Each will take around an hour to read, perfect for those small bits of down-time when you need to de-stress around the hectic holiday season. In these pages you will find tales of second chances, holidays spent with family, and a dash of romance. Jade O'Reilly and the 12 Days of Christmas - Tamara Ward For the 12 days leading up to Christmas, the crankiest old biddy in Sweetwater wakes up to a yard filled with Christmas decorations. But in her opinion, “they’re not decorations; they’re property damage!” Will Jade catch the decorator before Christmas? Everything to Lose - by Natalie G. OwensFrom the suburbs of London to the old charm of Ascoli Piceno, Italy, follow the journey a broken couple must take to discover long-buried secrets that shattered their marriage. Wrong Way Wayne - by D.D. Larsen Look up loser in the dictionary and you’ll find Wayne—Wrong Way Wayne, to be exact. Is it Wayne’s destiny to always lose? And if so, can a loser win for losing? Mistletoe Mischief - Stacey Joy Netzel Christmas in July at the zoo is the last place single parents Eric Riley and Marissa Wilder expect to find love. Thanks to some mistletoe mischief in the form of their two young daughters and Santa, they discover mistletoe rules were not made to be broken. The Gift - Rhonda Hopkins When workaholic Robert Chalmer's wife leaves to take care of her sick mother for two weeks, he is left with all the responsibility... including his seven-year-old daughter. With Christmas fast approaching, Robert must find a way to reconnect with what is most important, or risk losing it forever. Snow Dance - Alicia & Roy Street. A divorced Broadway dancer moves to a small town to open up a vintage clothing shop. She wants solitude and anonymity, but instead finds herself involved with a troubled teenage girl, an elusive ghost, and a sexy local fisherman who makes her believe in second chances. A Gothic Christmas Angel - Anna Erishkigal Dumped by her boyfriend on Christmas Eve, Cassie Baruch thought her pain would end when she aimed her car at an ancient beech tree. But when a gorgeous black-winged angel appears and tells her ‘this ain’t no stinking paranormal romance, kid,’ she realizes death hasn’t solved her problems.

    But it ends up as a spectacular national scandal: Can a federal judge outlaw Christmas?Thomas Hammond and his wife play Joseph and Mary in the annual live nativity scene in their hometown. But a federal judge rules the display unconstitutional â�� and a Christmas showdown ensues. Thomas refuses to abide by the court orderâ�¦and ends up in jail. From the courtrooms of Virginia to the talk shows of New York City, the battle escalates into a national media spectacle. Caught in the middle is law student Jasmine Woodfaulk â�� assigned to represent Thomas as part of her schoolâ��s legal aid clinic. Whatever happened to peace on earth?Only a surprising series of events â�� nearly as humbling and unexpected as the origins of the season itself â�� can reconcile a stubborn father, a crusading law student and a recalcitrant judge.The Judge Who Stole Christmas, by acclaimed author Randy Singer, is a charming, warm, and thought-provoking Christmas tale that explores in a fresh way the real reason for the season.

    When he closed his eyes it was her that he saw. But now, he saw Willow. And it scared him and made him feel guilty. And yet he couldn’t help himself, couldn’t help feeling what he was feeling…The last thing grief-stricken widower Peter St John expects to find at the cemetery is love. But one evening, as he lays flowers on Camilla’s grave, he is drawn to the haunting melody of a solitary violin player. And so he encounters beautiful concert violinist Willow Channing, who has her own grief to contend with. A second, chance meeting fuels the fire. And soon Peter knows that as one song ended, another might begin.

