But the darkly handsome Mr. Edward Sharpe is no run-of-the-mill London merchant. He’s grim and silent. A man of little emotion—or perhaps no emotion at all. After two months of courtship, she’s ready to put an end to things. A Last Chance for Love But severing ties with her taciturn suitor isn’t as straightforward as Sophie envisioned. Her parents are outraged. And then there’s Charles Darwin, Prince Albert, and that dratted gaslight. What’s a girl to do except invite Mr. Sharpe to Appersett House for Christmas and give him one last chance to win her? Only this time there’ll be no false formality. This time they’ll get to know each other for who they really are.

    Her fondness for her family, along with her ability to find joy in everything, endears her to most who know her. On her annual sojourn with Isobel to Ballydendargan, Scotland, Harriet finds more than the peace and quiet of the countryside. She meets Miss Catherine Dalburn, governess to Lord Glencairn’s two children as well as the children themselves. The two women form a friendship and Harriet grows fond of the children. While Isobel pursues her “secret bluestocking” interests and Lord Francis Wheaton arrives in Ballydendargan to continue his pursuit of Isobel’s heart, Harriet finally meets Lord Glencairn. A dashingly handsome man in his later years with twinkling blue eyes and beautiful white hair, he and Harriet become fast friends, united in their desire to see Isobel and Lord Francis finally admit their feelings for each other and marry. Fate has a surprise in store for Harriet, who has long thought herself “on the shelf.” Are her feelings for Lord Glencairn more than friendship? Can he possibly feel the same for her, especially since he all but disappeared from polite society after his wife’s death ten years before? The Yuletide Countess is a “co-quel” or “side-car” to The Secret Bluestocking/A Lady of Passion, in that the much of it happens in parallel with the other books. However, the point of view is strictly Harriet’s.

    Her new husband, Thorn Wulfe, holds the key to all the secrets of her long-buried past. Thorn, considered the Wicked Wulfe by many of the ton, operates one of London’s most notorious gaming hells, the Lady Luck. When his brother is killed, he finds his life turned upside down with a wife he does not want, and two children to care for. When old secrets come to light and enemies make themselves known, Rebekah and Wulfe are going to have to decide what is more important…the past, the present, or the future? Will they be able to learn to trust and love one another along the way? Or will their secrets keep them apart forever? A Regency romance that will draw you in and tug at your heartstrings.

    Three rare, historical romance novellas by acclaimed writers Patricia Rice, Mary Jo Putney, and Susan King are collected together here for the first time in this exclusive eBook, Christmas Roses. "The Snow Rose", "The Black Beast of Belleterre", and "The Kissing Bough" weave tales of the joy of unexpected Love, at a special time of year, Christmas - as only these talented writers can. Discovery in the midst of a clash of clans, hidden desires from an unexpected suitor, and a love once lost and found combine for a truly romantic journey through history. This tantalizing collection of historical romances also includes all-new introductions and recipes to add to the delight of the season. Authors: Patricia Rice With several million books in print and New York Times and USA Today's bestseller lists under her belt, former CPA Patricia Rice is one of romance's hottest authors. Her emotionally-charged contemporary and historical romances have won numerous awards, including the RT Book Reviews Reviewers Choice and Career Achievement Awards. Her books have been honored as Romance Writers of America RITA® finalists in the historical, regency and contemporary categories. A firm believer in happily-ever-after, Patricia Rice is married to her high school sweetheart and has two children. A native of Kentucky and New York, a past resident of North Carolina, she currently resides in Southern California, and now does accounting only for herself. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, the Authors Guild, and Novelists, Inc. Mary Jo Putney A New York Times bestselling author, Mary Jo Putney was born in Upstate New York with a reading addiction, a condition with no known cure. Her entire writing career is an accidental byproduct of buying a computer for other purposes. Most of her books contain history, romance, and cats. Her current Lost Lords series include No Longer a Gentleman, May 2012, and Sometimes a Rogue, September 2013. October sees the release of the mass market edition of Mischief and Mistletoe, a Christmas anthology by the eight authors of the Word Wenches blog. She has had ten RWA RITA nominations, two RITA wins, and in 2013 is the recipient of the Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award. Susan King Susan King is the bestselling, award-winning author of 22 historical novels and novellas praised for historical accuracy and lyrical writing. Writing as Susan King and Sarah Gabriel, she is the author of several historical romances for major publishing houses; as Susan Fraser King, she writes highly acclaimed historical fiction, including Lady Macbeth and Queen Hereafter, published by Random House. Her backlist novels are now being released in e-book form and she is currently working on new fiction. A founding member of the successful author blog Word Wenches, Susan holds a B.A. in fine arts and an M.A. in art history, and did her Ph.D. work in medieval art history. She lives in Maryland with her family.

