Introduced in Heaven and Hell, readers learned, after a heartbreaking journey through grief, Luci was ready to take another chance at love. But Hap was adhering to “the code” between brothers, unwilling to betray his dead friend Travis by falling for Travis’s widow. Further, Hap can’t quite believe a beauty like Luci could fall for a normal guy like Hap. But for Luci and Hap the heart can’t be denied. Especially when the stars align.The Favor, a short story – Deacon and Cassidy from Deacon of the Unfinished Heroes series go back to their favorite cabin at Glacier Lily, and there, Cassie asks her husband a favor. He’ll give her anything she wants. Including this.More Than Everything, a novella – Readers left Diesel, Maddox and Molly at a crossroads at the end of The Greatest Risk of the Honey series. Maddox and Molly were all in with their commitment to their unconventional love triangle. But Diesel was letting the pressures and prejudice of family and society sink under his skin, making him hold himself distant from the man he loved. Can Maddox and Molly lead Diesel fully into their lives and give him more than everything?Rock Chick Renewal, a short story – Tod has been planning Rock Chick weddings for years. He’s got a new one on his hands. And it’s not what he expected.

    Celtic language expert Haley OBrien is thrilled when she gets the chance to translate a scroll written in Ogham, an ancient Celtic text used in magic and divination. While translating the text, she unwittingly frees Conall macCormacs Fae soul from a millennia-old curse that kept him imprisoned in a human body, lifetime after lifetime. The end of the curse is just the beginning of the magic for Haley and the ridiculously sexy Conall. He takes her into the world of his people, the Daoine Sidhe, where she begins to learn of her own Fae heritage, carve out a new path for herself, and embrace her new-found power. But their happiness is marred by Ninane, the jealous Fae who cursed Conall a thousand years ago. She will stop at nothing to have him for her own, including the murder of Haleys family. Determined to bring Ninane to justice, Haley must ask Conall to undergo the ultimate test of loveto stand aside and let her fight her own battles.

    His failure in the past to do just that is what drives every action. When they discover a chance for redemption, Callum is willing to try. But trusting an outsider isn’t acceptable.A woman in need of a new beginning.An expert in archeology, Phoebe has always felt dwarfed by her parents’ shadow. In college by thirteen, she’s never measured up to her parents’ high standards. When the Lennons contact her, she decides to take a chance…and finds herself intrigued by the most insufferable man.A passion impossible to ignore.One argument leads to a kiss and to an unbearable desire they cannot seem to fight. When an old enemy threatens their fragile new love, Callum will have to choose between believing his mind or trusting his heart.Forces outside the family are determined to ensure that they fail. When an old enemy threatens both the well being of the clan and the fragile new love, Callum will have to choose between believing his mind or his heart.

    But can they convince Evan their fantasy is only the beginning?Take Me by Mackenzie McKadeOne tempting heiress. Two sexy cowboys. Three means fun beyond her wildest dreams--until Caitlyn is forced to choose: her daddy's money, or the love of a cowboyA Scorching Seduction by Marie HarteDuty wars with affection when Racor's greatest spy must decide whom to trust--the evidence against her sexy suspects, or her heart?Honeymoon Castaways by Dawn HallidayCatalina thinks it's not possible to be more satisfied...until she finds herself stranded on a Caribbean island with her husband and their best man. Together, the three of them discover heat and passion uninhibited by the conventions of society. But what happens once they're rescued?