     "Sample’s sleuth is an endearing character readers will adore.” RT Book Reviews DYING FOR A DATE (Book 1) # 1 Amazon Bestseller in Humor and Cozy mysteries Unsure if she is looking for Mr. Right, or Mr. Every Other Saturday Night, divorced mother of two, Laurel McKay reluctantly joins THE LOVE CLUB, a popular local dating service. Dressed to kill, she meets bachelor number one at a trendy restaurant. But the date is a bust, literally, when the guy decides Laurel is dessert, and she breaks his nose with her cell phone. It gets even worse when the man is found murdered the next morning, and Laurel has his blood on her clothes. Despite her now being a person of interest to the police, Laurel bravely ventures out on date number two. When that unlucky bachelor disappears during dinner, Laurel’s only alibi is a bottle of Dom Perignon. The sexy investigating detective thinks she’s innocent and is worried she may be the next target. That’s more than enough motivation for Laurel to find a murderer determined to kill her social life––before dating becomes a dead end she can’t escape. DYING FOR A DANCE (Book 2) Northern California Publisher & Authors Fiction Winner and 2012 LEFTY Finalist Best Humorous Mystery Discovering she has two left feet isn’t the biggest problem for Laurel McKay when she agrees to learn a foxtrot routine for her best friend’s Lake Tahoe wedding. Stumbling over the lifeless body of a sexy Russian dance star with her broken shoe heel stuffed in his mouth… is far worse. Almost as bad as running into the hunky detective she dated briefly before he disappeared from her life. When another death occurs on the ballroom floor, Laurel finds herself waltzing her way into the dark secrets of the Golden Hills Dance Studio. Navigating kids, career, wedding planning and murder requires some fancy footwork. Can Laurel tango with a killer and stay alive? DYING FOR A DAIQUIRI (Book 3) 2014 SILVER FALCHION Finalist Best Traditional Mystery and 2014 LEFTY Finalist Best Humorous Mystery When Laurel McKay attends a Hawaiian wedding, her vacation soon becomes more deadly than the calorie count in her daiquiri. Her post-wedding holiday upends after a beautiful hula dancer is found dead on the rocks below the oceanfront restaurant owned by Laurel's brother and sister-in-law. When a family member is arrested for the murder, Laurel is plunged into a mystery where exotic Big Island locations--a coffee plantation, black sand beaches and a volcano--reveal their deadly side. And where is her hunky on-again/off-again boyfriend detective when she needs him? Laurel zip-lines and four-wheels her way through the island paradise unearthing long hidden secrets. Will ingenuity and pluck be enough? Or will this hula be her last?

    She blames their leader—Daniel Keary—whom Paige believes betrayed them. Disillusioned and afraid for her life, she disappeared and started a new life as a small-town librarian. But when Keary announces his candidacy for governor of her state, he comes after Paige to ensure that she won't ruin his bid for office. He threatens everything she holds dear, and Paige must choose between the life of hiding that has become her refuge . . . Or risking everything in one last, desperate attempt to right old wrongs.

    . .Shirley: She's sent to help nine-year-old Timmy Potter, who longs for a new father. And although his mother, Jody, has vowed never to trust any man, Shirley is determined to help her love again.Goodness: She knows Monica Fischer longs for a husband and home of her own, but the young woman has practically given up on finding the right man to stand by her side . . . until Goodness steps in to help.Mercy: Can Mercy bring hope back into Leah Lundberg's life? This maternity nurse desperately wants a child to fill up the home she's made with her husband, Andrew.But there's just one catch: Each angel must teach her charge a memorable lesson before the prayer can be granted . . .

    Thankfully local carpenter Sam Taylor comes to her rescue, and the unlikely pair are forced to spend a snowed-in Christmas together.All Sam planned for Christmas was to get drunk alone. The holiday has always been something to be endured, until Hannah tumbles into his life, making it magical. Now Hannah and Sam have a chance to have a Christmas together… and make it the best one either of them have ever had.But can one night out of reality turn into something that’s lasting and real?

    When the FBI takes over the case, Vince agrees to take time off. Traveling to a small upstate New York town, he meets Holly Newman--a fragile woman whose sister was abducted and killed years ago. Convinced that Holly's sister's death is linked to the recent murders, he attempts to unearth clues hidden deep in Holly's mind.

    until a house-sitting vacation in Australia rekindles the magic of Christmas. When she rescues a litter of abandoned puppies and meets a handsome veterinarian who captures her heart, she finds herself tempted to give up everything for a chance at love.The last thing billionaire Dr Nick Forrester expected when helping out at the animal hospital was to meet this pretty American. He knows that they belong together - but with malicious gossip and culture clash coming between them, can he convince Holly that all he wants for Christmas is her?* EACH NOVELLA CAN BE READ AS A STANDALONE, or read them in order for more fun! Characters you loved from past books often return to delight again in this sweet romance series set in Summer Beach, Australia.- Playing for Love (Summer Beach Vets #1) ~ Sara & Craig - Playing to Win (Summer Beach Vets #2) ~ Ellie & Dan - Playing by Heart (Summer Beach Vets #3) ~ Pippa & Matt- Playing the Fool (Summer Beach Vets #4) ~ Charlie & Todd- Playing Santa (Summer Beach Vets Christmas Special) ~ Holly & Nick

    Molly Allen lives alone in Portland, but she left her heart back in Tennessee with a man she walked away from five years ago. They had a rare sort of love she hasn’t found since.Ryan Kelly lives in Nashville after a broken engagement and several years on the road touring with a country music duo. He can still hear Molly’s voice encouraging him to follow his dreams; Molly, whose memory stays with him. At least he can visit The Bridge—the oldest bookstore in historic downtown Franklin—and remember the hours he and Molly once spent there.For thirty years, Charlie and Donna Barton have run The Bridge, providing the people of middle Tennessee with coffee, conversation, and shelves of good books—even through dismal book sales and the rise of digital books. Then in May, the hundred-year flood swept through Franklin and destroyed nearly every book in the store.Now the bank is pulling the lease on The Bridge. Despondent and without answers, Charlie considers the unthinkable. Then tragedy strikes, and suddenly, everything changes. In the face of desperate brokenness and lost opportunities, could the miracle of a second chance actually unfold?The Bridge is a love story set against the struggle of the American bookstore, a love story you will never forget.

