So, after two years, she's not surprised by the steamy dreams telling her it might be time to start moving on. But she didn't expect her friend Justin to have the starring role. Justin McCormick has loved Claire since the moment he first saw her, but his best friend got there first. Now that Claire is ready to move on with her life, Justin is finding it harder than ever to hide his true feelings. And when they both get caught up in the holiday spirits at a party, their simmering mutual attraction boils over into a night neither of them can forget...20,000 words

    So when he sees the alluring Miss Pippa Welby from across a crowded ballroom, he vows to make her his. But the bold and spirited Pippa has sworn never to marry into the haute ton. Now Lucas must win her the only way he knows how—one wicked kiss at a time.The daughter of a wealthy tradesman, Pippa has been sneered at by the upper echelons her entire life. So when the duke arrives on her doorstep with an invitation to her own engagement ball—to him—in ten days, Pippa hatches a daring plan. She must lose the duke before the ball, or risk losing her own heart.

    In stories ranging from 1820s Regency England to present-day Washington state, readers will be treated to Christmas tales of an heirloom brooch passed from mother to daughter for almost two hundred years. Will the family legend claiming the brooch brings love to its recipient hold true for these women separated by the years but bonded together by the ties of family?In Kristi Ann Hunter's "Legacy of Love," Sarah Gooding never suspected returning a brooch to an elderly woman would lead to a job . . . and introduce her to the woman's grandson. While he may be far above her station, she can't help but notice that his desire to make this Christmas special for his grandmother matches her own.In Karen Witemeyer's "Gift of the Heart," widow Ruth Albright uses the family brooch as collateral for a loan from the local banker. But the more she comes to know the man behind the stern businessman, the more she hopes for a second chance at love as the holidays draw near.In Sarah Loudin Thomas's "A Shot at Love," Fleeta Brady's rough-and-tumble childhood means she prefers hunting to more feminine activities. She never expected her mother's brooch might be how a fellow hunter turns her attention from competition to romance one December.In Becky Wade's "Because of You," Maddie Winslow has spent years in love with a man whose heart was already spoken for. When a church Christmas project brings them together and she stumbles upon an old family brooch, might it finally be her turn for love?

    Her father has passed away and her hands are abandoning her like rats from a sinking ship. Worse, neighboring cattle baron Jess Fairbanks is making a play for the Diamond D and Audra, whichever he can get his hands on first. Audra grudgingly accepts that the mere presence of a husband will keep her men working, and Fairbanks under control. It seems a perfectly reasonable idea, then, to ask her uncle, who is the town attorney and a matchmaker of sorts, to find her a groom—a “proxy” who will take her orders and dish them out to the men. Dillon Pine is in jail for a conspiracy charge, but because of certain mitigating factors he’s deemed a good risk for an unusual form of probation: serving as Audra’s husband. After a year, he can abandon her and she won’t tell. By then, she will have proven to the cowboys she’s a competent rancher, and the cattle man next door will be looking elsewhere for a wife. But when word gets out that Dillon came to Audra via Evergreen’s matchmaker, he’s dubbed a “male order bride.” The resulting jokes at his expense are constant and brutal. Just how much abuse can Dillon’s pride stand? When Audra discovers her father’s death was no accident, she realizes her new husband is in danger, too. And she cares . . . quite a lot, it turns out. To save Dillon, she may have to let go of the one thing she’s fought her whole life to keep.

    He soon learns a bit of Yuletide peace and quiet is too much to ask for. When he encounters Miss Cerian Blake, who’s dodging her own unwanted set of admirers, the two decide to join forces and fake an infatuation to keep their suitors at bay. But when a bough of mistletoe becomes involved, will their Christmastime prank turn into a love to last all seasons?

    Judith McNaught, Arnette Lamb & Jill Barnett whisk you away... to New York in the late 1800s, where a beautiful but clumsy angel turns a lonely man's life around... to medieval Scotland, where intrigues surrounding a Christmas Mass imperil two Highland lovers... to Regency London, where a world-weary lord receives an outrageous proposal... to modern-day Colorado, where a daring and clever twelve-year-old plays matchmaker for his bighearted, impractical mother... to a world where love always reigns supreme!

     Lord Harry Marlow reluctantly attends a Christmas house party hosted by his brother and his sister-in-law, who also happens to be the woman he once longed to wed himself. He’s not pleased by the prospect of holly and mistletoe and merrymaking any more than he is with the reminder of the love he could have had. But his dismay doesn’t last for long when a mysterious stranger in the midst of a blizzard captures his interest. Lady Alexandra Danvers is unabashedly eccentric. Nothing and no man interests her more than her scientific pursuits. Until she meets the sinfully handsome Lord Harry, that is. When sparks fly between the unlikely pairing, scandal isn’t far behind. Will Lord Harry and Lady Alexandra find true love together by Christmas day? Length: novella Note: Previously appeared in the collection Seduced Under the Mistletoe. This is an extended version never before published.

    She certainly doesn't have a husband on her Christmas wish list. But when a wandering carpenter finds lodging at her boarding house, she admits that she might remarry if she found the right man--the kind of man who would bring her roses for Christmas. It would take a miracle to get roses during a harsh Wyoming winter. But Christmas, after all, is the time for miracles . . .Amanda Cabot invites readers to cozy up with a romantic, heartwarming tale of the greatest gift of all--love.

