A short story that follows Ian and Riley at Christmas.Free short story for Carly Phillips's newsletter subscribers only.

     ‘Tis the Season hits the spot with romance readers looking for a light and sweet holiday read. Small Town Rural, Magical Midnight Rides, and First Kisses bringing joy, happiness, and unforgettable romance with this group of award-winning and talented authors.

    Instead, he hands me a wedding invitation - for two weeks from now! Even worse, I foolishly told him I’ll go... and bring my boyfriend.Too bad said boyfriend is nonexistent.When my best friend Declan offers to come as my fake date, my Grandma pressures me into accepting, telling me it’ll be a good way to move forward on my terms. Better than attending alone, I guess.Declan insists on getting me into the holiday spirit and out of my funk by signing us up for a Christmas contest. Practicing cooking, baking, and wrapping holiday gifts together sure feel like dates, even though they tend to end in disasters. Too bad he rejected me when we were in college, so he’s clearly not interested.But when I find out he’s got a Christmas Eve date? Well, I feel like my heart just got stomped for the second time in a week.Because it’s too hard to hide these feelings anymore. Being friends with Declan isn’t going to be enough.It’s going to take more than Santa to give me what I want this Christmas.This Christmas novella is a third in the East Village Christmas series. Each book can be read as a standalone in any order.This novella belongs to the collection, Holiday Fakeout: 22 Fake Holiday Dates to Heat Up the Season.

    But 12 days before Christmas, presents begin appearing on her doorstep with notes from their "True Friends." As the Smiths came together to solve the mystery of who the gifts were from, they began to thaw out from their grief and come together again as a family. This true story about the power of random acts of kindness will warm the heart, a beautiful reminder of the miracles of Christmas and the gift of family during the holiday season.

     Nick Claussen knows he’s a workaholic but what’s a guy to do when murder doesn’t take a holiday? Hopefully they’ll be able to get through the holidays alive. THE 12 MYSTERIES OF CHRISTMAS series: • IN THE NICK OF TIME by Susette Williams • GABRIEL’S SECRET by Alexa Verde • GUARDING CANDY KANE by V.B. Tenery • MURDER: UP ON THE ROOFTOP by Tina Dee • JOY IN JEOPARDY by Lynette Sowell • HOLLY IN HIDING by P. Creeden • STARR WITNESS by Susette Williams • NOELLE ON THE RUN by Alexa Verde • GOLDEN BELLES ARE WRINGING by Gina Conroy • DEATH BY FIGGY PUDDING by Tina Dee • DANGER FOR GLORIA by Lynette Sowell • MERRY WITHOUT MALICE by P. Creeden

    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?

     Easier said than done, especially when everyone in town believes she’s the reason for the divorce between her and town Golden Boy, Lance. Two years after her divorce, and with a push from her best friend Marcus, she’s taken the plunge into the dating pool. Rachel gets more than she can handle when every date is almost too good to be true, or so it seems. Now she must choose her perfect match, between him, him, him, him and him. The Christmas Hims is a light-hearted, clean holiday romance that will make you believe that true love does exist, especially at Christmas.

    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.74% of the material is actually the story; the rest is samples from other books in the series.

    Isobel Gray is dreaming of a perfect movie-style Christmas for her first Noël away from home, and with a hot man and a bucket list of festive fun ready to be ticked off, she thinks she has it all wrapped up. But when her boss-slash-boyfriend goes AWOL just days before the holiday, she finds herself a little Lost, Actually instead. Will she end up home alone, or is there a Christmas miracle waiting under the mistletoe?‘The Christmas Bucket List’ is a fun, festive romcom novella (25,000 words approx.) - perfect for curling up with on a chilly winter night!

