It can also be an exchange, a betrayal, an assault, a promise, a hope...or it could be a goodbye. The intimacy of a kiss cannot be denied. Whether shared, stolen or simply dreamed of, its recipient will be affected. Thirty-one stories by authors from around the world will tease your imagination as you anticipate ‘The Kiss’ in each weird or wonderful tale. This cross-genre anthology contains stories by Kate Aaron, Saxon Andrew, Jacques Antoine, Alison Blake, E. B. Boggs, Shirley Bourget, Ben Cassidy, Jason Deas, Sharon Delarose, Meghan Ciana Doidge, Suzy Stewart Dubot, Corrie Fischer, Brandon Hale, Traci Tyne Hilton, Colleen Hoover, Mona Ingram, J. L. Jarvis, Elizabeth Jasper, Anna J. McIntyre, Jess Mountifield, C. A. Newsome, S. Patrick O'Connell, Suzie O'Connell, Jeanette Raleigh, J. R. C. Salter, Molly Snow, Holli Marie Spaulding, Cleve Sylcox, Robert Thomas, Chris Ward and George Wier. 130,000 words

    At school, she finds a happiness and independence she's never known.Until one terrifying night takes it all away from her.With no place else to go, Leigh Anne heads home to reclaim her old life. A life she worked so hard to escape. On the outside, she seems like the same girl everyone has always known. But deep inside, she's hiding a terrible secret.That's when she meets Knox Warner, a troubled newcomer to Fairhope. His eyes have the same haunted look she sees every day in the mirror, and when she's near him, the rest of the world fades away. But being with Knox would mean disappointing everyone all over again. If she wants to save what's left of her old life, she has no choice but to say goodbye to him forever.Only, the trouble with goodbye is that sometimes it's about courage and sometimes it's about fear. And sometimes you're too broken to know the difference until it's too late.The Moment We Began (Book 2: Penny and Mason)The moment they both believe all hope is lost is the moment something real finally begins.I have loved Mason Trent for years, but I've only been sleeping with him for one.None of my friends know about our secret passion. He's in my bed one night and in the arms of someone else the next. And it's tearing me apart.I've done everything I can think of to make him mine, but the more I cling to him, the harder he pushes me away. I'm spiraling out of control, not sure how much more of this I can take. A girl can only bend so far until she breaks. And when I do, I break completely. I'm talking about one night of bad decisions, all leading to a my-world-will-never-be-the-same kind of moment. A moment where I need Mason more than ever. True to form, though, he's running.But I intend to go with him this time. I'm willing to leave my money, my family, my friends behind for this one last chance to see if he could ever really love me the way I deserve to be loved. I'm willing to sacrifice forever if it means one real moment with him.A Season For Hope (Book 3: Bailey and Judd)Being dumped just before the holidays was my worst nightmare. I'd spent so many years thinking Preston Wright was the one for me that when he told me it was over, I thought I'd rather die than face the future.I never expected someone like Judd Kohler to come crashing into my life. Literally. He was coming out. I was going in. My face got in the way. You get the picture. It was an accident. Running into him twice in one day, though? It started to feel like fate.My mother always says Christmas is a magical time of year. A season for hope. All I know is that just when I thought I'd lost mine, hope somehow found its way back to me.Just in time for Christmas.This series is complete!! Each book in the Fairhope series can stand alone, but you'll see updates on your favorite characters throughout each book.

    But one day his perfect forever was shattered when Sara died suddenly, leaving him alone to raise his children and wonder how he would ever get through life without his soul mate. Five years later, he finds himself looking into a familiar pair of blue-green eyes that remind him of Sara. The woman is the exact opposite of his late wife, yet he’s drawn to her. But after a few strange occurrences, he begins to wonder–are these just coincidences or has his Sara come back to him as she once promised in the form of this new woman? Annie Paxton doesn't believe in soul mates or fate. She had watched her father die of a broken heart after her mother passed away and has since cast away any fairy tale ideas of love. Then she meets the man who has been haunting her dreams and she begins to see love in a whole new light. But her dream man is still tied to his deceased wife, and Annie doesn't know if he will ever be able to break away from his past. As strange occurrences unfold, Annie wonders if William could ever truly love her for herself and not for the traits that remind him of Sara.Were William and Annie brought together by fate, coincidence, or by Sara keeping her promise?