    What she doesn’t know is that she is about to become a mail-order bride, too. 1881 Oregon Melissa Eversoll Burgess’s hope of a wonderful life with her first husband went up in smoke the day she married him. Not only was his abuse difficult to take, but she also learned that he was deeply involved in crime—on the very day he died. Now that they’re both widowed, Melissa and her mother are ready to start over in a place called Hope Hollow. When she is introduced to a handsome farmer and informed that she is to be his mail-order bride, she doesn’t know whether to hug him…or slap him. Garret Pearce came to Oregon three years ago to claim land and nurse a broken heart. Though he’s smitten with Melissa from their very first meeting, he’s not about to fall into that trap again. That is, until it becomes obvious she needs his protection. Entering a marriage of convenience may not have been in his plans, but now that he’s got a wife—and a pretty one at that—he realizes that keeping his heart from being torn in two is going to be the challenge of his life. One that he just might lose. Will Melissa and Garret get a second chance at love? Welcome to Hope Hollow, Oregon, a place where hope abounds for the downtrodden and weary, and where peace and love abide amidst life’s trials. ***Warning: sensitive topics such as domestic abuse and familial suicide are mentioned as past experiences for Melissa and her mother in the story, though the author has made every effort to keep the focus on the development of the main characters' relationship with each other in this sweet romance.

    But the virtuous Sheriff Hale has never told anyone about his shocking desires. Will he give in to the surprising temptation of the young widow?Meet bestselling erotica author Holly Summers in Victoria Dahl's contemporary romances, TALK ME DOWN (January 2009) and START ME UP (July 2009).

    and Mrs. Darcy Wish You a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!"Share in the magic of the season in these three warm and wonderful holiday novellas from bestselling authors.Christmas Present by Amanda GrangeA Darcy Christmas by Sharon LathanMr. Darcy's Christmas Carol by Carolyn EberhartFrom two bestselling and a debut author comes heartwarming Christmas tales sure to delight Jane Austen fans.From Amanda Grange, the bestselling author of Mr. Darcy's Diary and Mr. Darcy, Vampyre, Christmas finds the Darcy's celebrating the holiday with preparations for a ball, but the festivities are interrupted by the arrival of a very special gift... Ever sensual and romantic, Sharon Lathan highlights everything that's best and most precious in the celebrations of the holiday season. After a quarter of a century together, Darcy and Elizabeth reminisce... Jane Austen meets Charles Dickens! Carol Eberhart's Mr. Darcy's Christmas Carol finds Darcy encountering ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future, who show him his life if pride keeps him from his one true love.

    On his deathbed.Gwendolyn Adams isn't shocked at being asked to save a handsome earl's dying line, even when she learns the prospective bridegroom is seriously ill and possibly insane. She's quite a good nurse, after all, and her family is famous for producing healthy male children. Those stories about his riding the moors half-naked on a pale white horse? Extremely intriguing—especially after she gets her first look at the gorgeous lunatic.The Earl of Rawnsley wants only to lose what's left of his mind in peace and privacy. But his busybody relatives have saddled him with a surprise bride and orders to sire an heir forthwith. (And they say he's mad?) But with Gwendolyn, his health is returning, and his resistance ... crumbling. Is it possible that love is the finest madness of all?

    Fortunately, a gorgeous musician at the Duchess of Ormond's house party presents the perfect candidate for scandal…​Previously published in the Essex Sisters Official Companion Guide (e only). At Midnight ​Elias Hempleworth-Gray has one thing and one thing only of value—his title, Earl of Leyton. Determined to leave England and the scandal of his gambler father behind, Elias hopes to turn his fortunes around and come back a respectable man to claim the only woman for him, Miss Penelope White. But Penny has other plans for the man she has loved all her life…plans that include a masquerade, a stolen kiss and a lost shoe.Previously published in the Fairy Tale sampler (print only). Ever After When she was sixteen, Miss Violet Leighton spent one blissful month romping around her family estate with Rothwell Talcott…thirty days of shared kisses, culminating in a very illicit afternoon in a berry patch. As Rothwell leaves for his grand tour, he gives his word of honor that he will return for her. Four years and seven refused proposals later, Violet is about to give up and marry when he finally returns. Now the Duke of Cambridge, Rothwell wants to make her his duchess. But how can Violet trust the man who stole her virtue—and then broke her heart?Previously published in The Ugly Duchess (print only).

    Not even the cute brunette who links him to the baby in her arms can crack his icy heart.A baby on the doorstep is the least of Hannah Woods’s problems—she has to find the baby’s uncle, or the child will end up in foster care. She sleuths her way to the reclusive CEO’s doorstep only to find six feet of holiday sexy—and a door slammed in her face. But when Jackson comes around and urges they marry for little Emily’s sake, Hannah finds herself falling for the jaded billionaire and wishing for a holiday miracle of their own…

    Time to smooth things over and stop…fighting. They can’t seem to agree about anything. Faith's job as a producer is on the line and his long hours at the FBI are tearing them apart. Thank goodness, they have thirty days until their twin sons are born.Or so they thought...Three days before Christmas they get a surprise. The babies can’t wait. Nothing is ready. Including them. And...Faith won’t wake up after the delivery.Now Greg's re-writing his letter to Santa. He’ll make any sacrifice to keep his family together. He won’t lose his Faith again…His Christmas Surprise is the follow-up to All for Me, but can be read as a standalone...Previously titled A Must for Christmas (less)