But that's exactly what she finds when she returns from being out of town. Worse, the bear has been deliberately trapped by the shop's owner, Will Parker.Will is starting a new life in the town of Reindeer Ridge. His shop, The Big Bear, sells novelty items while also providing guests the chance to see a live bear kept humanely upstairs. Unfortunately, the shop owner across the way seems to be determined to have his shop closed down.But Annaliese soon begins to realize that Will isn’t the bad guy she wants to make him out to be. As their feelings for each other start to grow, they both begin to realize the importance of compromise.This book was previously included in the December 2020 anthology, Small-Town Christmas. The rest of the series was not part of that anthology.The Reindeer Ridge series is a sweet, clean contemporary Christmas series filled with swoon-worthy heroes and a small-town setting.

     Love on the Rebound Add a little Aloha to your Christmas this year! When Everly Watson takes her young son Jordan to Hawaii, she’s not just celebrating Christmas but also searching for answers surrounding a tragedy from her past. She doesn’t expect to be faced with a tsunami threat her second day on the island. Nor does she count on meeting the famous Christian Ross, superstar of a hit action-movie series. Sparks fly as Everly and Christian have an instant attraction. But things spiral out of control when Everly realizes someone is following her and watching her every move. Christian soon finds himself drawn into Everly’s complicated world of betrayal and deceit and feels the need to protect her from a perilous threat. Can Christian and Everly’s newfound love withstand the growing obstacles? Or are they doomed to keep reliving the heartaches of the past? Loving the Movie Star Actor Blade Sloan gets the opportunity of a lifetime when he lands a leading role in the new Jase Scott action movie, co-starring with Hollywood megastar Christian Ross. Too bad Blade’s having stress issues brought on by a longtime stalker who’s getting more aggressive. If Blade can’t find a way to loosen up on set and perform to the best of his ability, he’ll lose everything he’s worked so hard to achieve. Dani Fairchild is trying hard to turn over a new leaf and transcend into adulthood. Yes, she may have been irresponsible in the past when she jilted billionaire Liam Barclay and ran off with a surfer, but that’s all behind her. Dani has a food blog she wants to take to the next level, and she’s holding down a full-time job. Granted, being a receptionist isn’t her dream job by any means, but hey, it’s a start. Too bad she can’t keep her big mouth shut and gets fired when the boss acts like a jerk. An unlikely encounter on the public bus brings Blade and Dani together where sparks fly and attraction sizzles. But Dani isn’t having it. No matter how charismatic Blade is or how good he looks with his chiseled abs and piercing blue eyes she’s vowed to never again get involved with someone who doesn’t live on the island permanently. Long distance relationships are a kick in the pants, and she’s tired of being hurt. Home alone for Christmas while Samantha and her family go to the mainland, Dani settles in for a quiet, predictable holiday. But fate has other plans when Dani and Blade are unwittingly thrown into a cycle of events that lead to a heart-pounding climax. Can Dani and Blade find a strong enough love to sustain them in the face of danger? Or will the stalker win in the end? False Identity Believe in miracles … believe in hope … believe in love. It's Christmastime, and Chancy Hamilton can’t bear the thought of spending the holidays without her late husband Max who died in a plane crash. When Chancy and her teenage son, Travis, have an argument, Travis storms out of the house and ends up in the wrong part of town where he is attacked by a group of thugs. When a homeless man comes to his rescue, he invites the man home to have a meal with his mom and little sister. Gabe Jones is not like any other homeless man Chancy has ever seen—he’s confident, intelligent, and devastatingly handsome. Jake, Chancy’s boyfriend, takes an instant dislike to Gabe and warns Chancy to stay away from him.

    They were wrong. When Ally Henderson’s flight from Southern California to New York City for Christmas gets diverted to the tiny Midwestern town of Bethlehem, she’s desperate to get back in the air and back to the Big Apple. But with all the airports closed, she’s forced to rely on Midwestern hospitality to wait out the storm. And she soon learns that she has a storm of her own to weather. One that could shatter her life.Living with a kind stranger is one way to spend a snowed-in Christmas, but when she meets the local diner owner, Jake, sparks fly. Only, Ally’s a big-city girl with big-city dreams, and Jake will always be a Bethlehem boy.

    She runs the most popular nightclub in the French Quarter and is married to the hottest vampire in New Orleans.When she accidentally runs over Santa Claus and has to turn him into a vampire to save him, her perfect undead life begins to crumble like a week-old sugar cookie.Whoops.Jane has three days to teach Santa the ways of the vampire and send him back to the North Pole in time for Christmas Eve.Oh, and if that’s not stressful enough, her dad is coming for Christmas.And he doesn’t know she’s a vampire.Or that she's married.Double whoops.Grab a mug of miracle cure and join the vamps of New Orleans Nocturnes in this fast, fun holiday read.

