But as fate would have it, he ended up marrying Gayatri. He never cared for her or treated her as his wife but she was persistent and kept loving him. One evening when Rajiv got back home from work, he couldn't find Gayatri anywhere but even then he didn't bother, because he preferred to live in his past. But for how long can he ignore her?

    This anthology will benefit Caring Community Foundation, located in Raleigh, NC where the 2017 Authors in the City book signing will be held. Authors in the City is hosted by: Stephanie's Book ReportsChristmas Once Again - Samantha ChaseLike Christmas - Ashlee TaylorUgly sweater - Elizabeth HayesA change of heart - Shari J. RyanChristmas break - Misha ElliottJoyful Temptations - Janine Infante BoscoDancing Snowflakes - Madison StreetThe Lovers of Vale - CS PatraChristmas Interference - Jennifer L. AllenRewrite - Stephanie RoseAll I Want for Christmas - Savanna Grey

    Previously difficult for readers to discover in its new modes, urban fantasy is represented here in all three of its distinct styles—playful new mythologies, sexy paranormal romances, and gritty urban noir. Whether they feature tattooed demon-hunters, angst-ridden vampires, supernatural gumshoes, or pixelated pixies, these authors—including Patricia Briggs, Neil Gaiman, and Charles de Lint—mash-up traditional fare with pop culture, creating iconic characters, conflicted moralities, and complex settings. The result is starkly original fiction that has broad-based appeal and is immensely entertaining.ContentsIntroduction by Peter S. Beagle Mythic FictionIntroduction: “A Personal Journey Into Mythic Fiction” by Charles de Lint “A Bird That Whistles” by Emma Bull“Make a Joyful Noise” by Charles de Lint“The Goldfish Pool and Other Stories” by Neil Gaiman“On the Road to New Egypt” by Jeffrey Ford“Julie’s Unicorn” by Peter S. BeagleParanormal RomanceIntroduction: “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Urban Fantasy” by Paula Guran “Companions to the Moon” by Charles de Lint“A Haunted House of Her Own” by Kelley Armstrong“She’s My Witch” by Norman Partridge“Kitty’s Zombie New Year” by Carrie Vaughn“Seeing Eye” by Patricia Briggs“Hit” by Bruce McAllister “Boobs” by Suzy McKee Charnas “Farewell, My Zombie” by Francesca Lia BlockNoir FantasyIntroduction: “We Are Not a Club, but We Sometimes Share a Room” by Joe R. Lansdale “The White Man” by Thomas M. Disch“Gestella” by Susan Palwick“The Coldest Girl in Coldtown” by Holly Black“Talking Back to the Moon” by Steven R. Boyett“On the Far Side of the Cadillac Desert With Dead Folks” by Joe R. Lansdale“The Bible Repairman” by Tim Powers“Father Dear” by Al Sarrantonio

    The Billionaire's Daughter (Part 1): Breaking FreeClaire Montgomery’s wealthy father has always given her everything she’d wanted – as long as she toed the line. When she refuses her father’s request for the first time, cancelling her engagement to the most successful bachelor at his firm, she discovers exactly how far he’ll go to punish her. Fleeing to San Francisco she experiences true independence for the first time, sharing a house and working in a coffee shop owned by Jordan Hunter. Mysterious and powerful, Jordan's involvement in the BDSM scene both intrigues and frightens her and Claire desperately tries to resist her growing attraction to him.Breaking her engagement has cost Claire her family. If she follows her instincts and submits to Jordan will she be risking her new found freedom?The Billionaire's Daughter (Part 2): San Franciso BreezeClaire's feelings towards Jordan confuse her. She’s always been raised to be a lady in the drawing room and a whore in the bedroom – at least, that’s what her mother said men wanted. But this? This is something entirely different. Jordan focuses his sexual and romantic energy on Claire, training her and caring for her physical and emotional needs. She feels as though she must make the choice to commit to Jordan and his lifestyle or to walk away forever.The Billionaire's Daughter (Part 3): Body and SoulClaire is settled into her new life in San Francisco and has accepted Jordan as her Master.A sudden call from her estranged mother, urging her to return to New York to help save the family business, leaves her feeling conflicted. How can she choose between her lover and her family? If she leaves Jordan now, will he still be there for her when she returns?

