When her grandma’s nemesis, Abigail Winegardner, plans a living nativity, complete with a camel, Tressa’s competitive grandma won’t be outdone. Gammy is determined to create her own living—and molting—“Twelve Days of Christmas” pageant, but her aviary extravaganza is in jeopardy when the stars go missing, turning this holiday into a wild goose chase that’s bound to ruffle more than a few feathers. Will the plucky Tressa track down the missing cast before the curtain rises?

    Ralph Greyhoof, the owner of the Heart’s Desire Inn, doesn’t like to share. The conflict heats up when Maddy finds a local witch dead in the rose garden. The woman looks a lot like Maudlin and suspicion falls on Ralph. But Maddy knows that as competitive as Ralph is, he wouldn’t resort to murder. Maudlin and Aegis set out to find the killer, even as their own relationship is put to the test. Aegis’s old flame has returned, determined to win him back, no matter what it takes.

     Jessica Franchetti realized how miserable she was when her boss handed her a new name tag that read: “I’m not really a waitress.” The way she saw it, she had every reason to move on. After all, she was a newbie witch, a rookie cryptozoologist, and a young woman with a secret wish for a paranormal romance with a real Shifter. You know, the kind of romance she reads about, the kind that would knock her socks off. Standing on the threshold of her twenty-second summer, all she needed was to be pointed in the right direction. Thanks to a nudge from her cousin, Kelly, that direction took her straight to Assjacket, West Virginia. Certainly, she’d find at least one hot Shifter to dig her stilettos into. Right? Unfortunately, Assjacket is also home to some pretty crazy witches and they’re nothing like Kelly and her friends at Witches Union Local 1313. It turns out, they have their own boss and their own rules. They might not be too happy if they find out the newcomer is a young novice witch, especially if they learn she’s a Union witch. Will it be an awesomely magical summer where Jessica’s wish comes true? Or will she find herself on the business end of a wrath-fueled witch’s wand?

    Meet Nilah Stefanik. She’s sassy, smart and fresh out of grad school. With a ton of student debt, she’s taken a “dead-end” office job at the Fogg Funeral Home in Danvers, Massachusetts. It’s a toss-up as to what her family disapproves of more...her current place of employment, or that she has no discernible psychic or magickal talents of any kind. Nilah comes from a long line of Polska Roma fortune tellers, mystics, and psychics. Her grandmother, the incomparable Madame Sabina, is an institution in Danvers. Unfortunately, that talent skipped Nilah...or so the family always believed. Now, paranormal predicaments confound Nilah and draw her into a mystery just in time for Halloween. Deep down, Nilah is a Gypsy at heart, and with a little help from her grandmother and a trouble-making ghost, Nilah may at last uncover the truth about herself and her destiny. *** Previously released in the Welcome to Haven Harbor anthology***

    The widow of an old friend of Adam Harrison is under investigation—the body of a man who had disappeared is found in her car. It turns out that he has been dead some time—the same amount of time since the death of her husband.The two had been friends, and with no other suspects on the horizon, Fiona Larkins is all that the police have.There is a mysterious child in the mix, one who gave Fiona candy in the parking lot right before disappearing as careening cars crashed wildly into one another—and the body appeared in hers.With video and the help of the mysterious child and her more mysterious friend, the two just might find the truth in time to celebrate the day with the love—and strangely bestow It on others as well.

    Now Guardian team leader Dominic Serrano will be forced to choose between the vengeance he craves and the woman he can’t live without…Movie location scout Mackenzie Foster-Shaw has always known that she's cursed to die young. No one can protect her from the evil that has stalked her family for generations—vampires who crave her rare blood type. Until one afternoon in a wooded cemetery, she encounters an impossibly sexy stranger, a man she must trust with her life.For Dominic, a man haunted by loss, Mackenzie satisfies a primal hunger that torments him—and the bond they share goes beyond heat, beyond love. She alone can supply the strength he needs to claim his revenge. But in doing so, he could destroy her.

