Gingerbread houses, caroling carolers, brightly trimmed trees, big family dinners, pristine snowfalls-the familiar pleasures of the season. But what better pleasure is there than a good holiday story? So open this winter solstice sampler and indulge in fully festive fantasies, nightmares before Christmas, and stunning space-age celebrations. These stories will warm hearts and minds like a blazing Yule log. Fantastic Holiday Stories by Kevin J. Anderson, Mercedes Lackey, Mike Resnick, Kristine Rusch, Jonathan Maberry, Eric James Stone, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Quincy J. Allen, Ken Scholes, Sam Knight, David Boop, Heather Graham, Brad R. Torgersen, and Patricia Briggs.

    A love spell. What could go wrong?Better The Devil You Know by Belle Aurora When you know, you know.Mystery, Mazto Balls, and Moxie by Z.B. HellerA mystery weekend gets steamy and stuffed... with food.Spandex is for Superheros by Ruth ClampettBeware of the terror of your Halloween costume not fitting.A Halloween Hook-up by Jennie MartsA sexy physic and a private eye solve a ghostly murder.Macabre Magic by L.H. CoswayHalloween, a bet, one spooky magic trick.Candy, Dentures, and Way Too Much Spandex by R.S. GreyHe stole my heart in between gyrating geriatrics.Peckers by Liv MorrisA hot cop with handcuffs and a dimpled smile can be frighteningly sexy.One Little Bite by C.C. WoodEven the big, bad wolf can fall in love.Double Dare (continued as Truth or Beard) by Penny ReidNever play truth or dare with identical twins.Red Rum by Ashley PulloTrick o' treat, a girl to meet, blood sangria wicked sweet.Lights Out by Jodie BeauA single mom, a single dad, a common enemy. Will their feelings come to light on Halloween?Nightmare in Night Court by N.M. Silber When lusty lawyers meet creepy criminals.100% of the proceeds go to St. Jude's Children's hospital!

    All of them were Gifted, and all of them have been drained of their blood. Kai is a reluctant telepath with a skewed Gift—she sees thoughts instead of experiencing them. So, unlike other Midlanders, she can intuit that they have a “Guardian.” She also knows that the Guardian Nathan isn’t human. His true nature hasn’t been divined. Neither has hers. But when another one of the Gifted is found dead, Kai herself becomes a suspect. And only Nathan can save her.Previously published in On the Prowl.

    Welcome to the night shift...The omnibus edition of Jill Kismet contains: Night Shift, Hunter's Prayer, Redemption Alley, Flesh Circus, Heaven's Spite and Angel Town.

    The curvy, plus-sized waitress is his mate, yet he still hasn’t figured out how to tell her about his bear. When Kate is put in danger, all bets are off, and nothing can stop the grizzly from claiming and protecting his mate. BROTHER BEAR (Book 2) Ana Smith has been on the run for nearly two months when she stops in Bear Mountain looking for work and meets sexy, muscle bound Seth. Too bad gorgeous, tall, perfect guys don’t go for curvy women like her. Seth knows Ana is hiding something, but he won’t push her for answers no matter how long it takes. He’s chosen her and he’s not letting go. When Ana’s past rolls into town, she finds out nothing will stop a grizzly determined to protect his mate. DOUBLE BEAR (Book 3) Samantha Hastings has lived in Bear Mountain her entire life and doesn’t want to leave, but she longs for a man to call her own and accept her, curves included. When she falls for both Cade and Collin, she vows to stay away from the gorgeous twins. After years of searching for the perfect woman to share for eternity, the two men have other ideas for their curvy mate. Sam’s about to find out that loving two men might seem wrong, but her mates will never let her go. IDLE BEAR (Book 4) Sara Henley has resigned herself to a life alone. Though she wants nothing more than a husband and a family, she knows she won’t find him in Bear Mountain, and she’s not willing to leave the small town. Aaron Williams hasn’t shifted into his bear form in almost a hundred years, and considers his shifter side a curse, but he can’t resist the pull to Bear Mountain. When he meets Sara, Aaron is forced to reconsider his past choices, but he still can’t reconcile with his bear—until Sara is put in danger. Now all he has to do is convince his mate to give him another chance. LOST BEAR (Book 5) Dave Yeager is the deputy in Bear Mountain, and the only human in town who knows about the shifting abilities of the sheriff and his friends. After watching yet another couple mate, he’s reminded of his loneliness. Emma has been living in her bear form for the past ten years, but she can’t ignore the call to Bear Mountain. Sparks fly when she meets Dave, but she’s unwilling to be cheated on again, and creates a plan to satisfy them both. It’s perfect until she realizes an alpha always gets what he wants. (Each book is also sold separately!)