    Marine Staff Sergeant Cree Novak has one objective in mind, winning back the love of Jaxon Alexander, the one one woman he can't forget only to have his career get in the way one more time.Alana Mitchel is turning thirty and feeling depressed. Best friend Kellan travers decides to show her that being more than friends is just what she needs in Fight For Me by Kelley Nyrae.Pamela Leigh Starr's Collide undercover DEA agent Yancy DeWolf is after Ambria Soublet when she grabs a Mardi Gras trinket that plunges her into danger and Yancy has to save her. Mardi Gras in New Orleans will never be the same again.Reese Green applies for a Big Brother for her son and gets more than she bargained for when martial arts expert J.T. Austin shows up at her doorstep in Champion by Eve Vaughn.

    Many residents call the island home year-round, but day visitors and tourists bring plenty of excitement with them. Like other resort islands, there are quaint shops, cool restaurants, and friendly bars. There are several resorts on the island, but the queen of them all is the elegant Grand Hotel on a bluff with an ocean view. Owned by the extensive, multi-generational Phillips family, the Grand Hotel offers elegant service, five course dinners, and plenty of romance. White Pine Island Novella #1: Ned & Bethany Sometimes the heart hits a hole in one… Bethany Hinkle arrives at White Pine Island’s Grand Hotel for her sister’s wedding and to do a little environmental snooping. She snaps pictures of the hotel’s pristine golf course to ensure its compliance with EPA standards. Soon, she realizes that the course’s manager is as attractive as the course he so carefully protects. Ned Phillips feels the weight of family expectations squarely on his broad shoulders. The Phillips Family has owned and operated the Grand Hotel for three generations. For now, he manages the hotel’s golf course and makes plans for its future—plans that could be destroyed by Bethany’s spying. He gets close to the lovely environmentalist to watch for her next move until he gets too close to let her go. ***** White Pine Island Novella #2: Ellen & Pete What happens when you fall in love with your best friend just when it’s too late? All her life, Ellen Phillips has loved working for her family’s Grand Hotel on White Pine Island. Flying the hotel’s airplane and piloting the island ferryboat while knowing someday she will inherit the luxurious resort is a fairy tale existence she has no desire to change. She’s always loved Pete McCormack, too. After all, he’s her best friend, confidante, and playmate. Until she suddenly sees him in a different light just before Christmas. Pete McCormack has made sacrifices for his family’s golf cart rental business on the island, choosing to stay home and run it instead of pursuing his dream of his own career on the mainland. When his parents announce their plans to sell the business so Pete can leave the island, he has to choose between the future he thought he always wanted and his newfound love for the woman he would be leaving behind.

    With both of them being prominent, successful lawyers, she followed in their footsteps and set out to create a name just for herself. Her career has been the forefront of her life, coming before everything, including her once upon a time longtime friend and lover, Emerald Hampton. Their relationship suffered long ago due to her commitment to school and her career and his rising music stardom. Years have passed and Emerald has returned to claim the woman that was always supposed to be his. However, confronting old feelings means confronting old secrets.Emerald Hampton also known professionally as GEM has had success all over the world with his beautiful vocals. Even with all of his fame and fortune, he still feels like something is missing from his life. That something is Rhyon Capers, the woman he has loved since he was eight years old. After taking some time off from the industry, he ventures home to get his woman. While he knew he would not receive the warmest of welcomes from her, he was prepared to go put in work to make her his again. Will they be able to work through the dormant feelings and past secrets to rekindle a lost love, or will they have to accept that their time has passed?

    Sydney Rain is one of those people you'd definitely consider spoiled, bratty, and immature. She has little to ask for in life, with two loving and caring parents, one a prestigious doctor and the other a devoted wife and stay-at-home mom. Money? Her dad gave it freely. Love, advice, and support, her mother offered it in droves. Friends? Easy to come by. Popularity and smarts, it was all there. So when Sydney goes gaga over the rude and demeaning Dustin Homes, no one, especially her best friend Jayla, has the slightest clue as to why.They wouldn't know that he and his best friend Rafael Deluca are the two most sought-after Doms at playhouse Pleasure Palace or that she, the very self-centered Sydney is one of the "pets" seeking to be owned by them. On hands and knees with a collar around her neck, she wants to crawl for then, and when she's naughty, she will happily welcome any punishment they gave. Sydney wants it all, and she gets it, but when insecurity, jealousy, and secrets surface. Sydney has to grapple with her self-discovery and maturity as she questions if she can take the heat that comes with being owned by the two hottest Doms around.

