Love shouldn’t be an uphill struggle. Verity Lawton’s fortieth birthday surprise from her husband, Tony isn’t quite what she’s expecting and she needs to get away. Is joining daughter Lucy as a chalet girl in France a step too far? Verity’s cooking is more ‘bleurgh’ than cordon bleu but how difficult can it be to make crème brûlée? Chalet Marianne looks like a dream and so does the owner, Josh Calder. But being a chalet girl involves more than sitting by a fire watching snowflakes fall or dancing the night away. Josh has several rules – and they don’t include Verity snapping at him every time he opens his mouth, taking in a stray dog that seems to have forgotten its job description, or setting the kitchen on fire. Verity’s on a slippery slope – and it’s about to get much worse. When her own mother arrives, along with a repentant Tony, it’s time to make a choice. But is it really hers to make? And will things work out for the best, or is it all downhill from here? Also by EMILY HARVALE Highland Fling Lizzie Marshall's Wedding The Golf Widows' Club Sailing Solo Carole Singer's Christmas Christmas Wishes

     THE SWEETNESS OF HER LOVE—KIMBERLY RAE JORDAN James Dawson may have looked like the hero of one of the romances Erin Kirkland loves to read, but she quickly discovers that he is not the hero for her. After all, how can she have a happily-ever-after with a man who doesn’t believe in love or marriage? Who would have thought that a visit to his grandmother’s favorite bakery to order a cake for her ninetieth birthday would end up causing James to re-evaluate his whole life? Certainly not James Dawson. But following their rather disastrous first meeting, James is determined to show Erin that he is a better man than she’s first judged him to be. Erin doesn’t want to friend-zone James, but she’s not sure she can trust that the changes he’s making will be permanent. Can someone really go from totally dismissing love and marriage to embracing it so quickly? SUGAR AND SPICE—CECELIA DOWDY Sheila Parks is stunned when Mason Smith, the identical twin brother of her ex-boyfriend Reese, moves to Blue Spring and opens a bakery. Reese’s cruel breakup still bothers her and seeing somebody who looks just like him is a painful reminder of her predicament. Unemployed, Sheila needs financial help and it appears that Mason can assist her with her problem. Can she learn to trust a man who looks just like her ex? Mason is stunned when Sheila storms into his bakery, mistakenly thinking that he’s Reese. Mason is used to comforting his womanizing brother’s ex-girlfriends. A stutterer, Mason has always had a hard time socializing with others. However, he finds himself smitten with beautiful Sheila. Can he control his stutter so that he can ask Sheila to be his date to his grandmother’s Christmas birthday party? Both Sheila and Mason deal with past pains as they work together during the Christmas season. MOOSTLETOE —JAN ELDER Rev. Samantha Evans lands in Moose Creek, Maine, where parishioners chew up new ministers for breakfast. Happily, she also reunites with forest ranger Eric Palmer, her best friend from her teenage years. With Samantha’s career on the line, Eric must save her job and rescue his own shattered heart in the process. But how does Matilda the moose factor into the mix? THE HECTOR CLAUSE—CLARE REVELL The last thing Brie Dalgleish expected her boss to do was ask her to play an elf in the toy store grotto. She's even less enthusiastic when she discovers Santa is the same bloke who drove his car through a puddle the previous evening, completely soaking her. Hector Clause is playing Santa in the family owned toy store under sufferance as a favor to his grandfather. He'd rather be in a nice safe office, using his law degree, than playing Santa in a shop full of squealing kids. Even if the chief elf is on the cute side. With the store's centenary fast approaching, the anniversary party is abruptly cancelled. Hector resolves to celebrate anyway, but isn't prepared for the curveball he finds headed his way. GINGER & BRAD’S HOUSE—MARION UECKERMANN When Brad O’Sullivan is unfaithful to Ginger Murphy, she escapes to Australia for five long years. During this time, Brad’s shotgun marriage fails. Besides his little boy, Jamie, one other thing in his life has turned out sweet and successful—his pastry business. Ginger returns to Ireland, when her mother’s diagnosed with heart failure. She loves being a wedding flautist but fears bumping into the wedding cake chef she tries to avoid.

    She's not looking for a handout, but when Christian rescues her in the checkout line; her niece thinks Christian is an angel. Joy thinks he’s just another man who will eventually leave, disappointing her and the children.Although Christian is a servant of the Lord, he is a flesh and blood man and all he wants for Christmas is Joy Knight. Can time spent with Christian turn Joy’s attention from her financial woes to the real meaning of Christmas—and true love?A Christian Christmas is a holiday novella to be enjoyed any time of the year.

