At least, that’s what her sister tells her when she drags her off for an impromptu Christmas getaway in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Hope’s plans to keep her nose in a book the entire vacation are thwarted when she meets Jack Freeman, the gorgeous and enigmatic Army helicopter pilot staying at the same resort. What was supposed to be a quiet Christmas holiday turns into a life changing event for Hope and Jack. The only problem? Jack is headed off to war, and there is no guarantee he will come back.

    Some might call it a dead end job, but to her it was an investment—another six months, and she’d have enough money to buy the place. Life would've been perfect if Eli hadn’t come home. Eli King is ready to settle down. He stood by his brothers when they needed him, paying the price for their freedom with his own. Now it’s time to claim his reward—the Starkwood Saloon. He’s got the cash to buy the bar, the skills to run it, and just one person standing between him and his dream: Peaches Taylor. She’s been driving him crazy since they were kids, and not in the good way. When she was six, she shoved a spider down his pants. When he was ten, he locked her in a closet overnight. Then she hot-wired his car at seventeen, and things got ugly… They’re adults now, and the Starkwood isn’t a toy to fight over—it’s the hill they’ll die on. No prisoners. No compromises. No mercy. Peaches Taylor and Eli King are going to war. **Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you'll enjoy each one as much as we do.**

    One kissThe first time Noah Bryant meets Colbie Michaels they collide at the top of a snowy mountain in California and sparks fly. Swamped by sudden emotion – and a desire she can't control – Colbie panics. Before he can get her phone number or last name, she's gone. When they serendipitously meet again in Seattle one week later, Noah is certain Colbie is his destiny, and he can't make the mistake of losing her again.One night... One forever loveColbie wants to believe in a happily-ever-after, but experience tells her falling for Noah is more likely to lead to a broken heart. But how can she resist him as he sets out to prove that they're destined to be together? Especially when he's intent on fulfilling every last one of her secret desires and he’s willing to keep proving it to her every day...and every sweet and sinful night.

    Now he’s willing to break all the rules, offering sweet punishments and sweeter rewards. His sexual authority slowly strips away some of her precious control.But that’s the one thing Keira’s not ready to relinquish…Come Monday is the first book in New York Times bestselling author Mari Carr’s Wild Irish series.

    What’s more romantic than a love song? A mixtape full of them.Twelve bestselling and award-winning authors have curated an anthology of brand-new, standalone stories inspired by love songs.

    Alone and in a foreign country, Nick is working on rebuilding his life one patient at a time, that is, until a striking volunteer makes her presence known.Can Nick finish his year in Africa without risking his heart being broken again, or is he willing to start a new chapter in his life before his return to Beaumont?

    She'll allow herself to daydream about Kenny Scott's muscles and killer smile, but wanting more would lead to post-holiday regret. Then Kenny volunteers to run a toy drive with Bailey, and she learns that he's not just hot…he's also generous, funny, nice. The whole package—tantalizingly out of reach.The ache of past loss reminds Kenny why he needs to avoid getting too close to anyone. Especially to a gorgeous redhead and her adorable little girl. Mess it up, and he'd lose them both. Yet Kenny can only resist Bailey for so long. And as festive spirit spreads throughout the town, he's all wrapped up in Bailey's sweet, sexy kisses and determined to make this the first of many Christmases together…

    Do not read in public places. May caused flushed cheeks and other body parts. I guarantee you'll never look at a train the same way again. My name is Autumn Winters.The truth is, that's the biggest lie I've ever told.My real name is Olivia Redmond. Autumn Winters is the curtain I hide behind. You see, I write bestselling erotic romance novels. But my life is far from erotic. The only fantasy exists in my head. The day I met Hunter Grayson, that all changed. A handsome stranger on a train who turned my world upside down, made me think and feel things I never knew were possible.I want to be brave enough to tell the world, but the fear is crippling. Fear of myself. Fear of the unknown. Fear of what others will think. But life is too short to be afraid.And I'm so damn tired of hiding.**This is a sexy Contemporary Romance Novella and due to strong language and sexual content, is not intended for readers under the age of 18.**

    Another night tears them apart.Grace Miles misses her easy friendship with Asher, but growing up means growing apart. And really, how could he fall for her when they spent their childhood getting muddy in the creek and splitting sticks of gum? But this summer, something feels different. If Grace didn’t know better, she’d think Asher was flirting with her. Those dark eyes, hard body, and wicked smile make her insides swirl and her heart dare to hope for things she’s convinced herself she’ll never have. Falling for your best friend shouldn’t be complicated, but for Asher Bailey, loving Grace is anything but simple. The road to romance isn’t smooth thanks to his pack of wild brothers who are protective of the girl next door, a take-no-sass grandmother, a small town where gossip is a spectator sport, and a feud that spans generations. But Asher realizes his feelings are too big to ignore. Loving her isn’t the risk. Losing her would be. And one night, one kiss, changes everything. Finally admitting their feelings is the beginning of their happily ever after. Until their fairy tale love story is tragically interrupted, and neither of them will ever be the same.Author’s note: Lifelong soulmates, ridiculous pranks, brother shenanigans, and a feuding town. Protecting You is the Bailey Brothers series origin story. Be there when it begins and fall in love with this wild band of unruly brothers. The series is meant to be read in order, and Grace and Asher’s story concludes in Fighting for Us.

