Vicki had spent the intermission backstage, chatting with two of her favorite singers who would soon grace the stage once more as the booming baritone Magnifico and his daughter Angelina, a dazzling soprano whose career had reached new heights during these ten, high-profile New York performances.Vicki couldn’t conceal her delight at the absolutely full house. “I guess the new marketing firm really hit one out of the park,” she commented quietly to Martin as the lights dimmed. “All ten performances are sold out!”Her lawyer friend smiled. “It’s the inspired leadership they’ve been getting,” he replied. “New blood, new ideas. It’s just magnificent.” The maestro appeared at the edge of the orchestra pit and received enthusiastic applause. “Although even I would admit that Rossini’s genius might have something to do with it,” Martin said, raising his voice over the audience’s appreciation. “Still, you’ve broken the glass ceiling yet again, I would say. Bravo, Miss Vydra.”“You’re too kind,” she said, patting his hand as the strings stirred in a quiet but ominous tremolo, quickly ushering in a sudden and violent orchestral tutti, brassy and loud, which filled the huge auditorium with the dark ferocity of the storm it depicted. Vicki let the eruption pass through her, finding herself carried by its torrential force, allowing the moment to fill her with an awed respect for nature’s power. She knew that it could not last, and the audience was soon deposited kindly into the peaceful meadow of the storm’s passing. Horn calls signaled the all-clear and, as one can always expect from Rossini, the good humor and delicate, social fun-poking resumed.***Content warning: For adults only!***

    After missing the Olympic team because of injury, and being shut out by her ‘winning is everything’ father, she’s built a career as a top notch, award-winning coach. When a serious student injury propels her to the outside of the gymnastics world, she finds herself broke and alone – until a bequest from a mysterious and unknown aunt takes her on an unexpected journey. Who was Aunt Winnie, and what does the equally mysterious and unknown Mr. Boudreaux have to do with it? Army veteran, Cole Boudreaux, has returned home a hero to Cardinal Point, Texas, but a few things went wrong with his homecoming. His fiancée cut him loose, and he lost his position as a police officer because a wartime injury left him nearly deaf. Then, the woman who was like a mother to him dies suddenly. Cole knows God has a plan, and if he could settle Winnie’s estate and grow his budding security business, he just might figure out what it is. Winnie’s niece is not making it easy. She’s rolled into town with a ton of baggage and secrets she’s not willing to share. Why is Jacey so distant, and why is she so determined to not let him in?

    Short StoryHer future is set, her life mapped out, but one unexpected meeting turns her carefully laid plans upside down.

    Her busy sales job provides the perfect way to ease the painful memories of losing her husband to cancer. Now she’s tired of running from her loneliness. Tina suspects her brawny neighbor has been leaving single red roses in her mailbox, but he’s the strong, silent type – the kind that should come with a warning label.Wade Scott has felt dead inside over the miscarriage of his son and the disintegration of his marriage. When Tina moves next door, Wade comes alive again. Problem is, she’s a beautiful sales whiz and he’s an ordinary plumber with a wicked scar along his temple. With little hope of attracting her attention, he showers her with anonymous acts of kindness.As New Year’s Eve approaches, Tina discovers that Wade is the guardian angel who’s been watching over her for the past six months. She doesn’t know what to do. Should she jump at a new job offer that will keep her busy enough to forget her loneliness, or take a chance the strong, silent type might fill her heart, and her home, with love?

    This collection of holiday shorts ranges from sweet to steamy and promises to entertain. 100% of proceeds will benefit the Young Survivor Coalition, an international organization focusing on women ages 40 and under who are diagnosed with breast cancer. Titles and Authors Wilder for the Win by Serena BellLast One Gets the Booby Prize by Kilby BladesTattooed Tatas by Kameron ClaireMixing Merrymas by Dylann CrushA Trivia Pursuit by Hope EllisTwo Nights to Believe by Melonie JohnsonTits the Season by Tawdra KandleDecidedly with Tinsel by Stina LindenblattThe Great Christmas Race by Elizabeth LynxAll I Want is You by Claire MartiWreath this Ring by MK MeredithStar Bright by Susannah NixTa Ta To Heartbreak by Tracey PedersenPretty Packages by Marika RayRock, Paper, Santa by Piper RayneTinsel Bomb by Arell RiversA Brit Under the Mistletoe by Brenda St John BrownBooby Trapped by Sylvie Stewart

     Rose Mistletoe runs her family's flower shop on Christmas Parade, and loves every minute of her job. So when the Parade comes under acquisition by a redevelopment company, Rose forms a protest group against the bid. But business tycoon Nick Grimsby is determined to make her sell up. His company is planning to knock down the parade of traditional shops and build a block of exclusive apartments instead. And it seems the sexy billionaire will go to any lengths to get her shop. As Christmas approaches and Nick dangles the proverbial mistletoe, can Rose resist his powerful allure? Given how gorgeous he looks in a tuxedo, the answer is probably no. But she's not going to make it easy for him! Because Rose has secret plans of her own ... Warning! This romcom novella contains jokes, oodles of romance, festive wreaths, mistletoe, holly, and a sprinkling of paper hats. Another quirky romcom in the popular 'Oddest Little Shop' series from Beth Good. Titles can be read in any order.