    He never thought he’d find love again after the death of his wife and son. Natalie Porter and her son, Tommy are traveling to Chicago so that she can give birth to a child that she can’t keep. When Tommy goes missing on the train, Natalie and Ken cross paths in the search to find her son, but end up finding so much more in each other. When Natalie is forced to get off the train after going in labor, Kenneth decides to go with her, offering her a whole new life if she’ll only let him. Will Natalie accept his offer to be her husband and adopt the baby she so desperately wants to keep? Could the love that bloomed between them in such a short amount of time, be real?

    In stories ranging from 1820s Regency England to present-day Washington state, readers will be treated to Christmas tales of an heirloom brooch passed from mother to daughter for almost two hundred years. Will the family legend claiming the brooch brings love to its recipient hold true for these women separated by the years but bonded together by the ties of family?In Kristi Ann Hunter's "Legacy of Love," Sarah Gooding never suspected returning a brooch to an elderly woman would lead to a job . . . and introduce her to the woman's grandson. While he may be far above her station, she can't help but notice that his desire to make this Christmas special for his grandmother matches her own.In Karen Witemeyer's "Gift of the Heart," widow Ruth Albright uses the family brooch as collateral for a loan from the local banker. But the more she comes to know the man behind the stern businessman, the more she hopes for a second chance at love as the holidays draw near.In Sarah Loudin Thomas's "A Shot at Love," Fleeta Brady's rough-and-tumble childhood means she prefers hunting to more feminine activities. She never expected her mother's brooch might be how a fellow hunter turns her attention from competition to romance one December.In Becky Wade's "Because of You," Maddie Winslow has spent years in love with a man whose heart was already spoken for. When a church Christmas project brings them together and she stumbles upon an old family brooch, might it finally be her turn for love?

    Taking the temporary job at the Copper Mountain Ranch as widower Brock Sheenan’s housekeeper seems perfect for her. But her calm cocoon is invaded with the arrival of Brock’s pre-teen twins, Mack and Molly who’ve never experienced a proper Christmas and before she knows it, Harley’s determined to make their holiday perfect. Annoyed at first by Harley’s interference, Brock is secretly pleased she’s changed Mack and Molly’s world. It doesn’t hurt that he finds Harley incredibly attractive, fierce, smart and passionate. It’s also an added bonus that she’s not afraid to challenge him and get his blood heated! But when sparks fly and the attractions sizzles between them, Harley’s not so sure she can handle something permanent with this dark, taciturn cowboy who doesn’t know how to let her in. But Brock is determined to hold on to her and praying for a Christmas miracle…

    Ciara Rome doesn’t need God, and she doesn’t need a man. Her entire life is a proud testament to that declaration, and her master’s thesis is merely a culmination of what she has learned. So when she discovers her new neighbors include a single dad and his three rambunctious sons, she is delighted to have first-hand corroboration of her theory. Luke Weston is fascinated by his new neighbor. Ciara’s open admission that she intends to use his family in support of her wild theory is unsettling, but Luke decides to let his life speak for itself—and he turns the issue over to God. But he finds himself increasingly drawn to this lovely young woman whose goals and beliefs are so opposed to his own. Only God would bring these two together, and only His love can break through walls that have taken years to build.

     Crime scene cleaning is the perfect job for relocated Dani Foster. But her orders to maintain a low profile and stay out of trouble mean little when her friend goes missing. Suspicions point to the handsome crime scene specialist, Jay Hunter, but he's also the only person willing to help Dani. Dare she trust him even when lies seem to surround him? Dani amuses Jay. Her penchant for speaking and acting without regard to the consequences land her in the funniest situations. But her latest moves have thrust her into serious danger. As he learns more about her circumstances, the stakes rise until her very life is on the line. He has no time or inclination for romance, but this girl needs him, and she seems to have no one else. How can he turn his back? This is the first episode of this Christian Mystery and Romance series set in Dallas, Texas. Dani's troubles and Jay's attraction are only just beginning!