    Having lost both her parents and grandparents, and with nowhere else to go, Layla is moving from Florida to a small town in North Carolina to live with the only family she has left: her estranged uncle and aunt.The last five years of Layla’s life were spent appeasing her less-than-loving grandmother, followed by being her grandfather’s caretaker. Growing old before her time, Layla lost her identity. Now she must learn how to allow herself to be the one cared for and loved.Life takes an unexpected turn when Layla meets Will Meyer. His breathtaking good looks are enough to catch her eye, but his sincerity and passion are everything she needs to find the strength and confidence she lost — and lead her into love.When tragedy once again strikes Layla’s life, her hope is all but completely crushed. Through it all, Layla learns what it means to truly love and be loved.

    And there’s only one thing that can get me out.Volleyball. But Shelby’s out to take everything I’ve worked for away from me over a stupid grudge.She won’t stop at sabotaging my volleyball position. No, she’s out for blood. That means she’ll attack me everywhere it counts. Volleyball, weightlifting, my friendships, and Kellum.I’ve done everything, given everything, sacrificed everything I can to create a future for myself. Will it be enough?For a book that will grip your heart from page one, start reading Chasing Skye today. Fans of the Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky will fall for this first book in the Texas High Series!

     But she may have just made the biggest one of her life. She's agreed to go on a road trip with hunky Aidan Walsh, the Irish bloke she's been lusting after since the day they met. Problem is, Aidan isn't single. Never has been and probably never will be. So, as much as his smile may make her stomach flutter, she most definitely cannot go there. It'll be okay. It's just one week. She can restrain herself for seven days. Really, she can. The bigger problem will be keeping from Aidan— who's possibly her best friend and the only one who will "get it"— the fact that she may just have the same cancer that killed her mother. No biggie. She's just on the verge of a complete and total meltdown and can't turn to her best friend for support. It'll be fine. Really. It will. Now if only she could believe that...

    His parents have long since left, the small farming community is on the brink of extinction, and only one close friend from his childhood remains--Taycee Emerson, his best friend’s little sister, who isn’t so little anymore. Then there’s the matter of Shelter’s Bachelorette, an online reality dating show created to raise some much needed funds for the town. Unwittingly cast as the bachelorette, Taycee wants out, especially when she discovers that Luke, her childhood crush, is back in town and will be one of the bachelors. To make matters worse, it's up to the viewers--not her--to decide which bachelors stay or go. And they all seem to like Luke.Unwilling to let him break her heart again, Taycee launches a subtle attack on Luke’s good name with the hope of getting him voted off the show. But she’d forgotten that Luke's an eye-for-an-eye kind of guy, and when he discovers what she's up to, it means revenge.

    A BROKEN HEART. AND A BOY WHO TRIES TO MEND IT.Butterflies. Little, fluttering butterflies. That’s what fifteen-year-old Willow Flynn feels in the pit of her stomach every time the mysterious boy is near. But Willow has other things to contend with as she deals with the tragic loss of her father, as well as her emotionally preoccupied mother, while being uprooted to a new house, a new school, a new life, far away, on an island, in the middle of nowhere.At the beginning of the school year, the sickly, but cute Michael sends Willow the first of many cryptic notes during homeroom. He stares at Willow and gives her the creeps. Michael never returns to school after that, but Willow ends up connecting with the poetic boy on-line where they strike up an unusual friendship.As Willow attempts to fit in and find her niche in the ever-cliquey high school world, she is further confused by Michael who strives to win her over and mend her broken heart. But will he be able to, especially when his own existence remains so uncertain?

    over one million words of divinely (and diabolically) inspired fantasy, adventure, and romance.Join the freshest voices in urban fantasy and paranormal, New York Times, USA Today, and Amazon bestselling authors, on unique journeys to heaven, hell, and worlds beyond.

    Finally, at 26, she may have actually lost the dreaded ‘McMaster the Disaster’ nickname that has followed her around her whole life. Josie’s quite content to be single, much to her mother’s disappointment. So when a bizarre contest is announced where a socialite is holding a lottery to pick her bridesmaids (and rake in a little extra cash), she can’t roll her eyes fast enough, even if it does mean meeting Jake Hall, her one and only movie star crush. Obviously, Josie doesn’t enter the bridesmaid lottery, so you can imagine her surprise when her picture pops up among the winners, thanks to Mom. With a little prodding -- okay bribing -- Josie agrees to participate.The wedding turns into the event of the year, and Josie finds herself in the middle of a paparazzi feeding frenzy, which gets even crazier after Jake Hall takes a special interest in her. Can Josie handle the pressure in the spotlight? Is it possible she might really have a chance with Jake Hall? And if she’s busy worrying about all that, how in the heck is she going to keep ‘McMaster the Disaster’ from showing up in front of the entire world?