    Talented, yet relatively unknown actress and celebration cake baker extraordinaire Olivia Lambert is running out of time.Approaching forty, she’s yet to land the role that will launch her television career and she’s desperate to be a mum.Her new man, Phil Grimshaw from the Bluebell Cliff Hotel, seems the perfect match, but seems to be in no rush to settle down.Having ditched her childhood sweetheart and fiancé, Tom Boyd, when he backtracked about being a dad, Olivia dreads making the same mistake again.Rocked by confessions from both her sister Ruby and Tom, Olivia knows it’s time to make some life changing decisions.Then a terrifying incident off Chesil Beach changes the course of her future and brings Olivia to question everything she values and loves.

    Linc didn't. As captain of his swim team, he was expected to win the big relay to carry his swim team to the state championship for the first time in decades. Linc didn’t. Society expected him to walk past her. He couldn’t. She expected him to see through her.She expected him to make her into a joke.She expected him to be cruel.Expectations are a funny thing …

    Distrust will tear them apart…Alexandra Lauren Knight has reinvented herself in the safety of her rural New Zealand hometown to become Lauren Taylor. She’s cut all ties with her past as a former model whose ex-husband turned out to be ruthless in both the boardroom and the bedroom. While Alexandra allowed other’s expectations to propel her into the spotlight, Lauren prefers the safety of anonymity; restoring classic cars with her brother, and snuggling with her four-year-old son. Nate Fraser, a burned-out photojournalist, plans to fix up the property next door to Lauren and sell it as a celebrity retreat. Always on the move, Nate is only comfortable with short-term assignments and even shorter-term relationships. But it’s not just his buyer’s tight deadline or that the restoration is far beyond his expertise which turns a short-term project into an ordeal. Nate’s plan of travelling the globe is in jeopardy — created by the intensity of his growing feelings for Lauren and her little boy.As the sparks of passion ignite between them it reawakens Nate’s long forgotten dream of having a home and family. Lauren must find a way to trust Nate not only with her secrets, but with her heart — before her safe haven is exposed and she can no longer hide in the shadows.

    Doesn't everyone? But I had no idea that a little luck could mean bad luck too. What started as a perfectly polished plan turned tainted and tarnished. I was just trying to get back on my feet, back to the lucky side of life. But then everything changed... One look, one touch, one taste, And now, suddenly, my luck is improving. This just might be the trip I'd wanted all along. In this 21 book boxed set, from New York Times, USA Today, and other bestselling authors, find out just how lucky you can be with just one click. You'll be packing your bags and hoping Ireland will have just that sexy sort of magic you've been looking for. Contributing Authors: Theresa Troutman Amanda Heartley Andie M. Long Maggie Dallen Emma Tharp Rachelle Ayala Josie Kerr Heather Young-Nichols Tee Smith Bethany Lopez Tracy Lorraine Ja'Nese Dixon Monica Corwin Caitlyn Lynch Eva Winters K.L. Shandwick Alyson Reynolds Taige Crenshaw and McKenna Jeffries Aaliyah Burke Marissa & Thomas Dobson Emma Nichols

    Eager to raise money for more computers, books, and other critical supplies, when the auctioneer announces that a date with Ashleigh is on the auction block, she goes with it. Too bad her ex casts the winning bid.Billionaire Chase Matthews hadn't planned on spending December in Emerald Falls. And he certainly hadn't planned on offering the winning bid for a date with his ex. But now that both of those things have happened, he'll have to deal with the fallout.When Chase tells Ashleigh that his mother is dying and that her only wish is to see him happily engaged, he makes her an offer she can't refuse. But will her wounded heart be able to remember that this is all pretend?

    Years later, she gets a chance at justice when she discovers she'd the daughter of Lancelot, vampire knight of the Round Table. But first, she's got to convince a handsome vampire warrior that she's worthy to gain the magical powers that are her birthright—powers that might help her find her sister's killer.If the murderer doesn't find her first.... Sweet Enchantment by Anya Bast This novella provides a first taste of the world in which Anya's new Dark Magick series is set. A Little Night Magic by Allyson James The town of Magellan is famous for its woo-woo activity. Naomi is known as an Unbeliever (one who doesn't believe in Magellan's mystical energy). But Naomi must put disbelief aside when her Navajo lover reveals that he is a Changer, a shapeshifter, and has returned to Magellan to protect her from grave anger on Christmas Eve. A Christmas Kiss by Lora Leigh

