Being a single mom was hard, but celebrating our first Christmas without my girl’s father, in the Christmas-obsessed town of Sugarplum Falls, was even harder. I knew they needed me to be there with them, but I was sinking quickly, barely keeping my head above water. That was, until a handsome man came into the salon I worked at, needing my help.

I knew Mia was in trouble the moment she came running back to Haven Brook—the home she swore she would never return to. It wasn’t just the terrified look in her eye or the constant watching over her shoulder that told me she needed my help. It was the way my body felt every time I was around her. The urge to protect her while trying to fight the electricity that sizzled between us when we touched. But she wasn’t mine to touch, and her being on the run was a harsh reminder of why.

I had one job. One responsibility. Lust wasn't a distraction that I had time for, and love was even further off the table. My career was demanding and required my undivided attention which left little time for romance. But when my sister went missing after meeting a guy from the same dating app as the beautiful way too young for me college student that I had been assigned to protect, everything changed.

I wasn't dreaming of a white Christmas, nor were my troubles out of sight. I had a demanding job and pressing deadlines, which meant it was far from being a silent night. When I asked my grandma if I could stay in her cabin over the holiday, she was more than thrilled to have me back home. But she failed to mention the sexy handyman remodeling the house, or that he might not make it down the mountain with the snowstorm moving in.

There are worse things than turning 40. However, I can’t seem to evade the worry of my biological clock, and my fear that time is running out. I’ve always wanted to be a mother, and with each passing day, there is a greater chance that might be a dream of mine that will never come true.

All I needed was a date. One measly date to go with me to my company’s Christmas party to show my ex—and current boss—that I was over him and had moved on. It wasn’t like they had to love me—heck, they didn’t even have to like me. They just had to show up. When I got stood up on ANOTHER blind date, I was starting to panic until a gorgeous stranger swooped in and pretended to be my boyfriend. Luckily for me, my ex and his new girlfriend just happened to be there to see it.

It was supposed to be an escape from the stress back home. A Christmas spent by myself, snowed in somewhere in the middle of nowhere. What I got instead was an unexpected roommate and a chance at my dream job. It should have been easy to keep my distance and focus on the task at hand, but when it came to Luke, nothing was easy. His charm and sexy smile had me wanting to unwrap him as my gift under the tree. Which is why I couldn’t say no when he asked for my help with his sister’s last-minute wedding. The catch- I had to pretend to be his girlfriend AND a caterer.

Natalie James was excited for all that being a high school senior promised for years. Senior Week. Varsity Tennis. Parties. Dates. Prom. Most importantly graduation and the escape from her small town that college would bring. But one party, one night, that night would change all her plans.

When my boyfriend asked me to go on a weekend getaway to his family’s cabin, I pictured evenings cuddled on the couch by the fireplace and candlelit dinners. Time for us to reconnect, and if I was picking up on all of his mixed signals, maybe he was going to propose.

Curl up by the fire with some of today’s hottest authors as they serve up enough holiday sweetness and sizzling spice to melt the frostiest heart. As the temperature drops, friends and neighbors might need to turn up the heat, and even old enemies just might get a second chance. Get ready to tingle all the way ...

Meet Randi Burnett—she’s brilliant, she’s beautiful, and she works for the bride. Missing groom? Intoxicated in-laws? Crying ring-bearer? You name it, she wrangles it. Too bad her personal life isn’t thriving like her side gig as a bridesmaid for hire. Recently dumped, Randi throws herself into her biggest challenge yet when she’s hired as a maid of honor and pretend best friend for an ice queen bride. There’s just one problem—the best man is infuriating, overprotective, and anti-marriage.

Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of best-selling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish. Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity's notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn't expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read.

Ryder, Garrett, Kenzo, and Diesel - The Vipers. Their deals are as sordid as their business, and their reputation is enough to bring a grown man to his knees, forcing him to beg for mercy. They are not people you mess with, yet my dad did. The old man ran up a debt with them and then sold me to cover his losses. Yes, sold me. They own me now. I’m theirs in every sense of the word. But I’ve never been meek and compliant.

Beckett: If you’re reading this, well, you know the last-letter drill. You made it. I didn’t. Get off the guilt train, because I know if there was any chance you could have saved me, you would have. I need one thing from you: get out of the army and get to Telluride. My little sister Ella’s raising the twins alone. She’s too independent and won’t accept help easily, but she has lost our grandmother, our parents, and now me. It’s too much for anyone to endure. And here’s the kicker: there’s something else you don’t know that’s tearing her family apart.

I'm addicted to my stalker. He watches me at night, sneaking in through my living room window and making my blood turn to ice. I feel him all around me as chills snake down my spine. Each night he becomes bolder, getting closer and welcoming himself into my bedroom, feeding his addiction.