Hades incarnate.They say he stole me.Usurped my fiancé and filled the cracks in my heart with empty promises.Imprinted his crimson fingerprints on my psyche and tried to set me free.They’re not wrong, per se.Except it was my choice to stay.KalTo most, Elena Ricci is an innocent.Goddess of springtime, lover of poetry, angel of my nightmares.Little one. Persephone personified.They say I ruined her.Shattered her virtue and devoured her soul like a succulent pomegranate.Embedded my evil as deep as I could possibly get and tried to set her free.They’re not wrong, per se.Except it was she who ruined me.**Promises and Pomegranates is a full-length, standalone, dark contemporary romance based loosely on the framework/characters from the Hades and Persephone myth. It features mature themes, explicit scenes, triggers, and strong language. If you’re not a reader of the genre, this book may not be suitable for you. Reader discretion is advised.

    When she returns to her hometown of New York City to film the starring role in a bilingual romantic comedy for the number one streaming service in the country, Jasmine figures her new “Leading Lady Plan” should be easy enough to follow—until a casting shake-up pairs her with telenovela hunk Ashton Suárez. Leading Ladies don’t need a man to be happy. After his last telenovela character was killed off, Ashton is worried his career is dead as well. Joining this new cast as a last-minute addition will give him the chance to show off his acting chops to American audiences and ping the radar of Hollywood casting agents. To make it work, he’ll need to generate smoking-hot on-screen chemistry with Jasmine. Easier said than done, especially when a disastrous first impression smothers the embers of whatever sexual heat they might have had. Leading Ladies do not rebound with their new costars. With their careers on the line, Jasmine and Ashton agree to rehearse in private. But rehearsal leads to kissing, and kissing leads to a behind-the-scenes romance worthy of a soap opera. While their on-screen performance improves, the media spotlight on Jasmine soon threatens to destroy her new image and expose Ashton’s most closely guarded secret.

    I know what I look like to others. Young, government-aided, pregnant mom. They see Lucy on my hip, and they see a mistake. I mean, why else would someone have a child so young, right? They couldn’t be more wrong. I’m too busy most days between parenting, work, and finishing up my last year of nursing school to let their judging gaze tear me down until he moves in the vacant house next to the apartments I live in. His cold, blunt observation of us doesn’t differ from any other stranger. He doesn’t know me, but he’s already painting a picture of who he thinks I am in his mind. He judges my very round belly, Lucy’s inability to leave him alone, the bags under my eyes, and the fact that I could not care less what I look like anymore. He’s a rude guy. Stays that way for months too. Then something happens, I’m not even sure what. Judgmental Guy decides Lucy and me — as well as baby Eli — are worth his friendship. Turns out, Judgmental Guy isn’t too mean — okay, he kind of still is. But he graduates to Elijah. I build an unlikely friendship with him which deems it necessary for him to start smiling around me and my kids. I’m wrong again. Elijah isn’t rude. He’s terrifying. His strange acts of kindness are unraveling me. Elijah is only my friend. Right? Oh, fudge. I think I’m wrong. Again.

    What's better than one deliciously cozy, swoon-worthy holiday story? Four of them, from some of today's bestselling authors.From KASIE WEST, a snowy road trip takes an unexpected detour when secrets and crushes are revealed.From AIMEE FRIEDMAN, a Hanukkah miracle may just happen when a Jewish girl working as a department store elf finds love.From MELISSA DE LA CRUZ, Christmas Eve gets a plot twist when a high school couple exchange surprising presents.From NIC STONE, a scavenger hunt amid the holiday crowds at an airport turns totally romantic.So grab a mug of hot cocoa, snuggle up, and get ready to fall in love...

