Now, in one incomparable volume, four of Avon Romance's bestselling authors present stirring tales of hearts won and weddings to be, featuring a quartet of unforgettable heroines about to discover the rapture of love in a world as untamed as the men they will one day marry.from back coverDisplaying the bold and breathtaking sensuality that is her hallmark, bestselling author CHRISTINA DODD enthralls us with the tale of a willful Scottish beauty--kidnapped by an arrogant yet irresistible Englishman--who fights to keep from succumbing to her brazen captor's passionate, and persuasive, proposal.Experience the fiercely emotional power of STEPHANIE LAURENS who is at her passionate best with this story of a wealthy gentleman who finds his childhood nemesis has blossomed into a most desirable lass--and he's determined to do everything in his power to claim her as his own, before she is quite unsuitably wed.The delightful wit and warm humor of JULIA QUINN shine brightly in this winning romantic romp, in which a lovely English miss--feigning marriage to a dashing, beguiling Scotsman--discovers she has a very real desire for her make-believe groom.Another strikingly dramatic and deeply compelling tale by KAREN RANNEY. A legend decrees that the sexy Laird of Sinclair must marry a woman he has never met. But only sweet, passion-filled love will him to his true--and forbidden--bride.stories are:Under the Kilt (Fairchild Family #2.5) by Christina DoddRose in Bloom by Stephanie LaurensGretna Greene by Julia QuinnThe Glenlyon Bride by Karen Ranney

    Rumor and speculation still surround the mysterious disappearance of his young bride.As family, friends and servants gather, further scandal comes close on their heels. Passion and intrigue, secrets and desire, make for surprising bedfellows--both above and below stairs. It promises to be the most memorable house party of the Season!The Fortune Hunter--Nicola CornickAn Uncommon Abigail--Joanna MaitlandThe Prodigal Bride--Elizabeth RollsThree dramatic stories. One whirl of a Country House Party.

    Join New York Times bestselling authors Cathy Maxwell, Jeaniene Frost, and Tracy Anne Warren, along with USA Today bestselling author Elaine Fox and RITA Award winner Sophia Nash, for tales of noble danger and devilish desire.Delicate young ladies must be protected from him.What do you do with three dukes‚ a dog named Duke‚ and a devil? You put them into an anthology! We′ve combined five of today′s bestselling and popular authors into one volume to deliver romance like you′ve never experienced before. First he steals her clothes, then he steals her heart.Most would be terrified of this powerful vampire—but not him.He's "the catch of the century". . . but she's the only one he can't have.A young miss demands a kiss. But he won't rest once she's touched her lips to his.With four dukes and one devil, there's no limit on love.

    'Tis the season - for passion...The holidays have never been hotter, as four of todays' finest romance authors hang up the mistletoe and bring unwitting couples together in the most deliciously sinful ways! So sit back and unwrap four fabulously sexy stories - each guaranteed to give you all you want for Christmas...and more.Lori Foster has two co-workers plan a Christmas party side-by-side-and discover a love worth celebrating in "The Christmas Bonus."Dee Holmes reunites former lovers, who are forced to spend the holidays together - and find that their old flames still burn white-hot in "A Night with Emily."Kinley MacGregor goes to the Old West, where an outlaw returns to the woman he loved and left behind - and finds the best holiday surprise of his life in "Santa Wears Spurs."Eileen Wilks heats up Regency England, as a young lady plans to lose her innocence to a charming rogue - but doesn't expect a night of passion to so thoroughly connect their souls in "The Proper Lover."

    The only problem is, Trent is a notorious rogue who doesn't dally with the respectable. Except, Winnie doesn't want a dalliance--she wants his heart. Born to a miserable family, Lord Trent has found joy and comfort in the folds of his best friend's family. Except, over the years he's begun to notice something. Winnie who he'd always seen as another sister, is in fact something more--a captivating woman. Now, loving Winnie as he does, Trent knows she deserves more than a rogue in her life. With Winnie's mother rushing her off to try and make a match at Lady Weston's annual Christmastide house party, Winnie has but a few days to show Trent, that all she needs is his love. But then this is Christmas...when anything can happen! To Make a Perfect Scandal by Danelle Harmon Tristan St. Aubyn, the Earl of Weybourne, is a driven man. Haunted by the bad decisions he made in his youth, his life is all about work ... working to restore his fortunes, working to rebuild the herd of unique racehorses that were his late father's legacy, working to forget just how lonely he really is. Lord Weybourne isn't looking for a wife ... but when a saucy young lady dressed as a lad finds her way into his stable and charms the most irascible colt in the barn, Tristan can't help but be intrigued ... until she flees, frightened of discovery. The Honourable Miss Letitia Ponsonby comes from a family of seafarers but for her, freedom is found on the back of a horse. She has no desire to wed the dreadful suitor her mother has chosen for her, ready and waiting at Lady Weston's Christmastide house party. All that's needed is the perfect scandal to deter him. But when Letitia finds not the abominable Homer Trout waiting for her at the house party but Lord Weybourne himself, the very desire they each feel for the other is all that is needed to create that perfect scandal... To Win a Quiet Heart by Renee Bernard Suffering from crippling shyness, Nicodemus Chesterfield, the Earl of Athmore, would rather battle an army of demons than put one toe inside the treacherous social waters of a holiday house party. But sometimes, a man just has to face his fears—and when Jane Pemberly is the surprisingly beautiful and fantastically charming prize at the opposite end of the gauntlet—it seems there is nothing a man won’t do to sidestep scandals and win her love. To Tempt a Saint by Valerie Bowman What happens when a saint is tempted by a sinner? Prudence Carmichael is the epitome of well, prudence. But when a rumored pirate—with whom she just might have had a secret scandalous interlude years ago, that she’s been beating herself up about ever since—appears at Lady Weston's Christmastide house party and charms the innocent young lady again, can Prudence resist her first and greatest temptation?