     *****FREE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED***** Alexander Fortescue, the Duke of Southolton, is trapped – before he reached his majority, whilst he was on the continent, his father signed a contract, binding him to marry Lady Phyllida, who was then a child. Now she is grown, and Alex is Duke – but despite his disinterest in her, the contract seems unbreakable. Lady Selina Brancourt has yet to meet a man she finds truly appealing – although she has been keen to look. Her father, unhappy that she is yet unwed, pushes her towards a match with an older man, for business reasons. A man she finds utterly distasteful. When they meet at a houseparty arranged by the Duke’s mother, their common plight draws them together – but soon their attraction leads to stolen kisses, and more. When faced with a future apart, there seems only one solution – the gift of a Christmas scandal. Can the Duke bring himself to take the dishonourable path, to free himself? Will Selina cast all propriety to the winds, and do what is necessary to wed the only man she has ever wanted? Or will the demands of duty steal their chance at love?

    But his feelings soon turn to guilt when he realizes his carelessness caused more harm to Rosalie than a few broken bones. With a newly awakened conscience, Pemberton vows to do everything in his power to get Rosalie back on her feet. He’ll intercede with her employer, find her a place to live, and help her make friends. But as he gets to know Rosalie and discovers her close walk with God, Pemberton begins to wonder if Rosalie might do him more good than he could ever hope to do for her. This early novel by beloved Christian fiction author Grace Livingston Hill was first published as a serial story in a 1904 Christian magazine.

    But as the festive season draws closer, Laurel begins to wonder if Christmas on Skopelos can ever live up to the cosy Yorkshire Christmases she spent with her beloved grandmother, Marnie. And with a travel writer arriving to review the Villa, Laurel needs a touch of festive sparkle - and a little help from some old friends... With critics to impress, Greek feasts to cook, and an ABBA-themed winter wedding on the horizon, can Laurel throw the perfect Christmas for everyone? And will she find her own romance underneath the mistletoe...? Escape to Greece this Christmas for this joyous sequel to My Mamma Mia Summer.

    This is the most complete and generous sampling of the first half of an indispensable American writer's career.

    . . and then you're undead?in this must-have collection, five of today's hottest writers—Libba Bray (A Great and Terrible Beauty), Cassandra Clare (City of Bones), Claudia Gray (Evernight), Maureen Johnson (13 Little Blue Envelopes), and Sarah Mlynowski (Bras & Broomsticks)—tell supernatural tales of vacations gone awry. Lost luggage is only mildly unpleasant compared to bunking with a witch who holds a grudge. And a sunburn might be embarrassing and painful, but it doesn't last as long as a curse. Of course, even in the most hellish of situations, love can thrive. . . .From light and funny to dark and creepy, these stories have something for everyone. You definitely won't want to leave this collection at home!

