Despite his reservations, however, he begins to recognize in Cassie a kindred spirit.A Christmas Courting by Chalon LintonWhen obligations keep her in London, Keturah Hensley sadly anticipates missing the festivity of Christmas at her family's country home and the company of her best friend, Christopher Shepherd. When she learns that Christopher will be joining her family in London for Christmas, she is delighted--but her elation is short-lived. Christopher is coming to Town to court the woman of his dreams, and Keturah fears she may have lost the chance to win his love.Mistletoe Memories by Jen Geigle JohnsonFrom childhood, Patrick, Duke of Montrose, knew he'd found his perfect match in Lady Alice Tarrington. When he's sent on a grand tour, Patrick is confident he'll marry his sweetheart upon his return. But when he receives word that Alice is to marry another, will he be too late to claim her heart?Second-Chance Christmas by Heidi KimballFrancie and Gerard have been friends since childhood, but their friendship ended when she declined his heartfelt proposal of marriage. However, when her interactions with Gerard's holiday houseguests provoke in Francie unexpected jealousy, she realizes she must fight for Gerard's affections or risk losing him forever.

    She was sugar, I was an effed up version of spice. I wasn’t good enough for her — but damn how I wanted her. Heartbreaking circumstances pulled us apart and it’s been years since I’ve seen her angelic face. But I could never forget her. She was my first kiss and I want her to be my last. When I come back in town, things have changed — she’s moved on. But I have one intention — prove to her I can be the mountain man she needs. I’m holding out for more than a Christmas miracle. I’m going to get myself a Christmas bride. Dear Reader, It’s time for Hunter to show Holly his candy cane … wanna lick? Xo, frankie #LickThis #DownHisChimney #SantasLap * * * Santa comes once a year … or does he? Join sixteen of your favorite romance author as they make all of your Christmas wishes come true! Put out the milk, he’ll take care of your cookie — it’s time to take seat on Santa’s lap.

    Despite her sister’s advice to move out and marry up, Dove plans to be single forever. If she did hook up with someone, it would be a man in her neighborhood who was of modest means and kind temperament, a man who wouldn’t abandon his poor pregnant mistress, a man the exact opposite of her wealthy father. 
Pulitzer Prize winning photographer Jay has spent the last decade roaming around the world, shooting wolves in Siberia and lost cities in the desert. Back home, he prepares to put together a photo essay for his publisher but his plans are sidetracked when he spots curvy, gorgeous Dove outside of her apartment. The next thing he knows, he’s living across the hall from her in an apartment where nothing works. When he learns of her aversion to rich men, he knows he’ll have to hide his background or he’ll never be able to capture her love.

    But when an English beauty has nowhere else to turn, he feels obligated to help. Now that they must spend a night together in an abandoned cottage while a storm rages on, will their mutual passion save—or doom—them both?Once Upon a Christmas Scandal by Alexandra Hawkins Lady Ellen is outraged when she learns her dowry’s been increased by her dad, eager to draw every bachelor in England to her front door. So when Lord Swainsbury comes knocking, Ellen assumes he’s another dreadful fortune hunter. Little does she know that Swainsbury has completely fallen for her—body, heart, and soul…The Scandal Before Christmas by Elizabeth EssexLieutenant Ian Worth needs a wife by Christmas. He has to find her, woo her, and wed her before he goes back to sea. Anne Lesley is a shy spinster with no prospects, so she accepts Ian’s hasty offer only for the security it will bring. But when a midwinter storm rolls in, things start to heat up between them…and they might just find true, honest-to-goodness love…It Happened Under the Mistletoe by Valerie BowmanOliver Townsende intends to avoid the hordes of marriage-minded misses at a friend’s holiday party. When he meets Miss Cerian Blake, who’s dodging her own unwanted set of admirers, the two decide to join forces and fake an infatuation to keep their suitors at bay. But when mistletoe becomes involved, will their Christmastime prank turn into a love to last all seasons?