    . .and a partridge in a pear tree . . . In Coventry's Christmas, Rebecca Hagan Lee offers a charming new story. With Christmas approaching, Amabel Thurston is ordered from the family home by her father's widow and must seek the protection of her guardian, Deverel Brookfield, eighth Marquess of Coventry. Unfortunately, the Devil of Coventry has little use for Christmas and even less for proper young ladies. In the never-in-print Star of Wonder, Lynn Kerstan brings her special brand of magic to the page when an exotic and dangerous stranger arrives to disrupt the meager Christmas of Stella Bryar, who has struggled to support the family retainers in the wake of her father's death.Allison Lane's newest Christmas treat is A Christmas Homecoming. When prodigal son Alex Northcote returns from a six year absence to take control of the family estate, he must run a gauntlet of possible brides, who have all been installed for a holiday house party by his determined grandmother. Avoiding the trap would have been so much easier, if the guest list hadn't included a quiet widow, who once jilted him for another. In the classic Home for Christmas, Alicia Rasley gives us a Christmas with a bit of intrigue. When Verity receives an unexpected invitation from her estranged father to spend the holidays at his Cornwall estate, she accepts with delight. But, ever mindful of her father's attention to propriety, she must scramble to find a husband and "father" for her fatherless child. Could a handsome and enigmatic stranger solve all her problems?

    Despite his reservations, however, he begins to recognize in Cassie a kindred spirit.A Christmas Courting by Chalon LintonWhen obligations keep her in London, Keturah Hensley sadly anticipates missing the festivity of Christmas at her family's country home and the company of her best friend, Christopher Shepherd. When she learns that Christopher will be joining her family in London for Christmas, she is delighted--but her elation is short-lived. Christopher is coming to Town to court the woman of his dreams, and Keturah fears she may have lost the chance to win his love.Mistletoe Memories by Jen Geigle JohnsonFrom childhood, Patrick, Duke of Montrose, knew he'd found his perfect match in Lady Alice Tarrington. When he's sent on a grand tour, Patrick is confident he'll marry his sweetheart upon his return. But when he receives word that Alice is to marry another, will he be too late to claim her heart?Second-Chance Christmas by Heidi KimballFrancie and Gerard have been friends since childhood, but their friendship ended when she declined his heartfelt proposal of marriage. However, when her interactions with Gerard's holiday houseguests provoke in Francie unexpected jealousy, she realizes she must fight for Gerard's affections or risk losing him forever.