    Then she walks back into it again. With her mismatched eyes, perfect pink mouth and a laugh that still haunts him, she gave him nothing but marvelous misery. Now she wants his hands on her again. Not for pleasure, but for pain. For Ink. A bleeding heart to match the one she left him with five years ago. AddisonShe can’t forget him. No matter how hard she’s tried. The pain she caused him in the past eats at her daily, and she can’t move on with her life. But she has a plan, a hope for redemption – a way for him to take his revenge out on her flesh. But it’ll only work if he lets her inside his exclusive world, under his famous artist’s needle and into his bed—and heart-once again.*First Ink can also be found in the Wicked Firsts Anthology releasing on August 19, 2013.*

    Now she’s drop-dead gorgeous and has, well...uh...breasts. It’s no wonder Broadway director Ethan Sawyer doesn’t recognize his best friend’s little sister when he sees her again.Sadie has been in love with Ethan since she was in braces. So when he fails to recognize her at the bachelor auction she’s organized, she flips. Sure, she looks a little different now, what with the boobs and a little help from a flat iron, but really?Deciding she needs to get the man out of her system, Sadie negotiates a way for Ethan to make up for his mistake: a one-night stand. She figures after they do the deed, he’ll head back to New York and she’ll finally be able to let go. But when Ethan has to move back to the small town of Meadowview and work side-by-side with Sadie, she realizes she couldn’t be more wrong about the letting go part of her plan. Because Ethan has and always will be…forever the one.

    It has since been expanded, revised, and re-edited.The only woman I want is the one I can never have.Harper. My best friend's sister. I've wanted her since I was eighteen, but she's always been off-limits. Now I'm home after years in the Marines, and nothing has changed--except everything has. Her brother is dead, and she's on a hopeless quest for answers about his death.And I want her just as much as ever.Someone is trying to kill her now, and she won't let me keep her safe. I have to protect her anyway, even if she doesn't trust me, even if she hates me for it. A man protects what's precious to him, whether or not he can ever claim her for his own.And Harper has always been precious to me.

    When the rising band’s problems threaten to derail the tour and Jonas slips and reveals their relationship, the lead singer demands that Rhiannon choose between music and love.When Rhiannon is hired as a back-up singer for Killer Valentine, the hottest breakout rock band on the planet, her contract includes an iron-clad no-fraternization clause. However, it doesn’t take her long to figure out that Killer Valentine is falling apart from the stresses of touring and promotion. The band’s manager Jonas Rees, a green-eyed starmaker, is frantically trying to prevent them from self-destructing during their grueling tour and right before their first major-label record deal, but neither Jonas nor Rhiannon can deny the attraction that flares between them.When the band’s problems threaten to derail the tour and Jonas slips and reveals their relationship, the lead singer demands that Rhiannon choose between music and love.

    Her blossoming career on Broadway tanked, forcing her to crawl back to home to Wellington. The icing on her failure cake? Her former on-again, off-again fling is in town, and the sexy Marine is taking up way too much space.Warren Davis always knew Erin was special, which is exactly why he can't have her. A girl like her deserves something permanent--something neither of them wants. But now that they're both back in town and she's right there in front of him, a challenge in her eyes he's never been able to resist, he's questioning everything.That challenge quickly escalates into an epic game of Truth or Dare. Erin's sure she's got him on lock, but as the night progresses, Warren's dares intensify, drowning her in lust. But with the past still breathing down their necks, there's no way either of them can win…

    A meddling small town. A second chance.It’s not a new story. Wife finds out husband’s been cheating on her and she packs up her four kids and heads back to her hometown, Sunrise Bay, Alaska.Yeah, not a fresh start, but thousands of miles away from my ex will do just fine. I’m prepared for the cold weather, the early snowfalls, and dark days and nights. What I’m not prepared for is coming face to face with my ex’s cousin and for the same feelings from twenty years ago to ignite like the flame never went out. It doesn’t take long before people are whispering about the widowed Hank Greene and me. But we both have children to think of this time around. Then again, Hank knows what it’s like to be a single parent and sometimes those damn dimples of his make it hard to remember why we can’t be together.