When she learns the man she hasn’t met in years has been avoiding her in order to pass his time in pursuit of pleasure, she becomes determined to break all ties. Lionel Harrington has shirked his responsibilities as Duke of Ware since inheriting the title in his school days. Now a grown man, he would prefer to put off the inevitable and simply enjoy life for as long as he can, not caring about the consequences that may come. Until one night in the drawing room at a ball, Lionel is captivated by the woman he has avoided for so long. Suddenly the man who cares for nothing finds himself searching out an invitation to the St. James house party. Christmastide takes on a whole new meaning as he sets out to win over his future wife. For readers 18+ due to some steamy scenes.

     Dearest Millie A Pennington Family Novella Lady Millie, youngest of the Pennington family, has always lived in the shadow of her talented and powerful siblings. She’s been the rock of stability and order for her sisters and brothers. Her future looks bright until fate deals her a tragic hand. Dermot McKendry is a former surgeon in the Royal Navy who has returned to his home in the Highlands to open a hospital. As disorganized as he is passionate, he is a man with wounds and a secret past he has worked a lifetime to hide. Providence brings them together, but their future may lie beyond redemption. Dearest Millie is a poignant tale of two lovers, life’s calamities, and the healing power of the human heart.

    She never meant to wed a noble lord over a blacksmith's anvil!Adam Felkirk, Duke of Bellston, had no intention of taking a wife. But then Penelope's plight moved him. Now the notorious rake has a new aim—to shock and seduce his prim and proper bride.But the gorgeous duke will be taught a lesson of his own as scholarly Miss Winthorpe becomes his seductive duchess!

     Family secrets can’t always be kept hidden. James Massey, Marquess of Avery, is hated by his mother and can’t understand why. Leonard Massey, Duke of Yarnton, has a secret that will protect his son but destroy his wife. Catherine Massey, Duchess of Yarnton, hates her husband and son and is determined they will be rejected by society. One family on an inevitable path of self-destruction. No one will come away unscathed.

    "Change of Heart," set in modern-day Colorado, is the touching story of a clever twelve-year-old who plays matchmaker for his bighearted, impractical mother.Judith McNaught This celebrated author magically portrays Regency London in "Miracles," the enchanting tale of a world-weary lord -- and an outrageous proposal. In "Double Exposure," a determined young woman arrives to photograph a magnificent wedding at a reclusive tycoon's Newport estate, and manages to unlock the secrets of a man's heart.

    As if his new responsibilities weren't enough, Gabriel's aunt enlists him to sponsor a young heiress through London's Little Season. Yet Miss Thea Neville is hardly the tedious obligation he expected. She's exotic and enchanting—and utterly unaware of the secret poised to destroy her family's reputation. After ten years in America, Thea is ready to do her duty and marry well. Deportment lessons, modistes, balls—the ton is a minefield she could scarcely navigate without Gabriel's help. By rights, she should accept the first bachelor who offers for her. Instead, she's succumbing to a dangerous attraction to her wickedly handsome chaperone—one that could unhinge her plans in the most delicious way.

     But Stephen only wants seduction... and love. Length: Short Story ​

    Four stories shine a light on Christmas during the Napoleonic Wars on land and sea – In Boxing the Compass, a homesick frigate captain shepherding a convict convoy to Australia wants nothing more than to hold his infant daughter in faraway England. Perhaps he can enlist a prickly pair of convicts with a new baby to help him. Wait Here for the Present, finds a spinster, chafing with boredom, helping a motherless lad get to Plymouth for Christmas with his surgeon-father. She can help, but love is the farthest thing from her mind. In Slip #5, Captain McCulloch’s ship HMS Trident must spend a month in dry dock in Devonport. What better time to catch up on his reading? His plans are complicated by a bad cold, a good widow and her children, shy lovers, and dilemmas it seems only he can solve. Whatever happened to peace and quiet? As a special bonus, The Christmas Angle introduces readers of the acclaimed St. Brendan Series to that unlikely genius, Sailing Master Able Six. Readers are requested and required to come aboard for a Royal Navy holiday.