    When Alden’s holiday-weekend sparklers and firecrackers set off what over the next few years comes to be known as the Fourth of July Arms Race, he learns how far he and the Massimos will go to win an annual neighborly rivalry—one that lands Alden in the Castle County jail.Read by beloved Down East storyteller Tim Sample—praised by Stephen King for his “wit and talent and good-heartedness”—Drunken Fireworks makes for explosive audio listening.

    But in their society it's not the male who chooses the mate. Yanti has always wanted Roal; the one wolf that hasn't shown any interest in her as anything more than a friend. Disappointed Yanti refuses to give up on him. But dashing handsome Lash has her in his sights and won't give up until he has her. Roal knows that Yanti is more than special and deserves only the best male in Wolvenglen. But Roal feels more comfortable with his books than actually telling her of his feeling. And when it looks like Yanti has chosen another male as her mate, Roal makes a decision that could cost both of them a happily ever after. This is a short story in the Fairelle World. It also contains the first chapter of Red the Were Hunter and Snow The Vampire Slayer. Books One and Two of the Fairelle Series.

     Yancy Lazarus—bluesman, gambler, mage, and professional fix-it man—has been working for the Guild of the Staff for over twenty-five years. Handling ugly problems no one else wants to touch. Mostly by breaking things, blowing ’em up, or otherwise meting out Guild-sanctioned justice, Rambo-style. His next assignment will be his last. A Guild operative, with a headful of dangerous secrets, has gone missing inside the court of the High Tuatha De Danann: ye olde Irish gods of badassery. Yancy—along with fellow wet-works man James Sullivan and Judge Ailia Levchenko—is dispatched to retrieve the missing operative or, barring that, make the perpetrators behind the operative’s disappearance pay a steep, bloody price for crossing the Guild. But with pissed-off godlings gunning for him on every side, a little kidnapping might be the least of Yancy’s worries. The Guild investigators are gonna have to navigate the murky waters of court politics, ferret out a traitor, and devise a way to put the kibosh on an inter-dimensional invasion if they want to avoid being murdered horribly. And even if they do get to the bottom of the diabolical mystery, nothing will ever be the same, because one of their number isn’t coming home …

    She lost her soulmate when her fiancé died while deployed in Afghanistan, but she still has her music, her crazy spectre-filled town, and her pen-pal-slash-best-friend, Mike Stone. It's a good life and she's happy, but when Mike arrives in Banshee Creek after his last tour of duty in Afghanistan, Abby starts to have doubts, about music, ghosts and, most importantly... love. Like a good soldier, Mike Stone follows the rules, and Rule #1 is: Don't Fall For Your Buddy's Fiancée. His relationship with Abby has been strictly platonic, and will remain that way, if he has anything to say about it. But when he arrives in Banshee Creek, a town where the impossible is an everyday occurrence, he'll find out that sometimes rules are meant to be broken.

    When she steps into a cave, deep in the forest, her life is changed forever. Conyac and Trav are dragon shifter princes with a problem. There are no female dragons left in their world. Without a queen, neither can become king. As an enemy army grows in power, the princes must find a way to defeat the devastating scourge. Will Dani accept what she is or will her past make it impossible for her to come to terms with her new reality?

