He made my heart go into a frenzy every time he looked at me, and my knees go weak whenever he touched me. Our love was so beautiful, that even its demise was bittersweet. I met a girl once. Her world, full of possibilities, made me feel like even I had a chance at being someone. She believed in me. She loved me. We were so secure, that even our breaking point seemed hazy. Until we reached it.

    When that chance comes, she gets a whole lot more from the bargain than she’d anticipated—mainly a few steamy, mind-blowing encounters that include her other equally sexy boss, Cole Warner. Her body enjoys every bit of their attention, but her heart still wants more. She wants Des outside of the boardroom and the bedroom and in her life for good. But he’s hiding secrets and she’s hiding her feelings, and soon they’re drifting farther apart instead of growing closer.  But if anything can get them to come together, it’s Christmas Eve…  Author’s note: In this book, sex and candy is not a euphemism. And some of the ornaments from the tree have more than one use...just sayin'. Oh, and boys touch in this story. Often.  Author’s note part deux: Jingle Ball was originally published by Cari Quinn in 2012. It has been re-edited and includes an epilogue.

    But Zeke sits on that mountain all alone, longing for the one thing money cannot buy: the true love of a lifelong partner. Zeke grew up near Barefoot Bay and is staying at the resort for a week while he’s in town for a family event. Enter Mandy Mitchell...the maid. Except to Zeke, Mandy is much more than that—she was the object of his every teenage fantasy back in the days when she was known as “Mandy the Magnificent” and he had the unflattering high school nickname of “Ezekiel the Geekiel.”Zeke is no longer a geek—he’s gorgeous. And Mandy doesn’t feel so magnificent since her marriage fell apart and left her up to her eyeballs in debt and despair. One look at Zeke, and she knows he’s exactly the kind of trouble she should avoid. One look at Mandy, and Zeke turns his relentless ability to get what he wants into a full-on seduction. But can Mandy face down the secrets of her past to find a fairy-tale future with Zeke?

    But the darkly handsome Mr. Edward Sharpe is no run-of-the-mill London merchant. He’s grim and silent. A man of little emotion—or perhaps no emotion at all. After two months of courtship, she’s ready to put an end to things. A Last Chance for Love But severing ties with her taciturn suitor isn’t as straightforward as Sophie envisioned. Her parents are outraged. And then there’s Charles Darwin, Prince Albert, and that dratted gaslight. What’s a girl to do except invite Mr. Sharpe to Appersett House for Christmas and give him one last chance to win her? Only this time there’ll be no false formality. This time they’ll get to know each other for who they really are.

    But now the rich and unscrupulous Mr. Stephanopoulos has a proposition. A previously unpublished Christmas book by Charles Dickens has turned up in the hands of an English chemistry professor by the name of Sedgwick Crisparkle. Mr. S. wants that book at any price, and he needs James to get it for him. There’s just one catch. James can’t tell the nutty professor who the buyer is. Actually, two catches. The nutty Professor Crisparkle turns out to be totally gorgeous—and on the prowl. Faster than you can say, “Old Saint Nick,” James is mixing business with pleasure…and in real danger of forgetting that this is just a holiday romance. Just as they’re well on the way to having their peppermint sticks and eating them too, Sedgwick discovers the truth. James has been a very bad boy. And any chance Santa will bring him what he wants most is disappearing quicker than the Jolly Old Elf’s sleigh.

    She’s nothing like the women he dates. So when he suggests they play for a kiss over a game of Hearts, Kristi can’t resist. Even if she loses, she wins. Because she’s finally going to taste him. Of course, one kiss can quickly become something altogether steamier, especially when both parties are on the rebound… Fall in Love on Tryst Island… When a group of friends share a vacation house, wild hijinks, unexpected hook-ups and steamy sex ensue.

    Maybe a little too easily. She’s always liked people better from afar. But Reagan doesn’t want her grandpa to be alone for Christmas this year—he’s already spent too much time on his own in 2020. So she heads back to her hometown with a dish of holiday Jell-O salad, hoping they can have a little normalcy. Hoping it will be safe…She isn’t expecting to run into the boy next door. Mason is all grown up now. He’s considerate. He’s funny. He doesn’t mind how prickly Reagan is—he maybe even likes it. And it makes Reagan feel like her defenses are falling. She needs her defenses, doesn’t she? In a time when six feet is close enough, how long can they keep their distance?

