpectedly arrives on their doorstep after a two year absence, Eleanor is in no mood for their normal banter. Seeming to know exactly what she needs, Nick challenges her to pick up the foil once more. During their pre-dawn matches, he shows her just how strong she can be . . . and exactly how much he’s changed since leaving. But when her old adversary becomes her only ally, she may very well find herself . . . Ruined by a Rake.

    A visit from his youngest brother does nothing to change his mind. All he wants is to remain at his country estate with Henry Shaw. After days of going over documents, Arsen is more than ready for his brother to depart for London in the morning. He’s missed having Henry in his bed. Now if he can just convince his frustratingly cautious lover to join him in his bed for the night… Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable.

    He's planning a night that's anything but silent... An Indecent Proposition Part I by Stephanie JulianTwo men. One Woman. Half a million dollars. A very indecent proposal...Christmas Is Coming by Raven MorrisThe best gifts are all tied up with bow...

    His chiseled good looks and imposing physique are sure to impress the lady-in-waiting, and if it weren’t for his shocking American ways and wild reputation, her hand would already be guaranteed.Before the courtship can begin, Rafe realizes he must learn the rules of London society. But when four former Wallfowers try their hand at matchmaking, no one knows what will happen. And winning a bride turns out to be more complicated than Rafe Bowman anticipated, especially for a man accustomed to getting anything he wants. However, Christmas works in the most unexpected ways, changing a cynic to a romantic and inspiring passion in the most timid of hearts.

    Intended for mature readers.**Cally…A sexy smile. Intense blue eyes. A goodness that makes him want to save me from these rumors when no one else would care. I didn't ask for a hero. William Bailey was never supposed to be anything more than a wish, a dream, an unrequited crush. Not for a girl like me--a girl whose fractured family has stolen her chance at a decent life.William…Since the death of my parents, I've always done what’s expected of me, what's "best" for me. Until Cally. The moment her haunted eyes meet mine, the fractured pieces of my heart feel whole again. I don’t just want to save her. I need her to save me.Stolen chances. Unbroken wishes. Two lonely souls grasping for hope in the darkness.**This novella takes place seven years before the events in WISH I MAY and shows William and Cally falling in love for the first time. It can be read before or after WISH I MAY or on its own.**

    Yet she's never experienced the love of a single man-not even that of Captain Isaac Wargate whose hawk-like eyes stare at her with both condemnation...and lust.SEVEN NIGHTS OF ECSTASY Captain Wargate heartily disapproves of the sensuous madam who always wears a golden mask. She lures his officers from both his ship and their duty. But when Coral herself is offered up as the prize in a game of chance, Wargate impulsively enters...and wins.SEVEN NIGHTS OF LOVE Now the puritanical navy captain has just seven nights to learn everything he can about the mysterious madam and what she knows of a man's desires. But when Coral is threatened by the new owner of Aphrodite's Grotto, will Wargate take a chance on the woman beneath the mask...and on love?

    She’s built a reputation as a cool, on the rise lawyer while trying to escape the ‘naughty cheerleader’ pictorial in American Jock magazine that she posed for to pay her way through law school. She shares the top floor of a historic San Diego building with her best friends from college who happen to be two very male, very sexy Special Forces operatives. Her ex is a celebrity NFL quarterback who could pass for a Viking God. She’s surrounded by hot men but her life revolves around work and she doesn’t have time for love or sex.Until Alexander Bly, the stop-the-clock gorgeous, billionaire publishing magnate becomes her newest client at the law firm. He’s the man responsible for the magazine cover that turned Charlotte into everyman’s sex fantasy. Bly has had women and the world at his beck and call, but no woman has ever rocked his world. Charlotte is about to. When they come together the desire and sex are white-hot and all-consuming, but falling in love takes them completely by surprise. As Charlotte handles Bly’s lawsuit against Huang Worldwide Corporation, scary, smooth and sexy Jamey Huang kidnaps her. But, Huang doesn’t want Bly’s billions, he wants Charlotte’s secret, former lover. Legal Action is a sexy romance filled with burn-up-the-pages sex, tender love and witty, sharp-tongued characters with a little espionage thrown in for even more spicy fun. The novella is part one of the Surrendering Charlotte Chronicles.