But an injury halted his work and sent him home to Chicago.There, James met Rachel Ashcroft, who'd sent those thoughtful gifts, and he was intrigued by the sadness that shadowed her features. Bringing the light back into Rachel's face gave him new purpose, but was this respite only temporary? Or could James release his past and open his heart to receive Rachel's gift of love?

    The girl. Things haven’t been going so well with Anne lately, though; their relationship has become a perpetual study date, and Ollie’s roommates are starting to worry about him. How to fix things? Why, with a marriage proposal, of course. Unfortunately for Ollie, his relationship with Anne has run out of gas. Life feels like it’s counting down to one. And that one is the only person in Ollie’s life he really cares about: Ollie. Perhaps, then, he should get over himself. But first Ollie has to deal with Aaron Sparks, the irritating little Yankees fan who invades his life in order to “help” him. And while Keith, his best friend, is doing all he can to help, Ollie’s other friend Richie never fails to show up and threatens to ruin everything just by being himself. Never mind all the drama Aaron brings to the party by forcing Ollie to take a job actually helping people in need. Will Ollie meet the girl? Will it be in history class? On a road trip to Colorado? Can he get over Anne, or should he try to mend the relationship? Should he pursue the new girl Aaron is trying to set him up with? As the strings of the puppeteer tangle with the strings of the heart, only one person can sort out the mess Ollie has made. It seems that the harder he tries, the more Ollie messes things up. Is Aaron a cruel manipulator, or is he really going to help Ollie find his match?

    Families in need are counting on her organization for fresh fruits and vegetables. Running the charity has always been Stacy's dream, and if winning a local dance competition will keep her dream alive, that's what she'll do.After years of being consumed by work, Joe Carpenter has discovered a new passion: giving back to the community. He's started to volunteer at Bounties from the Gardens, and he's falling for the beautiful, dedicated Stacy. But Stacy is so focused on looking after her charity, she might miss the fact that Joe is just the person to watch over her heart.Look for all three ebooks inspired by real-life heroines: Good Neighbors by Sheila Roberts, Just Joe by Carla Cassidy and Light This Candle by Cindy Dees. Visit the Harlequin More Than Words website at www.HarlequinMoreThanWords.com or your favorite ebook retailer to download these free novellas today.

    Smella Rosepetal must find a millionaire husband to finance her baby’s heart transplant. She flies home to her deputy father’s ranch in Pitchforks, Texas, where she falls in love with Deadward Forest, a wealthy environmentalist vampire. When a deranged murderer is on the loose in Pitchforks, killing romance heroines, Deadward assumes Smella would be safer without him. Smella turns to her childhood friend, Snake Long, for comfort. But Snake doesn’t have the money to save her baby, so Smella places herself in peril in a desperate hunt for a rich husband. Time is running out for Smella’s baby, and she must escape from the Australian Outback and face down Flabio, an overweight and disgruntled, aspiring cover model, plus enraged vampire wives and their homosexual, vampire, cowboy husbands, a jealous were-gerbil, James Bond, a drunk rodeo clown and Smella’s strange boyfriend who wants to drain her blood, yet is repulsed by her smell. ROMANCE NOVEL—the unabridged, unauthorized comedic look at the bestselling vampire series that will leave you wondering who the hell ever believed vampires could “sparkle.” And you’ll laugh…all the way to the bathroom!

    DETECTIVES HOGARTH AND PALMER ARE CALLED TO THE SCENE.The body belongs to deadbeat actor, Gareth Manning. Initial clues suggest accidental death… but Manning had plenty of reasons to live… and Hogarth soon discovers that the body under the pier isn’t the only mystery in town.No one knows why Gareth Manning died but everyone in the film crew has a theory. Manning was a drinker, a wastrel with a history of falling apart. But Manning had ambition too. DI Hogarth, DS Palmer and DC Simmons must work through the clues and layers of lies… but the deeper they delve, the murkier the mystery gets.A sinister plot is in the offing… Will DI Hogarth be lured into the trap?BOOK 2: THE DEADLY KISSDI Hogarth is on the hunt. But the DI is not the only one looking for prey…DETECTIVE JOE HOGARTH IS ON THE HUNT FOR A KILLER WHO STOLE THE LIFE OF A YOUNG CHRISTIAN GIRL. IT’S TWO WEEKS SINCE THE YOUNG WOMAN'S BODY WAS LEFT ABANDONED IN A BEACH HUT. EVIDENCE IS SLIM, LEADS ARE EXHAUSTED AND DI HOGARTH IS FEELING THE STRAIN... BUT THE MURDER OF YOUNG HELEN BRIMELOW ISN’T THE ONLY CRIME TROUBLING HOGARTH. A WELL-CONNECTED MAN CALLED SIMON DRAWTON HAS GOTTEN AWAY WITH FAR MORE THAN HE SHOULD.COULD IT BE THAT DRAWTON HAS STRUCK AGAIN?HOGARTH SUSPECTS SO. AND HOGARTH IS DETERMINED THAT HE WON'T GET WAY WITH IT.