    D. Robb Celebrity in Death Her career in homicide has taken her into the darkest depths of New York City’s underground—and sometimes Lieutenant Eve Dallas feels more comfortable in those kinds of places than in the high-rise, high-society world of her billionaire husband, Roarke.But while she’s no party girl, she’s managing to have a reasonably good time at the celebrity-packed bash celebrating the debut of The Icove Agenda. This time it’s Eve, not Roarke, who’s a guest of honor, since the film is based on one of her famous cases. Her partner, Peabody, is practically giddy over rubbing shoulders with Hollywood royalty. Eve, on the other hand, is more likely to roll her eyes than have stars in them. But she has to admit it’s a little spooky seeing the actress playing her, who looks almost like her long-lost twin.Not as unsettling, though, as seeing K. T. Harris, the actress who plays Peabody—drowned in the lap pool on the roof of the director’s luxury building. Talented but rude, and widely disliked, K.T. had made an embarrassing scene during dinner. She clearly liked being the center of attention. Now she’s at the center of a crime scene—and Eve is more than ready to get out of her high heels and strap on her holster, to step into the role she was born to play: cop. Delusion in Death It was just another after-work happy-hour bar downtown, where business professionals unwound with a few drinks, complained about the boss, maybe hooked up with someone for the night. Until something went terribly wrong.At first it was just a friction in the air. The noise intensified. The crowd seemed oppressive. Some sharp words were exchanged, some pushing and shoving. Then the madness descended. And after twelve minutes of chaos and violence, eighty people lay dead.Eve Dallas is trying to sort out the inexplicable events. Surviving witnesses talk about seeing things—monsters and swarms of bees. They describe sudden, overwhelming feelings of fear and rage and paranoia. When forensics makes its report, the mass delusions make more sense: it appears the bar patrons were exposed to a cocktail of chemicals and illegal drugs that could drive people into temporary insanity—if not kill them outright. But that doesn’t explain who would unleash such horror—or why. Eve’s husband, Roarke, happens to own the bar, yet he’s convinced the attack wasn’t directed at him. It’s bigger than that.And if Eve can’t figure it out fast, it could happen again, anytime, anywhere. Because it’s airborne....

    He's got money in the bank from his lucrative job as a Manhattan contractor, and he runs with the big dogs of his were pack. But when he meets and falls for Nadia—who's soon to be named the leader of Chicago's Henderson pack—he knows he's in over his head. Nadia belongs to a rarefied world; Quentin would sooner be seen in torn jeans than in an Armani suit. But when Nadia's new position is threatened by a rebel were, Quentin has a chance to prove his worthiness and his love—and show her the alpha-male inside.

    He's spent the better part of the last century flirting his way through Paris, but when he met Kate Mercier, the heroine from Amy Plum's Die for Me trilogy, he knew his afterlife had changed forever and he had found the love of his life. Until Kate fell for his best friend, Vincent. Now Jules is faced with an impossible decision: choosing between his loyal friend and a love truly worth dying for.

    During the long, crowded festivities of Deyalda, there’s nowhere to escape. Until a handsome stranger promises to teach her to save herself…THE CHOSEN, by Thea HarrisonIn her visions, Lily sees two men fighting for her tiny country’s allegiance: the wolf and the tiger, each deadly, each cunning. One will bring Ys chaos and death, one a gentler path—but she’s destined to love whichever she chooses. The midwinter Masque is upon them, and the wolf is at her door…THE STORM, by Elizabeth HunterWhen her soul mate died in a massacre of the half-angelic Irin people, Renata thought she’d never feel happiness again. She’s retreated to the snowy Dolomites to remember her hurts—until determined, irrepressible Maxim arrives to insist on joy, too. And before she can throw him out, they discover a secret the Irin have to know…THE SNOWS OF WINDROVEN, by Jeffe KennedyAs a blizzard threatens their mountain keep, the new Queen Amelia of the Twelve Kingdoms and her unofficial consort Ash face their own storm. Ash knows a scarred, jumpy ex-convict isn’t the companion his queen needs. But when a surprise attack confines them together in their isolated sanctuary, the feast of midwinter might tempt even Ash into childlike hope…

