Something her regulars badly need.Newly dumped Rebecca is stuck in a job with no prospects, has lost her home and is struggling to see a way forward.Pensioner Stanley is dreading his first Christmas alone without his beloved wife, who passed away earlier this year. How will he ever feel whole again?Graduate Jacob is still out of work despite making hundreds of applications. Will he be forced to go against his instincts and ask his unsympathetic parents for help?Spiky workaholic Meredith hates the jollity of family gatherings and would rather stay home with a box set and a posh ready meal. Will she finally realise what’s important in life?Natalie sprinkles a little magic to try to spread some festive cheer and restore Christmas spirit, but will she succeed?

    Now the man to whom she gave her heart will visit Blythe Manor for Christmas. How can she enjoy the holidays knowing Miles Greystoke must despise her for revealing her feelings in such an unguarded fashion?As an awkward youth, Miles fell in love with a kindred spirit…but his love was unrequited. Against his wishes, he’s now obliged to spend the holidays at Blythe Manor. Time has wrought changes in his physique, but his devotion to Lara Robinson has never wavered. He searches for the perfect present to show her how he feels, but nothing seems quite right…until he realizes the best sort of gift will embrace the true meaning of Christmas.A Victorian Christmas short story.

    She refuses. Stunned that any woman—but especially a woman with so few matrimonial prospects—could turn him down, he begins a campaign to woo her with valentines and gifts. Unbeknownst to her guardian, who is too used to having his way and surely proposed out of pure laziness, Cecilia Clemmons is determined to make her own way in the world by crafting valentines. But when her valentines return addressed to her, she is terrified her secret is out. Worse yet, when she learns Devin is the sender, she thinks it a cruel hoax. Only the more he learns about stubborn, independent Cecilia in his efforts to buy perfect gifts for her, the more enchanting he finds her. But will she have him now, or has he botched his chances forever?This novella was originally published as "The Bachelor and the Bluestocking" as part of the anthology Cupid Calling in 2003.

    Sit back with the hot chocolate and enjoy! A teacher’s life is never easy … especially at Christmas! Working at a tiny village school in rural Yorkshire has its own unique set of challenges – but when teachers Lydia Knight and Jake Immingham are tasked with getting the children to put on a Christmas play for the local elderly people’s home, they know they’re in for a tricky term! But in between choreographing sugar plum dance routines, reindeer costume malfunctions and trying to contain Rory Scott’s wannabe rap star aspirations, Lydia realises that, even as a teacher, she isn’t past being taught a couple of things – and one of those things is a much-needed lesson in Christmas spirit.

    Years in service and living alone have made Matt Jefferson one callous man. Will the spirit of the season bring them together? Or will the secrets they hold inside keep them apart? Christmas is quickly approaching. Orion’s sleepy Montana town is bustling with returning family, vacationing students, and several unexpected visitors: a friend on the rebound, Orion’s volatile ex, and a handsome silver-eyed stranger. When a surprise letter arrives from Matt's mother, it leads him deep into a snowy world of holiday magic and Irish fire that threaten to crack his shell. Filled with holiday humor, tempers, sweet romance, and lots of food, Orion and Matt rediscover what it means to have hope, faith, love, joy, and a belief in something greater than themselves.

    Julia London's Snowy Night with a Highlander sends a debutante into the wintry Scottish wilds....Searching for her rakehell brother, an earl lying low in the wake of a scandalous affair, Fiona Haines is led by a rugged Highlander who obscures his scarred face. As they journey on, Fiona draws closer to her brave, enigmatic protector -- but will fury or passion ignite when he reveals his identity?

    Winning means a lot to everyone involved - talented cake-shop owner Katie dreams of baking stardom, Rachel wants to prove she's more than a stay-at-home mum, and John hopes his culinary skills will impress the woman he loves. But when the judges discover that some cakes have been tampered with, the villagers' loyalties are called into question - whose ambition would stretch to sabotage, and why?The Christmas Bake-Off is an exclusive short story from Abby Clements, author of Meet Me Under the Mistletoe. This ebook edition also includes bonus recipes for cinnamon cookies and vanilla and almond biscuits.

