She doesn’t know he’s been secretly in love with her since grade school. A Holiday Rescue BY TAMIE DEAREN Despite her fame as an author, Amy is all alone at Christmas. Stranded in a snowstorm, she's rescued by a handsome stranger. Can shared cocoa lead to love?  A Second Chance for Christmas BY MICHELLE PENNINGTON Grace planned to spend December moving into her new apartment and getting ready for Christmas with her daughter, not falling for her neighbor, Sam--whose heart she broke years ago.  The Billionaire’s Perfect Match BY ANNIE HOUSTON Heading up large corporations is tough on your love life. A trip home throws high school friends Aurelia and Lander together and sparks fly. They each have everything, except love.

     Nicola Hart grew up under the heels of her older brother and his sexy best friend, Cash Garrison. Years of ignoring her spark with Cash has transformed their friendship into a slow burning sizzle. One night with him could ruin everything. Or it could be more than she ever dreamed. They play. They flirt. But they haven't crossed the line because too much is at stake. Family. Friendship. And the deepest kind of love that she'd have to be crazy to walk away from. She's his best friend's little sister. The definition of hands off. Cash has tried to ignore her for years. Those innocent eyes and her smile that screams kiss-me-if-you-dare... Instead, he's looked at every pretty little thing who's crossed his path, all to ignore the girl he seems destined to want. But when his hard partying ways get old and everyone at school is interested in Nicola, it's time to stake a claim. To make Nicola his girl, no matter the risks, and hold the hand of the one he really loves.

    A waitress and a sexy FBI agent mix business with pleasure while investigating a crime over the holidays. A crime lab worker finds herself in danger six days before Christmas...and only her off-limits but oh-so-attractive coworker can help. And two childhood friends rediscover their sense of wonder—and love—when reunited for the holidays. Discover these four classic seasonal novellas:And a Dead Guy in a Pear Tree by Leslie KellySeduced by the Season by Merline LovelaceEvidence of Desire by Debra WebbSeason of Wonder by Marta Perry

    The combination of a velvet mask and a Mrs. Claus-meets-dominatrix costume gives Holly the courage to approach the hot-bodied man across the room who is as lickable as a candy cane. Detective Nick West is working undercover to find the sexy vixen who supposedly robbed his buddy at Sugar Plums. His interest in the pole dancers vanishes faster than a flying sleigh upon his introduction to Mistress Christmas—a leggy brunette with smoky eyes and a lush mouth that begs for hours beneath the mistletoe. One lap dance and their attraction flares hotter than a fireplace on a cold winter evening. And Nick is only too happy to oblige when Holly blurts out her secret Christmas wish…a night filled with sweet and dirty carnal pleasures that will land them both on the naughty list.

     When Oliver arrives to take over the company, I’m not about to idly stand by while he lays people off. Instead, I burst into his office to confront him, not expecting the man I encounter. He’s every bit the asshole I’d envisioned, but I hadn’t realized he’d be a hottie with a panty-melting accent. But that doesn’t matter. I refuse to back down. Refuse to fall for his charm. He has his agenda, and I have mine. But when my family’s well-kept secret, along with the debt my brother owes, puts my life in danger, there are no other options left. It’s up to me to pay the price. But not with money. Unfortunately, there’s only one person who can help free me from this mess—my new boss.

     Daisy Clarke arrives in Holly Blue Bay at the request of the town’s mayor. The mayor wants Daisy to perform a marketing miracle on the town, and to increase the visitor numbers too. The town holds a special place in Daisy’s heart as something magical happened to her when she visited this place as a child. She’s determined to show the rest of the world how wonderful the town is, and will use all her marketing skills to do so. Jacob Smythe is a grumpy handyman who turns up at Daisy’s new office. She immediately mistakes him for someone else, which certainly breaks the ice between them. Just as Jacob is warming to Daisy, the mayor turns up and tells him why Daisy is in Holly Blue Bay. Jacob is furious and refuses to admit the town needs help, especially from an outsider. Things change over the next few days as Jacob and Daisy spend more time together. They find themselves drawn to each other, and love begins to grow. But then something terrible happens which results in Daisy deciding to leave Holly Blue Bay, and Jacob, behind. Can Jacob convince her to stay?

    The problem is, she doesn’t know me.I finally get to meet my first K-9 partner. Unfortunately, he’s packing a surprise. A beautiful trainer who enjoys making my life hell. The fact that she’s smart and keeps my heart racing is no good. I need to focus. A huge drug bust later, she’s forced her way onto the case, and now we’re working side by side.You just can’t make these things up. The heat between us is growing to unbearable amounts, and I’m feeling like a hound dog for wanting to take advantage of anything she might offer me. After a few wrong turns, we end up giving into each other. It’s all good until I find out she’s been keeping a secret from me. A baby. I’m not sure how I feel until a drug runner comes for her. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to bring her home. Integrity or not, this girl is worth any price I have to pay.

