She doesn’t want to move in with her perfect sister Sofia, in Sofia’s perfect house with her perfect children and her perfectly ordered Edinburgh life.Frankly, Sofia doesn’t exactly want Carmen there either. Her sister has always been sarcastic and difficult. But Sofia has yet another baby on the way, a mother desperate to see her daughters get along, and a client who needs a retail assistant for his ailing bookshop, so welcoming Carmen might still have some benefits for everyone.At Sofia’s behest, Carmen is thrown into the daily workings of old Mr. McCredie’s ancient bookshop on the streets of the old dark city. Can she use her design skills to revamp the store and bring it back to popularity in time to benefit from Christmas shopping traffic? Can she choose between bad boy literary rock star Blair and quiet Quaker student Oke? And will she heal the rift with the most important people of all: her family?

    Liv and Dean face the possibility that their first Christmas together could also be their last.First included in For the First Time: Twenty-One Brand New Stories of First Love and now included in Spiral of Bliss: The Complete Boxed Set.

    21,000 words. Story includes copious profanity and botanical references.

    Not since the Christmas he planned to propose to Natalie... before she dumped him. This year's Christmas gift? Having to see her again. Surprise!Natalie is finally settling into a new town. Her bed and breakfast is up and running, she's in charge of the Christmas parade, and she has absolutely zero plans of cozying up to someone special this holiday season. They wouldn't want her anyway. Not with her baggage.But when Cade shows up at Natalie's B&B, needing a place to stay, the pain of their past begs to be dealt with. Can her secret stay secret? And, more importantly, can her heart stay under lock and key?Probably not.

    He dresses like it's Casual Friday every day of the week.2. Everyone loves him, even though I'm pretty sure he doesn't actually get any work done. It's the smile, I think. Definitely the laugh.3. He's so relaxed, sometimes I can't even tell if he's awake. Or conscious.4. He doesn't respect my office space boundaries. Stay in your own office and stop messing with my stuff!Okay, the list is actually really long, but none of it matters because it's time for the annual Secret Santa exchange, and guess whose name I draw.Hunter freaking HollidayAnd he knows this because, I repeat, he won't stay out of my office and leave my things alone.Even though I didn't ask, he has no problem telling me exactly what he wants.Me. For one nightThe Holiday Hookup is an MM Christmas short story with high heat and low angst.

    A New England inn seems like the picture-perfect place to spend the holidays. But when a snowstorm shuts the roads and keeps them all inside, the guests find themselves worrying that this Christmas may not be exactly what they dreamed of. Molly just needs to keep her head down and finish her latest book, but her writer’s block is crippling. The arrival of Marcus, a handsome widower with two young girls, is exactly the distraction she doesn't need. Hannah was hoping for a picturesque winter wedding, but her plans come crashing down when her fiancé calls everything off. She reconnects with her childhood friend, Luke, when he comes to check on his grandmother before the storm. Jeanne and Tim don't know how they're going to keep the inn open another year—or how to bridge the distance between them in their marriage. With a flurry of unexpected guests, they'll have to work together to fix all the problems that crop up. But will it be enough to rekindle their relationship? As the characters’ stories intertwine, they start to find hope where they thought it had been lost. With faith, and a little bit of Christmas magic, the inn—and its inhabitants—might just make it through the holidays after all.

    The Four Roses, as the farmhouse is called, is a labor of love—but Ivy didn't bargain on just how much labor. The previous family left so much furniture and so much junk, that it's a full-time job sorting through all of it. At the top of a closet, Ivy finds an old Santa suit—beautifully made and decades old. In the pocket of a suit she finds a note written in a childish hand: it's from a little girl who has one Christmas wish, and that is for her father to return home from the war. This discovery sets Ivy off on a mission. Who wrote the note? Did the man ever come home? What mysteries did the Rose family hold?Ivy's quest brings her into the community, at a time when all she wanted to do was be left alone and nurse her wounds. But the magic of Christmas makes miracles happen, and Ivy just might find more than she ever thought possible: a welcoming town, a family reunited, a mystery solved, and a second chance at love.

    On a glimmering winter evening, she got to watch the photo shoot for her very first book and ended up on a magical date with the cover model himself—Colin Renwycke. Fast forward one year. This December, with a looming deadline, restless spirit and her creative spark long since gone, Maren is desperate to get unstuck. And she can’t get Colin out of her head…or his year-old open invitation to spend a couple weeks writing at his family’s farm. Drew Renwycke never planned to come home and take over the Renwycke family farm. But he’s spent too many years watching his siblings unravel, including his brother, Colin, after one terrible family mistake. If moving to Maple Valley, Iowa, renovating an old farmhouse and switching careers is what it takes to put the Renwycke family back together, he’ll do it. But his simple plan upends when a scrappy author lands on his doorstep. And she just might be the key to coaxing his brother home. But what if he wants her all to himself? Drew will have to choose between his Christmas wish and the enchantment of a holiday romance that just might be the happy ending they all long for.

