He has also sworn to love her forever…secretly, of course. A relationship between a hulking, lowly palace guard and the queen is impossible. Still, when he hears Britta crying one night, he can’t help but offer his king-sized embrace as comfort. Rex is shocked when Britta is not repelled by him in the least. Miracle of miracles, she is eager for much more than solace. The penalty for putting his filthy hands on the virgin queen is dead, but what a way to go...

    His mother was right. He still had deep feelings for her and wanted to make things right between them.Two Tempted Loves - Ebony McKenna writing as Ebony OatenA newly-minted marquis meets an heiress on a missionThree French Men - Ava JanuaryThree ladies need to rid themselves of the men they find living in their house. Or will they find a way to keep them in instead?Four Calling Cards - Susanne BellamyHer fiancé is missing and his best friend takes his place. What can possibly go wrong?Five Gold Flings - Beverley OakleyWicked and lively Fanny and Antoinette Brightwell have made spectacular marriages. Now, it’s their children’s turn to play matchmaker...Six Belles Need Saving - Janis LinfordA reluctant debutante and a viscount on the brink of ruin, tangle at a Christmas school of manners.Seven Lords Proposing - Erin GraceAmateur botanist Charlotte Grey has long declared she should never wed. When six eligible gentlemen offer for Miss Grey’s hand at a party, she sets them impossible tasks.Eight Spinsters Singing - Catherine BilsonAn heiress fleeing an unwanted marriage must place her trust in an American ship captain.Nine Years A'Yearning - Alison StuartA wounded soldier and a lonely girl find love at Christmas time, but the fortunes of war will tear them apart.Ten Shipwrecked Books - Renée DahliaLord Rupert Stanmore was banished to the continent for a grand tour after being caught kissing his best friend, Lord Benburgh. Two years later and life back in England has caught up to him.Eleven Christmas Pipers - Pamela HartA Widow who'll never love a soldier again. Especially one who plays the bagpipes!Twelve Drummers Coming - Heidi Wessman KnealeMaude regarded her teacup. So that was Uncle Nate's eldest son? She'd heard much about him, of his grand career as a soldier. Funny that nobody mentioned he was only a drummer.

    Meet three gorgeous heroes, ready to come to your rescue. . . Hot Down Under, Susan LyonsAustralian men are just plain sexy. And Mick Donovan, Australian firefighter, has to be the sexiest of them all. Tash McKendrick is far from home and ready to party in the Land Down Under. Sex on the beach. Sex in the air. Mick knows just how to rock her world. . .all night long. All Fired Up, P.J. MellorFirefighter Nick Howard transferred from Houston to a tiny Texas town expecting peace and quiet. . .not a steamy tryst with the unbelievably sexy Tricia Lundsford. Their bedroom chemistry is combustible, and every mind-blowing encounter has Nick fantasizing about the next. . . Fighting Fire, Alyssa BrooksFire Chief Brent Sommers stopped by The Lucky Hart to safety-check the place. Just his luck that Carmen Harte, the club's new owner and his former flame, is looking dangerously beautiful. And when a faulty door latch leaves them locked in Carmen's office for hours, there's only one way to pass the time--surrendering to burning lust. . .

    Her family was torn apart by an unjust accusation ten years ago, and now, working as a paid companion, Ellen must keep her reputation above reproach. Catching her employer's betrothed in a sizzling tryst is bad enough; even worse that Ellen should find herself so infernally enthralled by the spectacle! Ellen intends to prevent Alex Marshall, Lord Stanton, from dallying with other women before his wedding day, but the rogue turns the tables--with an invitation to be his paramour. It's a proposition that is too outrageous, too indecent…and strangely irresistible. With a single touch, Alex opens the door to a secret world of sensual desire, a world Ellen is burning to explore…Alex intends to be faithful once he's married, but in the meantime, London offers so many tempting bed partners. Giving the prim Miss Drake a taste of the excitement she clearly craves will be a delightful diversion, nothing more. But their secret dalliance unleashes the vengeance of someone who is plotting revenge, someone whose own erotic pursuits are twisted with madness. And the scandal that destroyed Ellen's family is about to come calling once again…

    Despite his reservations, however, he begins to recognize in Cassie a kindred spirit.A Christmas Courting by Chalon LintonWhen obligations keep her in London, Keturah Hensley sadly anticipates missing the festivity of Christmas at her family's country home and the company of her best friend, Christopher Shepherd. When she learns that Christopher will be joining her family in London for Christmas, she is delighted--but her elation is short-lived. Christopher is coming to Town to court the woman of his dreams, and Keturah fears she may have lost the chance to win his love.Mistletoe Memories by Jen Geigle JohnsonFrom childhood, Patrick, Duke of Montrose, knew he'd found his perfect match in Lady Alice Tarrington. When he's sent on a grand tour, Patrick is confident he'll marry his sweetheart upon his return. But when he receives word that Alice is to marry another, will he be too late to claim her heart?Second-Chance Christmas by Heidi KimballFrancie and Gerard have been friends since childhood, but their friendship ended when she declined his heartfelt proposal of marriage. However, when her interactions with Gerard's holiday houseguests provoke in Francie unexpected jealousy, she realizes she must fight for Gerard's affections or risk losing him forever.

