But now the rich and unscrupulous Mr. Stephanopoulos has a proposition. A previously unpublished Christmas book by Charles Dickens has turned up in the hands of an English chemistry professor by the name of Sedgwick Crisparkle. Mr. S. wants that book at any price, and he needs James to get it for him. There’s just one catch. James can’t tell the nutty professor who the buyer is. Actually, two catches. The nutty Professor Crisparkle turns out to be totally gorgeous—and on the prowl. Faster than you can say, “Old Saint Nick,” James is mixing business with pleasure…and in real danger of forgetting that this is just a holiday romance. Just as they’re well on the way to having their peppermint sticks and eating them too, Sedgwick discovers the truth. James has been a very bad boy. And any chance Santa will bring him what he wants most is disappearing quicker than the Jolly Old Elf’s sleigh.

    Researching the cool, blue-eyed and dashingly handsome man at the end of the bar stirred her senses more than she wanted to admit. But was this man of leather armor all he appeared to be?Playing White Knight to an innocent wasn't how Detective Jake Santos planned to spend his time under cover. But there was no way "CJ" was what she claimed to be and that nagging tightness in Jake's chest told him he'd better take her home to safety and leave it at that. Then the barroom exploded with gunfire, leaving a trail of dead that includes a notorious Providence crime boss and an undercover FBI agent. When Cassie's name is leaked to the media as the only witness to the grisly murders, Cassie insists she only trusts Jake to protect her.The FBI wants their star witness happy and will do anything to make sure Cassie testifies. But it is clear to Jake that the shooter isn't the only person who wants Cassie dead. Not knowing who to trust, he vows to protect Cassie at all cost despite the fact that guarding the beautiful novelist is a serious distraction. MATERIAL WITNESS is the follow-up Romantic Suspense Novel by Lisa Mondello's Yuletide Protector and is book 1 of her new Heroes of Providence series.

    She already found him highly desirable and he’d certainly assured her that no matter her answer, he’d respect it. So what was it going to be?

    When I accidentally mistook a gorgeous man resting outside my building for a homeless person in need of lunch, we got into it. I’d only been trying to do a good deed around the holidays, but he called me righteous. I called him something far worse. If only I didn’t have to see him again. But fate had other plans.Finding Perfect by Colleen HooverA short story that brings back several of Colleen’s most beloved characters. Told from the point of view of Daniel from Finding Cinderella, readers will finally get the story they’ve been begging for more of. For the best reading experience, make sure you’ve read all three books that come together to make up this heartwarming and fun holiday short story; Finding Cinderella, Hopeless and All Your Perfects.A Rock Chick Christmas by Kristen AshleyWhat's Christmas with the Starks like? Get a peek into the Rock Chick world and how Luke copes with Ava going Christmas gaga and just what he will, and won't, do for his girls during the holidays.Just Say When by Jill ShalvisWhen the one you want …Is the one you can’t seem to have…Can love conquer all?The Pact by Elle KennedyThanks to my hectic schedule as a pro hockey player, my girl and I are spending more time apart than together. Luckily, I have a solution—a romantic New Year’s Eve getaway in the mountains, just me and Grace and plenty of sexytimes. Except this blizzard has other ideas...The Package by K. BrombergChristmas week can’t get any worse for Jules Jilliland. Dumped by her boyfriend, rear-ended on the freeway, and fired from her job, she finds herself stuck in an elevator with a handsome stranger. When their packages are accidentally swapped, will it end up being a misfortunate accident that suddenly brightens her holidays?

    Why do psychopaths act as they do? How do they come to be? Why don’t they feel any remorse for the suffering they cause? And are there better ways of spotting and stopping them?After having been kidnapped, tortured and left for dead when she was just a teenager—by her high school boyfriend—she’s determined to understand how someone she trusted so much could turn on her. So she’s established a revolutionary new medical health center in the remote town of Hilltop, Alaska, where she studies the worst of the worst.But not everyone in Hilltop is excited to have Hanover House and its many serial killers in the area. Alaskan State Trooper, Sergeant Amarok, is one of them. And yet he can’t help feeling bad about what Evelyn has been through. He’s even attracted to her. Which is partly why he worries.He knows what could happen if only one little thing goes wrong...

    Each stand-alone story is set in the brutal and beautiful Rocky Mountains and contains intrigue, romance, and break-neck action. Read all three. A Reluctant Hunter... Desperate to provide for her young daughter, accountant Shanna Clarke accepts an invitation to go on a company hunting trip in the Wind River Mountains, even though she's never shot anything in her life. If she can get through it without embarrassing herself, maybe that sought-after promotion will be hers. But then her boss starts shooting... at her. ...Becomes the Prey Dodging gunfire and struggling to survive in the Wyoming wilderness, Shanna stows away in the back of a rancher's truck. A snowstorm, a grizzly bear, and a murder rap can't keep Shanna and rancher Jace Lantry from discovering why she was targeted. But knowing the reason is only half the battle... the rest has a good chance of killing them both. The first book in Ann Voss Peterson's Rocky Mountain Thriller series, Manhunt is a fast-paced, pulse-pounding novel of suspense and romance. It is approximately 55,000 words long. An earlier draft of this novel was previously published under the title Wyoming Manhunt.

