. . BUT NOT ALWAYS WHERE YOU EXPECT IT. From New York to Los Angeles to Bucharest, fifteen never-before-published tales by some of the world’s finest fantasy and horror writers celebrate the newest incarnations of an age-old terror that strikes when the moon is full . . . the werewolf. No longer confined to the forests, these modern monsters can be found in places you frequent every day—and never before thought to fear.CARRIE VAUGHN’s popular werewolf radio host Kitty Norville is drawn into a controversy as to whether it’s fair to ban lycanthropy from professional sports. New York’s famous Plaza Hotel is the setting for ESTHER M. FRIESNER’s tale of one very grisly little girl, while Beverly Hills may never quite recover from RON GOULART’s middle-aged Hollywood screenwriter who falls prey to a most unusual problem. Celebrated fantasy author PETER S. BEAGLE tells a chillingly lyrical story of three Louisiana loup garoux locked into a deadly dance of death. Plus many more biting tales from award-winning authors:HOLLY BLACK • P.D. CACEK • GREGORY FROST • TANITH LEE HOLLY PHILLIPS • MIKE RESNICK • DARRELL SCHWEITZER • LISA TUTTLE IAN WATSON • GENE WOLFE • CHELSEA QUINN YARBRO

    Melody Tarleton is driving home for Christmas when a man--clad in Revolutionary War-era costume--appears out of nowhere, right in the path of her car. Shaken, she takes in the injured stranger, listening with concern to Jake Mallory's fantastic claim that he's a Patriot soldier, sentenced to death by British authorities. The last thing he remembers is the tug of the noose.Safe at her parents' house, Melody concocts a story to explain the handsome holiday guest with the courtly manners, strange clothes and nasty bump on the head. Mark, her close friend who wishes he were more, is skeptical and her family is fascinated--though not half so fascinated as Melody herself. Jake is passionate, charming and utterly unlike anyone she's ever met. Can he really be who he claims? And can a man from the distant past be the future she truly longs for?With the aid of enchanted petals, ancient potions and the peculiar magic of the season, Melody and Jake embark on an unimaginable Christmas adventure--and discover a love that transcends time.

     Growing up in the small town of Grace’s Cove, Margaret never knew that she was different. She didn’t understand why people were unnerved by her ability to see what others could not. When her mother explains that she is special, gifted, her world shifts forever. Desperately wanting to be normal, Margaret is determined to seal that part of herself away. It seems as though she might succeed – until Sean Burke steps into her life. Sean is an apprentice on a fishing boat and is pursuing his dream of running his own fishing business. Tales of the fish pulled from the rumored-to-be-enchanted cove are legendary across Ireland, and Sean is determined to learn its secrets. What he doesn't expect is to be blindsided by his love for Margaret. Helpless to stop loving Sean, but unable to confess to her shameful secret, Margaret must face the truth about herself – or run away from it forever. From New York Times Bestselling author, Tricia O'Malley, comes a new romance series set on the rocky shores of Ireland. The Mystic Cove Series: Wild Irish Roots: Prequel Novella Wild Irish Heart Wild Irish Eyes Wild Irish Soul Wild Irish Rebel Wild Irish Roots: Margaret & Sean Wild Irish Witch

    Still haunted by that loss and stranded alone at night at the farmily, Angie sees little David, still looking three years old in spite of the passing of years that have turned her into an adult. When she runs toward him, she finds herself shifted back by decades to the 1940s where people she has never seen before call her by name and a man she's never met tells her they are engaged to be married.

