Selected from the heartwarming anthology Everlasting Love,these remarkable tales are treasures to cherish -- and reminders that love is always just a heartbeat away.... Jayne Ann Krentz "One of the hottest writers in romance today" (USA Today) continually lends her master touch to tales of grand passion laced with intrigue. Here she again delights readers with her "tremendous talent" (Detroit Free Press), as in modern-day Washington, treachery ignites an unlikely affair of the heart in "Connecting Rooms".... Linda Howard The celebrated author who "knows what romance readers want" (Affaire de Coeur) and whose "unforgettable novels [are] richly flavored with scintillating sensuality and high-voltage suspense" (Romantic Times), now whisks you to a bewitching country "Lake of Dreams," where a woman is lured into a dangerous embrace.... Linda Lael Miller In "Resurrection," the writer whose "talent knows no bounds" (Rendezvous), travels back to 1880s Montana, where an abandoned bride searches for a love she thought forever lost in a story that makes it easy to see that "the sweetest kind of magic comes from the pen of Linda Lael Miller!" (The Literary Times).

    All he wants is peace, quiet and to keep away from women. So the last thing he needs is a charitable neighbor; especially a beautiful, gracious and persistent neighbor of the female persuasion - but there's something about Shane Abbott he just can't ignore.Vance is certain his cover story will stop his lovely neighbor from getting too friendly, but Shane is determined to break down his resistance. Vance has been burned once, so only a fool would fall for the same innocent act twice. And he's no fool. But he has no idea how relentless Shane Abbott can be when it comes to giving a helping hand; or a loving heart.He needed to simplify his life and mend his broken heart. She was searching for a place to finally fit in and a man who could love her for who she was. Together they discover that all they really needed was each other, and that love is the greatest Christmas gift of all.

    Whoever said the Big Red Guy wasn't sexy?Assignment Humbug by Darlene GardnerRetail manager Joy O'Connell is fraying at the edges when rheumatologist Ed Hall and his three child-terrors enter her store. Between shopping hell and bah humbug, can Ed uncover the true Joy of the season?Deck the Halls by Holly JacobsTV reporter Merry Deluca's "'tis the season to be greedy" story is about to get complicated--her new cameraman is recently ex-fianc� Patrick MacFarland! And he's got a whole new angle for her story....

    Zelda is following the theories of child psychologist Wynn Jeffries, author of The Free Child (and, as it happens, K.O.'s neighbor). K.O. is particularly horrified by his edict to "bury Santa under the sleigh," and she's out to prove that Wynn and his ideas are full of snow. He's not going to ruin her nieces' Christmas! Too bad the guy's so darned attractive! Rainy Day KissesSeventeen years ago Susannah Simmons was a career girl who knew nothing about babies. But after babysitting her infant niece, Michelle, Susannah learned that one determined and screaming baby can make the corporate world look like child's play. Thank goodness for her charming neighbor Nate Townsend. Now he's her charming husband, and Susannah's a mother as well as an aunt. And every Christmas Eve, Michelle tells her cousins how their mom met their dad a story in which she plays a starring role!

    But holiday cheer takes on a whole new meaning as their one-hour tryst stretches on. . .and on...Karen Kelley It's a Wonderful LifeHollywood hottie Jeremy Hunter is spending Christmas researching his upcoming role. But going incognito as a preacher in a tiny Texas town brings wicked temptation in the form of beautiful Bailey Tanner...Dianne Castell Home for ChristmasLuLu Cahill is having a terrible Christmas, until she heads home to O'Fallon's Landing, where jilted groom Sebastian Moore is going through with his pre-wedding holiday bash. All he needs is LuLu to fill in for the bride...

    She's fun and lovable and has lots of crazy friends, most of whom hang out at her house in the Colony, the famous gated community in Malibu. Unfortunately, there is one bad thing to poleax her champagne life--someone is trying to kill her.You'll meet Mary Lisa's family in Goddard Bay, Oregon. She's blessed with her father, cursed with her mother, and betwixt and between with her two nutzoid sisters.And how about guys? There aren't any hotties in L.A. of interest to Mary Lisa, but in Goddard Bay--there are District Attorney John Goddard and Chief of Police Jack Wolf. And guess what? Even in the boondocks, bad stuff can happen.Mary Lisa's best friends, Lou Lou Bollinger_and Elizabeth Fargas, become embroiled in the baffling attempts on Mary Lisa's life in L.A., with unexpected results.I hope you laugh a lot with Born to Be Wild, root for Mary Lisa in all of her roles, and all in all, have a fine time with this book.