    Meghan finds a baby and love on Christmas Eve, Phoebe falls for Santa while trapped with him in an elevator, Jessa flees an arranged marriage and finds her mate in the Highlands, and Andi turns a property dispute into passion, in four tales by Fern Michaels, Hannah Howell, Olga Bicos, and Jennifer Blake.Four holiday hits from four of the genre's favorite authors! "Merry, Merry" by Fern Michaels features a veterinarian who figures her holidays are going to the dogs--until she meets a handsome stranger; in "A Vision of Sugar Plums" by Jennifer Blake, Meghan Castle is a real Scrooge about the holidays--until she discovers an abandoned baby in her store on Christmas Eve and a chance at romance; in Hannah Howell's "The Yuletide Gift", a young woman flees an arranged marriage and finds shelter and love in the home of a Scottish laird; and Olga Bico's "Naughty or Nice" finds a nervous bride-to-be trapped overnight in an elevator on Christmas Eve with a handsome department store Santa she can't resist.

    . .and died for. To the eight Graham siblings, no matter how much hard work or hard love it takes, life is unthinkable without. . .In the wake of his parents' murder, Matthew Graham must take the reins at the Circle Eight. He also needs to find a wife in just thirty days, or risk losing it all. Plain but practical, Hannah Foley seems the perfect bride for him. . .until after the wedding night. Their marriage may make all the sense in the world, but neither one anticipates the jealousies that will result, the treacherous danger they're walking into, or the wildfire of attraction that will sweep over them, changing their lives forever. . . Praise for Emma Lang and her novels: "A sweet and sensual Western in which the heroine discovers her inner strength with the help of a delightfully sexy hero." --Angela Knight, New York Times bestselling author"With a fresh voice and engaging characters, Emma Lang's Restless Heart kept me reading late into the night." --Tina Leonard, bestselling author

    Succumbing to their desires is the easy part. But when passion opens the door to an intimacy neither has known, can a man known for being unbendable learn to love?

    . .Nina Bangs - The FlameMuseum curator Serenity So-Fine has traveled back in time from the year 2700 to retrieve the infamous erotic sculpture The Flame. But the work’s sensual creator, Justin Hill, is about to take Serenity to places even she’s never been. . . .Cheryl Holt - The Wedding NightBlushing bride Ellen Foster shocks her new husband, the Viscount Banbury, just hours after they enter a marriage of convenience when she turns their chaste marital bed chamber into a den of sensual pleasure. . . .Kimberly Raye - Burn, Inc.As the producer of erotic films for women, Gerry Baxter knows the business of sex---even though she hasn’t had a date in five years! But all that changes when a case of mistaken identity leads to astonishing pleasure . . . an unexpected encounter that puts Gerry’s own movies to shame.Patricia Ryan - Possessing JuliaWidow Julia Hughes is to marry in two weeks’ time---and her new husband must never know she’s still a virgin. Her scandalous solution: to lose her virginity before the wedding. But the handsome man she hires for the job intends to teach her a few things along the way---in a series of delightful lessons she’ll never forget!

    Though tempted to stop the marriage using her secret magical skills, she instead ensured the groom's happiness by enchanting the dress so that whoever possessed it would be blessed with true love.But the spell went delightfully awry, working its magic for the servant girl instead of her mistress—and then the dress mysteriously vanished. Who knows where or when it may turn up next, for some blushing bride to claim as her very own?

    All she wants is to survive the conference she's planning and spend some time with her best friend Kate Edwards. She's not expecting the conference services manager to be so tall, dark and handsome...or so eager to please. It's Brandon Long's job to make Leah happy, but after a scorching interlude in her hotel room, neither can deny business has become pleasure.Smart, driven and successful attorney Katherine Edwards has spent her life doing the right thing but . Charles Dixon is a bad choice she can't help but make - over and over. A conference and a promotion bring Kate back to Pennsylvania and suddenly, Dix wants far more than a few nights in random hotel rooms. He wants something permanent and Katherine has to figure out if sometimes a wrong choice isn't exactly what a woman needs.

    Mesmerized immediately with his raw masculinity and sinewy strength, her fascination turns to love as the years pass and his honest integrity is revealed. Jake Cooper manages to ignore his pretty, little orphaned housekeeper for three long years. But when she begins a subtle metamorphosis from girl to woman, he can’t control his consuming need for her any longer. It has been his job to protect the town all these years, but who will protect her from him? Excerpt: Becky clutched the plate to her mid-section, standing as still as a rabbit caught in a predators sight, when she saw the way he stood at the door, watching her. Her hands began the all too familiar shaking, and she heard a roaring sound in her ears and a crashing, splintering noise at her feet. She looked down at the broken plate and in her confusion quickly bent down to retrieve it. A sharp pain in her hand jerked her upright again. The spell was broken when his deep voice intruded on her consciousness. “Goddammit!” Becky stood immobile as he pushed off the door and was quickly upon her. He picked up her hand in his. “Becky, what the hell?” She looked down at his hands holding hers and saw a stream of blood running from a cut on her finger. She realized she had compounded her mistake by cutting her finger. The plate was in shards on the floor. She knew those plates had belonged to his mother. Tears welled in her eyes. “I’m sorry, Sheriff.” He pulled her to the kitchen and his large body crowded her against the counter as he held her hand where it was bleeding. His arms wrapped around her from behind, his chest pressed into her back as he held her bleeding finger in the pail of cold water. The water turned pink as she tried not to faint. His mouth moved to her ear. “You’re more trouble than you’re worth.” He growled the words in her ear. His warm breath caressed her face. “I’m sorry about your m-mother’s china.” Her voice wobbled from the impact of his nearness. He reached around and tugged her chin up and around so he could look into her eyes. “You know this isn’t about the goddamn china, don’t you, Becky?”