    Enjoy the season with the first half, books 1 to 6, of this omnibus of festive romantic (and hot!) tales ...Book 1: Angel In Moonlight by Ashleigh RaineBeing a Polgaran Pleasure goddess isn't all it's cracked up to be. Sex isn't exactly boring, but it is just sex, limited emotion involved. Lita craves the intrigue of strong human emotions. Her wish is granted, to spend a year among humans, learning and experiencing their emotions. Then destiny throws her for quite a loop when she's pulled into Ben's arms and discovers just how wonderful love is. But the clock is ticking. If she stays, she'll lose everything, but if she leaves Ben, she'll lose even more.Book 2: August Heat (Men of August) by Lora LeighJoin the August Family for Christmas. It's been a little more than a year since Cade, Brock and Sam wrestled their lives back from the woman determined to destroy them. Join them in this first August family Christmas celebration and see if their wives have been naughty or nice, or if the brothers must show them once again how proper August wives should act.Book 3: Make Me Believe by Shiloh WalkerChelly is going nuts - she thinks. And she's fighting for the right to keep her little boy. Right before Christmas, her ex announces he is going to sue for custody of their child. Because she is losing her mind. She is talking to a man who doesn't exist. A tall, sexy creature with wicked blue eyes and magic in his hands. And he can't possibly exist. After all, elves aren't real.Book 4: Just A Little Magic by Kate DouglasBeth Adams expected a proposal of marriage on Christmas Eve. What she gets is a wanna-be Santa Claus who's just gotten pink-slipped. Dominic Claus isn't merely good looking, he's perfect - he's just not Santa material. Beth could care less, especially once she discovers that Dom is a lot more than a good looking guy in a Santa suit - he's the lover of her dreams, toys included.Unfortunately, he actually thinks he's an elf. Differences aside, Beth discovers that all it takes is Just a Little Magic to find true love. Book 5: Ringing In The Season by Rachel BoChristmas is only two days away, and Traci Campbell has never felt more miserable. Her seventeen-year marriage seems on the verge of failure. Rick makes no time for the kids, for her - they haven't made love in four months. She can't stand the thought of losing Rick, but her heartfelt appeal a month ago appears to have meant nothing to him. But a determined husband can make a lot happen in a few short weeks, and a very unusual treasure hunt leads Traci on an erotic journey down memory lane. Can love, determination, and five tiny golden rings save a marriage?Book 6: The Toymaker by R. CasteelSamantha, widowed with two small children on the Missouri frontier, struggles to survive through the harsh winter. When she gives the small toymaker named, Claudius, shelter from a storm, little miracles begin to happen. But, are they enough to restore love, and her belief in the Magic of Christmas.If these stories lighten up your season, look for 12 Quickies of Christmas series, Volume 2 - available now!

    After weeks alone with two sexy men, tenderness warms her heart and the hostile world becomes a paradise. Enjoying erotic dreams of both Keir and Zarod, not knowing they're a couple, she suggests the only sane solution in an insane world—a ménage. They may never leave this planet and what's a life without love—or sex? Once she accepts that lady makes three, she finds true paradise in her lovers' arms. Prism By Nikki Soarde: Dax and Clay are happy. The sex is great. They've been in a committed, fulfilling relationship for years and see no need to change anything. Until they realize they've become a little too comfortable. They've fallen into a rut and need something to nudge them out of it. And then tall, raven-haired, exotic Sidney stumbles back into their lives. Fresh out of a painful divorce, she needs some comfort and excitement. When she seeks out her two best college buddies, she gets far more than she bargained for. They all do. Twilight By Anya Bast: The dark, the light and one to merge them. Nico and Dai have searched for years for the third member of their Sacred Triad. Their combined energy released in a sexual ritual will drag their reality back from the Encroaching Darkness, a mystical force that threatens their world. Finally, Nico and Dai have found her. But Twyla has been emotionally damaged by an event in her past and has lost her magick. It will take all of Nico and Dai's deep love to help her overcome her fear and give her the sexual healing she desperately needs.

    Some men want you not only for your body, but your brains. Especially your brains.It’s true! There are men out there who care—early-rising, down-to-earth, indefatigable men who’ll follow you for miles. They’ll take the time to surprise you, over and over. One sniff of that perfume, and you’ll have to use a shotgun to fight them off. And then, once you get together, all they want is to share a nice meal. And another. And another.Romeo and Juliet, eat your hearts out."Bring Out Your Dead" by Katie MacAlister"Gentlemen Prefer Voodoo" by Angie Fox"Zombiewood Confidential" by Marianne Mancusi"Every Part of You" by Lisa Cach

     Suspenseful, surprising, sometimes dark, sometimes humorous-these all-new stories will ensure that readers never think of vampires (or birthdays) in quite the same way again. In New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris's "Dracula Night," Sookie Stackhouse is the only human at the annual commemoration of Dracula's birth. But this year, the Prince of Darkness actually shows up-and finds Sookie to be a tasty-looking present. New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher's crime-solving wizard Harry Dresden, of the Dresden Files novels, heads to a role-playing party to give his vampire brother a birthday present in "It's My Birthday Too," only to discover there are some bloodthirsty party crashers who don't share their brotherly love. In "Twilight," Cassandra DuCharme, who appeared in New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong's Dime Store Magic, knows she has to kill to live as a vampire another year-but finds herself disturbingly disinterested in the hunt. Plus ten more bloody good birthday stories that take the cake.Contents xi • Preface: A Few Words (Many Bloody Returns) • (2007) • essay by Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner1 • Dracula Night • [Sookie Stackhouse 4.3] • shortstory by Charlaine Harris21 • The Mournful Cry of Owls • novelette by Christopher Golden50 • I Was a Teenage Vampire • novelette by Bill Crider73 • Twilight • [Women of the Otherworld Short Fiction 7.2] • novelette by Kelley Armstrong100 • It's My Birthday, Too • [The Dresden Files 9.2] • novella by Jim Butcher146 • Grave-Robbed • [Vampire Files] • novelette by P. N. Elrod176 • The First Day of the Rest of Your Life • [The Morganville Vampires: Extras 2.5] • novelette by Rachel Caine201 • The Witch and the Wicked • novelette by Jeanne C. Stein230 • Blood Wrapped • [Henry Fitzroy] • novelette by Tanya Huff254 • The Wish • shortstory by Carolyn Haines265 • Fire Ice and Linguini for Two • [Garnet Lacey 2.5] • novelette by Lyda Morehouse [as by Tate Hallaway ]290 • Vampire Hours • novelette by Elaine Viets318 • How Stella Got Her Grave Back • novelette by Toni L. P. Kelner