    Convinced to host a Christmas Ball to prepare her for the season, he’s aware he’s considered a catch on the marriage mart too, but Nicolas is drawn to companion Gillian Thorpe instead. Gillian was hired to prepare the duke’s daughter for her first season, but its not easy when the girl hasn’t the least interest in the men and the widowed father makes her knees weak when he laughs with her. Gillian respects and admires (perhaps too frequently) the Duke of Stapleton and when she’s lured into a mistletoe kiss with him, will she be able to stop at one or even want to? Saints and Sinners series:Book 1: The Duke and I (Nicolas and Gillian)Book 2: A Gentleman's Vow (Gideon and Jessica)Book 3: An Earl of Her Own (Adam and Rebecca) Book 4: The Lady Tamed (Jeremy and Fanny)

    Given the nature of the hostess’s eccentric relatives ,they will be played by a troupe of actors hired to impersonate a proper Victorian family. What a clever way to fool the prince! And gate-crashing, distractingly handsome first loves like Grayson Elliott are most unwelcome.   But nothing about Camille’s charade goes as planned. Tonight, at Millworth Manor, games will be played, motives will be revealed, the masks will come off, and hearts will be lost—and won—in the most romantic, magical season of all.

    If his poor fiancée had not died, he would now be wed to her instead of Abigail. But then Abigail begins uncovering some of the secrets that are a part of her husband’s life and wonders if perhaps there is hope for their marriage after all.Derek, Lord Westdale, wasn’t sure why Abigail married him; she obviously despised him. On the other hand, he knew exactly why he was marrying her: she was the only woman he would ever love, despite his having offered marriage to another. Unfortunately, he can’t seem to convince Abigail that he never really betrayed her after all.Can their decoding of a secret Christmas cipher bring an end to their misunderstandings and help them create their own special Christmas tradition?

    He was praying for an actual merry Christmas for his daughter.Beckett Caden has one wish this year: that his daughter’s Christmas would be as magical as childrens' holidays were supposed to be. After two bittersweet December twenty-fifths without his wife, Beckett knows he needs to do something different this year, for his daughter. Listening to his parents’ advice, he takes a break from his executive position at their family-run bookstore chain and books a trip for Holly and himself. Beckett hopes that a few weeks in a charming lodge, with a laundry list of fun activities, will help to restore the smile that used to light up his little girl's eyes.Through snowman building, city sightseeing, and a constant theme of Christ in the season, Beckett begins to think this was the right decision. The only downside? The sarcastic and irritating elf of a woman with hair as boisterous as Santa Claus, himself.When an unexpected snowstorm traps them all inside, it’s either work alongside The Elf or watch chaos overtake the understaffed inn. Surviving on the aid of caffeine and prayer, Beckett has a feeling this Christmas will turn out to be one of the most memorable he's had.Elise McKenzie needs a social life. At least, that's been the constant mantra from her family for the past, oh, all her adult years.With her freelancing graphic design work and the volunteering she does at her grandparents’ lodge, Elise seems to be the only one happy with her life. Even if the male she most frequently has deep conversations with is her cat.For Elise, this Christmastime brings a flurry of unsanctioned blind dates, questions about the future, and a snowfall that will keep her toe-to-toe with the single father whose dimples remind her of the infuriating enjoyment he receives from pushing her buttons.Elise’s Christmas wish? Survive this season and try not to bonk the obnoxious guest over the head with a gingerbread house.

    Owner of Bethlehem's Boutique in the tourist mountain town of Gatlinburg, TN, she has no room for the bad boys of her past and devotes her whole life to the struggling boutique and her teenage daughter, Maribelle. She's perfectly happy with her country-living life until he walks into her store. Nate Myers travels the globe for his job and has the bank account to prove his success. The former "bad" boy is in town for a short visit with his sister and is determined to not get caught up in all the Christmas hype. But then he falls for the beautiful shopkeeper—quite literally. Will these two (sorta) opposites be able to find a happily-ever-after together?

    In the face of her parents’ rejection she realizes that a single stolen kiss could cost her everything. Sent to her aunt and uncle’s home in Scotland, she finds something in the rugged highland beauty that steals her heart…and a highland man, who seems her other half. Iain MacLeon, chieftain of the clan MacLeon, has one thing on his mind in a time where politics are like a tempest brewing—sheep. He loves his people and his land but he didn’t know he also needed a woman to share the load. And then he sees her…the flame-haired Englishwoman who steals his heart and holds it hostage against all his beliefs and all he holds dear. But how will he persuade his clan to love her as he does?

    Miss Barrington knows her chances with the duke are incredibly good given what her close gypsy friend had once foretold, but a forgotten wager with her greatest nemesis, American millionaire, Mr. Redstone, is about to bring on complications and...chaos.Will she claim the dashing and respectable duke once foretold by the stars? Or will she fall for Mr. Redstone and go against destiny? Only the days leading up to Christmas will tell!

    For years afterward, each nursed a secret dream—that the other had grown into a special person—brave, good, kind.When Norah Hawkins and Caleb Sutton cross paths again, dreams die. She is a bitter, suicidal widow. He is a gunman with little conscience and few scruples. Alternately angry, repelled, and attracted, the two form an uneasy partnership to hold land she owns and he covets against a marauding neighbor. Their bargain never included love, or did it?