    With his easygoing charm, whiskey-colored brown eyes, and sinfully sexy half smile, women just seem to fall all over themselves when he’s around.Well... most women, anyway. Katie Lawson’s the one woman who isn't putty in his hands, and she's the only one he’s ever wanted in his arms.Katie Lawson left Harper's Crossing in the middle of the night ten years ago, immediately after her high school boyfriend Nick's funeral. She left behind all memories of Nick, and she left behind her life-long best friend, Jason Sloan.Now she's on the fast track to junior partner at one of San Francisco's top law firms. She's made a life for herself that's all about maintaining order and sticking to the rules. Rule #1 is keeping herself WAY too busy to think about all that she ran away from. If she can do that, after all, she can keep everything under control.But that rule is about to be broken. She’s headed back home to be the maid of honor in Nick’s little sister’s wedding. It's time to face the truth she's been avoiding all these years, the same one that sent her running ten years ago - that maybe she didn't lose her first love the summer after high school. Maybe her first love has been waiting for her all this time, at home in Harper's Crossing.

    To celebrate their accomplishments, bestselling authors have honored the winners by writing short stories inspired by their lives and work.This special eBook is yours at no charge because Harlequin is committed to celebrating women's efforts and supporting the causes that are meaningful to them. By sharing Rhonda Clemons' story, we hope to turn awareness into action and mobilize others to make a difference.To find out more or to nominate a woman you know, please visit HarlequinMoreThanWords.com.

    What he does love is sports, the thrill of a competition and the mysterious identity of the woman he’s been flirting with on the company messanger… Meg McClane loves everything about Christmas, from her festive Ugly Sweaters, down to her candy-cane striped toenails. But not everyone appreciates her holiday cheer; not her co-workers, not her bosses, and certainly not Adam Roberts—especially the night they get stranded in the elevators on their way to the company Christmas party…

    She loves them. She’s full of festive cheer. He’s brimming with Bah, Humbugs. Besides unreasonably seasonable names, the only thing Jonathan Frost and Gabriella Di Natale have in common is a healthy dose of mutual contempt. Well, that and the same place of employment at the city’s most beloved independent bookstore, Bailey’s Bookshop. But when the store’s owners confess its dire financial state, Jonathan and Gabby discover another unfortunate commonality: the imminent threat of unemployment.With the Baileys’ requests to minimize expenses, win new customers, and make record sales dancing in their heads, Jonathan and Gabby conclude—barring a financial Christmas miracle—one of them will soon be cut from the payroll. Neither are willing to step down from their position, so they strike a bargain: whoever has more sales in December gets to stay on in the new year; the loser will resign. With a lifetime's worth of festive tricks up her sleeve, Gabby should easily outsell her nemesis, except the unreadable Mr. Frost’s every move seems purely designed to throw her off her game.As if that wasn’t bad enough, Gabby's deceptive ex won't quit pursuing her, and her anonymous online friend suggests they take a break. Worst of all, as the pressure mounts to save the bookshop and her job, Gabby meets a new, tender side of Jonathan. Is this the same man she's called her cold-hearted enemy?Maybe he’s got a motive she just can’t figure out—or maybe Jonathan Frost isn’t as chilly as she once thought. Maybe Jonathan and Gabby already know—and love—each other in ways they never thought possible.This is an #OwnVoices story for its portrayal of autism by an autistic author.

    He’s tough, fair, has a good sense of humor and loves his work. But for eighteen months, he’s avoided a member of his crew, Firefighter Rachel Wellington, despite his knife-sharp attraction to her. She is also drawn to him but is equally determined to keep things professional between them--until they’re trapped in a basement for a day, thinking they’ll never be rescued. Then, their feelings for each other explode like the building around them.

    -- This is a PREQUEL to Throttle Me -- This is a SHORT story featuring the entire Gallo family and told from Mr. & Mrs. Gallo's point of view. The Gallos are a loving Italian family filled with alpha males and one sassy sister. Each book in the series focuses on a different sibling.

    Their father, Mac Taylor, is a builder who fixes up old buildings in their small town, and the boys are afraid he'll be too busy to help them out with the new demands of their school. They decide to write to Santa and ask for a mother. When they see the new music teacher, Nell Davis, at school, she meets all their requirements, and they realize this is the mom they've requested. Mac is attracted to Nell, but is reluctant to pursue her, as his wife had walked out on him, and he doesn't want to risk hurting his children. The romance blossoms despite his fears, and the story is filled with the joy and anticipation of Christmas as the magic of the children's wish comes true.

    On the run, hunted, there’s only one place she can go. Only one man who can save her.Elite soldier Billy Blake is spending Christmas alone—until the woman he once loved crashes onto his doorstep and begs for his help. As the snow piles up outside, Billy works hard to uncover the truth—and to resist his desire for Olivia.But a dangerous enemy watches, waiting for his chance to strike. When he does, this might be the last Christmas Billy and Olivia ever share…