But here's the rub about her job as a baker ... Emma is diabetic. When she tastes her creations, it can only be in the most minute portions. Emma is considered an artisan for the stunning crEme brulee wedding cake that won her the Passionate Palette Award last year, but she's never even had one full slice of it.When Jackson Drake hears about this local baker who has won a prestigious award for her wedding cake artistry, he tells his assistant to be sure and include her in the pastry tastings scheduled at his new wedding destination hotel the following week. And for Jackson, that particular day has started out badly with two workmen trapped in a broken elevator and a delivery of several dozen 300-thread-count bed linens in the wrong size abandoned in the lobby. But when the arrogant baker he met a week prior in Roswell stumbles into the dining room with a platter of pastries and a bucketful of orders, he knows for certain: It's going to be a really rotten day.Can these two ill-suited players master the high-wire act and make a go of their new business venture? Or will they take each other crashing downward, without a net? And will the surprise wedding at The Tanglewood be theirs?

    It's been ten years since he left the woman he loved behind to make a name for himself, and now he's bound and determined to claim her once and for all.But Charlotte Munroe has no desire to welcome home the Prodigal Son with a fatted calf. The bitterness of Dane's betrayal runs deep, and she has no plans of letting him back into her life.Especially since she's trying to protect the son Dane isn't aware exists from heartbreak, since she's sure he's only going to walk out of their lives again.

    But after standing up as godfather for his great-nephew, Mason, that’s just what he gets at the Christening Party. Escaping the wrath of his father and sisters, he wants nothing more than to get to the company Christmas party. There he knows he can knock back a few stiff drinks and find some new no-strings-attached girl to take home for the night.The last thing Emma Harrison wants is to attend another party—least of all one at work. After throwing the annual life celebration (for the anniversary of her fiancée’s death) with close friends, she’s finally gotten the courage to take matters into her own hands and become a mother. Convincing her slightly inebriated best-friend, Connor, to be her sperm donor was a lot easier than she thought, and all that’s left now is to start the process. But at her best friend and work colleague, Casey’s, insistence, she decides to make an appearance at the company Christmas party for her new boss’s sake.Neither Aidan nor Emma could imagine what fate had in store for them at the party.

    Everything but the woman he loves. But now he’s back and determined to possess her. There’s just one catch - she’s married to another man. This short story (90 pages) contains spoilers. It is meant to be read after the full length novel, 53 Letters For My Lover. For readers who want more from the hero's point of view. From His Lips (53 Letters #1.5) expands on some of the crucial scenes, and includes a few new ones.

    That belief nearly destroyed her. Seventeen years later, when cleaning out her mother’s house, Jess unpacks a box of cards and letters hidden in the attic and makes a discovery that changes everything about life as she knows it.Shaken but empowered, Jess—and her two stalwart best friends—set out on a remarkable journey to follow a set of faded postmarks around the world. Is Joe still alive? Does he know that Jess never forgot him? Maybe their love story isn’t over.Maybe one day they’ll find each other again…

    At least they're reuniting. A cause to celebrate? Not for Justine, Regina, and Mica. Their parents are splitting up and the family business is going on the auction block--just a little reminder of how much they really have in common...Take the local bad boy who proposed to Justine, seduced Regina, and ran off with Mica. Add the unsolved murder they witnessed when they were young girls, and their vow to keep it a secret. Toss in their knack for being drawn to shady men, and there's only one thing left for them to do--put the bonds of family loyalty to the test.But it takes courage to outsmart a murderer, know-how to avenge the cad who betrayed them, and patience to bring their parent back together. Three talents. Three sisters. And who knows? Maybe even three new chances to fall in love when Justine, Regina, and Mica discover how much they're willing to risk--and forgive--in the name of sisterhood...

    There’s only one problem – she’s a thirty year old virgin and embarrassed as hell about it. When her best friend suggests hiring an escort to not only help rid her of her pesky virginity but teach her some moves in bed, Julie swallows her pride and calls an escort agency. She books a date with the sexy and gorgeous Cal. Court Thomas has been saving his identical twin brother’s butt for years. When Cal calls, begging him to take his place with his latest ‘date’, Court reluctantly agrees. Unprepared for his immediate attraction to the beautiful but fragile woman, he’s rocked by Julie’s request for him to take her virginity. Determined to change her mind, he continues to impersonate his brother. But when Julie’s warm kisses trigger a desire he’s never experienced before, will he convince her to wait for ‘Mr. Right’ or take the sweet gift she’s offering? Author’s note: This is a novella of 35,000 words. It contains explicit and steamy sex scenes that may not be your cup of tea. It is intended for mature readers only.