    Both are sweet, "clean" romances, and are prequels to the first full-length novel in the series - LOVE AT FIRST CLICK. HEARTS OVER BELLHAM - Hillary Johnson secretly admired handsome fellow firefighter, Tim Jacobs, for years. When the fire chief asks for volunteers to hang Valentine’s decorations over Main Street, Hillary’s hand shoots up immediately after Tim’s. Why pass up a golden opportunity to spend time with the guy she’s crushing on, just because she’s afraid of heights? Hillary battles her fear to prove to Tim, and to herself, that she can conquer it. After observing Hillary’s courage, Tim notices her – really notices her – for the first time. VALENTINE'S MAGIC After a dozen years of marriage, financial woes, and the possibility of losing their alpaca ranch, the honeymoon is over for Carol and Christopher Ridge. But the couple reconnects on Valentine’s Day, rediscovering their love for one another under the magical glow of the lighted hearts strung over Bellham’s Main Street. Could this be the launch of a new honeymoon phase for Carol and Christopher?

    But missing him is soon replaced with the challenges and surprises right in front of her. What is her mother hiding? Why has her grandfather disappeared from their lives? Unraveling the mysteries brings about unexpected discoveries and connections, ultimately leading her to know herself and understand what matters most.

    Not that she cares, though. This holiday season, like all the ones before it, she plans to spend curled up with her laptop, visions of pound signs dancing through her head. When a blizzard traps Janna in the country with handsome Alistair Randall, CEO of the UK's biggest Christmas tree supplier, Janna must either embrace the holiday spirit or risk losing her PR firm's biggest client. Can Janna muster up some Christmas cheer, or will her bah humbug attitude cost her dearly?

    Now he’s willing to break all the rules, offering sweet punishments and sweeter rewards. His sexual authority slowly strips away some of her precious control.But that’s the one thing Keira’s not ready to relinquish…Come Monday is the first book in New York Times bestselling author Mari Carr’s Wild Irish series.

    Thanks to some mistletoe mischief in the form of their two young daughters and Santa, they discover mistletoe rules were not made to be broken.74% of the material is actually the story; the rest is samples from other books in the series.

    She had the radio on as she danced around the kitchen waiting for Karl to get back from his business trip in New Orleans. They were married almost 2 months and she had missed him. That is when it happened. There was a knock at the door; she almost didn’t hear it as she sang along to the latest catchy tune that was sure to get annoying in the next few days. She ran from the kitchen thinking Karl was going to be his usual sweet self and try to surprise her with a grand entrance – or maybe he had left his keys. She opened the door with excitement only to see two police officers with solemn faces. Her world came crashing down around her as she invited them in and continued cooking. She couldn’t believe it, Karl was going to come through that door any minute and tell them it was all a mistake. He would want dinner when he got back. She needed to keep cooking so he wouldn’t go hungry. Jessica came around and talked her down, told her that she needed to go with the police officers to identify the body. She would be with her every step of the way. What followed was the realization that her husband was dead and their future was no more. All the things they were going to do; getting a chateaux in France, having a family, getting a cat when they moved to the suburbs and bought their own place. The future was full of life and in a split second it became a blank canvas; all because of a stupid accident.

    No longer published

    Then again, her rules have never gone up against Cash Campbell. Her charming CEO boss has a way of looking at her that makes her feel as though she’s the center of his universe, and their constant flirting increases the heat whenever their eyes meet. His attention makes for an addictive, yet tricky situation. But Cash likes to keep things light and simple. He doesn’t make promises he can’t keep, and maintains enough space to move fast in the boardroom—as well as in his love life. However, there’s something captivating about his assistant’s direct honesty that has monopolized his attention for almost a year. The problem is, he knows she’ll never date the boss…and he really needs this job. Even if he could date her, she likes things orderly and his life and problems are anything but. When the two attend a wedding in the dreamy ocean town of Indigo Bay, they begin to wonder why they ever bothered following the rules. Because sometimes breaking the rules is the best way to discover the love of your life. Author note: Make sure you check the last page of your copy of Sweet Holiday Surprise to find out how to claim your exclusive extended version of this sweet romance—including a bonus heartwarming ending.

    All her life she has dreamed of a home of her own, so what’s holding her back?Sophie Stone, thirty-something serial procrastinator, lover of Take That, Tesco knickers and tea with two sugars, rarely steps out of her comfort zone.So when an unexpected inheritance from a great aunt she’s never met forces her to meet her father, it threatens the very foundations of Sophie’s world.What did the old lady want her to discover? Was there more to her parents’ break up than she was lead to believe?Sophie will have to face some startling home truths before she can finally build a future on her own terms.