    However, most of the individual stories will be released separately. **Twelve bestselling and award-winning authors each bring you a sexy night of romance, fun and a little magic. ‘Tis the season for falling for the right guy!Two people stuck in an elevator, snowed in, on an all-night bus trip, locked in a store... Can a magical fruitcake be the special ingredient they're all looking for? **‘Tis the season for giving, too!**20% of the proceeds will be donated to the hunger relief organization Feeding America December 25: “Scrooge You” by MK SchillerChristmas is the worse time of the year for Eva. It’s nothing but a reminder of her tragic past. To make matters worse, her boyfriend invites his entire family over…so she goes into total Scrooge mode.When three ghosts visit her, will she be able to remember the joy in her heart and the true meaning of Christmas?December 26: “Unexpected Daddy” by Gemma BrocatoShe let him go to pursue his dreams without telling him she was pregnant. Five years later, he’s back in town and her secret’s out. Can they get over past hurts to seize a future for their small family?December 27: “The Meant to Be Girl” by Tawdra KandleWhen Ashley Webbar meets Zane Fletcher, the new lawyer in Burton, it's insta-lust . . . but she soon realizes he's already smitten with someone else, even if Zane himself doesn't seem to know it.Ashley is so busy matchmaking that she might miss out on her own happily-ever-after . . . if something or someone doesn't intervene first. This just might call for a Christmas miracle.December 28: “For One Night Only” by Carrie ElksWhen two strangers are stranded at a rest stop in the middle of Nowheresville—thank you, Mr. Bus Driver—they’re forced to spend the night together. Not that it’s exactly a hardship, thanks to the sizzling chemistry between them. But when morning, and rescue, comes, they both find themselves asking one question. Will they see each other again, or was their connection for one night only?December 29: “Best Friends for a Night” by Alice GainesEvery year, Steve has been cheering up his army buddy’s widow with popcorn and zany movies on the anniversary of her husband’s death. Will a little holiday magic make Steve and Hannah more than friends?December 30: “Entwined” by Kristi RoseDonovan survived combat, but can he survive being stranded over Christmas with the girl of his dreams? He swore he’d stay away from his best friend’s kid sister years ago, but after a near-death helicopter crash, this sailor knows second chances don't come around often. Loving Bailey would mean risking not only his friendship but his heart. And that would be one wound that would never heal.December 31: “Rekindled” by Stacy FinzThe last place Branna and Drex want to spend New Year’s Eve is stuck on a broken-down elevator, together. They’ve finally put their divorce behind them and don’t want to open old wounds. But fate and a fruitcake step in, making them question whether love could be better the second time around. January 1: “New Year’s Negotiation” by Kate AllentonWhen Detective Elizabeth Cross’s high school crush and star of all of her what-ifs shows up at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve ready to take her on a trip down memory lane, she’ll have to decide if this is a second chance at having her happily ever after or the start of another broken heart.January 2: “Playing House” by Kim GoldenCassie Delk isn’t having the best holiday season. With her ex-husband about to get remarried, she’s not very excited about still being single. The last thing she expects is for a second chance at love to turn up on her doorstep.January 3: “Book of Love” by Cd BrennanHey, wait a minute, Mr. Postman! Where's your Christmas spirit?Nothing infuriates Melanie more than the one-armed, ex-army hunk who chucks her mail at her book shop door. When Nick delivers a special package at the end of the day, she's ready to give him what for. Except a blizzard strands them together, and the fruitcake delivery sparks magic between them instead. Now, Melanie isn't sure what she wants to give him—a piece of her mind or all of her heart.January 4: “A Winter Wonderland” by Rebecca HunterComing face-to-face with her first love after ten years is a reminder of everything Selena left behind when she moved from Delilah’s Cove. And an evening with Jace is even more dangerous when mixed with a little magic… January 5: “Wild Honey” by Sarah HeggerTwo people who couldn’t be more different. One elevator, a dark and stormy night, and a magical, bourbon-laced fruitcake. What could go right?

    Now a strong, independent woman and owner of the Bon Bon Beauty Parlor, she is determined to live her life alone. Having spent years constructing a steel cage around her heart, she vows to never let any man get too close. Her mama made that mistake, and it ended in tragedy. Saffron isn’t about to let the same thing happen to her. She is content to bury herself in romance novels, dreaming of the swaggering, shirtless heroes on the covers. That is enough for her until the morning her eyes flutter open to find the sexiest man she has ever seen hovering over her. He is tending to her, protecting her and, before she can blink, he is trying to steal her heart. Parker Sloan grew up in the lap of luxury. He has every advantage but little freedom. From the day he was born, his parents have had his entire life mapped out. His domineering father—Dr. Nate Sloan—insists his son attend medical school, pursue a career in cardiology and get engaged to a self-centered socialite. But, Parker has other plans. Against his parents’ wishes, he becomes a paramedic. One fateful morning he takes an emergency call that lands him smack in the middle of a beauty parlor. It is there he meets the sweet and beautiful Saffron Butler. From the moment he looks into her big brown eyes, he is a goner. In their dark, chocolatey depths, he can clearly see their future—a lifetime of love and happiness spent in each other’s arms. Wooing Saffron won’t be an easy task. But it is one he is determined to accomplish. Failure isn’t an option. He will do whatever it takes to gain her trust and win her affections. Bon Bon Beauty is part of the Plus Size Romance Series. Each book is a standalone with no overlapping characters, storylines or cliffhangers. This series is a perfect combination of romance, steamy love scenes and humor. The stories are sensual and romantic, uplifting and lighthearted. Feel-good reads that leave you feeling great!