When desire rekindles between them, they both hope desperately that they can mend their broken marriage ... But some wounds go deeper than the concussion Rob suffered on the Waterloo battlefield. And some wounds can never be healed.The Widow Vanishes (Prequel to the Heart of Enquiry Series) by Grace CallawayA disastrous marriage leaves Annabel Foster buried in her deceased husband's debt and at the mercy of a cutthroat. Faced with death or selling her body, she makes an unthinkable choice ... Haunted by his past, former soldier William McLeod seeks forgetfulness in the arms of a tempting wench. What begins as a night of lust, however, transforms into desire beyond his wildest fantasies ... Attraction flares between the pair even as an evil enemy seeks to destroy them both. Can one night of passion lead to love forevermore?Lord Lucifer's Disciple (Haberdashers Nights, Book 1) by Sue LondonAn heiress turns away every suitor until she meets a mysterious foreigner at a masque ball. His kiss ignites her in ways that nothing else has, but he refuses her pleas to elope. Has she lost her heart to a man who doesn't exist?Miss Amelia Lands a Duke (A Prequel to the Caversham Chronicles) by Sandy RavenCaught kissing a man she believes within her reach socially, Amelia discovers he isn't. Not only that, he is same man her widowed aunt has been stalking all season. When the Duke of Caversham realizes who Amelia is, he does the honorable thing and offers for her. Only Amelia's pride will not allow her to be forced onto any man in marriage. Cav must then convince Amelia that she is the only woman he wants for the rest of his life.How to Lose a Duke in Ten Days (What Happens in Scotland, Book 1) by Kate McKinleyLucas Alexander, the ninth Duke of Arlington, is a man who gets what he wants. So when he sees the alluring Miss Pippa Welby from across a crowded ballroom, he vows to make her his. But the bold and spirited Pippa has sworn never to marry into the haute ton. Now Lucas must win her the only way he knows how--one wicked kiss at a time.Lady Northam's Wicked Surrender (Wicked Liaisons, Book 1) by Vivienne WestlakeA midnight encounter between two estranged lovers rekindles a passion beyond their wildest dreams... Rowena, Countess of Northam, is surprised to find her former suitor has returned from India and is on his way to the very house where she is staying. When he appears in her room late at night, she can only believe it is a dream. Her fantasy soon becomes reality when Simon makes every effort to seduce her.

    She is determined to be an ex-spinster by Christmas. To that end, she has invited a prospective suitor to spend Christmas with her family. She knows very well that Lord Brockton would love to get his hands on her dowry, and she’d love to be a married woman with a home and family of her own.The very idea of his Lady Caroline throwing herself away on the likes of the vile Lord Brockton rankles Christopher Perry. A pity he cannot offer for her himself, but a duke’s daughter is too far above his touch, given his family’s humble origins. Nevertheless, Christopher attends the Duke of Aldridge’s Christmas house party with the intention of thwarting Lady Caroline’s grave misalliance with Brockton. If only he’s not too late . . .

    When she learns the man she hasn’t met in years has been avoiding her in order to pass his time in pursuit of pleasure, she becomes determined to break all ties. Lionel Harrington has shirked his responsibilities as Duke of Ware since inheriting the title in his school days. Now a grown man, he would prefer to put off the inevitable and simply enjoy life for as long as he can, not caring about the consequences that may come. Until one night in the drawing room at a ball, Lionel is captivated by the woman he has avoided for so long. Suddenly the man who cares for nothing finds himself searching out an invitation to the St. James house party. Christmastide takes on a whole new meaning as he sets out to win over his future wife. For readers 18+ due to some steamy scenes.

    Society is pulling them apart. She can't become his wife and won't become his mistress.The last thing wounded veteran Major Thomas Marshal wanted was a title. It wasn’t supposed to happen. But duty has a way of pulling a man into things he doesn’t want and away from the things he needs.The only thing Miss Guinevere Harding needs is a safe place to hide. A job as the downstairs maid at Brookshire is the perfect refuge from a frightening past. Or at least it was until the arrival of the new Duke.

    Will a wicked night of passion on a winter's night lead to the greatest love? Or only to betrayal? Wicked Deeds on a Winter Night was previously published in the Seduced under the Mistletoe Anthology. Read with caution: Scorching and tender sex scenes!