     In the wake of her husband's tragic death, Lee is pregnant and one million dollars in debt to a dangerous loan shark willing to do anything to collect. Out of money and options, Lee seeks refuge in the small Oregon town where her mother's dilapidated home sits vacant, as desperate for a fresh start as Lee herself.With a baby on the way and a living to make, Lee opens a restaurant and begins to rebuild her life. But just as she catches her breath, and the eye of a local musician offering a second chance at love, she finds herself right back in the clutches of the debt collector with more to lose than ever.

    Now I've Been Given Chance To Save Her... Hopefully It's Not Too Late! DylanWe had the time of our lives and I finally stole her innocence. Then someone stole her. Now I’m stuck in the hot seat, being grilled under the bright lights. Sitting here, all I can think about is going out there and finding her. At this point, however, it’s going to take a miracle just to stay out of jail. Unfortunately, I’m not the type who attracts miracles or even luck for that matter.CarsonOlivia Bennett is the only woman I’ve ever loved, but I lost her after choosing the Marines instead of college. Now her daughter is missing and the blame has been pinned on my only nephew. With twenty years of military and DEA experience, I know I can hunt down the bastard who took her and bring her back alive. If I succeed, it will heal some old wounds with my family and give me another shot at winning back the woman of my dreams.SummerI return to consciousness being face down on a stinky piece of cheap, prickly carpet. My head is pounding. I can’t open my eyes. I try to move my arms, then my legs, but both are tightly bound. All I hear is the sound of tires humming against the pavement. I try to scream, but my lips are pressed so tightly together that I can barely muster a moan. My mind goes blank as I scramble to think of any way of improving my odds. I have no idea where I am, where I’m headed, who has taken me or why? My heart races out of control as tears soak the blindfold that relentlessly keeps me in the dark. I find myself spiraling into utter despair.**Lost Summer is a full-length (92,000 words) stand alone Romantic Suspense with No Rape Scenes, No Cheating and No Cliffhanger. If you like a fast-paced book that you can’t put down, you will love this one!

    An artist who's withdrawn from the world. A property battle that just might heal them both.When struggling caterer Tess Palmer inherits her great-aunt's home at Sunset Lake, Missouri, she thinks she's found the way to save her business. Selling the property can provide just the infusion of capital she needs to pay off her debts and move to a larger commercial kitchen.Wildlife painter Jack Hamlin, who lives across Sunset Lake, wants the area kept exactly as it is--a place where waterfowl can thrive and where he can find peace and solitude to ease his troubled heart. Although he's drawn to Tess's honesty and beauty, he's appalled to learn she would welcome a deal with a developer, and he vows to stop her.As Tess discovers the reasons why Jack is so passionate about protecting the lake, she finds him more and more attractive. She takes a tentative step past her own emotional pain to risk her heart again. But there seems to be no solution to the impasse over the property. As a sale becomes imminent, can Jack and Tess trust God--and each other--and finally find a love that will last?

    Never did he expect to find the unplanned result of that fling - a healthy, wailing baby named Samantha - strapped into a car seat on his back porch, along with a suitcase full of diapers and infant apparel and a note informing Jamie that he’s her father.Maybe he is and maybe he isn’t. But first things first. He’s never fed a baby or changed a diaper in his life. He doesn’t own a crib or a stroller. In a panic, he phones the nearest hospital, where neonatal nurse Allison Winslow takes his call and tells him about a class she teaches called the Daddy School.Classes on how to be a dad are exactly what Jamie needs. But when he attends his first class and sees the tall, earnest, amazingly beautiful and even more amazingly competent Allison, he realizes that he might just need more from her than her lectures on how to hold a baby.Jamie’s efforts to be a father to this precious baby touch Allison. His sense of humor amuses her. His striking good looks turn her on. But how can she trust the sort of guy who’d sleep with a stranger on vacation, without giving a thought to the consequences? How can she give her heart to such a reckless man?

    But beneath her empire’s seemingly idyllic surface lies a hidden secret. Whispers of an inept crown Prince are growing ever louder—intensified by the five year anniversary of the soulbond initiations.Amidst scandalous whispers, Ciardis finds herself chosen to train for the Companion’s Guild. She leaves her home and sets off on a personal journey to become a Court Companion. A position she’d never thought possible for a lowly servant to obtain, she must prove that she has the skills to attract a Patron. But she must master those skills quickly. If the legends are true, only Ciardis can harness the power to raise a Prince in an Imperial Court sworn to bring him down.This sensational series debut melds intricate storylines with remarkable characters and unforgettable magic. Sworn To Raise is ideal for fans of Kristin Cashore, Michelle Sagara, and Maria Snyder.