Upon meeting the marshal, however, she is shocked and dismayed to discover that he is none other than the man who gunned her father down that fateful night.Though Clive Brookstone was an evil man who needed killing, the knowledge that he left a young woman orphaned tore at Nathan Haskin's conscience from the moment he pulled the trigger, and he has secretly provided for Emma's needs since that day. Certain that hearing about her father's legacy of lawless violence would break her heart, he concealed it from her, but now that she has returned to Bannack her persistence eventually prompts him to tell her the full story.To make matters more complicated, Nathan finds his desire to protect Emma quickly growing into a powerful need to tame and possess her, and when her foolish behavior puts her safety at risk he doesn't hesitate to take her in hand and spank her soundly. His stern chastisement leaves her furious yet helplessly aroused, and it isn't long before he claims her hard and thoroughly.In her heart, Emma knows what Nathan tells her is true--that her father's death was just--but writhing in ecstasy as she is utterly dominated by the man who killed him fills her with shame nonetheless, and she does her best to deny her lust for the handsome marshal. Will the day ever come when she can put aside the past and surrender herself fully to the man she once hated?Publisher's Note: Emma's Surrender includes sexual scenes and spankings. If such material offends you, please don't buy this book.

    THEY'RE BETTEROpen the pages of this superb book and enter the world of the bad boys of romance. Make a date with a bevy of colorful rakes and devilish rogues in five exquisitely sexy stories by some of the most beloved, highly acclaimed authors of romantic fiction. Here are men who are "mad, bad, and dangerous to know"--sly Romeos, devious dandies, sexy scoundrels, and darkly forbidding heroes--all outlaws of the heart who are used to getting their way ... until true love steps in. Let these five extraordinary talents introduce you to some of the most exciting and infuriating, passionate and unpredictable men ever to take your breath away. Includes:"The Wrong Door" by Mary Balogh"Hide-and-Seek" by Melinda McRae"Highway Robbery" by Anita Mills"Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know" by Mary Jo Putney"Cats-Paw" by Maura Seger

    . . a wounded beast. Can the curse threatening their happiness be broken?There is absolutely nothing improper about Hannah Foster, the vicar of Hartley's eldest and least pretty daughter, nursing the badly wounded Viscount Blackthorn back to health-that's if the returned officer can be saved. At twenty-seven, she is two years the man's senior, a confirmed spinster, and far too sensible to develop feelings for her patient. The fact he was once her childhood friend and has grown into a fine specimen of a man-his terrible scars notwithstanding-has no bearing on the matter. The viscount is unlikely to see past her plain exterior and recognise the caring, intelligent, passionate woman beneath. Even if he does, he's determined to break the curse that has plagued his family for generations by letting his bloodline die out. Her best friend Grace's warnings are moot; a man of Lord Blackthorn's wealth and position would never be interested in a woman like Hannah . . . would he? Returning to his childhood home, a place he'd vowed never to set foot in again, William doesn't expect to survive the terrible wounds he received while fighting the French at Arapiles-certainly not with all his limbs intact. Bullied into making what can only be described as a miraculous recovery, William can't decide if his nurse, the hazel-eyed woman with the lovely voice, is an angel or a devilish imp. She torments him, both with the foul-tasting concoctions she insists on coaxing down his throat, and by showing him a taste of heaven . . . of what might have been . . . if he were not cursed by the sins of his forefathers.

    Cameron Montgomery comes to her rescue and takes special care of her. But how can she desire him when she is a woman with no past?Book 2 -Jenna Kernan: “His Brother's Bride”Only a desperate woman would marry a man she'd never met, even if it was her dying husband's last request. But with a young daughter to protect, Clara Justice is desperate, so she accepts the proposal from Nate, the black sheep of the family.Book 3 -Cheryl St. John: “Almost a Bride”The only unmarried woman in town, Charmaine Renlow has been waiting years for her beau to propose, and she's had enough. Maybe it's time to move on to greener pastures... like single father Jack Easton's homestead!