    Beloved only by her youngest sister Persephone, Athena has accepted her destiny as a spinster. But Persephone has a different scheme in mind, and conspires to send Athena out for one night of fun at Lord Finchley’s masquerade Christmas Ball. The masked beauty catches the Lord’s eye but, determined to avoid the wrath of her stepsister, Athena leads Lord Finchley on a wild chase to discover her true identity.**originally published as part of the anthology A Regency Christmas in 1994 under the pseud Leslie Lynn

    . .and a partridge in a pear tree . . . In Coventry's Christmas, Rebecca Hagan Lee offers a charming new story. With Christmas approaching, Amabel Thurston is ordered from the family home by her father's widow and must seek the protection of her guardian, Deverel Brookfield, eighth Marquess of Coventry. Unfortunately, the Devil of Coventry has little use for Christmas and even less for proper young ladies. In the never-in-print Star of Wonder, Lynn Kerstan brings her special brand of magic to the page when an exotic and dangerous stranger arrives to disrupt the meager Christmas of Stella Bryar, who has struggled to support the family retainers in the wake of her father's death.Allison Lane's newest Christmas treat is A Christmas Homecoming. When prodigal son Alex Northcote returns from a six year absence to take control of the family estate, he must run a gauntlet of possible brides, who have all been installed for a holiday house party by his determined grandmother. Avoiding the trap would have been so much easier, if the guest list hadn't included a quiet widow, who once jilted him for another. In the classic Home for Christmas, Alicia Rasley gives us a Christmas with a bit of intrigue. When Verity receives an unexpected invitation from her estranged father to spend the holidays at his Cornwall estate, she accepts with delight. But, ever mindful of her father's attention to propriety, she must scramble to find a husband and "father" for her fatherless child. Could a handsome and enigmatic stranger solve all her problems?

    Ives, Viscount Eustace’s scandalous wager: Eustace must seduce, bed and walk away from the lovely Lady Leisterfield, all by Twelfth Night. A challenge, indeed, since Grace, Lady Leisterfield, was known to all as a virtuous widow.With her husband having passed a year ago, Grace shed the drab colors of mourning to don an elegant gown for her theater outing with Muriel, the Dowager Countess of Claremont. Rogues would attend, promised the countess, and the possibility excited Grace. She had no idea she was the subject of a wager agreed to by the handsome, dashing and dangerous man called The Redheaded Rake.

    But for Merry, finding true love will take a miracle.... The Rake's Secret Son by Annie Burrows Before Carleton Tillotson left Nell, the rebellious rake broke her heart. Now he is back, just in time for Christmas, and Nell can't hide her secret any longer - Carleton's the father of her son! Blame It on the Mistletoe by Terri Brisbin Julia Fairchild has loved Iain MacLerie forever - but the boy she once knew is now a hardened and aloof man. Amid the festivities and warm cheer of yuletide, can Julia melt Iain's guard and ignite the spark that continues to burn between them...?

    Convinced to host a Christmas Ball to prepare her for the season, he’s aware he’s considered a catch on the marriage mart too, but Nicolas is drawn to companion Gillian Thorpe instead. Gillian was hired to prepare the duke’s daughter for her first season, but its not easy when the girl hasn’t the least interest in the men and the widowed father makes her knees weak when he laughs with her. Gillian respects and admires (perhaps too frequently) the Duke of Stapleton and when she’s lured into a mistletoe kiss with him, will she be able to stop at one or even want to? Saints and Sinners series:Book 1: The Duke and I (Nicolas and Gillian)Book 2: A Gentleman's Vow (Gideon and Jessica)Book 3: An Earl of Her Own (Adam and Rebecca) Book 4: The Lady Tamed (Jeremy and Fanny)

    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.

    Jilted Sidony Harbeck is done waiting for the inconstant Captain Hale Martin to return. Despite their whispered adolescent promises, he never wrote her a single letter. Now the scoundrel has returned, professing his love and a thoughtless bet to woo her, but she only wants him to suffer.After three years at sea, Hale finally has the means to marry his best friend's sister and the love of his life. But he only has three days to convince her of his devotion because he stupidly proposes a wager - he'll convince Sidony to marry him by Christmas or he'll leave her alone forever. When Hale sets out to seduce her, the stakes are raised by a passion so intense that Sidony must risk her heart no matter the odds. * Previously published in A Very Scandalous Holiday Anthology

    And I'm more tired and hungry than I have ever been in my life. Please let me come home.Compromised and wedded on the same day, Lady Miranda was fast finding married life not to her taste. A decaying manor and a secretive husband were hardly the stuff of girlish dreams. Yet every time she looked at dark, brooding Marcus Radwell, Duke of Haughleigh, she felt inexplicably compelled—and determined—to make their marriage real!

    She’s lost her grandfather and the bookshop they ran together. If not for the invitation from the Duke of Danby, she would have no place to go.No Christmas festivities for Baron Ellesworth this year. His newly inherited estate is in bad shape—and so is his bank account. He’ll spend the holiday traveling to do a bit of business with Lord Danby, in hopes of bringing Christmas to Elleshaven next year.Traveling during the holiday season doesn’t sound romantic, but a star in the East, an abandoned child and a quest for holiday cheer might just convince these two that love is the best gift of the Season.

    #1 New York Times bestselling author Lora Leigh features the Breeds in her story. New York Times bestselling author Virginia Kantra brings a haunting tale of a fallen angel. USA Today bestselling author Eileen Wilks returns to the shapeshifing Lupi for another magical tale. National bestselling author Kimberly Frost introduces a new paronormal world of muses and vampires.