    While there with Declan and Keira, and the pesky twins, Molly and Mabe Hannigan, Eireanne meets an American horseman who captures her attention.

    But can the magic of Christmas and a second chance at romance open an earl's heart to love? Julien Caruthers, the Earl of Dartmore, isn't in the Christmas spirit. The former 'Naughty Earl' would prefer to focus on maintaining his family's holdings rather than be stuck at his mother's annual Christmas party, with her endless parade of debutantes. When he escapes for a ride, Julien's horse gets spooked and throws him off his saddle, leaving him wandering in the snow. Until he happens upon a cozy cottage... Evangeline Breckenridge never thought 'Lord Scrooge' would show up at her door. She hasn't seen her childhood sweetheart in years, and Julien's since turned into a tyrant, taking away Christmas traditions from the townspeople. Eve is now a widow and a mother, no longer the foolish girl who believed a nobleman could love a physician's daughter. But the weather outside is frightful, and Eve isn't one to withhold the warmth of her home, even from a cold heart. And as they reconnect, Eve and Julien may even discover there's still something merry and bright burning between them, a fire destined to be reignited—just in time for Christmas...

     Lord Harry Marlow reluctantly attends a Christmas house party hosted by his brother and his sister-in-law, who also happens to be the woman he once longed to wed himself. He’s not pleased by the prospect of holly and mistletoe and merrymaking any more than he is with the reminder of the love he could have had. But his dismay doesn’t last for long when a mysterious stranger in the midst of a blizzard captures his interest. Lady Alexandra Danvers is unabashedly eccentric. Nothing and no man interests her more than her scientific pursuits. Until she meets the sinfully handsome Lord Harry, that is. When sparks fly between the unlikely pairing, scandal isn’t far behind. Will Lord Harry and Lady Alexandra find true love together by Christmas day? Length: novella Note: Previously appeared in the collection Seduced Under the Mistletoe. This is an extended version never before published.

    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!

    and here it is!

    In stories ranging from 1820s Regency England to present-day Washington state, readers will be treated to Christmas tales of an heirloom brooch passed from mother to daughter for almost two hundred years. Will the family legend claiming the brooch brings love to its recipient hold true for these women separated by the years but bonded together by the ties of family?In Kristi Ann Hunter's "Legacy of Love," Sarah Gooding never suspected returning a brooch to an elderly woman would lead to a job . . . and introduce her to the woman's grandson. While he may be far above her station, she can't help but notice that his desire to make this Christmas special for his grandmother matches her own.In Karen Witemeyer's "Gift of the Heart," widow Ruth Albright uses the family brooch as collateral for a loan from the local banker. But the more she comes to know the man behind the stern businessman, the more she hopes for a second chance at love as the holidays draw near.In Sarah Loudin Thomas's "A Shot at Love," Fleeta Brady's rough-and-tumble childhood means she prefers hunting to more feminine activities. She never expected her mother's brooch might be how a fellow hunter turns her attention from competition to romance one December.In Becky Wade's "Because of You," Maddie Winslow has spent years in love with a man whose heart was already spoken for. When a church Christmas project brings them together and she stumbles upon an old family brooch, might it finally be her turn for love?

    . .The viscount's house party promises to be one of the season's highlights, and Lord and Lady Kilgorn are delighted to attend. If only the long-estranged couple had realized they were both invited—and assigned to the same bedchamber. . .Lady Kilgorn did not travel miles from her comfortable home to share a too-small room with the handsome Scottish scoundrel she'd married far too young—and far too eagerly! And the last thing Lord Kilgorn needs is to be teased by the sight of his ever more beautiful wife! But as the weekend progresses, the pair will discover there are some fires even time cannot put out. . .Previously appeared in the anthology Lords of Desire.