    FALL IN LOVE with SEVEN BRAND-NEW, NEVER BEFORE PUBLISHED STEAMY CHRISTMAS STORIES From New York Times & USA Today Bestselling, Award-Winning AuthorsTWO HEARTS’ CHRISTMAS RESCUE: Tamara Ferguson, USA Today Bestselling Author: Christmas has been a time of terrible loss for the two of them, so neither has celebrated for years. Will a gang of needy rescue pets help Kinley and Jake rescue each other’s Christmas, aided by the magic of love?MISTLETOE MAGIC by Natalie Ann, USA Today Bestselling Author: Can the magic of Christmas help Robin and Brian find what is hiding in their hearts?BAYOU CHRISTMAS by Suzanne Jenkins, USA Today bestselling Author: When Maggie Angel makes a discovery under Bayou Cottage it might change her life if she lets it. What does a mother dog, her six pups and a handsome veterinarian have in common? Maggie’s heart will bring them together.CANDY’S CHRISTMAS WISH by Cynthia Cooke, USA Today bestselling Author: On the verge of losing her house, her business, and her dog, Candy needs a Christmas miracle. What she gets is Lincoln, the man who broke her heart, back in her life.MELT MY HEART by Alicia Street, USA Today Bestselling Author: A rescue mutt. A mysterious letter. A secret history shared. Can the challenge that brings Wynter and Caleb together melt the hearts of two people who have given up on love?PLAYING SANTA by Stephanie Queen, USA Today Best1selling Author: Why stop at rescuing a puppy when there’s a struggling beauty who might need Santa to come to her rescue?A SNOWY SEASIDE CHRISTMAS by Traci Hall, USA Today Bestselling Author: Only unconditional love can save Gemma and Bryce from hiding their battered hearts forever – will these two heroes be brave enough to let down their guard?

    But with a job she doesn't love and a sense of loneliness she can't shake, life in New York is less fabulous than she'd like to admit—especially now that veterinarian Jaxon Locke has left town.  Jax's move to Idaho to fill in at his dad's practice ended things with Charlotte just as they were getting interesting. But he didn't expect to miss her so much. So when Charlotte returns home to help care for the great-aunt who raised her, Jax is determined to get to Wyoming and do whatever it takes to win her back…and he'll start by giving her the most magical Mustang Creek Christmas of all.   Bonus novella! The town scrooge meets his perfect match in A Copper Ridge Christmas by New York Times bestselling author Maisey Yates

    Enter the world of the Royal and Reckless, where the blue bloods run red hot, and scorching secrets lie just beneath the polished surface. Inside these pages, you’ll find stranded royals, fiancees, reverse harem kingdoms, and more than one compromising position. From hidden royalty to secret babies, plots and twisted games, there’s something for everyone in the steamy scandal behind the crowns. Join the Royal and the Reckless with more than twenty sizzling tales of sex, love, intrigue, betrayal, and blackmail! PREORDER your limited edition copy TODAY! Including titles from… New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Briggs USA Today bestselling author Terry Keys USA Today bestselling author Laura Greenwood J.L. Beck & Syndi Burns Sylvie Stewart Sienna Blake Hazel Parker Kim Carmichael Jen Katemi Skye MacKinnon Carmen Falcone K.C. Finn Arizona Tape Maggie Carpenter Isabella White Summer Cooper Mia Kayla Christine Glover Shandi Boyes Stephanie Morris Scarlett Avery Helen Scott Sybil Bartel M.C. Cerny

    Parker (Seafire), and many more. Edited by Dhonielle Clayton (The Belles).In the fourth collaboration with We Need Diverse Books, fifteen award-winning and celebrated diverse authors deliver stories about a princess without need of a prince, a monster long misunderstood, memories that vanish with a spell, and voices that refuse to stay silent in the face of injustice. This powerful and inclusive collection contains a universe of wishes for a braver and more beautiful world.AUTHORS INCLUDE: Samira Ahmed, Libba Bray, Dhonielle Clayton, Zoraida Córdova, Tessa Gratton, Kwame Mbalia, Anna-Marie McLemore, Tochi Onyebuchi, Mark Oshiro, Natalie C. Parker, Rebecca Roanhorse, Victoria Schwab, Tara Sim, Nic Stone, and a to-be-announced debut author/short-story contest winner

    He never thought he’d find love again after the death of his wife and son. Natalie Porter and her son, Tommy are traveling to Chicago so that she can give birth to a child that she can’t keep. When Tommy goes missing on the train, Natalie and Ken cross paths in the search to find her son, but end up finding so much more in each other. When Natalie is forced to get off the train after going in labor, Kenneth decides to go with her, offering her a whole new life if she’ll only let him. Will Natalie accept his offer to be her husband and adopt the baby she so desperately wants to keep? Could the love that bloomed between them in such a short amount of time, be real?