Against her better judgment, however, she is powerfully drawn to the elusive and dangerous Lucien, whose hard-hearted façade hides a tragedy that is slowly devouring him from within.As Lucien and Madeline circle each other in a magnetic play of desire and denial, their passion will rise to a crescendo of longing and sacrifice that will change their fates forever.

    For at the top of each guest’s wish list is a last chance to find true love before the New Year…A chance meeting beneath the mistletoe, a stolen glance across the dance floor—amid the sumptuous delicacies, glittering decorations, and swell of the orchestra, every duchess and debutante, lord and lackey has a hopeful heart. There's the headstrong heiress who must win back her beloved by midnight—or be wed to another....the spinster whose fateful choice to relinquish love may hold one more surprise for her...a widow yearning to glimpse her long-lost love for even one sweet, fleeting interlude...a charming rake who finds far more than he bargained for. And many other dazzling, romantic tales in this star-studded collection that will fill your heart and spice up your holidays...Contents:Prologue by Jo BeverleyMy True Love Hath My Heart by Joanna BourneA Scottish Carol by Susan KingChristmas Larks by Patricia RiceIn the Bleak Midwinter by Mary Jo PutneyOld Flames Dance by Cara ElliottA Season for Marriage by Nicola CornickMiss Finch and the Angel by Jo BeverleyMistletoe Kisses by Anne Gracie

    but its former occupant as well!Contains:One True Love by Suzanne EnochTwo Hearts by Karen KawkinsA Dozen Kisses by Mia RyanThirty-six Valentines by Julia Quinn*All Lady Whistledown columns written by Julia Quinn

    Abigail Watson is flirty, bold, and determined David will agree to her bargain and save her brother from debtor’s prison. But is her game to prevent him from calling in the debt, or are her sweet kisses a sign she is after a much greater prize instead? A sensual regency romance novella.

    Why, just about anyone would make a more suitable match...even her own paid companion, Emily Townsend! But if her dear, practical-minded Robert were to back out of the betrothal, the tongues of the ton would never stop wagging...At the very least, the dowager decides, she will extract a promise from her grandson to find Emily a husband. But when the handsome, rakish earl comes to know the charms of Emily Townsend, he suddenly regrets his hasty engagement-and is sorely tempted to win her hand for himself.

    When she spots a certain engagement announcement in The Times, she decides to take action. She will not allow another hapless girl to fall prey to a man—particularly the scoundrel who broke her heart five years ago. Anonymously she writes and distributes a pamphlet entitled “Secrets of a Wedding Night,” knowing it will find its way into his intended’s innocent hands…How to Seduce a WidowDevon Morgan, the Marquis of Colton, desires a good wife and mother to his son—someone completely unlike Lily Andrews, the heartless beauty who led him on a merry chase five years ago only to reject him. When Devon’s new fiancée cries off after reading a certain scandalous pamphlet, he vows to track down the author and make her pay. But when he learns it’s his former fiancée Lily, he issues a challenge: write a retraction or prepare to be seduced—to find out how wonderful a wedding night can be…

    From A Far Off Land... A bold and brazen prince came to America to claim his promised bride. But the spirited vixen spurned his affections while inflaming his royal blood with passion's fire...impelling virile Stefan Barany to take in sensuous and searing conquest the love Tatiana vowed never to yield.

    In this novella (a sequel to "The Secret History of the Pink Carnation"), the newly married spy, the Purple Gentian, and his bride find more than mince pie when they head home for the holidays.

    Propriety has never come easily, but now they have no choice. Marry in haste...or regret in poverty!The Sinclairs of Scotland are known throughout society as the Seven Deadly Sins. Cast out by their father and denied their inheritance unless they mend their wild ways, they travel to London to seek respectability. No member of the clan is more scandalous than Sterling Sinclair, the Marquess of Blackburn. The ladies of the ton are powerless to withstand his rakish charms...until Miss Isobel Carington comes along.Ten thousand pounds if she marries Sinclair!Isobel is horrified to learn that's the amount wagered at White's Club—and now all of London is eagerly betting on her future! She's already publicly spurned the marquess, a man she hardly knows, but she's sure he is up to something, as he launches a bold campaign of seduction anyway. But soon she is surprised to learn there is much more to this man than reckless adventure and bad behavior...and, against her will, she begins to relish the thrill of sinning with this stranger.

    Anthony hired Daphne to restore the priceless treasures he has been digging up, but it's hard for a woman to keep her mind on her work when her devastatingly handsome employer keeps taking his shirt off. He doesn't know she's alive, but who could blame her for falling hopelessly in love with him anyway?Anthony thinks that his capable employee knows all there is to know about antiquities, but when his sister decides to turn the plain young woman in gold-rimmed glasses into an enticing beauty, he declares the task to be impossible. Daphne is devasted when she overhears...and determined to prove him wrong. Now a vibrant and delectable Daphne has emerged from her shell, and the tables are turned. Will Anthony see that the woman of his dreams has been there all along?

    Fans of Julia Quinn, Jane Feather and Eloisa James will delight in Meredith's trademark headstrong heroine, cunning hero and tale of deep emotional intensity!Amanda Thomas is stranded a thousand miles from home. Jilted by a viscount and abandoned without a penny, she'll do whatever it takes to secure a berth on an England-bound ship. But when the anchor lifts, she's not the only impostor on board—for the stranger in her bed claims to be the real viscount. Can she trust this devastatingly attractive scoundrel? Or is his offer of friendship only a pretext for seduction...and revenge?

    With varying expectations, each girl accepts her turn with the good luck charm—and a chance at happily ever after—secretly fearing the gypsy’s tale may be nothing more than a plot to sell a worthless piece of jewelry.

    Still, Daniel, Earl of Colebrooke is outraged that his marriageable sister, Gretchen, has joined such a resigned group of spinsters. Then he gets to know the fetching Miss Winslowe --- hardly a spinster and anything but resigned.A LITTLE MIX-UP ...As attraction blossoms, so does a predicament that could be disastrous for their romance. Gretchen's been discovered in Miss Winslowe's garden with a stone cupid in her hand and a man lying dead at her feet. Certainly Daniel's sister never intended to kill London's most eligible bachelor!A LITTLE SCANDAL ...It's up to Daniel to protect the family name and to keep the unfortunate accident a secret. But when the body disappears, they're all left to wonder just what in the ton is going on --- and where in the name of love could it possibly be headed?

    But everything changes when he meets the beautiful and mysterious Moira Dennison, a bold young woman who offers to hire him, unaware of his title, to help her find her fiancé. Curious and unable to resist, Nathan accepts her offer, keeping his true identity a secret, never dreaming of what the future held for him.She was desperate...Moira is set on finding Charles now that she has come into her inheritance. With her new-found wealth and independence, she is determined to locate her betrothed so they may finallymarry. With Nathan as her guide, she feels confident in the path before her. But when their arrangement forces them closer together, she finds her chosen path may not be as clearas she thought.

    It was formerly published in The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance.