An amicable deal is struck between the two young opposing bidders, but it will take time to pay off a loan. And as the months go by, the two discover they have secrets in common—secrets that just might change everythingOriginally published as "Going Once, Going Twice..." in A Kiss is Still a Kiss

    He did not plan to make a new friend. He certainly did not plan to fall in love.He resisted all of Amy’s attempts to draw him out− at the hotel, at the airport, on the airplane− giving hurried responses and burying his face in a pile of papers. It was only when the flight attendant offered coffee, and a muscle in Amy’s back twitched as she reached for it, and the cup tipped, and the hot liquid puddled in Drew’s lap that they began to talk. Earlier in the year, each had lost a spouse of over thirty years. Drew’s wife had died of a brain tumor, Amy’s husband when his small airplane nose-dived to earth, the engine at full throttle − an accident, it was ruled.They live in the same city. Both have grandchildren. They are about the same age. Consciously, or not, they both are looking to love again. But relationships do not exist in vacuums. Drew is wealthy, and Amy is middle class. Amy is “new” in town – she and her husband moved to Charleston twenty-five years ago – while Drew’s family has lived there for three centuries. Drew lives below Broad, a code word for high society, old families, power, and money. Amy’s home is across the river.Class warfare may be less violent than it was in the past, but when Drew invites Amy to the St Cecelia Ball, battle lines are drawn. In a city in which ancestry is important, the ball’s membership is passed from father to son, and only those from the oldest families attend.Family, friends, co-workers all weigh in on their relationship and choose sides. Allies are found in unexpected places. Opposition comes from among those who were thought to be friends. Though they are gone, even their spouses − through things they have done and things they have said − wield influence in the conflict that follows.Amy begins to suspect that Drew is one of them, the rich snobs who despise her, while Drew concludes that Amy neither trusts him nor cares for him. As each questions the other’s motives, their feelings for each other are tested, and Drew and Amy are challenged to consider if they truly want to fall in love again.

    Leanne rescues him from a rooftop in a floodplain and it is clear there is much more to the story. Can their love redeem the hurts of the past to rescue their future?Laughing All the Way by Lesley Ann McDanielWhen Jessica's friends put her up to "fixing" their commitment-phobic co-worker, Conner, she doesn't take them very seriously. Conner doesn't know whether to laugh at Jessica or tell her to mind her own business.Ghosted at the Altar by Chautona HavigAfter his fiancée, Brenna, abandons Mitchell on their wedding day, she insists she loves him and still wants to marry him. As truths come to light, her little sister, Lauren, turns sleuth to solve the mystery of why Brenna ghosted Mitchell at the altar.Five Gold Rings by Amanda TruWhen three relationship-challenged couples wish for Christmas weddings, commitment coach, Oliver, teams up with a wedding planner, TeraLyn, to help make their marriage dreams come true.

    But the will stipulates Janie must work with her childhood friend—and crush—Drew Brenner, to get the camp running…or lose it all. The newly divorced mother and the widower aren’t looking for love, but sometimes it takes a child to show two broken hearts the way forward…together.

     Sweet Christmas Kisses 5 brings you contemporary romances that celebrate the joy of the season around the world, including snowy Maine and the sun-kissed skies of Florida, the mountains of Colorado to small-town Illinois and Virginia, New York to San Francisco, and even the glittering lights of Paris and the old-world charm of Florence. Sweet Christmas Kisses 5 features nine all-new, standalone novellas that will make you smile and warm your heart with the Christmas spirit.

    This clean, wholesome romance will take you back to bygone days when holiday traditions were deeply rooted institutions, and when love could heal all wounds. Returning to her family’s Montana ranch after a ten-year absence, Jordyn Dunaway pitches in to help her Mother create the special holiday magic for which the family ranch is renowned. But when she discovers that her best friend growing up—the man she has never forgotten—is employed as a ranch hand, the holiday season turns into something she never imagined.Chad Devlin was falling into a deep abyss after leaving the military as a result of a traumatic brain injury. When his old employer invited him back as a ranch hand he found himself recovering both physically and mentally...that is until he was blindsided by the return of the ranch owner’s daughter after a ten-year absence.The rocky relationship of the former best friends takes a back seat as the future of the family-owned ranch becomes threatened. If Jordyn and Chad don’t put their painful pasts behind them, they might lose the ranch they both call home. Can misunderstandings, mistrust, and lost years be forgotten when the magic of Christmas is in the air?Find out with the help of beautiful vistas, Western hospitality, and the magical meaning of a special sleigh bell that ties both Jordyn and Chad to the past—and the future.If you love Debbie Macomber, Shanna Hatfield, RaeAnne Thayne, Susan Mallery, or Sheila Roberts, you’ll love Sleigh Bells Ring by award-winning Jessica James.

     He was my brother's best friend, my first crush, my first love...my first everything. And then he betrayed me. How many times have I thought about it? How many times have I relived the moment when I found out he left town without ever saying a word?  And how long has the memory of him consumed my every waking thought? Three years. That’s how long it’s been since I’ve seen or heard from him, the only man I ever loved.  The man I now despise. But suddenly, without warning, Landon Hill is back. And to make matters worse, he’s somehow become rich beyond imagination, and he’s opening some mega business in town and walking around like he owns everything in sight. Including me. But I’ll never be able to forgive him, even if the fire still rages between us. In the end, I know that he’s never to be trusted. He’s a filthy liar. Pump Fake by Lila Price He’s known for all the bad things he’s done since he came to Vegas.  The madam’s little black book with his name in it… The crazy late night bar fights… The trail of broken hearts he’s left in his wake… But nothing could have prepared me for actually coming face-to-face with Eli Brennan, hotshot wide receiver for my city’s professional football team. With his bulging muscles and rock-hard physique, Eli is every woman’s dirty little fantasy, but never in a million years did I think he could be my reality.  Because I’m nobody. I’ve always been the girl without a date to the school dance, the girl who had to study to get a scholarship, the one who was working instead of drinking and partying with boys… In short, I’ve always been invisible to people like Eli Brennan. But suddenly, the most notorious bachelor in Las Vegas sees me.  And when Eli propositions me to become his fake fiancé and help get him out of his latest public relations nightmare, I can’t refuse.  I just have to make sure that I don’t take this too seriously, because Eli Brennan isn’t serious about me. He isn’t serious about anything. The whole thing is crazy. But in my heart, I know that this relationship isn’t as fake as it’s supposed to be. The way Eli looks at me, the way he touches me, the way he makes me feel. In fact, it turns out that this pump fake romance might be the realest thing that’s ever happened to me… Ordered by Kaylee Quinn A standalone alpha billionaire romance with a guaranteed HEA... DARCY Bought and paid for. That’s what I am. Nothing but a plaything for billionaire Thayer Noble, picked off a website like some kind of product. He’s sexy as hell, with a clenched chiseled jaw, and the most sensual, brutal lips I've ever seen. His punishing mouth never bends into a welcoming smile but tugs into a furious frown. His indigo eyes are always blazing with fury. His heart is stone cold. When he sees me, he tries to turn me away.

    Until then, Abhimanyu had never made an attempt to see or meet the Senani heiress.A few encounters with the sassy and feisty Devasena Senani, he is filled with a burning desire to claim her. But Devasena, as a way of getting back at him for ignoring her all these years, kept most of her face hidden while she tormented him in many ways.Abhimanyu, however is not deterred. He is utterly consumed by her captivating eyes, bewitching smiles and alluring presence. He vowed that when he returned home, Devasena would be standing next to him as his claimed bride, binding them forever...

    When catastrophe strikes, Cassie has to accept she can’t change the inevitable.

    That’s how he wants me… It was supposed to be a one-night stand. One night with some guy I picked up at a bar. Totally unlike me, but a girl’s got to have some fun, right? He was hot as hell, all broad shoulders and brooding stares. He whispered dirty words when he took me back to his house and made me his. I thought I’d never see him again, so I told him some lie about how I was an office manager instead of a college student. And then I got to class the next day and found out he’s my professor.  My professor was the hot guy who’d given me the best orgasm of my life. I try to pretend nothing happened, even though I’m dying inside. But then he tells me to come to his office.  He tells me to bend over his desk, because that’s how he likes it… If anyone finds out, he’ll lose his job. And I’ll lose my reputation.  But before that happens, he’s determined to teach me everything I need to know. About pleasing him. Submitting to him. Letting him take what’s his… Even if it ends up costing us everything. Rough Hand by Olivia Chase A standalone romance with a guaranteed HEA from bestselling author Olivia Chase... LEVI I’m no good for her. And she’s probably no good for me, either.  But hell if I don’t find myself wanting her right now. My c*ck is slamming against my zipper at the thought of thrusting my tongue in her mouth, swallowing her moans… She’s so pure that I can almost see the glow of white around her. I’m too wicked, too dirty to touch her.  But there’s something about the way I can feel her emotions pouring from her, like she’s a broken dam spilling over, that makes my chest tight.  I can’t let her break me apart, not when I’ve worked so hard, so long, to keep myself glued together. To be strong and impenetrable.  No, I’ll just keep my distance. Surely that won’t be a problem. Even if she does live right across the street from my shop.  ALEXA I’ve never had this feeling before, this burning need to be around someone as much as I can. When we touch, I want to keep on touching.  When he’s inside me, our limbs tangled together, our sweat-slicked bodies connected in the most intimate way possible, I feel like I’ve found my other half. He’s so scared to open up to anyone. So scared to dig into the things that hurt him in his past. I just want to help him be happy. If only he’d drop all his walls and talk to me, he could let it go and move on. Will I ever be happy with Levi? Right or wrong, I need more.  Jackson by Paige North Meet the Croft brothers. Filthy rich, devastatingly handsome, and sexy as all hell… JACKSON I don’t do slow and easy.  I do fast and hard. I don’t do dates. I do … arrangements.

    She's not looking for love but she wouldn't mind having a little fun.Handsome restaurateur Larenzo Black is trying to put his womanizing ways behind him and focus on business. For him, women are trouble.They're both running from their past and when they crash into each other, sparks fly. But Larenzo's best friend in the world happens to be Yasmeen's older brother, and every man knows that's a line you never cross.Theoretically...

    She never got a chance to know her father, her mother was raised Amish, and never spoke about her Amish roots or her father. Now both of her parents have passed and Holly is given a chance to find her grandparents and learn about the Amish lifestyle they live. She has so many questions, but will she find the answers amongst the Amish? Evan Miller was happy being on his own with his farm and animals. He always intended to get married and have children, he just never imagined a child would come before the wife. With his only sister and brother-in-law dead in a house fire, he was the obvious choice to raise young Becca. There’s only one small catch – Becca hasn’t spoken since the night of the fire. When Holly meets Evan and Becca for the first time, she’s taken by his handsomeness, and swayed by Becca’s quiet nature. When Becca begins to grow close to Holly, she find her heart becoming attached to the little orphan girl and her very admirable uncle. When Evan offers to help Holly locate her mother’s family, she can’t say no. Just like she can’t say no when he and Becca invite her to spend Christmas with them. Will their relationship be one that can last the differences between them? Will Holly be able to handle the simple way of life the Amish live and their dedication to Gott? Will this Christmas be a special one for Holly, Becca and Evan?

    Though it hasn't been open to guests in years, the pair endeavor to reopen in time for the holidays. Problem is, they discover the charming old place is really a money pit full of more issues than they can handle on their own.On top of dealing with renovations, Margaret is surprised by an unexpected visit from her ex-mother-in-law. Having never gotten along, Elaine has a lot of nerve to request Margaret step in and do something about her ex-husband giving his mother the slip. Not only that, but the neighbors who own the Morning Dew Cottage next door are nothing but nasty and rude, which is a mystery to the sisters. As Margaret and Liz get to know their other neighbors, they uncover hidden secrets within the Seahorse's walls.Dave and Margaret are still going strong, but will his brash mother and big family feud over the holidays prove to be the straw that breaks Margaret's back?In Book 2 of the Cape May Series, follow Margaret and Liz's journey of reopening The Seahorse Inn while the magic of the holidays-and the B&B itself-bring together family and friends for a special Christmas to remember.This is Book 2 in the Cape May series. It is recommended to start at Book 1, The Cape May Garden.

    

     What could be a better destination for the holidays than a peaceful inn tucked in the picturesque mountains of Vermont? But when a blizzard hits, three couples will be forced to deal not only with the weather but also with the reality of their relationships. Mary Michaels, competent innkeeper is very good at her job. And at hiding her growing attraction for the inn’s handyman, Joe Puletti. Friend of her late husband, Joe is a great catch, but with a five-year old son and complications from her past, Mary is not. Lila Benson needs to reinvent her life. What the quiet, second grade teacher doesn’t need is to run into a face from her past—Dan Hamilton, football star that she helped tutor in high school. And fell hopelessly in love with. Celia and Richard Davis have brought their children Kevin and Jenna for a family vacation. It will be their last since the divorce will be final soon. However, Kevin and Jenna have hopes that a little time together is all their parents need to heal their family. Can these relationships be saved? Anything’s possible at Christmas. Especially with the help of three children, a man with a white beard, the inn’s mysterious manager, and a reindeer.