    After losing her job as a party clown, Larissa's roommate gets her a gig working for an escort service. Her first client is Senator Chase Underwood: hot, married, and the current presidential candidate. Will his penchant for sexual domination destroy his prospects of world domination?PART II: DisclosureLarissa Jacobs' financial debt may be a thing of the past, now that Senator--and the all-but-certain future president--Chase Underwood has offered her a lucrative position in his campaign. But, like the rest of Chase's staffers, Larissa is asked to sign a nondisclosure agreement; only Larissa's NDA comes with some interesting stipulations that may make or break their arrangement.PART III: ExposureLarissa Jacobs has finally found the man of her dreams in presidential candidate Chase Underwood, but her dreams of happily ever after have been put on hold indefinitely. When a feature in the L.A Times exposes their affair, Chase and Larissa are thrust into the center of a scandal that will rock the nation and the very foundation of their love.PART IV: ClosureAfter the scandal caused by her affair with presidential candidate Chase Underwood, Larissa Jacobs is flown to his lavish villa in Tuscany. Larissa watches the news coverage of Chase's victory and fantasizes about him storming into the villa and making good on his promise to marry her. But her fantasies are becoming less and less appealing with every day they spend apart. It doesn't help that the hot Secret Service agent assigned to guard her has become the only person she can speak to.Will Larissa remain true to her promise to wait for Chase? Will Chase finally put his love for Larissa before his career?

     Aspiring television writer Evan Walker has been in love with his best friend since high school, but Kyle doesn't do boyfriends. Never has. Never will. Evan knows it's a bad idea to give in to desire when he wants more than a friend with benefits. He has a new dream job. Now all he needs is the dream partner. Kyle Bennett is a mystery novelist with a severe case of writer's block. He needs a change. He has three days on their cross-country train trip home for the holidays to figure out how to tell Evan he's staying there for good. He also has to write the overdue pages for his editor. Only, he's a little too distracted by the close quarters in their sleeper compartment--and Evan's ass--to get much done. The sparks that fly between them are hotter than ever. Good thing they have a real-life mystery to focus on: why people all around them, including Evan's new boss, want to get their hands on a journal that once belonged to Kyle's grandfather. When a blizzard traps them in the mountains, Kyle and Evan steam up the train's windows and must finally face their true desires. This book contains explicit sexual content and graphic language.

    It can also be an exchange, a betrayal, an assault, a promise, a hope...or it could be a goodbye. The intimacy of a kiss cannot be denied. Whether shared, stolen or simply dreamed of, its recipient will be affected. Thirty-one stories by authors from around the world will tease your imagination as you anticipate ‘The Kiss’ in each weird or wonderful tale. This cross-genre anthology contains stories by Kate Aaron, Saxon Andrew, Jacques Antoine, Alison Blake, E. B. Boggs, Shirley Bourget, Ben Cassidy, Jason Deas, Sharon Delarose, Meghan Ciana Doidge, Suzy Stewart Dubot, Corrie Fischer, Brandon Hale, Traci Tyne Hilton, Colleen Hoover, Mona Ingram, J. L. Jarvis, Elizabeth Jasper, Anna J. McIntyre, Jess Mountifield, C. A. Newsome, S. Patrick O'Connell, Suzie O'Connell, Jeanette Raleigh, J. R. C. Salter, Molly Snow, Holli Marie Spaulding, Cleve Sylcox, Robert Thomas, Chris Ward and George Wier. 130,000 words

    As the hot sun bears down on him, his will to live slips away, but he can't close his eyes. Sleep is the enemy and now it seems he has found his own slice of hell. But through the mist of his agony, a girl's soft voice drifts over him and the sound of it draws him away from the darkness. While riding her horse, Evangeline "Angel" Sharpe finds a man bloodied and beaten. Despite knowing that she'll be in trouble for bringing him to the Bedlam MC compound, she takes him home to tend his wounds. While the handsome stranger heals, Angel finds herself falling for him. As the mystery of his past is revealed, she helps him struggle with the truth, a truth that will lead to his true identity . . . an identity that could destroy Angel's world.

    Visits to Petal, Part 1 It’s date night in Petal, Georgia, and Nathan, Matt and Shane have some long-awaited alone time with their women and they’re not about to let that opportunity go.Product WarningsThis free story is bonus material for readers of the Chase brothers and Petal, Georgia, series and is not intended to be standalone.

