Against Gabriel

    . .   Toss, repair, sell, repeat. Most of the time, people are grateful for estate liquidator Jenna Matthews’ organizing services. Not Reece Porter, her new client’s handsome but grouchy grandson. As far as he’s concerned Jenna is a vulture, picking through his late grandfather’s treasures, during the holidays, no less. Personally, Jenna isn’t one for Christmas nostalgia, or any kind of nostalgia. Plus, she’s just doing her job. But when she and Reece are drawn together in an emergency, it becomes clear there’s a whole other kind of tension between them, one that’s pure electricity. And when Jenna discovers keepsakes that suggest an intriguing Porter family secret, unwrapping the mystery leads both Jenna and Reese to the greatest gifts of the holidays—and the truth in their hearts. . .   PRAISE FOR THE NOVELS OF KRISTINA McMORRIS   THE EDGE OF LOST   “Compelling, resonant and deeply moving, The Edge of Lost is an absorbing tale of deceit and self-deception, survival and second chances, the ties that bind and the lure of the unknown.”--Christina Baker Kline, # 1 New York Times bestselling author   “Will grab your heart on page one and won’t let go until the end.  I absolutely love this book, and so will you.” --Sara Gruen, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Water for Elephants   “Kristina McMorris takes us on a thrilling ride from the Emerald Isle, to the boroughs of New York, to the ‘Rock’ of Alcatraz. I found myself thoroughly immersed in her richly evocative settings, just as I was captivated by the pure humanity of her characters as they struggled for redemption. This book is a wonderful read!”--David R. Gillham, New York Times bestselling author of City of Women   “I adore everything that Kristina McMorris writes and this book is no exception.”--Jennifer Robson, author of Somewhere in France   “A beautifully told story about a young man’s journey through adversity and loss with an exhilarating ending that I couldn’t put down and stayed up well past my bedtime to finish.”--Charles Belfoure, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Architect   “An absorbing, addictive read.”--Beatriz Williams   THE PIECES WE KEEP   “McMorris’s strong pacing keeps the two stories zipping along and all its many strings connected for a gratifying conclusion.”--Kirkus Reviews   BRIDGE OF SCARLET LEAVES   “Impeccably researched and beautifully written.” --Karen White   LETTERS FROM HOME   “An absolutely lovely debut novel filled with endearing chara

    When his plane goes down, the sisters must put aside their differences and pray he comes back in time for Christmas.The Ragged Heiress by Dilly CourtOn a bitter winter's day, an unnamed girl lies dangerously ill in hospital. When two coarse, rough-speaking individuals come to claim her, she can remember nothing. It's a Vet's Life by Cathy WoodmanAlex and Maz are due to get married at Christmas. But as busy country vets, there's little time for each other, let alone arranging a wedding. It's going to take a Christmas miracle to get these two down the aisle.

    Doughty’s poems are at once absurdist and matter-of-fact; the images he conjures are thrown into high relief through cutting wordplay. In a series of prose poems about showbiz, he reimagines Cookie Monster as a burned-out suicide, and cheesy talk-show host Joe Franklin as a cross-dressing witness to the apocalypse. And in “For Charlotte, Unlisted,” he wrenchingly tracks the elusive memory of a faded romance.

    Not only does she train search and rescue dogs, but she’s a bestselling suspense author who has waterfront property in the beautiful mountain town of Grand Lake, Colorado. All is well until she receives a call to bring her dog Max and her snowmobile to help rescue a man who is lost in a blizzard up on Gravel Mountain. That man is the one person she never wants to see again—Ryker Anderson—the man who broke her heart the day he called three months before their wedding to say goodbye with no explanation as to why.After being gone for eighteen months, Ryker Anderson is back in Grand Lake where he hopes to win back the woman he loves. He only hopes Shelby understands why he left. Will he be able to convince Shelby that she can trust him with her heart again even though he broke it before?

