She had to get work and luckily the dark and brooding Heywood Denshaw needed a housekeeper – but the Master soon begun to wish for more... Sunderland, 1899 Wealthy farmer Luke Hudson gets more than he bargained for when he plucks a destitute young woman from the workhouse. He may have rescued Connie Summers from a life of penury, but her spirit and warmth give him a second chance at love. Isle of Dogs, 1928 Doctor Harry Fleet and compassionate nurse Tilly Dainty can’t help but clash at the Tap House Surgery. But working together to help the sick turns out to be the healing balm both their hearts needed.

     Includes four Balogh holiday classics, The Star of Bethlehem, The Best Gift, Playing House, and No Room At the Inn, as well as A Family Christmas, which is only available in this anthology.

    Christmas seems a long way away—until Major Trey Wharton helps her bring back the festive sparkle. 1877: No Crib for a Bed Lilian's son Captain Wilkie Wharton is finally on his way home from Fort Laramie. It's a long, arduous, life-changing train journey…which sees him discover his soul mate and the true meaning of Christmas!

    After he blackmails Caroline into helping him, the charade begins-but is it really a charade once love takes hold of their hearts…?Deck the Halls With Love by Lorraine HeathAlistair Wakefield, the Marquess of Chetwyn, devastated Lady Meredith Hargreaves when he proposed to another. But when he becomes free to pursue her, it’s too late for she’s on her way to the altar….. As Christmas approaches, Chetwyn vows to lure Lady Meredith back into his arms.No Groom at the Inn by Megan FramptonJames Archer detests his mother’s matchmaking ways. When ordered to attend a Christmastime house party filled with simpering maidens, he produces a fiancée-Lady Sophronia Bettesford. James and Sophronia pretend to be in love for one month. But their pact soon turns into love.The Duke’s Christmas Wish by Vivienne LorretTo the Duke of Vale, science solves everything-even marriage. When the impulsive Ivy Sutherland makes him question all of his data, he realizes that he’s overlooked a vital component in his search for the perfect match: love.

    by Kimberly Raye All Savannah Calloway wants for Christmas is a chance to prove her talent with an engine--and hot young NASCAR driver Mackenzie Briggs is ready to play Santa. But they soon find that winning the race isn't nearly as important as winning each other's hearts...'Tis the Silly Season by Roxanne St. Claire NASCAR Busch Series racer Clay Slater needs a ready-made family--fast--to impress a potential sponsor. Lisa Mahoney can't resist the chance to give her kids the storybook Christmas she's never been able to...and if that includes a kiss under the mistletoe, so much the better!Unbreakable by Debra Webb Although she's been hired to prove that drivers are serious athletes, Dr. Maxine Gray doesn't think much of NASCAR racing. So in the spirit of Christmas, driver Rush Jackson is determined to show the good doctor the "rush" that racing--and race car drivers--can bring.

    The legend of Lady Winterson’s Christmas ball promises true love and happiness to one lucky couple. Four short tales. 1 1803 - The Seduction of a Duchess by Shana Galen Rowena Harcourt, Duchess of Valère, never forgot the handsome footman who helped her escape the French Revolution. For fourteen years, Gabriel Lamarque has loved Rowena. Now at Lady Winterson’s Christmas ball, has fate finally given him a chance to win her hand?2 1818 - One Kiss for Christmas by Vanessa Kelly Nigel Dash is London’s most reliable gentleman, a reputation he never minded until he fell in love with beautiful Amelia Easton. Amelia sees Nigel as a dependable friend, not a dashing suitor. At Lady Winterson’s Christmas ball, Nigel vows to change Amelia’s mind by sweeping her off her feet.3 1825 - His Christmas Cinderella by Anna Campbell At the season’s most glittering ball, a girl who has never dared to dream of forever after discovers a Christmas miracle.4 1830 - The Last First Kiss by Kate Noble Susannah Westforth always loved Sebastian Beckett, but he only sees her as a friend. When Sebastian takes his Grand Tour, Susannah transforms herself into a woman he must notice. Now Sebastian is back, just in time for Lady Winterson's Christmas ball and to see his little Susie, all grown up.

    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).

    In the age of chivalry and the season of hope three marriages are forged...In The Wise Virgin by Jo Beverly, a lord from a rival clan steals the wrong holiday bride for his brother, and discovers his own true love in the witty and wise captive maiden!In The Vagabond Knight by Margaret Moore two wounded souls, a roguish mercenary and a stern beauty, teach each other how to live and love again during a yuletide blizzard...In The Unexpected Guest by Deborah Simmons the head of the mighty de Burgh family finds his quiet reserve shattered by the seductive young widow who stays at his keep for the twelve days of Christmas!

    Could the earl resist a woman who wouldn't take no for an answer?Love at First Step by TERRI BRISBINWhile visiting friends in England for the holidays, Lord Gavin MacLeod cast his eye upon the mysterious Elizabeth. She was more noble beauty than serving wench, and Gavin vowed to uncover her past at any cost....A Christmas Secret by GAIL RANSTROMMiss Charity Wardlow expected a marriage proposal from her intended while attending a Christmas wedding. But when Sir Andrew MacGregor arrived at the manor, Charity realized she wanted no one but the Scotsman with the sensual smile....

    With some mistletoe, he may just get his wish! Finding Forever at Christmas by Bronwyn Scott At the yule ball, Catherine Emerson receives a proposal from the man she thought she wanted—but a kiss from his mysterious, darkly handsome brother unleashes a deeper desire…. The Captain's Christmas Angel by Margaret McPhee Returning to England for Christmas, Sarah Ellison discovers a man adrift in the Atlantic Ocean. Nothing could have prepared her for the gorgeous Captain Daniel Alexander, or the secrets he keeps!