    He retreats from society and rejects the idea of ever finding a woman who will accept him for who he is. After her mother’s death, Morgan Wilson moves to the small town of Martinvale to begin her new life. While living in the carriage house on Gabriel’s property, she gradually begins to tear down the walls Gabe has built around him. As Gabe slowly warms up to her, Morgan must find a way to convince him she wants both his friendship and his love.

    A scandal threatens to turn Rebecca's life upside down when her lover runs off, leaving her pregnant. Her father convinces one of his ranchhands to marry Rebecca, but she must find the strength to forget the man who abandoned her before she can begin a new life.

    A connection. Our difference in color didn’t matter; we were made for each other. A love so strong nothing could come between us—until someone did. Faced with an ultimatum, I made the only decision I could but it was never about skin color, for me. Saying good-bye to him left me in pieces, never to be the same without him.Now, many years later, I am face to face with the man no one could ever compare to. The feelings I’ve pushed aside for him threaten to boil over. I must fight them. I can’t go back. I need to protect my family, myself.IsraelHere I am, face to face with the one that got away, the one that abandoned me, the one no other woman could measure up to. I still need to know why she left. Did she leave me for her family money? Was it my skin color? She left by choice, leaving me broken. I’ve never been the same without her.But now that she’s in front of me, I can’t let her get away again. My slightest touch leaves her covered in goose bumps. Liz is using everything she has not to give in. I hope she will. I need her to be mine, to once again be my Buttercup.Triggers: This book depicts an interracial couple. This book has areas of ignorance and racism and violence associated with it.

    And I’m determined not to screw it up.I’m a tough guy. I’m a whiz with power tools, earned my hard hat and work boots the legit way, and can throw a football spiral that makes pro quarterbacks weep. But when Maddie, the mother of my son, shows up on my doorstep in tears, I have zero defenses. I can’t say no to my kid. Or his mom. Never have been able to.That’s how I make two big impulsive decisions: giving Maddie a bed to sleep in… and climbing in with her. Now I’ve got my kid and his mom living under my too-small roof, and I can’t put the attraction genie back in the bottle. I always knew I wasn’t the guy anyone wanted as a dad or a husband, and nothing’s changed in that department. But I can’t deny that this time, something’s different. I just hope that thing is me.

    But when a boldly handsome warrior arrived at her door, she knew her prayers had been answered....Adair MacTaren had come in friendship, but one look at the comely lass standing before him addled the young man's mind beyond repair. The tempting Norman lady lured him like a siren -- yet he had no wish to be rescued. And 'twas no time before the brash chieftain's son had sworn to free Marianne from her loveless betrothal -- and claim her for his own ladywife!

    The last thing Talia expects to find on her first day of work is a flirtatious French squatter named Al. Escape with a homeless veteran tonight...? What?! No, no, no! This is NOT a recipe for romance—even if this particular squatter is cut like a Greek god, weirdly sexy, and possibly really good-looking beneath his huge red beard and overly long hair. However, when Talia deduces that he’s a homeless veteran, she agrees to let him remain at the castle in exchange for his help with her cleaning duties. But what starts out as an attempt to assist a troubled soul, eventually turns into something much, much hotter... His secret is about to become her undoing… ...until Talia discovers her homeless veteran is none other than Prince Aldrich Gerulf Pierre de Chanval du Fort, Crown Prince of Les Iles de la Victoire—AKA the Bad Boy Prince of Victore. WTH?! Furious with him for lying to her, Talia immediately breaks off their budding relationship. Only to find out that she’s… Pregnant by the bad boy prince…. So though she’s done with Al, he’s not done with her.  Not even close. Talia’s about to find out, in the most romantic modern fairy tale way possible, that she’s… HIS TO PRINCESS Are you ready to get princed? Then one-click this steamy and delicious BWWM romance--perfect for those who prefer their princes red-headed, ridiculously charming, and devilishly handsome!