    No little sisters, no job, just me, visiting an old friend, celebrating Valentine’s day, and pretending I’m a carefree college student. Hungry for adventure, I’m spending my last night of freedom attending Lust and Found: A Blind Date Scavenger Hunt. I was hoping to get paired with a carefree hottie. But, instead I’m stuck with an uptight, straight-laced, stick in the mud. At least the hottie part is still in place. ♥ Eric ♥I’m a music major, a future recording engineer, and I should be in the studio working. Instead I’m participating in this silly game because my friends think it’s time for me to hook up with a girl, any girl. They can’t understand the pressure and responsibility I feel to succeed. My parents think that compared to science or math, music is a joke, so I have to prove myself a talent beyond measure. But you can’t turn down your friends every time they ask, so now, I’m burdened with this sparkling sprite of a woman. She's got lavender hair and an irritatingly joyful personality. There’s just something about her, I can’t seem to look away. The Sweet Hearts series is a collection of 14 swoon-worthy Valentine’s Day love stories from some of your favorite romance authors! Treat yourself to all the books in the series:PUPPY LOVE by Kali HartBE MINE by Jagger ColeYOU ROCK by Lola WestHEY QT by Jade BayDREAM TEAM by Anita KnightMY HERO by Mazzy KingHEART OF GOLD by Fern Fraser1-800 CUPID by C.L. CruzTOO SWEET by Lana DashCUTIE PIE by Nichole RoseKISS ME by Kat BaxterLET'S KISS by Barbra CampbellHONEY BUN by Eve LondonYES DEAR by Vanessa Booke

    I loved it!"--Chantel Guertin, author of InstamomKhalil Sarda went through a rough patch last year, but now he's nearly back to his old self. All he has to do is keep his "stuff" in the past. Real men don't have depression and go to therapy--or, at least they don't admit it. He's ready to focus on his growing chain of barbershops, take care of his beloved Detroit community, and get back to being the ladies' man his family and friends tease him for being. It'll be easy . . . until Vanessa throws him completely off his game.Vanessa Noble is too busy building a multimillion-dollar tech career as a Black woman before age thirty to be distracted by a relationship. Not to mention, she's been burned before, still dealing with the lingering hurt of a past breakup. Besides, as her friends often remind her, she'll never find a man who checks all the boxes on her famous List. Yet when she desperately needs a shape-up and happens upon one of Khalil's barbershops, the Fade, he makes her reconsider everything. Khalil is charming, intelligent, sexy, and definitely seems like he'd treat a woman right . . . but he's not Black.Vanessa may be willing to take a chance on Khalil, but a part of him is frustratingly closed off, just out of her reach. Will old patterns emerge to keep them apart? Or have they both finally found a connection worth throwing away the playbook for?

    You would think that her next-door neighbor would be a prince candidate for her romantic comedy fantasies, but Wes has only proven himself to be a pain in the butt, ever since they were little. Wes was the kid who put a frog in her Barbie Dreamhouse, the monster who hid a lawn gnome's severed head in her little homemade neighborhood book exchange.Flash forward ten years from the Great Gnome Decapitation. It's Liz's senior year, a time meant to be rife with milestones perfect for any big screen, and she needs Wes's help. See, Liz's forever crush, Michael, has just moved back to town, and—horribly, annoyingly—he's hitting it off with Wes. Meaning that if Liz wants Michael to finally notice her, and hopefully be her prom date, she needs Wes. He's her in.But as Liz and Wes scheme to get Liz her magical prom moment, she's shocked to discover that she actually likes being around Wes. And as they continue to grow closer, she must reexamine everything she thought she knew about love—and rethink her own perception of what Happily Ever After should really look like.

    Things can only get better...Her grumpy, but decidedly handsome new neighbour, Mack, has a habit of bestowing unsolicited good deeds on her. And when Jenny is welcomed into a rather unusual book club, life seems to finally be getting more interesting.Instead of reading, the members pledge to complete individual challenges before Christmas: from finding new love, learning to bake, to completing a daredevil bucket list. Jenny can’t resist joining in, and soon a year of friendship and laughter, tears and regrets unfolds in the most unexpected ways.Warm, wise, funny and utterly uplifting, what one thing would you change in your life before Christmas comes around?