    Man and beast have one goal in mind—protect their mate from the enemies chasing her tail. A LONE WOMAN ON THE RUN… Lauren Reilly is exceptional at her job as a historical archivist at the Pentagon. Except her mad skills lead to discovering files so top secret that her life is now forfeit. That old joke “If I tell you, I have to kill you”? Yeah, turns out it’s not so funny when it’s real. After an attempt on her life, she reaches out to a friend of a friend for help. When assistance arrives in the form of a hot bodyguard from the Brotherhood Protectors, Lauren is so far out of her comfort zone she wants to turn tail and run. DISCOVER THEY AREN'T ALONE AFTER ALL. Under a Montana Moon, a moonstruck Wolf can depend on friends old and new to help rescue the woman he loves. Even if they have to burn down the world saving her from their enemies.

    The next morning Gillain is found brutally butchered in her own bed. Determined to avenge the murder, Melina vows to stop at nothing to learn the truth. But soon she is on the run from police, the FBI, and the mastermind whose evil plot to engineer the perfect "switch" could result in disastrous consequences on a global scale."ENVY"Read by Victor SlezakBook editor Maris Matherly-Reed receives a tantalizing partial manuscript submitted by a writer identified only as P.M.E. Curiosity compels her to track down the author, Parker Evans, and work with him to complete the novel. But as the story unfolds, Maris becomes convinced it is more than just fiction. When someone close to her dies, the presence of evil looms even closer..."THE CRUSH"Read by Tom WopatWhile serving as a juror on a high-profile murder trial, Dr. Rennie Newton finds herself defending the inalienable rights of the accused -- even though there is considerable evidence of his guilt. When she arrives home, five dozen roses ominously await her. As she becomes the obsession of Lozada -- the accused murderer she helped acquit -- Rennie is drawn into a ferocious endgame with an embittered cop who wants Lozada -- by any means necessary.

    Reality as she knows it shatters as she is exposed to the self-seeking indulgences of a group of bored vampires, but also a mystery man who calls to her across the ages.Servaes, the Marquis de Normant, survives immortality with a barely restrained hostility against the vampire who sired him, and the young ones who abuse their power. Eternity has never seemed so endless, until Hathor catches his eye.Warning: This book is an epic vampire tale with very dark themes, evil vampires, and no sparkles. If you like dark and slightly twisted (in a good way), you'll like these. Contains explicit language and graphic violence.This novel contains adult content. Mustbe 18 years or older to read.

    Everything. That is the gift and sorrow of immortality. Amanda Lloyd was brave when she testified against an evil criminal and ensured he went to prison. That was when she thought she was dying. Now she knows she’s not dying, and that same criminal has put out a contract on her. She flees from her comfortable life in Detroit into the teeth of a winter storm, leaving her old life behind and emerging into a frightening world where the normal and paranormal worlds collide as they both hunt her.

    A vampire hunter gets the surprise of her life when the man she saves from a bloodthirsty vampire is so grateful for her service that he decides to become her sidekick—much to her dismay.novella was included in Kick @ss, but if this e-book is just the novella, sole author is MJD

    Previously a part of the Cocktails and Covens anthology. 10,400 words. Halloween LaVeau hopes that she can finally relax and have a good time at The Bubbling Cauldron's annual Halloween bash. Being the leader of the Underworld isn't as easy as Hallie thought. All the Enchantment Pointe witches have gathered for a night of treats, but no tricks. When Hallie's best friend Annabelle is accused of messing with another witch's magic, Hallie must conjure up her sleuthing skills before all of Enchantment Pointe falls under a spell gone wrong.

    Life may not start out all peaches and cream for Courtney...but with a little savvy and a lot of determination she might just turn it all around. Join her on a journey from innocence to independence. Determined not to be consumed by life's struggles, Courtney learns to take advantage of the obstacles she faces. Will she self-destruct or burn bright?

     Part of the Storycuts series, this short story was previously published in the collection If You Liked School, You'll Love Work.