    However, it soon becomes strikingly apparent to Sophia that she is the true gem Bad Jack sought. Intrigued, she willingly submits to every tantalizing taboo he metes out to her.Dressed as a masked highwayman, Jack Badcock, Earl of Stafford, thinks he is acting out the fantasies of a woman he knows only through lurid letters. As Jack tames her with blindfolds, sensual spankings and an array of torrid toys, she plays her role as the abducted, submissive virgin convincingly--too convincingly. By the time Jack uncovers his fantasy lover's true identity, it's far, far too late.

    With a spirit as wild as the West, Brianna Spencer faces a hard life in the small town of Silver Peak. Her father has not returned from spring hunting, but no way is she listening to anyone who says her father is dead. He's delayed.that's all. When Sloan McAlister finds Brianna walking the docks to pay down a bank note, she grabs his attention. The docks aren't meant for her caliber of woman. Yet the West is ruled by one thing, the need to survive. Sloan soon finds himself right in the middle of a claim-jumping family that considers Brianna easy prey while her father's out of the picture. His better judgment says to walk away. But after one stolen kiss, Sloan refuses to do anything of the sort. If she's going warm any man's bed, Brianna will marry him. However, Brianna wants more than his strong arm to back up her father's property. It's his love or nothing. Warning, this title is a Historical western, but still steamy with a good taste of sultry.

     Mindy Sue Tanner had no choice but to advertise for a mail order husband. Her pa passed on a year before and the ranch was in disrepair with her ranch hands refusing to take orders from her. She needed a husband at her side who could make the ranch prosper once again and a man to love her and build a life with. When Brett Connors showed up to marry her, she wondered if he was only marrying her for her ranch or if he truly wanted a life with her. Brett Connors was tired of his life working for his father. He needed wide open spaces and a woman to love and care for. He wanted a home and family and not living his life stuck under his father's thumb. When he saw Mindy's advertisement for a mail order husband, he felt she was the right woman for him and she owned a ranch.

    Her mother passed away when she was only five, and her father can’t seem to hold down a job. She does everything she can to keep it together, but she wishes for once she didn’t have to be the responsible one. When her father’s gambling addiction threatens their family, she ends up under Wyatt’s care. Wyatt’s the polar opposite of Isabelle’s father, and for the first time in a long time, there’s someone willing to put Isabelle first. She never intended to fall in love with him, but the longer she stays, the more she knows that love at first sight isn’t just a fairytale, and what’s meant to be will happen… one way or another. No matter how much he tries to fight it, Wyatt can’t stop his attraction to Isabelle. He promised her father that he would protect her, but the biggest threat isn’t from the world outside, it’s from the desire inside his own heart. How long can Wyatt last? And would Isabelle understand? The wait for these two is so, so good and so, so hot that it may just send your tablet up in flames. You’ve been warned! (Lila Younger writes hot, steamy romance with no cheating and a HEA every time because love stories are always a little better when they’re naughty. If you’re looking for a novella that’s guaranteed to leave your heart - and your panties!- melting, then start reading!)

    Worse, he's sold her--sight unseen--to a complete stranger. As she travels to Nebraska, she doesn't know whether to be angry with her brother or scared about the uncertain future looming before her. Pete Kelly never thought he'd marry. Then one day his brother brings him a woman to marry, and the loneliness that plagued him for years in his quiet world is finally at an end. But the gift he was given might be quickly taken away if he doesn't act in time to keep it. * * * * *Janet Syas Nitsick's story She Came by Train: She Came by Train to a desolate land in the spring of 1876. With mixed feelings, Opal Preston steps onto the platform to meet her employer, Alexander Boyer. She accepts his hand and climbs into his wagon to begin her role as the governess of his two children. As she executes her duties, she wonders how she'll cope without the finery she left behind. Soon two men are vying for her affections. Alex cannot imagine his life without her and looks for a way to convince her to stay in Nebraska. But a preacher from Virginia also is smitten with her and offers to take her back to Virginia. She Came by Train, but only her heart can determine if she'll return that way.