    Now married and expecting his first child, he wants nothing more than to provide a good home for his family. With Christmas coming, he sets off to find the perfect surprise for his wife.As Tori Walker approaches the time for her baby to be born, she is comforted by the expert care that surrounds her. However, winter in the mountains can turn deadly at the blink of an eye. When her prankster husband fails to return from a short hunting trip, she doesn't know whether to be angry or worried.Christmas is a time to reminisce and enjoy family time. Young or old, all who gather in the Walker home this holiday can share memories of falling in love, being saved from near death, and not being able to imagine life without each other. When Lucas and his companion are feared lost in the wilderness, this holiday season may well be remembered as the season of mishaps, rather than a season of joy.Other Books in the Teton Romance TrilogyTeton SunriseTeton SplendorTeton SunsetBooks in the Yellowstone Romance SeriesYellowstone Heart SongYellowstone Christmas (novella)Yellowstone RedemptionYellowstone Homecoming (novella)Yellowstone Season of GivingYellowstone AwakeningYellowstone DawnYellowstone DeceptionYellowstone PromiseYellowstone Origins

    He has a secret that could drive any woman away. Can they find a love to overcome it all? A Sweet Western Romance from #1 Best Selling Author Emily Wood Kate is a widow who watched her whole life go up in flames. With nowhere else to turn, she heads west to live with her aunt and start a new life for herself and her daughter. As she struggles to provide a new life for her daughter, she finds herself attracted to man who has vowed to never love again. Can she overcome her lack of faith and trust someone enough to find love again? A Gentle Love is a clean western romance from #1 Best Selling author Emily Woods. If you like clean, historical fiction about women who must overcome tragedy in order to love again, you will love this sweet romance! Buy A Gentle Love and get lost in another sweet western romance today. Always FREE on Kindle Unlimited

    A house. A home! One they can call their own. After their father gambled away their dowries and drank away the family reputation, the three young women have lived with their Aunt Gertrude. While that lady’s generosity is most kind, her charity chafes their pride. This Christmas at their aunt’s house party, Marjorie plans to employ the one talent she learned well from her notorious papa. She’ll gamble at cards and dice against every wealthy guest—and win. But she encounters one big problem. The man she’s craved all her life appears on Aunt’s threshold and challenges her. Tested by combat, he’s bolder. Dashing. A distraction. And suddenly too charming to resist.A gentleman weighs the odds.Griffith Harlinger, the war-weary fourth earl of Marsden, returns home from his duties in Paris with the Duke of Wellington to celebrate the joys of the Season. At urgent request of his step-mama, he must stop her niece Marjorie from creating a scandal by fleecing her house guests! Griff’s thrilled to engage the one woman who’s tormented him and beguiled him all his life. So he makes Marjorie a bet she can’t refuse: he’ll play her for enough money to buy the house she wants.But can he let her win if he loves her too much to let her go?And who really wins when both want what’s best for those they love?If you love swoon-worthy historical romance, starring endearing heroes, sassy heroines and a house full of rogues and cardsharps, this book is for you! Buy THE EARL’s WAGERED BRIDE to attend this Christmas house party!

    While working at the house of Norman Pembroke, the Duke of Bancroft, she has always dreamt of advancing her life from a humble maid to that of a governess. Despite knowing that this opportunity may never appear, her love for reading is enough to keep the dream alive. But little did she know that fate would bring an unforeseen twist that would make this dream a tangible reality... When Edward, the endearingly attractive brother of the Duke, comes to visit, the last thing she expected was to end up under his roof and away from the only place she's ever known. Laura will inevitably find herself seduced by his ravishing beauty, but will she allow herself to finally surrender to her burning desire for him?Edward Pembroke has always been the opposite of his brother. Being warm and dutiful himself, he was against his brother's love for gambling that was dwindling the Pembroke fortune every day. When he finally decides to confront him about his wayward habit, they both end up engaging in a fateful night of gambling, and Edward wins the prize of taking anything he wants with him. Without a second thought, he chooses Laura, as her fiery nature lightens a spark inside him. Once they move to his house, he can't help but be mesmerised by her every move, willing to do whatever it takes to possess her. Will he manage to turn this promising desire into an everlasting love?Laura and Edward's attraction is impossible to deny, but their evident class differences are threatening their undeniable lust. The more time they spend together, the more they lose their hearts and bodies to one another. Will their passionate connection prove strong enough to shatter the insurmountable obstacles? Or will their heated affair go down in flames before it even sets them on fire?"A Lord's Bet of Desire" is a historical romance novel of approximately 60,000 words. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after.