    As a child, Ginny was his best friend and comrade-in-arms. As a young lady, she became his sweetheart. But when his parents discovered their growing affection, they threatened to cut Simon off without a penny if he married her. And when Simon planned an elopement, Ginny refused: She wasn’t going to marry a poor man. Ever.Until someone loses a fortune.In the seven years since they last saw one another, Ginny has been married and then widowed. Simon has built an empire as a railway financier. When they meet again, there’s still that same delicious, playful attraction between them. But only Simon knows how tenuous his second chance really is. Everyone believes that Simon is wealthy. In truth, his company has been taken over by a hostile competitor and he is ruined. He knows from bitter experience that Ginny won’t marry a poor man. And so he has three days until the news becomes public—three days to seduce, woo, and marry the woman he cannot forget, or risk losing her…and this time, for good.

    Bella that’ll make you swelter…Katie was growing ever more desperate by the hour, no job, no money for rent, and down to her last $42.23. Was she going to be the Big Apple’s next pathetic victim?Trent, the extremely professional and highly successful CEO of Lane Technologies, not to mention HOT and Beautiful, was furiously engaged with clients every day, all day long. Never making enough time, let alone quality time for his now distant ten-year-old daughter Olive.One last interview, a new opportunity, an offer too good to be true, could this be a life changing moment for everyone?Would you accept a “Personal Assistant” job offer from a beautiful billionaire CEO?

    He turned her down flat. Five years later the humiliation still stings, but April isn’t a naive kid anymore. Now that Boone is back in Buckhorn, she needs him to see that she’s older, wiser and over him. Or at least two out of three…Back then, Boone was a bad boy—no question. But even he knew that sweet, smart April was off-limits. Now though, it’s an entirely different ball game. No matter how hard he’s tried to forget her, she’s plagued his dreams. So he’s back in Buckhorn to prove that letting her go was the biggest mistake of his life, and a wise man never repeats his mistakes…

    Now four of today’s bestselling historical romance writers—Victoria Alexander, Liz Carlyle, Eloisa James and Cathy Maxwell—show us what can happen when the man you thought was out of your life forever returns. In this stirring quarter of original novellas, four sets of star-crossed lovers are given the golden opportunity to relive the passion . . . and set the past right. Fate has brought these couples back together, but only love can determine if each is just momentary madness or a reunion that will last for all time.Included stories are:"The Trouble With Charlotte" by Victoria Alexander"Much Ado About Twelfth Night" by Liz Carlyle"A Fool Again" by Eloisa James"Nightingale" by Cathy Maxwell

    Clair has long been a thorn in Daphne Summerville’s side. But when she is forced to act as his nursemaid after a bizarre accident, Daphne discovers that the Notorious Marquess has sensual talents she never knew existed.LADY ASHTON TAKES A LOVERLady Ashton’s friends finally convince her to take a lover for the summer. At a wicked masquerade ball, she meets a mysterious man who fires her passions and turns her world completely upside down, threatening all she holds dear.THE WEDDING PARTYJilted by her intended, Lady Althea Ramsay calls in a favor from her brother’s friend, the Duke of Wakefield. He will pose as her fiancé at a society wedding which the odious man will be attending. But Althea soon discovers that playing a part can set real desires burning in the human heart.Also includes an excerpt from the Regency Historical Romance, SEDUCING THE BRIDE, by Michelle McMasterWith a foreword by USA Today Bestselling Author JULIANNE MACLEAN

    But his deepest desire is far more personal… Magnificent and stubborn. Fourteen years apart had not changed Chloe Steele, or Dominic’s love for her. He’d been a street urchin, a boy raised at court, and finally a magistrate, yet he’d never belonged anywhere—except by her side. Now Chloe devoted herself to girls threatened by scandal—like she had been. But she was in danger, and Dominic was determined to help—and hopefully make up for lost time…Even in childhood, Dominic had made Chloe feel safe. Now she also felt thrillingly flustered by the powerful man he’d become, and by the longing he inspired. Because Dominic meant not only to protect her, but to untangle the lies that had separated them. Yet for Chloe, surrendering to temptation may be easier than risking a future that could ruin them both…