    Eden, Carla Kelly, Josi S. Kilpack, Annette Lyon, and Heather B. Moore.In THE WEDDING GIFT: A PRIDE AND PREJUDICE STORY, an enchanting novella by Anna Elliott, the story opens two weeks before Elizabeth Bennet’s wedding to Mr. Darcy. He has given her the perfect wedding gift, and now she must come up with one for him. But what do you give a man who has everything? Elizabeth soon discovers that the gift of love is more important than any one thing. DREAM OF A GLORIOUS SEASON, a sweet novella by Sarah M. Eden, we meet Elizabeth Gillerford who envies her sister only one thing—that she’s been intended for Julian Broadwood since they were children. The trouble is that Elizabeth is hopelessly in love with Julian too. When Julian discovers that Elizabeth has been denied a Season because her older sister is yet unwed, he undertakes his own stealthy measures to introduce her to society, only to find himself falling in love with her himself. In THE MENDER, a captivating story by Carla Kelly, Thankful Winnings takes a sea voyage with her cousin on the Ann Alexander, in a last adventure before she settles down to marry one of her beaus. Unexpectedly they come upon the aftermath of a fierce ship battle, and Thankful is commissioned to help in the place of an injured surgeon on one of the Royal Navy ships. Adam Farnsworth, surgeon, has been at sea for years. Tired of war, but devoted to his post, it takes a resourceful lady such as Thankful to give him the hope of love and help heal his own wounds, the ones that show and the ones that don’t. In BEGIN AGAIN, a charming novella by Josi S. Kilpack, Regina Weathers gives up on marrying for love the day that Ross Martin walks out of her life. Now, fifteen years later, Ross shows up at a ball and thinks he can woo Regina. But she is set on her lonely path and stitched-up heart, no matter the excuse Ross gives for his years of silence and neglect. When Ross insists he wrote many letters during his military years, Regina discovers a secret long-since buried by her father, and the revelation might be enough to thaw the coldness of her heart. In Annette Lyon’s endearing story, THE AFFAIR AT WILDEMOORE, Mrs. Ellen Stanhope escorts her three daughters to a ball. As her oldest flirts with a beau, Ellen is reminded of her courtship and early years of marriage with Anthony, before tragedy struck with the death of their infant son. The marriage has faded and dulled. Not until she sees Anthony dancing with a woman he courted years before does Ellen realize how much she misses him, still loves him, and yearns for him to yet feel the same way for her. In the delightful novella, THE DUKE’S BROTHER, by Heather B. Moore, Mr. Gregory Clark is having an awful day, and it only gets worse when he’s ran over by … a woman. Mabel Russell reluctantly visits her sister in London for the Season, even though she’d rather stay in the country cataloging insects and aphids. When she runs into Gregory Clark, quite literally, she’s afraid to show any interest, especially since he’s a member of the dreaded ton. But getting to know Gregory becomes an unexpected delight.

    The friendly Londoners shake up the staid people of Hemshawe, and villagers see each other in a new and oh-so-appealing light. Suddenly long-sparring enemies become lovers, a town festival heralds a new start for a fallen woman and a dandy, and a man who has given up on love gets a second chance with the woman he never forgot. And the matchmaker herself? She won’t rest until she finds her own happily-ever-after… A Madness in Spring by Kate Noble Adam Sturridge has made Belinda Leonard’s blood boil since childhood, and the feeling is mutual. But when a would-be matchmaker arrives in the village of Hemshawe, she’d determined to erase the thin line between love and hate. Now, Belinda and Adam are faced with falling for someone they’ve always considered an enemy — can they overcome old prejudices and discover how to rub each other the right way? The Summer of Wine and Scandal by Shana Galen When viscount’s son and dandy Peregrine Lochley is temporarily exiled from London to the country for his misdeeds, the last thing he expects is to encounter an intriguing woman. But Caroline Martin has a secret to hide, and it just might be too scandalous for even this debauched rogue. Those Autumn Nights by Theresa Romain Ten years ago, wealthy Eliza Greenleaf broke lowly soldier Bertram Gage’s heart—but the last decade brought changes in fortune to them both. Now that he’s made his mark on the world, a twist of fate brings the Greenleaf family under his power. Will this war-hardened officer triumph over his former lover…or will Bertie and Eliza give love a second chance? The Season for Loving by Vanessa Kelly Miss Georgie Gage, matchmaker extraordinaire, is resigned to life as a spinster—almost. When notoriously aloof bachelor Fergus Haddon arrives from Scotland to spend Christmas with the Gage family, Georgie thinks she’s finally found her own perfect match—if, that is, she can get the handsome Highlander to agree!

    Her cousin, Lady Isabelle Wilkshire, is directing Cinderella and has no interest in marriage. Lady Caroline Whitmore is already (unhappily) married; the fact that she and her estranged husband have to pretend to be together just makes her dread the party all the more.  But not as much as Miss Louisa Harcourt, whose mother bluntly tells her that this is her last chance to escape the horrors of being an old maid.A house party so large, that mothers lose track of their charges, leads to a delightful, seductive quartet of stories that you will savor for the Season!A mistletoe kiss / Eloisa James --Wishing under the mistletoe / Christi Caldwell --Compromise under the mistletoe / Janna MacGregor --Mischief & mistletoe / Erica Ridley

    Yet when irresistible redhead Rosie Harrison drops into his life and disrupts his peace, Joshua's desires begin to change. Can he convince her to hang around long enough to meet him under the mistletoe? Snowbound Bride by Shirley JumpA Christmas Eve blizzard leaves Marietta stranded in an airport with Reed Hartstone, the only man to ever break her heart. Perhaps rekindling the past may actually be their perfect Christmas present. Their Christmas Vows by Margaret McDonaghFrazer McIntosh knows exactly what he wants for Christmas--Callie Grogan. Despite his reputation as a fun-loving Romeo, Frazer is serious about his beautiful colleague. Serious enough to love her forever, if only she'll agree to be his Christmas bride....