    Eden, Carla Kelly, Josi S. Kilpack, Annette Lyon, and Heather B. Moore.In THE WEDDING GIFT: A PRIDE AND PREJUDICE STORY, an enchanting novella by Anna Elliott, the story opens two weeks before Elizabeth Bennet’s wedding to Mr. Darcy. He has given her the perfect wedding gift, and now she must come up with one for him. But what do you give a man who has everything? Elizabeth soon discovers that the gift of love is more important than any one thing. DREAM OF A GLORIOUS SEASON, a sweet novella by Sarah M. Eden, we meet Elizabeth Gillerford who envies her sister only one thing—that she’s been intended for Julian Broadwood since they were children. The trouble is that Elizabeth is hopelessly in love with Julian too. When Julian discovers that Elizabeth has been denied a Season because her older sister is yet unwed, he undertakes his own stealthy measures to introduce her to society, only to find himself falling in love with her himself. In THE MENDER, a captivating story by Carla Kelly, Thankful Winnings takes a sea voyage with her cousin on the Ann Alexander, in a last adventure before she settles down to marry one of her beaus. Unexpectedly they come upon the aftermath of a fierce ship battle, and Thankful is commissioned to help in the place of an injured surgeon on one of the Royal Navy ships. Adam Farnsworth, surgeon, has been at sea for years. Tired of war, but devoted to his post, it takes a resourceful lady such as Thankful to give him the hope of love and help heal his own wounds, the ones that show and the ones that don’t. In BEGIN AGAIN, a charming novella by Josi S. Kilpack, Regina Weathers gives up on marrying for love the day that Ross Martin walks out of her life. Now, fifteen years later, Ross shows up at a ball and thinks he can woo Regina. But she is set on her lonely path and stitched-up heart, no matter the excuse Ross gives for his years of silence and neglect. When Ross insists he wrote many letters during his military years, Regina discovers a secret long-since buried by her father, and the revelation might be enough to thaw the coldness of her heart. In Annette Lyon’s endearing story, THE AFFAIR AT WILDEMOORE, Mrs. Ellen Stanhope escorts her three daughters to a ball. As her oldest flirts with a beau, Ellen is reminded of her courtship and early years of marriage with Anthony, before tragedy struck with the death of their infant son. The marriage has faded and dulled. Not until she sees Anthony dancing with a woman he courted years before does Ellen realize how much she misses him, still loves him, and yearns for him to yet feel the same way for her. In the delightful novella, THE DUKE’S BROTHER, by Heather B. Moore, Mr. Gregory Clark is having an awful day, and it only gets worse when he’s ran over by … a woman. Mabel Russell reluctantly visits her sister in London for the Season, even though she’d rather stay in the country cataloging insects and aphids. When she runs into Gregory Clark, quite literally, she’s afraid to show any interest, especially since he’s a member of the dreaded ton. But getting to know Gregory becomes an unexpected delight.

    Young and beautiful Alainn McCreary, healer in training to the powerful O'Brien Clan, is on the cusp of discovering she possesses vast and unusual supernatural powers, which she hopes will help her unlock the secrets of her past and break the curse on the O'Brien Clan. Alainn is counseled to hide her magical abilities, but how can she when dark forces rise up to threaten not only the O'Brien Clan, but Alainn and the life of the Chieftain's beloved, but forbidden nephew, Killian O’Brien, a man Alainn has loved as long as she can remember? The Irish Witch series Book 1: The Farrier's Daughter Book 2: The Witch's Daughter Book 3: The Chieftain's Daughter

     Vacation to England. Check. Haunting castle ruins. Check. Proper English lord for a boyfriend. Well, almost check. Be careful what you wish for… Lucy Merriweather’s supposedly perfect boyfriend attempted to murder her during a visit to Blackford Castle. Falling through time to 1300s medieval England, she lands in a tangled heap at the feet of a tarnished grumpy knight with secrets of his own and no time to spare for a crazy damsel in distress.

    From video game characters seeking civil rights and a cave dragon loan shark pondering an investment, to Santa Claus's Australian vacation and an enemy of Sam Spade's out for revenge, plus visits to the Nightside and Sookie Stackhouse's hometown, these stories will take readers around the world on a magical mystery tour."Lucky" by Charlaine Harris -- a Sookie Stackhouse short"Bogieman" by Carole Nelson Douglas"Looks are Deceiving" by Micheal A. Stackpole"the House of Seven Spirits" by Sharon Shinn"Glamour" by Mike Doogan"Spellbound" by Donna Andrews"the Duh Vice" by Michael Armstrong"Weight of the World" by John Straley"Illumination" by Laura Anne Gilman"the House" by Laurie R. King"Appetite for Murder" by Simon R. Green -- a Nightside short"A Woman's Work" by Dana Stabenow

    But when a brave beauty unwittingly breaks the enchantment, he is drawn into a strange new world…and an all-consuming desire.Sensible Morgan doesn’t believe in magic—until a mysterious being saves her from a fate worse than death, and life as she knows it changes forever. Now the man of her dreams has become flesh and blood, igniting a spark in Morgan’s soul which science cannot explain. But even a love that transcends time may not be strong enough to withstand the power of an ancient curse.

    But as she soon finds out, some things are best left buried in the past.Originally published in an Anthology called Entangled with Michelle Diener, Cynthia Eden, Jennifer Estep, Misty Evans, Nancy Haddock, Liz Kreger, Dale Mayer, Michelle Miles, and Edie Ramer, plus a novella by Allison Brennan.