    A few years ago, she would have been wrapping her presents in September and baking mince pies on Halloween, counting down the days and hours to Christmas. But that was before Kate’s husband left for the army and never came home. Now she can hardly stand December at all.Kate can’t deny she’s lonely, yet she doesn’t think she’s ready for romance. She knows that her son, Jack, needs a Christmas to remember—just like Kate needs a miracle to help her finally move forward with her life. So she’s decided if there isn’t a miracle on its way, she’ll just have to make her own.As Kate’s advent countdown to the best Christmas ever begins, she soon realizes that even with the best laid plans, you can’t plan for the unexpected. For when the path of the loneliest woman in town crosses with that of the loneliest man, these two destined hearts might find a way to save the holiday for both of them.

    Now he’s the hot billionaire next door who can’t look away.I go home to Fairhill for the holidays to escape my cramped city apartment and failed career. My to-do’s are spending time with family, eat turkey, and watch bad Christmas movies. Reigniting my crush on my brother’s former best friend was not on the list. Adam is back in our small town after a decade away. He’s older, richer, and more of a Scrooge than ever. Christmas is commercialism, and he won’t have any of it. Me? I start listening to holiday music in October. But our clashing opinions on the season don’t stop the attraction growing between us. Could this grumpy billionaire actually be my perfect Christmas gift in disguise? And if so... Do they accept returns?

    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?

    Five sexy stories set in the STAY A SPELL world you don’t want to miss. Bewitch You A Merry Christmas: Always the peacemaker, Evie conjures Christmas magic between a hexed hottie and his witchy neighbor, while Mateo and Alpha plan to do whatever it takes to get some alone time with their girl.Rockin’ Around The Hexmas Tree: A Dirty Santa gift with a very special hex boosts Devraj and Isadora’s sex life from sizzling hot to scorching. Jingle Bell Jock: On New Year’s Eve, a new man puts the moves on Charlie. Tired of pining for his best friend, he’s ready to move on. Fortunately, JJ’s jealousy is just the right ingredient to move them well out of the friend zone. You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grim: Her first glimpse of grim reaper Gareth Blackwater evokes a major case of insta-hate in Lavinia. In that same moment, Gareth is hit with insta-lust. Fate is playing with them both, and neither one is happy about it. Jingle Spells: Nico and Violet laugh their way through their first babysitting adventure. But laughter turns to lust when Nico’s “dad” vibes tug on Violet’s maternal heartstrings.

    WardThere’s no such thing as second chances, and Brooke would know. This Christmas will be spent alone and uncelebrated, same as the last. It doesn’t matter that she’s a disgruntled mall elf, standing next to a chimney-scented Santa with the most annoying co-worker ever. It doesn’t make Christmas more magical. It’s just another day to endure, and the holiday can’t pass fast enough. That is, until her old flame, Chris, spots her. After taking a picture with Brooke in her elf costume, things take an unexpected turn. Maybe getting through the night won’t be so difficult after all.

    I love living in the house I grew up in, minus the parents who’d moved to a retirement community. I love it when everything stays the same.What I don’t love is that the sweet little old lady I’ve always lived next door to passed away. To make matters worse, her money-hungry grandson showed up to do a couple of quick fixes before putting the house on the market.Rowdy is the epitome of everything that’s wrong with the world, including the stupid nickname he insists on using. Where was he when she was alive? Why can’t he respect my privacy when I’m in my backyard? And how could his smile be so contagious?It’s not that I was opposed to smiles or happiness or guys who exuded sex appeal. The problem was that he was only going to be in town for a couple of months, short enough he wouldn’t even tell me his real name or what he did for a living.Then he had the nerve to take a job at the grocery store where I worked. He couldn’t possibly get any more annoying. Why bother with a job when you aren’t sticking around? And how in the world did we end up under the mistletoe together at the company Christmas party?The kiss was almost enough to make me let my guard down. Almost. But the bombshell I found out immediately after the kiss was more than I could handle.RowdyImagine my surprise finding out my grandmother had been alive. Had been. Unfortunately, I didn’t find out until I got a letter explaining that she’d passed away and I’d inherited her house.She’d lived in a small town in the Colorado mountains. A far cry from my life in Vegas but all I had to do was fix it up, put it on the market, then let the realtors do the rest. Between the income from the sale and my savings account, I’d be able to quit my job as a stripper and go back to school. I wasn’t sure what for, but it wouldn’t be stripping.I’d heard small towns were friendly but my grandma’s neighbor hadn’t gotten the message. No matter how many times I said hi and tried to talk to her, she made it clear I was the unwelcome outsider.Did I simply want what I couldn’t have or was Mae truly the woman of my dreams? She was sweet and simple in a way I’d never understood. The most basic offerings in life like sunsets and snowflakes filled her with joy.I’d thought I wanted a reprieve from the fast-paced life of a stripper, but Mae showed me what I really wanted. Life with her and all of the simplicities. Without a university in sight, it’s possible I overstepped my bounds taking a job at the grocery store where she worked but I was dragging out my stay and spending as much time with her as possible.Little did I know it would lead us to a kiss under the mistletoe. A kiss that solidified every suspicion I’d had that my life wouldn’t be complete without Mae. But I might have misread her starry eyes when I pulled away because minutes later, she was running out of the party instead of into my arms.Was giving up city life and my plans for a university education worth the fantasy I could convince Mae we were meant to be together?

    A gift that will surprise him, and win his heart.A gift that just might be magic . . .(A contemporary gay romance story)