    Ranging from joyous to elegiac, verses touch on love’s delights and follies with elliptical eloquence. Lovely to read aloud or reflect on silently. Photos of African artwork accompany the text.My heart is single and cannot be dividedAnd it is fastened on a single hope;Oh, you, who might be the moon!--Somali love song

    

    Four Best-selling authors of Christian romance bring you heartwarming stories filled with holiday cheer and romance under the mistletoe. A Hope Valley Christmas by Belle Calhoune. Mallory Jefferson has returned to her hometown of Hope Valley to spend Christmas with her family. Having been let go from her teaching position and ending things with her boyfriend, Mallory is a bit adrift. When she runs into her high school crush, Colton James, Mallory is embarrassed about her attempts to win his heart back in the day. When Colton asks her to pretend to be his girlfriend to make his dying grandfather happy, Mallory finds herself impulsively saying yes. Colton James is a rancher who dreams of settling down and living out his dreams. When he runs into Mallory, Colton can’t believe how much she’s changed. When she agrees to be his pretend girlfriend, Colton is shocked to discover that his feelings for her are way deeper than he’d ever imagined possible. Can something pretend turn into something real just in time for a very Merry Christmas? Sugarplums and Second Chances by Jill Kemerer. Former NFL star, Chase McGill, invites his teammate's widow, Courtney Trudesta, to spend Christmas in his guest cottage after her mother dies. Courtney faithfully wrote him letters every week while he was in prison for attempting to avenge the murder of the mother of his son, Wyatt. Chase wants to be there for Courtney the way she was for him. But there's more to Christmas than sugarplums and wishful thinking. If they trust God's plan, they'll have a second chance at happiness...with each other. A Brilliant Christmas by Allie Pleiter. Zoe Walters pours her heart and soul into the community arts center she runs. Her kids could benefit so much from the brilliant talents of animator Nigel Langdon—if he weren’t such a legendary grump. The next six weeks of his artist-in-residency look like they’ll ruin Zoe’s Christmas for sure. And certainly, things get off to a rocky start until Zoe discovers the great big heart—and the deep hurt—Nigel’s been hiding under that crusty exterior. It turns out Nigel can see through to Zoe’s deepest wounds as well. When the arts center is threatened, Nigel and Zoe come together not only to save the organization, but to discover a love and the brilliant Christmas no one ever expected Seashell Santa by Lenora Worth. When high school sweethearts Rick Houston and Willa Kincaid reunite in Key West per a deathbed request, they discover that they didn't really know each other at all. But Christmas in paradise just might bring them together for good this time.

    She and her two young children must now face a holiday season filled with so many reminders of what they've lost. But when a coworker who’s raising his young nephew moves next door, Rae discovers that the support of a good friend, and the gift of a child, can bring back some of the joy of the season.

    When everything goes wrong are you still meant for each other?After being dispatched to Blanchard Creek, Wyoming by her mother as a mail order bride, Christina Mills tumbles from one mishap to another. As if arriving in Wyoming with a fever, losing luggage and being accosted by the hotel owner isn’t already bad enough, her to be groom decides to back out of the marriage.Alexander Barrett Patterson is a man of honor. However, the scars from battle are more than skin deep. Rather than tying the beautiful woman to a cripple, he decides to give her up and suffer the consequences of a decision every ounce of his being protests. Now, if only half the town would stop trying to make him change his mind.A story of hurt, scars and the healing power of love.

     Welcome to a very flapper holiday! Are you ready for the roaring twenties? For spunky young women crafting their own lives? If so, you’ll love Violet, Rita, Edwina, Julia, and Lola. Inside, you’ll find several short stories with adventures, cocktails, kisses, and fun. With stories from The Violet Carlyle Mysteries, The Piccadilly Ladies Club Mysteries, the Lola Rose series. For fans of Carola Dunn, Jacqueline Winspear, Georgette Heyer, and Lee Strauss. A light, cozy mystery with a fun peek into a an evening with bright young things.

    They celebrate the wonders of nature and explore the nature of love and friendship.

    Now it’s up to Jaine Austen to sift through a long list of scheming neighbors with dirty secrets in their stockings to expose a murder..

    And I'm scared. My little brother, Jimmy, is sick. All I want for Christmas is for him to get well. Santa seems to be listening when we get Buck, the best horse ever! I get spurs, and Jimmy gets a new cowboy hat, a real Stetson. He's so happy it almost makes us forget... until Jimmy's in the hospital again. I try to act big and strong. But I feel angry and sad, until the miracle happens... on an unforgettable Christmas day.

    Her sister, Lara, an NYC-based model, is also home – to announce her whirlwind engagement to a charismatic hotelier. But when an anonymous blog hits the headlines, the Taylor sisters find themselves at the centre of a media storm – and the heart of a lifelong secret, set to change their family forever. Can Jennifer learn to live in the shadow of her sister’s success? Preferably with a full time job and a drawer of matching underwear? Or will she always feel Awful By Comparison…? Awful By Comparison is a British romantic comedy set against the magical backdrop of New York. The charming holiday read is packed full of humour and has a delightful contemporary heroine at its heart.