    Paradise isn’t paradise when you’re not where you want to be, but this Christmas is anything but uneventful. Three airplanes land on the island and Brooke finds herself in exchanges that cause love, temptation, and HATE to surface. Marcus Thompson has pain in his past, but he’s decided it’s time to try love again. A widowed orphan from a wealthy family, he’s alienated from his grandfather and wants a family of his own. His feelings for Brooke can’t be denied, but she won’t give him a chance to prove he’s not the playboy she thinks he is. Though she finds Marcus tempting, Brooke is determined to get off the island without falling for his charms. The two people she trusted the most betrayed her in the worse way, and she isn’t prepared to risk love again. But when her worst enemy stands on her doorstep needing the generosity that has always been a part of Brooke’s character, she begins to question who she is and what she’s allowed heartbreak to do to her. Will she let anger and hate take over and turn her into someone else? Or will she find that even in her pain, she has the capacity to give?

    It is also a story about Edith Holden, a young woman living in the deep south who finds herself unwillingly confronted with racism, social injustice and her love for a man she is unsure she will ever have.

    Just when she thinks she has found her path, a return to her hometown brings past hurts rushing back into her life. Can Emma learn to finally release the hardships of the past and rely on the goodness of God’s plans for her future? Eight years after a disfiguring accident, self-torment and life in the shadows keep David from all that he holds dear. When a chance encounter stirs him to hope again, he battles the voice inside that tells him he doesn’t deserve his second chance. Can he accept the gift of restoration God is offering him? Or will he allow self-doubt to rob him of his greatest love and the family he longs to embrace?

    As a servant she has no rights and her memories of the days before she was a servant were too bittersweet to handle. She knew her father and brother wouldn't want her to be in this situation so she felt she owed it to them to find a solution on her own. The only solution that makes sense is to answer an ad to go west as a mail order bride. Sam Nelson was alone on his farm just outside town. Oregon was a lovely place and he was happy there, but he was lonely. His parents had left the farm to him and he was becoming even more successful than his father had been. Something was missing, though. He wanted companionship and a family. For that he'd need a wife. When Rose heard from Sam Nelson that he'd like her to come to Oregon to marry him she was beside herself. Her goal of getting out of the Whitney house by Christmas just might happen. When he meets her at the stagecoach stop, she can't believe her luck. He's handsome, kind, and genuinely concerned for her. Can she really trust him, though? If she does, will her past really be behind her?

    Kisses and kids abound in this collection of novellas that will warm your heart all winter long. One Winter Kiss - Lindi Peterson - Deena Ross travels to Ohio to try and sway her grandfather from making a big mistake, a mistake his neighbor Andrew has been encouraging. When a winter storm hits, and Deena is forced to stay with Andrew and his young son, Evan, Deena's vision of love is tested and she might lose her heart in one winter kiss. Childish Ways - Jenn Faulk - Kevin Peterson, a teacher at a small town elementary school, is unexpectedly reunited with Lisa Walker, a girl who spent most of their childhood tormenting and bullying him, when she comes back to town where she helps organize a winter carnival to benefit her niece's school. Lisa has no idea who he is, though, and as they work alongside one another and Kevin sees how much she has changed, he begins to question whether or not he can really trust her and let her into his life. The Baby & the Bachelor - Cindy K. Green - Playboy bachelor, Alec, discovers a baby on his doorstep only days away from being appointed to a political office, prompting him to appeal his assistant, Jane, for help. Misunderstandings and accusations from the press abound, leading Alec to wonder, even if he were prepared for a ready-made family, could sweet, church-going Jane ever find it in her heart to marry a sinner like him? For Tracy - Trisha Grace - One phone call led to Sarah Carter becoming the guardian of her favorite student, Tracy, while waiting for Tracy’s Uncle Keith to show up. But Sarah has no idea Uncle Keith was Keith Sutton, Hollywood’s most eligible bachelor, and doesn’t realize how much trouble she is heading for. Tropical Kiss Or Miss - Liwen Y. Ho - Therapist Olivia Chan can’t wait to escape it all—a failed marriage, a struggling practice, and her son’s recent health scare. The Hawaiian getaway she planned, however, gets rained on—quite literally—by a tropical storm and the unexpected arrival of her estranged husband Matthew, who’s determined to win her back. To Gain a Mommy - Tanya Eavenson - When Hope Michaels decides to face her past, she unknowingly purchases the house across the street from her former fiancé—the man her twin sister married, then widowed. Fire Captain Carl McGuire can put out any flame, except for the one Hope sparks within him—some things never change. Foolish Heart - Cindy Flores Martinez - Judy and Graham have feelings for each other, but they won’t admit it. After all, she lives in America and he lives in Scotland with his daughter, Mairi, who he could never leave to be with the woman he loves.