    She's dated so many great guys over the years, but hasn't fallen in love once. Not with any of them. It just isn't in the cards for her. So, when she approaches powerful, sexy Jack Sutton and proposes a temporary marriage-of-convenience, she's not one bit concerned that her heart will be on the line.Jack Sutton is used to having control over things, having things go his way. Things in his life aren't supposed to spin out of control. But Kelly Bradley flips his world upside-down and has him wanting more than he'd ever thought he would have. And, just when he realizes he wants a real marriage with Kelly, Jack finds himself racing to save the woman he loves.Before Jack and Kelly know it, not only are their hearts on the line, but Kelly's life is, too.Penalty Clause Andrew Weston and Jill Walsh had to be the two most unlikely people to fall in love. When Jill's first husband's love for her simply fizzled and died, Jill knew she'd never trust that love could last again. After Andrew's first love betrayed him in the most brutal way possible, he knew he might fall in love again someday, but there was no way he'd ever make himself vulnerable again by confessing those feelings if he did.Fate had a different ending in mind for these two, though, and when Andrew discovers his love for Jill, he knows the only way to get her to stay with him forever is to offer her an iron clad penalty clause in a prenuptial agreement. He stays with her forever or he loses everything he owns. The millions he's worked for, his property, his cars, everything. Now he just needs to hope that's enough to hold onto Jill forever.The Baker's BodyguardJesse Bradley never thought she'd need help going out into the world. But, after her sister was kidnapped, she began to have trouble going anyplace alone. An anxiety attack would start if a stranger asked her what time it was. Before she knew it, she as making up excuses to stay inside. Where things were safe.Zach Harris was going to change all that. The steamy, sexy bodyguard got her into counseling to help her overcome her fears. He went with her everywhere helping her learn to feel safe again.Jesse and Zach both feel the insane chemistry sparking between them. But will there be more than just chemistry for these two? Negotiation TacticsJennie and chad face love, adventure, and a lot more danger than they bargained for in this heart wrenching story of second chances. Jennie Evans' heart broke when she lost her high school sweetheart and husband just after college graduation and she has no interest in trying to heal it. She's built a good life with friends she loves and a job she can finally feel proud of. Chad Thompson couldn't be more different than Jennie. He wants love. He wants the whole deal: marriage, children, and forever with the woman he loves. It's just too bad that the woman he loves can't give her heart to him. When Jennie and Chad's friends scheme to bring them together, she lands in trouble and turns to the only man who's ever made her forget her husband, the one man she wants to avoid. Chad knows he can keep Jennie safe, but can he protect his heart in the process?

    TREX Special Agent Spencer Allen has been waiting to take the lead since he first started with the covert agency. He's earned his place as his team’s CO and is given a mission that could make or break his career. The night before he deploys, he decides a little R&R is in order. He meets the CEO of the search and rescue group TREX contracts with, takes her home, and they have an unforgettable one-night stand, despite TREX's strict policy not allowing agents to get involved with members of competing agencies. The response is everything... Kat Davis didn't expect to be swept off her feet by a member of the egotistical men-in-black agency that orders her agency around on searches. He says all the right things, touches her in all the right ways, and makes it impossible to resist him. It's only one-night, she reasons. She's not ready to commit to more than what they've already had together and quickly retreats, leaving Spencer confused and angry. Spencer completes his mission and has a decision to make--one that could give him an ounce of happiness, the other the right thing to do. Will he do the right thing? Or do what's right? "If you are looking for nonstop, heart-racing action and sizzling romance, look no further. Allie K. Adams will take you there—and more!" —Lucy Monroe, USA Today bestselling author

    Whether you're diving into treacherous waters, racing the clock against global annihilation, or delving deep into an untamed wilderness, these thrilling tales of love and suspense will leave you breathless. Any Means Necessary by Katie Ruggle (Rocky Mountain Bounty Hunters, #0.5) Katie Ruggle brings trademark wit and warmth to her introduction of a family of five bounty hunter sisters making the Rocky Mountains a safer place—finding love and sowing chaos along the way. Deep Blue by Adriana Anders (Survival Instincts, #0.5) Adriana Anders plunges readers into a thrilling tale of survival (and steamy romance) as a deep sea diver and a former SEAL escape a derelict oil rig overrun with men who have a secret worth killing for. No Way Out by Juno Rushdan (Final Hour, #0.5) Juno Rushdan turns up the pressure in a high-octane, non-stop thriller where one woman's defiance—and her fierce love for the man she could never forget—may be all that's standing in the way of a new bioterror threat. Beyond Home by Connie Mann (Florida Wildlife Warriors #1.5) Connie Mann shows that in central Florida's untamed wilderness, paradise has a dark side, and the heroes of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) are trained to face the worst that man—and nature—can dish out.Turn the Tide is a pulse-pounding collection of novellas by some of the brightest names in the genre.

    They go for supermodels and actresses, skinny-girls who never eat and spend all day working out. I'm not that girl. So when he locked his fiery brown eyes on me for the first time, I couldn't quite believe it was really happening to me.It was the second night I spent with him that I'll never forget.