    Someone has kidnapped his fated mate, Cat, and Patrick is imprisoned. He makes a deal with the devil to be freed, and when he finds Cat, she has no memory of him or the life they lived together. Can Patrick convince Cat that he is her fated mate?Grizzly Bell Rock by Cynthia FoxWhen the feisty O'Reilly sisters, Gracie and Catherine, travel over the river and through the woods straight into Mistletoe Hollow and its population of shifters, Two hunky shopkeepers show them the best Christmas presents come with four legs and fur.How the Bear Stole Christmas by Claire RyannWhen an opportunity to run a friend's coffee shop for the winter season lands Andi in the path of the surly man that the locals call "the Grinch" will she be able to see beneath his gruff exterior to discover that the California Grizzly never really went extinct?New Year Wolf by J.K. HarperCaleb Bardou is a fighter at heart. When he was justifiably stripped of his Pack Guardian status, it knocked him out cold. But with his hard-won mate, Rielle, now by his side, Caleb forges a promising new path--until his arch nemesis threatens to take the shine off Caleb and Rielle's bright new year.Before the Hunt by J.M. KlaireWhen a wolf shifter with commitment issues teams up with a runaway bride to find her a new groom, the claws come out and the fur flies.Bearing the Freeze by Christa KelleyPolar bear shifter Gage Weston, known to the world as the Paranormal Problem-Solver, returns to his hometown to face down the one problem he could never solve: Mending Lily Tisdale's broken heart.The Cowbear's Secret Christmas Baby by Liv BrywoodForced to hunt down the cowboy shifter who broke her heart, Rachel must convince Brady to help her save the dying son he never knew existed.The Alpha Warlock Shifter's Gift (An Alpha Warlock of Kala West Short) by Auriella SkyeIt's Christmas time in Kala West, but with werewolf Danika being forced to marry a stranger and half-breed Blaine's out-casting from the warlock community, they aren't in the holiday spirit. When the two realize their past connection to each other, even Florida won't be a match for the magical heat between them.Winter Solstice by Gen GéricaultOn the longest, darkest day of the year, magic sizzles the snow between cursed bear shifter Clayton Afters and his witchy true mate, Clementine Weatherspoon--but the winter solstice is full of surprises for this fated pair.The Panther's Runaway Surrogate by Alyse ZaftigSurrogate Devanta is on the run, but the baby's father, a billionaire panther shifter, won't rest until he catches her.Bear Naked for Christmas by Edith HawkesChristmas in the arms of a handsome stranger, with a furry secret, wasn't on Katie's wishlist, but she sure wasn't going to say no and return him!Jingle Bell Howl by Misha CarverWhen reckless Laney Reynolds defies her parents and steals her mother's car to go on a ski trip for Christmas vacation, things spiral out of control quickly. Will Nate, the handsome and charming billionaire wolf shifter be able to save her from herself as well as the forces that threaten to harm her? Snow Leopard Mountain by Suki SelborneWhen workaholic executive assistant Cadence takes a business trip to Aspen, she never expected to find herself a suspect in a kidnapping -- or to be swept off her feet by Sawyer, a hot snow leopard shifter who might just know how to make her dreams come true.Found by Olivia ArranWhen Alpha Adam Colstone escapes to his winter cabin for some much needed solitude and relaxation, rescuing a voluptuous she-wolf from frostbite was definitely not part of his plan. Waking up in the arms of a sizzling hot stranger, Claire Kendal thought all her Christmases had come at once...but she had to keep on running-didn't she?