    One of only two Emotion Conduits in that world's history and the only one to have survived to maturity, Lira struggles to adapt to being an unprepared cultural icon while coping with the loss of her only family, safeguarded by her violent and troubled Guardian, Rease and her loyal dog, Night. Discovering her gone, her widowed father Jonas must confront his own dark past, forcing him to return to a life he had thought abandoned long ago. Aided by his criminal contacts and spurred on by a prophesy foretelling global conflict in a world without war, he races to save his beloved little girl once more, just as he did when she was an infant. Surrounded by allies and enemies, unable to tell them apart, Lira soon learns she must determine the course of her own life or remain a pawn in this new world. Written for readers of all ages and filled with tasteful romance, intrigue, drama and adventure, Our Lady of Joy is the first book in a series of seven novels, all of which will be available for Kindle download no later than 1/1/16 so that the series may be enjoyed by readers in its entirety without delay.

    Her husband left her for another woman and her boyfriend was a liar and a cheat, so the last thing she wants is another relationship. Sex on the other hand—or her total lack of it—is an ongoing concern. But maybe Wolf can help? And not just in the bedroom.The annoyingly sexy, dominant author is exactly the type of man she needs to keep her ex-husband and his wandering hands at bay, but Wolf’s help comes with a price, and while Abby is willing to take him into her bed, she’s determined to keep him out of her heart.Wolf Adams has one month to complete his manuscript and get it to his publisher, or forfeit his substantial advance. Sent to the country on retreat, the city boy is certain the change of scenery will motivate him to finish the book. But when he meets Abigail Bennett, he enters a game of cat and mouse unlike anything he’s faced before.Unable to resist the voluptuous artisan, Wolf agrees to pose as Abby’s boyfriend and help ward off her ex’s unwanted attention, but only if she helps him finish his book. Because while he's happy to play her games, he has a few rules of his own…

    It gets her sisters wondering when they will get married, who they'll fall in love with, or whether God has other plans for them entirely. But it becomes clear that although the Amish are simple people, their love lives are anything but.

    And the whole world will be watching!

    For years, Murph has been biding her time, waiting for Nash to come back for her.So when he strolls into Piece O’ Cake, Murph’s heart skips a beat—until he hands her an invitation to his wedding… There are painful secrets in both their pasts that only the two of them share, and Murph can’t bear the thought of Nash belonging to someone else.There’s only one thing Murph can think of to do: fake a relationship with local bar owner and old friend Harley Shaw to remind Nash of what he’s losing, and win him back for good.Nash is Murph’s best friend, a vivid reminder of her childhood and all the things she’s lost—but the more time Murph and Harley spend together, the more the lines between real and pretend begin to blur. Can Murph choose between the one who got away and the one who never left—and heal her aching heart?