    Now twenty-nine, she's still trying to control her shape-shifting power--no easy task when Danny James shows up one Friday morning with his deadly smile and dangerous questions about the past.Lizzie is determined to save her family from financial ruin by turning straw into gold; now if she could only stop turning forks into bunnies. Then Elric, a sorcerer, appears one Friday--annoyed with the chaos Lizzie is creating in the universe and in his heart. . . .The youngest Miss Fortune, Mare, towers above her sisters but her telekinetic power is dwarfed by their gifts. She spends her days at Value Video!! and her nights contemplating the futility of her existence. But then a gorgeous Value Video!! VP and Mare's long lost love turn up. . .and they all turn up the heat on a weekend that no Fortune will soon forget!

    Adam and Killian intend to keep her there.RIDING LESSONS by Eve Adams [M/F/M Cowboy Menage Romance] When Cole brings Leah home for a night of passion, his brother Jesse joins and together they show Leah exactly how a country boy survives.MACKENZIE'S MELTDOWN by Amber Carlton [M/F/M Menage Romance] Computer crash. Backstabbing co-worker. Meddling mom. Dead battery. No chocolate. In the hands of two gorgeous hunks, Mackenzie's meltdown just changed directions. THE ELIXIR by Dee S. Knight [M/F/M Paranormal Menage Romance] Barb Morrison's stuck centuries in the future where an elixir and two sexy guys set her afire. Can she get home? Does she want to?

    Gray is less than thrilled that his little sister volunteered him to help her friend with her construction woes - that is, until he sees how Temperance has grown. Now he wants her more than ever. He's even willing to use her ridiculous idea of an interrupted sex spell to convince her how good things could be between them - leaving Tem to wonder if love is stronger than magic and worth the risk to her heart. Ronan's Grail Ronan, bastard son of Lancelot of the Lake and last of King Arthur's knights, has been charged with a quest - find the Holy Grail. Merlin sends him forward in time to seek the relic, promising he'll know the keeper of the grail by a sigil. If he fails, all is lost. Morgan Foster bears the magical symbol in the form of an ill-conceived tattoo but has no idea what to make of this hot, possibly crazy man who lays siege to her body and heart. Timeless magic and breathless passion bring them together, but is their love strong enough to survive when the battles of the past rip their fragile future apart? Mystic Circle When Becca stood up Jack for what promised to be the hottest one-night stand of her life, she never expected to see him again. Over the years he's haunted her dreams and occasionally her psychic visions. After another vision reveals a kidnapping, she must go to the police. Instead of saving a life, she becomes the prime suspect. Detective Jack Duritz, is investigating a series of ritualistic murders. He never expected his investigation to lead him to the woman who's starred in too many of his fantasies. Becca claims to be psychic, but he doesn't believe a word of it. Soon, however, it becomes clear that Becca is the next victim and Jack is the only person who can protect her. He must keep her close, but he finds himself keeping her far closer than any investigation would require.