     Unaware of the tales of Lord Stacks' wickedness, Freddie Lambeth comes to live with her guardian, and through his caring blossoms from a plain, shabbily dressed girl to a lovely young woman. Freddie and Lord Stacks come to need each other as his flowers need sunshine, but Stacks cannot allow himself to love her. His own wickedness has destroyed any chance for happiness. HIGHLANDER IN HER BED by Allie Mackay Tour guide Mara MacDougall stops at a London antique shop-and spots perhaps the handsomest bed ever. Then she bumps into the handsomest man ever. Soon Mara can't forget the irresistible-if haughty-Highlander. Not even when she learns that she's inherited a Scottish castle. Spectral Sir Alexander Douglas has hated the Clan MacDougall since he was a medieval knight and they tricked him into a curse-the curse of forever haunting the bed (the very one that Mara now owns) that was once intended for his would-be bride. But Mara makes him feel what no other MacDougall has-a passion that he never knew he'd missed. MY HIGHLAND LORD by Tarah Scott London Heiress kidnapped by the Marquess of Ashlund, read the headlines. Yet no one tried to save her. British spy Phoebe Wallington searches for answers to exonerate her father of treason. Her quest veers off course when she's kidnapped by suspected traitor Kiernan MacGregor, the Marquess of Ashlund. But someone wants him dead…and Phoebe stands in the killer's way. The only way to save her reputation and protect Kiernan is to marry him. MY LADY THE SPY by Barbara Devlin Can the mind forget what the eyes have seen? L’araignee, The Spider, is England’s most notorious spy--and Lady Rebecca Wentworth’s alter ego. After her partner in espionage is killed in the line of duty, Rebecca returns to London, only to discover a traitor has compromised the war effort from the highest levels of the vaunted Counterintelligence Corps. To lure the villain into the open, Rebecca embarks on a new mission, acting as prey for a dangerous enemy. But it is the handsome former Navy captain tasked with her safety that presents the greatest threat, when she falls in love. THE WICKED LADY by Brenda Jernigan The Thief When Trevor Claremont was blind-sided by a pickpocket on the docks beside his clipper ship, he tracked down the culprit--only to face a feisty, emerald-eyed beauty who stirred his hungriest desires. Seeing a solution to his pressing problem of finding a bride to please his dying grandmother, he offered her a deal: marriage to him...or prison, never imaging that this little cut-purse would also steal his heart. The Sea Captain Kristen Johnstone realized she’d been outfoxed by this handsome Englishman and reluctantly agreed to a marriage in name only. Soon, she traded rags for resplendent gowns, black alleys for drawing rooms, and fury for fiery passion in the arms of her new husband. But when the scandalous secrets of her past came to light, she would risk everything, including her heart to save a love more precious than gold.

    The Mackenzies gather for a clan Christmas and Hogmanay in Scotland. In the chaos of preparations for the celebration--the first of Hart and Eleanor's married life--one of Ian's Ming bowls gets broken, and the family scrambles to save the day. Daniel busily runs a betting ring for everything from the hour Eleanor's baby will arrive, to whether Mac's former-pugilist valet can win a boxing match. Ian begins a new obsession, and Beth fears that the loss of one of his precious bowls has made him withdraw once more into his private world.

    When she accompanies her grandson and his new wife on trip to Italy, a chance encounter with a past love turns her world upside down. For over thirty years, Luca Faranese, Conte de Salerno, has tried to forget about the woman who stole his heart. Fate gives them a second chance, but will their love be enough to keep them together forever the second time?

    But her rescuer, the mysterious Anthony Sterling, immediately melts her heart and makes her dream of a life beyond her tiny, sheltered world. The more she gets to know him, the more she senses he is hiding something from her.When Captain Anthony Sterling was wounded in battle, he lost his leg, his fiancee, and any hope for happiness. Even the revelation that he is the heir to a fortune brought him nothing but bitterness. Then his chance encounter with the charming, innocent Phoebe makes him wonder if there may be a future for him after all. But first he must escape the shadows of his past.

    And in Laurie Benson’s novella, Juliet’s One Night Under the Mistletoe leads to a marriage of convenience with handsome former love Lord Montague…

     Emma will prove more than a match for the most daring men in all England… 1804, Dorset, England From her drab, unpromising post as governess, Emma Harcourt is catapulted into a daring scheme of espionage. She becomes an actress posing as the wife of Rupert Wynford, a perfect stranger. And as Napoleon prepares to invade the English coast, she takes her place among society's elite, where she has to match wits with the most dangerous men of her time. Fate has chosen her to play a part in England's destiny and to gamble recklessly with her only chance for happiness and love… Has her mysterious employer, Rupert Wynford, really just come to Weymouth like King George III for the benefit of sea air? Or is he one of those in league with the European conqueror who plans to invade England at dark of the moon? AT DARK OF THE MOON is a classic Regency Romance by Alice Chetwynd Ley: a traditional British, historical adventure story with a twist of suspense and mystery, set during the Napoleonic Wars. ‘These vintage Regency romances hover somewhere between Jane Austen and the genre as we know it today. I really enjoy them.’ - Sonya’s Stuff

    . .When snow drives Miss Rebecca Foster's carriage off the road, she is forced to take shelter at an inn, where she meets the impossible Joshua Kelling. Their chance encounter has repercussions neither of them could foresee, but Rebecca has no intention of marrying Josh just to protect her reputation. Through a whirl of balls and skating parties they spar, but it is only when his life is in danger that she knows her own heart, and at last comes to understand his.