    The Sacred Bond series spotlights four former delinquents who grow up to become heroes due to a bond they made as teenagers. A Christmas Bond Romance between enemies . . . In this Christian romance, war hero John Moretti sees the delinquent boys he mentors as the sons he never had, and he wants to give them every opportunity to reform. Crime victim Annie Bauer views them as dangerous threats to her elderly grandma, who lives next door to the boys’ residential school. When the Baby Jesus is stolen from Grandma’s yard nativity scene, the boys’ potential involvement may send them straight to hard-core juvie, and break the fragile connection that’s building between Annie and John. Until the so-called delinquents join together to make a sacred bond… His Baby Bond Battle for a Baby . . . In this Christian romance novel, poor-but-proud Kendra Forrester doesn’t need an arrogant millionaire to tell her how to raise her sister’s baby. But when handsome Zeke King arrives at her Colorado cabin demanding custody of his brother’s child, strategy dictates that she let him stick around. Battling mountain weather and the baby’s illness brings these two opposites together, but their own insecurities, their dead siblings’ secrets, and a jealous former boyfriend threaten their tentative bond. Only the Lord and the Sacred Bond Brotherhood can help Kendra and Zeke form a family for their baby. The Bride's Broken Bond A Runaway Bride . . . As the wedding music starts playing, poor little rich girl Hope DeMille learns that her husband-to-be loves someone else, but her domineering, high-society father won’t let her back out of the expensive wedding he’s funded. Enter Rock Anderson, a former inner-city kid mentored by Hope’s parents, who’s always wanted Hope. After helping Hope escape, Rock gets her a job at his urban mission and helps her find meaning in her life. But when Hope’s powerful father seeks revenge and one of the inner-city kids goes missing, it’ll take the best efforts of the Sacred Bond brotherhood to help this opposite-sides-of-the-tracks couple overcome their differences and commit to love. Her Reunion Bond The single dad blues . . . Ever since she lost her unborn child and the use of her leg in an accident, Wendy Smith has given up on romance and focused on kids—her own foster kids, and those she teaches. Daniel Masterson, Wendy’s high school boyfriend, has been earning money hand-over-fist in the entertainment industry, but his wife’s death showed him how shallow his life is—especially now that he’s raising his daughter alone. With the encouragement of his Sacred Bond brothers, Daniel returns to Pittsburgh to do a fund-raising campaign for Wendy’s school, and he rents a house adjacent to Wendy’s.Now the two families are forced to spend time together, and Wendy and Daniel’s attraction reignites. The only problem is that Wendy’s never told him the truth about the baby she lost… The Doctor's Bond Bad Boone McDermitt is back in Pleasant Haven, Florida to help his troubled nephews ... not to romance the preacher’s daughter! But the handsome doctor sees a kindred spirit in restless, talented Abby Smith, and he’s drawn to her spirituality as much as to her beauty. The problem is, Boone doesn’t think he’s good enough for Abby, and a few small-minded church people agree. As for Abby, she must choose between a dutiful life with the clean-cut minister dear old dad’s chosen for her and the dangerous, passionate freedom Boone represents. It’ll take a lot of prayer and an assist from the Sacred Bond brothers to teach Boone and Abby that sometimes, the biggest risk is in not following your heart.

     Her two daughters, from a previous relationship, are now both adult. Jo, ambitious and independent, is pursuing a career as a barrister. Jo’s younger sister is very different. Shelley, just 20, sweet natured, trusting and innocent, still lives at home and works at a local animal clinic. They are a normal, happy family - and then Shelley meets Sam on the street and everything changes. Martha struggles to accept Shelley’s choice of boyfriend as, with increasing anger, she witnesses the erosion of all Shelley’s values under Sam’s influence. When Martha’s efforts to persuade Shelley to give Sam up fail, she decides on a more direct approach. The consequences of her actions are devastating for everyone and change the course of Martha’s life forever. “After I’d gone up to bed that night, leaving Gabe amidst the carnage I had created in the living room, I formulated my plan. But it was pure chance that I met Sam on Putney Bridge some three weeks later and I went ahead with it.”

    Then she informs him that he is the father of her son, the unruly preteen Dare arrested earlier that day, and his fantasies turn to fury. Shelly has returned to her Georgia hometown to get her son away from the mean streets of Los Angeles, and she hopes that getting to know his father will do her child a world of good. But will being so close to Dare--the only man to ever make Shelly's heartbeat race--reopen old wounds, or will this be her last chance to secure his love forever?Thorn's ChallengeOne sizzling kiss from Thorn Westmoreland isn't enough to convince Tara Matthews to risk her heart again...or is it? The beautiful doctor and the hard-driving motorcycle tycoon mix like oil and water. Why, then, can't Tara erase the memory of the sexy racer from her head, or thoughts of his passionate caresses from her body? Thorn has wanted Tara since the day they met. His plan is to seduce the prickly doctor and indulge in a casual affair. But before he can savor the success of their passion, she turns the tables on him. Now instead of working her out of his system, Thorn is hell-bent on winning Tara's love....

    A few weeks hiking and swimming should restore her.But then the hotel’s new owner, Patrick Cross, takes Felicity for the replacement barmaid, and things don’t turn out quite to plan. With a grumpy chef, a waiter with love troubles, and the old Tudor building in need of renovation, Felicity’s quiet break soon turns into a working holiday.But Patrick’s dreams lie beyond the mountains, and Felicity’s loyalties lie with her family, and anyway, holidays can’t last forever...can they?

    She's never heard of the world's most fashionable magazine, or its feared and fawned-over editor, Miranda Priestly: her new boss. A year later, she knows altogether too much. But this is her big break, and it's going to be worth it in the end. Isn't it?REVENGE WEARS PRADA catches up with Andrea and Miranda ten years later. Andrea is now a successful magazine editor of her own title, and is about to get married. She’s been careful to steer clear of her ex-boss, Miranda Priestly, but her luck is just about to run out. The devil is back…