    Naked. Guys. Reading.When the sexiest Top 30 Under 30 men agree to pose naked for the "Expose Yourself To A Good Book" charity calendar, their hot bodies aren't the only thing that gets EXPOSED. Nine brand new romances with M/F, M/M, F/F and menage pairings from bestselling and award winning authors, there's something for everyone in this limited release anthology.Annabeth AlbertLEVEL UPWhen Landon, a genius physicist, is picked for a charity calendar, he must deal with an inconvenient attraction to Bailey, his rising-star photographer. Can he slay enough demons from his past to ensure a future together with him?Karen BoothWISHINGJobless and painfully single, Samantha agrees to drive musician Duncan to a photo shoot. He’s in town for only five days, so sexy, and she’s eager for a no-strings fling. But Duncan shoots straight for the heart, making her unsure how she’ll ever survive his goodbye.Amy Jo CousinsKATE LIKES GIRLSGarden center manager Kate Rhee is on a mission. No more hook ups with women or second-guessing her recent break up with an unavailable man. Too bad the foxy, pink-haired bar owner she meets at a naked calendar photo shoot has sworn off girlfriends. Because Kate isn’t doing casual. She can totally resist that temptation. Totally.Robin CovingtonGHOSTOliver Burns publicly bragged he’d sign the reclusive artist “G”- creator of the First Nations graphic novel, Ghost Warriors - to his comic publishing company. But that gets tough when “G” is Gareth Rain – the man he pulled a post-one-night-stand runner on years ago and the man he’s never forgotten.Vanessa NorthRIGGEDFor Kaitlyn, seeing her best friend Gordon naked is no big deal—until watching Sean tie him up changes everything.Tamsen ParkerTHROWN OFF TRACKTeague has been License to Game’s bassist for over a decade, during which time he’s slept with almost everyone in his path. But it’s always felt like going through the motions. Until he sees his bandmate Christian naked at a charity photoshoot and suddenly, he knows what it is to want.Roan ParrishNATURAL ENEMIESWhen buttoned-up botanist Stefan Albemarle meets freewheeling urban gardener Milo Rios, it’s hatred at first sight. But hatred quickly turns to lust as Milo shows him how exquisite it can feel to lose control. When opposites attract, love blooms in unexpected places.Tiffany ReiszTHE WATERMARKJason "Still" Waters' life looks perfect from the outside—money, fame, and the words "World Champion Bull-Rider" after his name. But Jason has a secret, one he never planned on telling anybody...until he meets Simone. She's the kinky girl of his dreams...and his conservative family's worst nightmare.Karen StivaliLEGAL BRIEFSWhen organizing a naked charity calendar puts Rose's tenure bid in jeopardy, the last person she wants help from is Michael, the gorgeous, arrogant lawyer she butted heads with during his shoot. He'll defend her for free, but if their secrets come out they could both pay with their hearts.This edition does not include contribution by author Santino Hassell. The first edition of ASIN B0788G78CD can be found here.

    Most would consider dying in a bar fight ten years ago upsetting, and existing as a ghost wandering the world might be thought a real predicament. They might deem a second chance at life through a chance encounter with a dying man a serious dilemma. But for Padraig, finding himself face to face with the man he'd loved and lost a lifetime ago is the biggest thing on his mind. Gareth Reilly stops at O'Toole's for a drink before he heads home. Tomorrow's going to be another lonely birthday for him until he's approached by a stranger. There's something about Padraig's bright green eyes and Irish accent that reminds Gareth of a man he once knew. Unable to resist, Gareth breaks his cardinal rule and invites Padraig home. On St. Patrick's Day, when Irish magic is strongest, it'll take a belief in the impossible and help from a grateful elf to give Padraig and Gareth another chance at love.

    Add sexy treats and satin sheets...then turn on the heat. VONNA HARPER Virgin Afternoon It's been a long time since Lara had a man in her garage, but as her late husband Spence's best friend, Bryan, checks out her truck, she can't help but notice he still has that tan, athletic build from college. If she could only get her hands on his body. She needs to move on from Spence's death -- into Bryan's powerful arms, or at least into his pants. When she invites him in for a beer, she doesn't plan to let him leave -- not that he wants to. Sex with conservative Spence left a lot to the imagination, but her naughty afternoon with Bryan is one she'll never forget. LENA MATHEWS Stud Muffin Wanted According to a magazine quiz, Karon is a Little Miss Goody Two-shoes. So what if she can only check off five "bad-girl" behaviors? Her friend Jacque convinces her to make her own sexy wish list. Mmm...#22, with a side of #9...and a whole lot of #1. Now all she needs is a stud. Hunky Tristan has his own list -- and Karon's at the top. When he overhears her conversation, he wants to wrap his muscular arms around her luscious curves and slide his thick...well, now he just needs to convince her he's the man for the job. But when he does, they conquer every steamy move she desired...and add a few naughty tricks of their own. RUTH D. KERCE Virgin Seeks Bad-Ass Boy Alice has been watching bad boy Caleb since he moved in. Tall, built, and irresistibly confident, he's perfect...for taking her virginity. One peek at him pounding away at a buxom blonde sprawled across his motorcycle, and Alice has been fantasizing -- her skirt flipped up, him taking her rough and hard from behind. So she marches right across the street and asks him. He refuses at first, but he's too impressed by her gutsiness, and too aroused by the idea of kissing her pouty lips and feeling her soft naked body writhing underneath him. If she wants passion, he'll give it to her...and much, much more.

    And as the heat rises between them, so do the risks.Daire-He rejected the strict rules of werewolf society, only to fall in love with the one woman who's been taught to fear the beast within him.Curran-His job is to find a fugitive were-woman and bring her in. Trapping has never been a problem, but he's never fallen in love with his bounty before.