    Melody Tarleton is driving home for Christmas when a man--clad in Revolutionary War-era costume--appears out of nowhere, right in the path of her car. Shaken, she takes in the injured stranger, listening with concern to Jake Mallory's fantastic claim that he's a Patriot soldier, sentenced to death by British authorities. The last thing he remembers is the tug of the noose.Safe at her parents' house, Melody concocts a story to explain the handsome holiday guest with the courtly manners, strange clothes and nasty bump on the head. Mark, her close friend who wishes he were more, is skeptical and her family is fascinated--though not half so fascinated as Melody herself. Jake is passionate, charming and utterly unlike anyone she's ever met. Can he really be who he claims? And can a man from the distant past be the future she truly longs for?With the aid of enchanted petals, ancient potions and the peculiar magic of the season, Melody and Jake embark on an unimaginable Christmas adventure--and discover a love that transcends time.

    And in Surrender, Lisa Kleypas has a beautiful, aristocratic Bostonian discover the true meaning of giving when she falls tenderly and passionately in love with a troubled stranger: her husband.Open these golden Gifts of Love and surrender your heart—for 'tis the season for romance!

    With Christmas approaching, the spark between Dillon and Jessica might light the future, but the evil machinations of those who share his wife's love of the occult may plunge the family into darkness-unless a Christmas miracle occurs....THE TWILIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMASBestselling novelist Kate Drake, one of seven sisters with amazing powers of witchcraft, wants to open a bookstore in a charming but run-down mill in her California hometown. Decorated former U.S. Army Ranger Matt Granite, now a contractor, doesn't mind helping- and getting closer to Kate. But when an earthquake exposes a crypt in the mill's foundation, a centuries-old evil threatens to destroy both Christmas and the gift of soul-searing passion Kate's hometown hero wants her to keep forever....ROCKY MOUNTAIN MIRACLEWhen Cole Steele, a womanizer rumored to have killed his father, meets Maia Armstrong, a veterinarian rumored to practice magic, the sparks that fly could melt all the snow on his Wyoming ranch. And when an injured horse brings them together, Cole can't help but believe that Maia casts spells on animals and men. What else could explain the burning passion he feels for her and the thawing of his heart around the holidays?

    A charming would-be "benefactor," Vincent Everett, the Baron of Windsmoor, has offered to shelter Larissa and her young brother. But more than Yuletide spirit seems to have inspired the baron's generosity. From the moment he first set eyes on Larissa, the highborn rogue was bewitched. And now that she has taken up residence in his home, he aches with wanting her --- a most unfortunate state of affairs, since the proud beauty obviously despises him ... and since Vincent has sworn to seek a righteous vengeance on the Ascot family.But Christmas is a time of miracles, after all. And even two rival souls can be touched by the spirit of forgiveness in these magical days --- and showered with precious gifts of tenderness, love, and ecstasy unbound.

    Each year, the close-knit community gathers in the town square to decorate and light a massive tree. Carols are sung, hot chocolate is shared—and a surprise left under the Christmas tree is about to bring two special people together! Midnight Confessions Holiday kisses don't end with Christmas—there's still the New Year's Eve party at Jack's Bar to attend. Locals and newcomers alike find themselves eager for that special countdown…and that midnight kiss. So join us in Virgin River this year, where Robyn Carr's trademark humor, warmth and sincerity will have you celebrating the festive season in your favorite mountain town.the festive season in your favorite mountain town.

    But Hailey's tough exterior hides a fragile self-image that dashes any hopes of a love life. Until a minor emergency brings her into contact with Tyler Scott.

    In these three humorous Christmas stories, Manhattan blue blood Eve St. James, Scrooge-in-heels marketing exec Kim Winkler and up-and-coming caterer Marina Shields discover the magic of romance during the Christmas season.

    Instead, a run-in with Santa's most virile helper brings her the best gift of all: a heart full of love. Santa Reads Romance by Dara Joy — During a snowstorm, a romance writer is surprised when a handsome stranger dressed as Jolly Old St. Nick arrives at her isolated cabin—and stirs up a blizzard of desire. A Gift for Santa by Nelle McFather — With a dash of Father Christmas' magic, a generous widow saves her town's holiday celebration—and teaches the man she loves the true meaning of the season.

    So, after two years, she's not surprised by the steamy dreams telling her it might be time to start moving on. But she didn't expect her friend Justin to have the starring role. Justin McCormick has loved Claire since the moment he first saw her, but his best friend got there first. Now that Claire is ready to move on with her life, Justin is finding it harder than ever to hide his true feelings. And when they both get caught up in the holiday spirits at a party, their simmering mutual attraction boils over into a night neither of them can forget...20,000 words