    I needed her.MarthaThanksgiving was my jam... and my pie, and my rolls. My obsession.When my Christmas obsessed sister asked to host MY holiday, I was more than a little grumpy. But something in my gut told me to let her have it. Turns out, there had never been a better time to trust my instincts.She'd invited a French guy she worked with, and once I got sight of Kellen, I wasn't hungry for Thanksgiving dinner anymore. After one taste of his dough, I was certain we were the perfect combination. But his work visa said otherwise.Was I a fling to keep him entertained until he left the country?KellenGorging myself on Thanksgiving dinner wasn't my ideal way to spend my extra day off, but Betsy had insisted I not 'celebrate' alone. I didn't bother to explain that the French didn't celebrate American Thanksgiving. In Betsy's world, everything was celebrated.When I met her gorgeous sister, Martha, and found an opportunity for a hands-on baking lesson, I was trying to figure out how to extend my work visa. Because once I'd tasted her goods there was no turning back.Is there anything better than falling in love? Finding another HEA? I'll always give you a dirty-sweet story to keep your heart full and your windows steamed!

    She has known all of her life that she would be in line to watch over the souls of the recently passed, keeping them safe from the Reapers. The soul eating Reapers have been a plague upon the Earth, stealing souls and leaving the Keepers as the only thing that stands between Heaven and Hell. The factions despise each other and have warred for generations. Then Lucy discovers an ancient legend predicting the arrival of the Chosen One, destined to bring forth an end to the Reapers. The surprises continue when she realizes she is that person. For Lucy, being the Chosen One doesn’t change much. Fighting Reapers is just another day in the life of a Keeper. When she meets Jack Walker, they both realize they have an insane, mutual attraction. Too bad that he’s been sent to prevent the prophecy from coming true. His only mission: to kill the Chosen One.

    When a last-minute customer brimming with holiday spirit invites her to a candlelight service and a late-night family dinner, Hannah reluctantly accepts. She has no idea this kindhearted woman is the mother of Jason McKenzie - leader singer of Out of the Blue, the hottest band in the country - and Hannah's childhood idol. The evening ends with an innocent kiss (sans mistletoe) as Hannah is swept away by Jason's unpretentious manner.Over the holidays Hannah and Jason's relationship grows, but when turmoil and tragedy strike at the very heart of his famous band, their newfound love is put to the test in the glare of the paparazzi spotlight. Throughout her rollercoaster of experiences with Jason and his friends, Hannah comes face to face with her own beliefs. Who knew she could learn more about prayer and faith by hanging out with a bunch of rock stars than she ever learned in church?The author first wrote Blue Christmas as a gift for her then-teenage daughter in honor of her affection for a wildly popular band in the late 90s. The short story grew into a full-length novel, eventually surfacing on one of the band's fan fiction websites where it became quite a phenomenon. More than 80,000 readers stopped by to read the story, with over 1000 of them sending personal emails to the author who still enjoys reading them today. Though the story's details have been changed, its band and all characters now fictional, the story line remains the same. Author Diane Moody has dedicated Blue Christmas to her now-grown daughter, Hannah Moody Schmitt.

    If you're interested, copy and paste this link into your browser http://rachellechristensen.com/free-b... Take one park in autumn, mix in a handsome stranger, a daring heroine, murder, chocolate peanut butter brownies, mystery, and a few kisses and you'll see why Silver Cascade Secrets has everything you need to satisfy your cravings for a great story. In this romantic suspense novella, Jillian is the master landscaper at a beautiful park. Meeting Travis there soon after breaking up with her boyfriend, Jillian is wary at first. Travis seems like a great guy, but Jillian has fallen for great guys before. When she learns that his brother, Craig, was murdered six months before, her heart goes out to Travis. True to her curious nature, she starts asking questions and learns about Craig’s close connection with the park. But finding the answers puts Jillian’s life in danger, and she must decide who she really trusts.

    But Captain Samantha Egan has come back from the war a different woman than the one who left - and she doesn't know if she can love him anymore.But neither of them counted on the determination of a little girl they both call daughter and if Natalie has her wish, her parents may have no idea what's coming for them. It's going to take Christmas miracle to bring these two wounded warriors back from the edge of a broken heart.This story has been featured in Home For Christmas: A Holiday Duet with JoAnn Ross.

    After losing her job as a teacher, she finds herself broke, unemployed, and tricked into accepting a date from a department store Santa Claus. When new opportunities and new love interests present themselves, will Hailey choose a career and a man she's always admired, or will she wait for the identity of her Secret Santa to be revealed?