    Thinking back to the prior evening’s events, I decided it was definitely the naughty one. There had to be a mistake —I was always on the nice list. But the gorgeous, naked man snuggled next to me seemed to suggest I had a lump of… something waiting for me. Maybe the nice list was overrated. Or maybe naughty girls really did end up with coal in their stockings.GrantI was now on the ‘every-other-weekend and alternating holiday schedule' with my kids —one more thing about divorce that I detested. Attending my law partner’s Christmas Eve party seemed like a better alternative to drinking alone in my boring beige condo, staring at my new pipe-cleaner tree with its new, shiny ornaments. The last thing I expected was to be propositioned by a former PTA President. Or to wake up Christmas morning not wanting to leave her bed. But you don’t get to be our age without plenty of baggage. The question was, did ours match?This sexy, feel-good second chance romance will have you cheering for Paige and Grant to finally find their happily ever after together. But not before they discover that dating —at any age —isn’t so easy.

    With no job or social support, she flees to a small town in hopes of finding a good family for her unborn baby, but instead finds a man who is as broken as she is. Eric Gaylord returns to his home town for a respite after a tragic loss, but when his spitfire mother takes on an unknown woman as a business partner, he is forced to face the nightmare he’d left behind or risk losing the one woman who could heal his heart.

    Written as a Christmas gift to all the Phenomenal X and Black Falcon readers! This is a very short Holiday novella and is intended to be FREE.

    Managing the annual Bath Christmas Market—which involves long hours in the cold and a whole lot of hassle—will secure the promotion he needs to afford to move out of his noisy, top-floor flat. Where not even his balcony is safe from an aggressive herring gull.The last stallholder he expects to see is his ex. Riley never recovered from their break up, and five years on the old chemistry still sparkles. So does their habitual head butting.Stan never wanted to leave the love of his life, but the pull of the woods was too strong—and Riley was firmly planted in the city. Reconnecting is painful, but Stan still jumps at the chance to stay with his old flame during the Market. And damn the consequences.As the weeks pass, the two grow closer than ever. But despite scorching sex and cozy intimacy, they both know they face a cold and lonely future. Unless one of them can compromise.Warning: Contains sex in a shed, a seagull with a grudge, glamping, awful Secret Santa underwear, misuse of an Abba song, and as many wood-related puns as the author thought she could get away with.

    Maddy Bainbridge left her Jersey Shore home town right after high school, determined to put as many miles as possible between herself and her many meddling relatives.Now she's back in Paradise Point -- an unemployed single mother whose only option is to accept her mother Rose's offer of a job and a place to live.But it doesn't take Maddy long to discover that the things about your mother that made you crazy at 17 make you even crazier at 32. Rose's critical comments bring out Maddy's inner teenager and by the beginning of December, the end is in sight. Maddy would stay there at the Candlelight Inn, her mother's popular B&B, through Christmas for her daughter Hannah's sake, but once the New Year rolled around… And then fate, in the form of an online auction battle over a Russian samovar that looks like Aladdin's lamp, brings home-town hero Aidan O'Malley into her life and suddenly Maddy begins to believe anything is possible.A child's dreams, an old woman's memories, the joys and heartaches that come with being part of a family, the thrill of new love and the deep comfort of love that stood the test of time -- it all comes together that one special holiday season when even the most battered hearts open just wide enough to let a miracle or two slip through.USA Today bestselling author Barbara Bretton has been hailed as a "monumental talent" (Affaire de Coeur) and now she delves deeply into the mysteries of family and shows us that even the most independent woman is still a daughter at heart.Home: it's where your story starts.(Previously published by Berkley Books)

     When rancher James McKenna is critically injured in a riding accident, his wife calls his daughter and stepson home for a family meeting. Ironically, home is where stepson Brody Caldera wants to be. He’s taking stock of his life—past, present, and future. Can the champion bull rider turn his life around and make up for past mistakes? Single mom Stephanie Chambers hopes to keep her daughter away from the man who deserted them years ago. But the spunky ten-year-old is enamored with the famous cowboy, and Stef’s best intentions are sidetracked from day one. She’s made a life for herself and her daughter, but Brody’s return challenges what Stef knows about herself and that life she’s created.

    Legacy, as he's known on Wall Street—knows hard work comes at a price. In business, he thrives on organization, control, and results, building a legacy and creating a future for his daughter.But his girl wants more for him than just the office. She knows he’s been alone for far too long and thinks now is the time for him to let go of the reins and maybe find love again.Indulging his daughter, Tyson leaves work behind for just one night and joins his friends for a boy’s night out. But when the haze of aged cigar smoke and fine whiskey parts, there’s a woman… One that, with just a look, Tyson knows will make him lose control in ways he never has before.And has him thinking of building a very different kind of legacy.

    Massive fears of another person he loves dying, has kept love strictly out of bounds. With his heart firmly caged in and with no intention of being tied down longer than a year, Adam proposes a marriage in name only to the girl-next-door, Elle Jennings. Elle is desperate to save her dad's ranch from foreclosure. She has 3 weeks to do it. All alone in the world, except for a stepmother and stepsister who dislike her, Elle wants to hold onto the one thing that brings her a sense of belonging... her father's ranch. When Adam asks her to be his fake wife, she agrees... with certain conditions. They agree to strict guidelines: 1) keep this a business arrangement 2) do not fall in love. It's only for one year. What could possibly go wrong with a marriage bargain? If you like strong but wounded heroes and feisty but scarred heroines, you'll love this marriage-of-convenience sweet romance! Buy your copy today or Read for FREE in Kindle Unlimited!