    Miracles have been known to happen in this season of peace and giving and love, as this dramatic story of a mysterious exotic gypsy that became the bride of a duke shows. Home for the Holidays A treasured gift of love, tenderness, and ecstasy unbound. An enchanting story of a young impoverished gentlewoman and the mysterious gentleman whose heart is melted by her beauty.

    But for Merry, finding true love will take a miracle.... The Rake's Secret Son by Annie Burrows Before Carleton Tillotson left Nell, the rebellious rake broke her heart. Now he is back, just in time for Christmas, and Nell can't hide her secret any longer - Carleton's the father of her son! Blame It on the Mistletoe by Terri Brisbin Julia Fairchild has loved Iain MacLerie forever - but the boy she once knew is now a hardened and aloof man. Amid the festivities and warm cheer of yuletide, can Julia melt Iain's guard and ignite the spark that continues to burn between them...?

    Home from the war and surrounded by his large, loving family, he realizes what is missing from his life: a wife. Not too surprisingly, he is looking at his sister-in-law’s rather becoming (and unmarried) sister when he makes the decision. Lady Julianna intends to remain unmarried, having no need for a husband to live the life of her dreams. Rather than explain her unusual choice, she insists only a man who slays dragons would suit her, and since dragons don't exist, neither does her ideal beau. Not one to turn away from a challenge, Nash enlists the aid of his nieces and nephews in a scheme sure to win Lady Julianna's affection. But as he comes to know the lady better, he realizes he’s risking his own heart. When did his silly idea become a crucial quest?NOTE: This book was previously released as The Christmas Wedding Scheme.

    Anything could happen...and it all begins with Christmas Kisses.The Wallflower’s Christmas Wish (Brides of Bath) by Cheryl Bolen: While painting the portrait of Sir Elvin Steffington, Bath’s most eligible bachelor, the exceedingly plain spinster Diana Furness develops a strong friendship with her subject. Could this be more than friendship? Could he ever be attracted to one as inconsequential as she?A Kiss From a Captain (An Everly Manor Happily Ever After) by Samantha Grace: Captain Gabriel Brazier defied doctors’ predictions and learned to walk again after losing his leg in war. But the damning voice whispering no woman will find him desirable again is hard to ignore, especially when he arrives at Everly Manor to compete for the charming Lady Laurel’s heart.A Rogue’s Christmas Kiss (The Rogue Chronicles) by Lana Williams: Mary is shaken by a letter requesting she return home for Christmas. But her world is truly upended when she reunites with a former love for the long journey. Arthur has no desire to rekindle their relationship after Mary broke his heart, but a snowstorm and some passionate kisses just might reignite their love.’Twas the Rogue Before Christmas (The Honorable Rogues®) by Collette Cameron: Eager to leave England, American, Jason Steele can’t forget the beautiful noblewoman he saved from a foiled robbery. Determined to behave properly, Lenora Audsley can’t stop thinking about the rogue who rescued her. Can the magic of the holiday season unite these lovers who are forbidden to see each other?Bound to the Belgian Count (London Lords) by Sasha Cottman: Abandoned bride, Lily is determined to seek an annulment. But when her absent husband Count Maximilian de Viron suddenly appears in court, the judge decides on a unique compromise. Between now and Christmas Eve, the couple must live together, share meals, and talk.Embracing the Scandal by Barbara Monajem: Harriet is banished for her naughty behavior, and when Jonathan asks for her hand, he is told she is dead. When they meet again, can they overcome the lies and sins of the past to fall in love once again?A Viscount for Christmas by Suzanna Medeiros: Viscount Thornton returns home for his mother's annual Christmas party to find a beautiful woman sleeping in his bed. Neither he nor Celia are happy when her mother demands they wed. Can they escape marriage or will they both get the Christmas gift they didn’t know they wanted?The Impetuous Heiress (The Upstart Christmas Brides) by Alina K. Field: Before dashing Lord Loughton can make amends with his neglected fiancée, the lady’s meddling cousin delivers her to his doorstep. He soon realizes more is amiss than his carelessness. Can he uncover her secrets and win her back before he loses her altogether?A Duchess for Christmas (Forgotten Heiress) by Alanna Lucas: Grace Banks is looking forward to her first Christmas at the Home for Desolate Ladies, but Edward, Duke of Tavistock, is set upon ruining it, and the secrets keeping them apart leave little hope for reconciliation. Can the spirit of Christmas heal two wounded hearts?Let it Snow by Heather Boyd: When the worst scoundrel in her acquaintance rescues Yvette from a winter storm, she fears a holiday spent dodging his attempts at seduction. But more than one yuletide surprise awaits as she discovers Luc is a man of surprising patience, and passion for just one woman…Yvette herself.