    Centuries ago, in another lifetime, the man Jillian Llewellyn loved tried but failed to save her. Now, in this season of miracles, two lost souls are being given a second chance. Since her husband's death, jewelry designer Jillian Llewellyn has withdrawn, focusing only on her work. But something unimaginable is going to shatter her safe world, drawing her into a web of danger and desire. At the center of the storm is a handsome stranger, Robert Marston. The new silent partner at Llewellyn Enterprises, Marston is as formidable as he is intimidating . . . as mysterious as he is familiar. The connection she feels is bone deep -- as if they've known each other before. When several bizarre accidents strike Jillian, a chilling fear that someone wants to harm her begins to grow. But who would want her dead? A co-worker? A member of her own close-knit family? Against her will she is drawn to Robert, unsure whether he is her salvation . . . or her damnation. Now, as the ghosts of the past are resurrected, Jillian and Robert must forge a new destiny as they unlock the timeless secrets of passion and betrayal . . .

    A quaint inn at Christmastime. Three matchmaking ghosts have found the perfect setting for a modern-day romance between a free-spirited American and a single-minded British executive.Keeping Faith by Casey ClaybourneWhen a little orphaned girl is befriended by a ghost and saved from the streets of Regency London, she proves to be a Christmas miracle for a grieving couple.Only Fifteen Shopping Days Left by Elizabeth BevarlyWhen the jolly matchmaking ghost of a department-store Santa makes his Christmas gift list, he has a very special present planned for the busy store manager: one of Santa’s elves.The Ghost of Christmas Present by Jenny LykinsAlane was looking forward to spending a cold, snowy Christmas alone—until an unexpected visitor causes a change of heart.

    Now, in one incomparable volume, four of Avon Romance's bestselling authors present stirring tales of hearts won and weddings to be, featuring a quartet of unforgettable heroines about to discover the rapture of love in a world as untamed as the men they will one day marry.from back coverDisplaying the bold and breathtaking sensuality that is her hallmark, bestselling author CHRISTINA DODD enthralls us with the tale of a willful Scottish beauty--kidnapped by an arrogant yet irresistible Englishman--who fights to keep from succumbing to her brazen captor's passionate, and persuasive, proposal.Experience the fiercely emotional power of STEPHANIE LAURENS who is at her passionate best with this story of a wealthy gentleman who finds his childhood nemesis has blossomed into a most desirable lass--and he's determined to do everything in his power to claim her as his own, before she is quite unsuitably wed.The delightful wit and warm humor of JULIA QUINN shine brightly in this winning romantic romp, in which a lovely English miss--feigning marriage to a dashing, beguiling Scotsman--discovers she has a very real desire for her make-believe groom.Another strikingly dramatic and deeply compelling tale by KAREN RANNEY. A legend decrees that the sexy Laird of Sinclair must marry a woman he has never met. But only sweet, passion-filled love will him to his true--and forbidden--bride.stories are:Under the Kilt (Fairchild Family #2.5) by Christina DoddRose in Bloom by Stephanie LaurensGretna Greene by Julia QuinnThe Glenlyon Bride by Karen Ranney

    2 Miss Brockhurst's Christmas Campaign by Jo Beverley - Penelope competes with debutante for Cherryholt heir Ross Skerries. 3 Intrigue and Mistletoe by Joanna Bourne - Elinor Pennington is found by Jack Tyler, former lover, spy searching French agent.4 Wench in Wonderland by Patricia Rice - After coach accident, companion Damaris Bedloe is mistaken for Lady Alice by Adam, Viscount Trevelyan and motherless brood. 5 On a Wicked Winter's Night by Nicola Cornick - Wales innkeeper Lydia Cole houses once-rejected childhood friend John Jerrold, new Baron of Newport castle estate. 6 Weathering the Storm by Cara Elliot - Boston seaworthy Sophie Thirkell captains boat bought by elegant English diplomat Bentley, Lord Leete. 7 The Mistletoe Bride by Anne Gracie - Scotland Laird Ronan McAllister buys dying wife Mrs Smith, who gives care of toddlers to fellow coach passenger Marguerite Blackett-Smith. 8 A Wilder Wench by Susan King - Scottish Highland new sheriff Lord Dunallan has documents to free brother of Cristina Heron-Shaw, smuggler's orphan.

    Meghan finds a baby and love on Christmas Eve, Phoebe falls for Santa while trapped with him in an elevator, Jessa flees an arranged marriage and finds her mate in the Highlands, and Andi turns a property dispute into passion, in four tales by Fern Michaels, Hannah Howell, Olga Bicos, and Jennifer Blake.Four holiday hits from four of the genre's favorite authors! "Merry, Merry" by Fern Michaels features a veterinarian who figures her holidays are going to the dogs--until she meets a handsome stranger; in "A Vision of Sugar Plums" by Jennifer Blake, Meghan Castle is a real Scrooge about the holidays--until she discovers an abandoned baby in her store on Christmas Eve and a chance at romance; in Hannah Howell's "The Yuletide Gift", a young woman flees an arranged marriage and finds shelter and love in the home of a Scottish laird; and Olga Bico's "Naughty or Nice" finds a nervous bride-to-be trapped overnight in an elevator on Christmas Eve with a handsome department store Santa she can't resist.