    What was supposed to be a memorable holiday with his long-time girlfriend goes sour when he learns she cheated on him while he was stationed overseas. At least Nick can rely on his usual shift at the family Christmas tree farm with his best friend, Noel Carter, and her endless supply of Christmas tunes to lift his spirits. A night of fun together is just what he needs to forget about his ex.But then they kiss. And it feels...so right.If Noel can turn Nick’s Blue Christmas merry and bright, this might be the last Christmas Nick spends with a broken heart. This year, they’ll be Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree as a couple―as long as Nick’s ex doesn’t go standing under any mistletoe.“Codi Hall brings all the feels.”—Monica Murphy, New York Times bestselling author

    He digs into the snowman to discover two things: the weapon fits into the body just under the head, and the snowman was supposed to be the back drop for Lexi's next show.From this improbable beginning comes friendship. Can there be more for a woman who is afraid to get close again and a man who has shadows from his childhood?Families join together and hearts are healed as this couple goes walking in a winter wonderland.

    Conceited. Shallow. Three simple words to describe me. I had everything a girl could ask for, yet nothing I truly needed. I'd made peace with who I was and the expectations set upon me long ago. Only to have that peace shattered when a nameless hero rode into my world. I wasn't allowed to have him. Too bad I never cared much for the word no. Because I'd soon learn the hard way that too much self-indulgence could result in incurable consequences.

     Question: What would you do if every holiday you ever spent with your family ended in disaster? I’ll tell you: you’d cry. I know, because each and every celebration with my family ends in chaos—and I’ve had more than my share of mental breakdowns because of it. But I’m done with the tears, the insanity—I refuse to take it anymore. This Christmas is going to be perfect. I’ll put Thatch in a fluffing Santa Claus suit and have him tap dance to Jingle Bells, if I have to. I deserve Christmas smiles and that feel-good Christmas high I’ve been missing. My name is Georgia Brooks, and by Christmas night, my husband, my kids, and my closest friends will be thinking only one fluffing thing… She Sleighed It.

    He rescues a beauty from the side of the road and never expected one night would change his life forever.Gabi needed an escape from her world in LA. When her rescuer found her and her wrecked vehicle, she thought he was an angel. She quickly discovers she can rescue him back in a different way.A holiday power outage still manages to shine light upon what matters most to Gabi and Jax—the people and the moments that define us.One accident.A one-night stand.Two hearts.And...some mistletoe. What happens when the ball drops on New Year’s?Kiss Me is a stand-alone in the Fairlane series. The series has crossover characters from each novel. It is not required to read the books in order but it is recommended to enhance the reading experience.Fairlane Series:1. Hollywood Redemption (Luke and Alex)2. Hollywood Fairytale (Luke and Alex)3. Unsteady in Love (Holden and Prue)4. Kiss Me (Jax and Gabi) *Previously in the Spiced Holiday Kisses Anthology.

    No excitement, no flutters, not even a glimmer of curiosity.That all changes when my bossy neighbor steps in and shows me how it’s done, just this once.But when the kiss that sets me on fire ends, it’s not enough. I want more. I want it all. And I want him to be the one.On the wrong kind of man.I’m bossy, possessive, dirty-talking, and twice her age. Kissing my cute, innocent neighbor is a terrible idea—especially when kissing turns into more. One taste of her sweet lips might not be enough. Once I touch her, there’s no going back. Once I've had her, she’s mine.

    She disagrees.I spent the last year of my life trying to get over my injuries and losing my friend.I knew I was destined to be alone and never even considered that I could have love in my future.And then I met Hope.She’s everything I’m not. She’s happy and sees the good everywhere.While I have seen the very worst in people and know what this world is capable of.I know she deserves more than me, a man scarred on the inside and out.But no matter how much I think I don’t deserve her,One kiss, one night has me wishing for more.The only question is can she look past my scars and see the man I am… the man I want to be?And will it be for one night… or forever?