    With so little time spent in one place, relationships are a no-go. Dean, a firefighter with a serious disdain for the holiday season, is sent to Mistletoe, a small town that lives and breathes Christmas. To keep his holiday exposure to a minimum, Dean avoids relationships from November through January. Will two people who are so adamant about being single be able to ignore the feelings that are heating up their Christmas season?

    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.

    She’s opening a pastry shop with her sister, housesitting for her snowbird parents, and reconnecting with her roots. Life is good until she runs into her high school sweetheart, Jake Hansen, a sexy firefighter who gives her a reception chilly enough to freeze a forest fire. If Naomi wants her homecoming to remain all cupcakes and sugar cookies, she’ll have to win Jake over. But how can she earn his forgiveness when he won’t even speak to her? When the girl who broke his heart buys a month of dates at the firefighter’s Hunk-for-a-Month fundraiser auction, only honor keeps widower Jake Hansen from backing out of the commitment. He won’t let the firehouse down, even if it means enduring a torturous month with Naomi Whitehouse. And Jake knows being close to Naomi again will be torture. Even after all these years, she still gets to him…not that he intends to let her know it. He’ll be civil, honor his obligation, and with any luck Naomi will tire of playing small-town pastry chef and Jake will never see her again. But as the month passes, Jake and Naomi discover some fires never burn out. Will the heat between them be enough to melt away the pain of past mistakes, or is their second chance doomed from the start?

    Her fiancé has just called off their Christmas wedding, and she’s been evicted from her darling chicken coop cottage. When her estranged father dies and leaves her eight rustic guest cabins on Heron Lake, Jenny seizes the chance to make a new life. She packs up her dogs, her miniature horse and her beat up Airstream trailer and moves to the lake.Short on time and money, Jenny and her contractor, widower Luke, work feverishly to renovate the cabins in time for the festive holiday event she’s promised her very first guests. When an unexpected blizzard snows them in and jeopardizes the resort’s opening, Jenny and Luke work to save the event and, along the way, find true love… and the magic of Christmas.“A warm-hearted, charming Christmas story you won’t want to miss…"Judith Keim, Best-selling Author of the Beach House Hotel Series

    Although she flatly refuses to tell him her name or how she came to be riding with a raiding party, Duncan cannot countenance imprisoning a woman in his dungeon but neither can he release her without compensation. Unable to ransom her back to her family, he treats her as an honored - though exceptionally well-supervised - guest. He takes to calling her Reva and determines to seduce the truth of her identity from her. There’s just one problem - the reiver may steal his heart before he can reveal her secrets.This story was originally published in the Mammoth Book of Scottish Romance.

    Olivia Arnold is arranging the festivities ... It's the hardest thing she's ever done ... Because SHE should be marrying Kyle Houseman ... After all ... until fairly recently ... Kyle and Olivia were together ... for more than a year ... But her jealous sister, Noelle ... stole Kyle away ... and now ... Noelle's pregnant ...All their friends in Whiskey Creek know as well as Olivia does that Kyle's making a mistake. His stepbrother, Brandon, knows it, too. But Kyle's determined to go through with it, for his child's sake.Olivia's devastated, but surprisingly Brandon ... the black sheep of the family ... is there to provide comfort and consolation. The intensity between them, both physical and emotional, shows Olivia that maybe Kyle wasn't the right man for her ... But is Brandon!!!?!

    Only now she has to figure out how to fire Soapie’s very unsuitable caregiver, a gardener named Tony who lets her drink martinis, smoke, and cheat at Scrabble.It’s a temporary break, of course—until Rosie realizes she’s accidentally pregnant at 44, completely unequipped for motherhood, and worse, may be falling in love with the sentimental, troubled Tony, whose life is even more muddled than hers. It’s not until Rosie learns the truth about her mother’s tragic story that she wonders if sometimes you have to let go of your fears, trusting that the big-hearted, messy life that awaits you may just be the one you were meant to live.

    Home to her alma mater, Scotland is also the place where seventeen years ago Perdita fell in love with Highland poet Andrew Macgruer. At the bed-and-breakfast where Perdita and Perry are staying lives an eccentric pair of sisters, Kira and Catitlìn. Among the unexpected guests are Breton Trent, Kira's old flame, and Andrew, whose allure has only improved with age. Recognizing in Kira's thwarted love an example of her own, Perdita works to bring the couple together again. In the process she finds herself growing ever closer to Andrew. Perry's subsequent anguish, however, incidentally coincides with an illness that seems to affect her heart. As three sets of love triangles hurtle toward final conclusions, the marine biologist's quest for the legendary creature of Loch Ness becomes the central metaphor for the secrets that glide beneath the surface of us all.