    She does not ride astride. She does not fence or attend duels. She does not fire a pistol, and she never gambles at a gentlemen's club.Lady Calpurnia Hartwell has always followed the rules, rules that have left her unmarried—and more than a little unsatisfied. And so she's vowed to break the rules and live the life of pleasure she's been missing.But to dance every dance, to steal a midnight kiss—to do those things, Callie will need a willing partner. Someone who knows everything about rule-breaking. Someone like Gabriel St. John, the Marquess of Ralston—charming and devastatingly handsome, his wicked reputation matched only by his sinful smile.If she's not careful, she'll break the most important rule of all—the one that says that pleasure-seekers should never fall hopelessly, desperately in love.

    Heartbroken and still in love with him, Anna snags an assignment to cover the Winter War in Finland. She arrives at a snowy Finnish battlefront only to discover that Pete is already there—as her photographer. She’s determined to be professional about the situation until a battle breaks out in camp, putting her and Pete in harm’s way and putting their love to the test.In G.G. Vandagriff’s enchanting novella, The Earl of Oaksey Takes a Wife, Melissa Burroughs is the new Countess of Oaksey. Her whirlwind romance and subsequent elopement was worth every divine moment, even if her parents did disapprove. When Melissa learns about her new husband’s apparently empty pockets, she wonders if the intimacy they’ve shared is only the ruse of a fortune-hunter. Melissa is devastated and determines to live a separate life from her new husband. But the Earl has other plans, which do not include staying away from his wife.In Michele Paige Holmes’ charming story, Gift of Love, Ethan Mooreleigh knows he’ll never love another woman after the loss of his beloved wife. Yet he needs a male heir to inherit his vast fortune. Ethan’s best friend, Stuart, has an idea and retrieves his sister, Amelia, who has been living in a convent since the tragic death of her parents. Amelia only agrees to enter into the contract marriage because there’s a child involved, Ethan’s neglected three-year-old daughter. When Amelia meets Ethan for the first time at the altar, she realizes that the last thing she wants her marriage to be is loveless. But winning a man whose heart is still broken may be impossible.A Lesson in Love, a delightful novella by Sarah M. Eden, captures the uncertainties of newlywed life. Lucy Stanthorpe arrives for the London Season, planning to attend every ball and musicale with her new husband, Reed, only to discover he has no intention of taking part in the social whirl. Spurred on by their family and friends, Lucy and Reed each formulate increasingly outlandish plans to teach the other a lesson in appreciation. Their battle of wills threatens to pull the young couple apart unless they can both soften their stubborn hearts.In An Ocean Away, Heather B. Moore’s captivating story, Gina Graydon knows the last thing she’ll attract on her holiday in France is an eligible bachelor. Tall, outspoken, and with a weakness for laughing at the wrong moment, not to mention being much too occupied with reading gothic romances, Gina decides she’d rather live in her fictional world. Besides, the only man who pays attention to her at the resort hotel happens to be her father’s worst enemy. And that is far from romantic. Reading in a secluded garden, and dreaming about the perfect kiss, all keep Gina much too busy to consider Mr. Edmund Donaldson any sort of hero.Nancy Campbell Allen’s entrancing novella, What Happens in Venice, follows Evangeline Stuart as she determines to enjoy her vacation in Venice—her first and likely her last since she lives under the strict confines of her step-father’s control. When she meets the mysterious and romantic Conte Bellini, who happens to be Italy’s most eligible bachelor, she decides he is all part of the dream of visiting Venice. It’s impossible for her to believe that his interest in her is anything more than kindness to a foreign visitor. But when he discovers the true betrayal of her step-father, Evangeline learns the Conte may be the one person with the power to restore her happiness.

    He vows revenge against the rival MacDonald clan, though duty demands a handfast marriage to Isabel MacDonald–a bride he does not want and has no intention of keeping. But Rory couldn’t have anticipated the captivating woman who challenges his steely control, and unleashes the untamed passion simmering beneath his fierce exterior.Blessed with incomparable beauty, Isabel MacDonald is prepared to use every means possible–including seduction–to uncover her husband’s most guarded secrets. Instead Rory awakens Isabel’s deepest desires and her sweetest fantasies. Now Isabel has found the happiness she’s always dreamed of with the very man she must betray, and discovers that passion can be far more dangerous than revenge.