    Mother of three, Sarah Glen, loses her life under unusual circumstances when her car is forced from the road in what appears to be a random act of road rage.What follows is a breathtaking story of adventure and excitement as Sarah explores the limitless wonder of her new home, Paradise.The Throne Room, New Jerusalem, departed loved ones, all these and more are unveiled in this thought provoking tale.While Sarah's remaining family and friends struggle to come to terms with the passing of the popular mom, angels, good and evil, fight for supremacy in the age-old battle between the kingdoms of darkness and light.

    If her dead husband hadn't gone and died on her she wouldn't be in this situation. Now she finds herself the victim of a train robbery near Wichita Falls. Everything is riding on her getting to California by the end of the year. Will she get there in time to save her sisters from becoming victims of the Mercy Train? David Morgan vows never to marry after the woman he loved betrayed him for the town banker. He had enough of fake women until Holly comes along and changes everything. How can he show her she belongs in Wichita Falls before time runs out? Enjoy this delightful clean and wholesome western and pioneer romance and visit with many of the other brides from Wichita Falls.

    Left to raise a baby without the assistance of the married father, she has given up on finding a prince on a white horse to rescue her. Enter Cardiologist and single father, Ford Tucker. Dr. Tucker is all work and no play. He has dedicated his life to work and raising his daughter. When Ford becomes Maya’s Cardiologist, he is instantly smitten with her. Sparks fly and the passion’s hot as ever between the two. But just when Ford thinks he has finally found Ms. Right, and Maya thinks she’s found her prince, a devastating secret is revealed that will rock the core of their relationship. Will their bond survive the terrible secret? Or will Ford end up alone and Maya prince less?

    Especially at Christmas It’s all jingles but no bells this year as East End mum Babs Miller tries to find somewhere to stage one of her legendary Christmas parties. But no one’s hiring to Babs this festive season. Her shindig’s reputation for all-round mayhem has preceded her. There’s another problem: no one wants Babs’ aging relative, the notorious Aunt Ruddy, on their premises. She could start a fight on a desert island. But Aunt Ruddy won’t be going anywhere this Christmas because she’s laid up in hospital. Babs begins to suspect that Ruddy owns something valuable that’s in danger of being stolen. Babs soon fears the light-fingered thief might be closer to home than she thinks.

    On a dimly-lit park bench, Carley's friend fumbles in her handbag for her phone. She has a picture of a couple arguing, a picture of a woman who was later found dead in a ditch. Before Carley can examine the picture her friend took of the secretive encounter, a dark SUV stops near the bench. The window rolls down. A gunshot rips the silence. Carley's friend tumbles from the bench, dead. No need to wait for the second shot. Carley's on the run, now, with a target on her back. Wounded Army vet, Blake Richards, recuperates stateside while awaiting new orders. He doesn't want to jeopardize his recovery or risk further injury, but at the sound of gunshots, his training kicks in. Blake ducks behind a tree and drops to one knee, scanning the area around him. A shadowy figure darts down a path. A woman nervously looks back over her shoulder. Hunkered down, he waits until the last second and then grabs her by the waist. With his hand clasped over her mouth, he pulls her to safety. Blake doesn't need to get involved with any woman, particularly one as beautiful and intriguing as Carley Sutherland. But he may be Carley's only hope of staying alive. And she may his only hope of finding peace and healing amidst hidden dangers. Written for the General Market (G) (I): Contains little or no; sexual dialogue or situations or strong language. May also contain content of an inspirational nature. Amazon customers who purchase the print version have the option to purchase the Kindle eBook at no charge.

    When she decides to design and build a sugar cookie nativity scene, all she needs is the right cookie cutters—and handsome blacksmith Kyle Smoker is the one she asks for help. Using Kyle’s handmade cutters, Alyssa creates a striking display that brings more tourists to the bakery than she can handle. And when shoppers request handmade cookie cutters of their own, Kyle finds himself overwhelmed by the demand. As Christmas approaches, Alyssa realizes she’s been too caught up in work to focus on the true meaning of Christmas—and too distracted to explore the feelings she has for Kyle. Together, they put aside the holiday rush and spend their time celebrating the season that has brought them together.

    But after two broken engagements, she's content to forget romance and run her Christmas shop in Jingle Bells, Arkansas. She thinks her biggest fear is making it down the aisle as maid of honor in her best friend's Christmas wedding, with at least one ex-fiancé looking on. But when her beloved Jingle Bells is threatened, Kristianna struggles to sort through her jumbled feelings concerning the handsome lawyer hired to change the town name and her childhood sweetheart who has returned just in time to come to her aid. Will her heart discover the truth before both her town and her Christmas spirit is extinguished?