    An Unexpected Christmas Gift by Madeline HunterJenna Waverly has closed her inn, anticipating a blissfully quiet Christmas, until a snowstorm brings the first of several strangers to her property. Lucas Avonwood, as charming as he is secretive, is on a mission to track down a scoundrel, but the inn’s lovely owner is giving him a more compelling reason to stay... When We Finally Kiss Good-Night by Sabrina JeffriesWhen Flora Younger first met Konrad Juncker, she thought she’d found her match, only to have her hopes dashed. Konrad is now a famous playwright whose plays Flora has secretly panned in reviews. But a chance meeting in a secluded inn may help them rewrite this star-crossed romance... When Strangers Meet by Mary Jo PutneyKate McLeod is shocked to find that a fellow guest in the snowbound inn is the dashing sea captain who may or may not be her husband. Captain Ramesh Langdon barely remembers that night in Bombay, but the desire they discover now will be impossible to forget, or to ignore...

    With a head full of hope and promises, she waited for his return. But when he didn’t, Annabeth was left to pick up the pieces without him. Archer Beaufait signed up for the Army fresh on the heels of Graduation. He wanted to make something of himself, but he never expected to be going to war. He’d made his fair share of mistakes, but after six long years, he realized it was time to come home. The only problem was, the life he’d left behind and the people he hurt weren’t real eager to see him return. Especially not Annabeth Richards. When the two meet again, old wounds are brought to the surface along with some feelings that never quite went away. But when secrets start coming out of the woodworks, and they realize that time has changed them both, it’s one obstacle they aren’t certain they can overcome.

    That he also finds homes in libraries for stray cats is merely a sensible exercise in controlling the mouse population...or something.Antonia Mainwaring is practical to a fault and all but on the shelf. When a certain soft-spoken library patron talks her into allowing a large male feline to bide on the premises, somebody starts purring—and it's not the cat!Lieutenant Mayhew’s Catastrophes by Emily LarkinWhen Lieutenant Mayhew boards the stagecoach bound for Southampton he anticipates an uneventful journey. True, he’s carrying kittens, but it’s only eighty miles. What could possibly go wrong?He’s not expecting to meet the enchanting Miss Willemina Culpepper. Nor is he expecting the kittens to be quite so good at vanishing. Mayhew has faced many challenges in his career as a soldier. Traveling from London to Southampton should not be a challenge. Except that it is.

    . . a compromising positionLady Charlotte Brandon is always up to something . . . but somehow her best schemes for matchmaking often end in disaster.Scheme: A family feud, outrageously false rumors, a shattered priceless vase . . . an even more compromising positionIt's no wonder she's considered by at least one devastatingly handsome man to be devious, destructive, and dangerously appealing.Scheme: A fox, a rabbit, a childhood foe, and a dashing rogue . . . the proposal to end all proposalsIt's high time someone turned the tables on the lovely Lady Charlotte, and James Beauchamp is just the man to do it. Even if it means beating Charlotte at her devious game with a scandalous scheme of his own.

    But you won't find Declan Callaghan on Santa's nice list, and the devilish dimples and twinkle in his eye leave Aurora wondering what it would be like to be at the top of this cocky carpenter's naughty list.Together, they're the biggest natural disaster to hit this Rocky Mountain town, but that won't stop Declan from trying to win the heart of the sassy, curvy caregiver who's left an indelible tattoo on his soul. He's going to have to move mountains to get Aurora under the mistletoe, but maybe a sprinkle of Christmas magic is all they need to find their way to each other--and to everlasting love. Warning: Grab your jingle bells and hold on tight, Declan and Aurora are about to light up your holiday! Stuffed full of festive cheer, cheesy one-liners, Christmas confessions, and a lifetime of love, this classic love story with a dirty twist is sure to leave you wishing for your own cocky carpenter under the mistletoe!