     Erin Hayes - I Wish I Weren’t A Djinni A djinni who is summoned by a young man has the power to grant any of his wishes; he simply has to believe her enough to ask. Aileen Harkwood - Splintered Magic Though Saige McMullins may feel like nothing more than a half-witch freak, when evil with a nasty appetite threatens the beach town of Lost Cliff, she knows she’s the only one who can stop it. L.C. Hibbett - Wicked Witch Destiny isn’t a good witch. She lies, she cheats, and she dances on the dead. But Destiny has a secret that might just change everything… Megan J. Parker & Nathan Squiers - Journal of Abigail DiAngelo As a hunter in training and high school student, Abigail DiAngelo would much rather live a normal life than fight monsters with her father, but when an unexpected chance for change arises, it’s up to her to take charge... Katerina Martinez - The Witch and the Thief When Nicole Harriman receives an urgent prophetic vision, it’s up to her to protect what is hers. K.N. Lee - Awakened A young witch betrays her darkest secret and risks her crown, life, and soul for the love of a human. Nicole Zoltack - Gavin’s Gamble Gavin thinks nothing can be worse than having a witch hunter for a father until he experiences possibly magical phenomena... Debbie Cassidy - Deadtown A pocket of crazy, a town hostage to magic, and a mysterious warlock boss equal a recipe for disaster. Alicia Rades - Visions Among Frost Crystal Frost can see ghosts and predict the future, but when her friends pull out a Ouija board at their sleepover, it’s up to her to clean up their mess. Monica Corwin - The Dying of the Light When Charity dies on the first day of her new job she rallies with the help of her new reaper partner, and her eight remaining souls, to take down the criminals responsible. Jasmine Walt - Tested by Magic Shifter and bounty hunter Sunaya Baine would much rather chase after hardened criminals, but when a child goes missing in her magical city, she’ll stop at nothing to find her before she falls prey to the real things that go bump in the night. Thea Atkinson - Reaper’s Redemption A grim reaper’s next fare might be her last. Rebecca Hamilton - Leaves Like Magic A young witch joins forces with a shapeshifting ally in a race against the clock to save her best friend from vampires.

    Before the vampire can kidnap her, there is an unexpected rescue by a group of vampire hunters. Overwhelmed by the feeling of safety, Chloe passes out and they whisk her away to their small community.When Chloe wakes, she comes face to face with the only other living relative, besides her mother, whom she has ever met: her grandfather. Chloe’s mother kept her hidden from the family; now, Chloe tries to unveil the family secrets.Through her grandfather, she learns her mother was a vampire hunter. In fact, her entire family is descended from the powerful bloodlines of vampire hunters. Chloe agrees to join the family she has never known for one reason only: Chloe vows to kill the vampire responsible for her mother’s murder.With vengeance in her soul, Chloe is even more determined to follow through on her vow when she discovers the true identity of her enemy and how he is connected to her.The Vampire Hunter's Daughter is the first in a series of short stories by Jennifer Malone Wright.

    Now he has an even bigger secret. In every shadow of the sprawling mansion he's recently inherited he can see her-tempting, ethereal, and untouchable. Hope Stillwater inhabited that mansion in 1906. Raw desire has formed a conduit between these two passionate souls who are separated by the barrier of time. Intoxicated by each other's presence, Ryan and Hope come close to crossing that inviting boundary between two worlds. But there is danger: Ryan's job has put him on the trail of a depraved criminal in an investigation that's risking Hope's eternal fate. Now he must do whatever it takes to change history, protect Hope from harm, and set his desires free.

     Buy Once Upon a Happy Ending to start the timeless anthology today! Note:The current available edition only contains 13 Stories from 14 different authors.

    Her own power is insignificant enough in her eyes that she trains to be a healer under the expert tutelage of her mother. When a child is brought to the castle where she lives, she knows she doesn’t have the skills to heal him, and her mother’s powers—and her own—will need to be revealed to a handsome knight. Alexander Lain is the seventh son of a seventh son, and as such he has luck on his side in everything he does. When he finds a peasant child burning with fever, her parents burning in a hovel nearby, he takes the child, hoping to find someone who can heal her. He’s pointed toward the castle and Lady Lina, and he takes the child there, finding it convenient that his errand was taking him to the same place. What he sees in his first hour in the castle astounds him, but it doesn’t keep him from an attraction for the young lady there. Will he be able to convince her—and her father—she’s meant to be his bride? Or will his luck finally run out? *Note this romance contains a mild sex scene*