A detective who refuses to modify her body teams up with her cyborg rival to track down a burglar who is putting toys into homes. A solitary ice miner finds love and friendship while stranded on the surface of Galileo. And two hardheaded negotiators put their differences aside to evade an assassin and save their planets. Enjoy these visions of Christmases yet to come with three science-fiction novellas from Carina Press.

Traveling unexpectedly aboard the luxury liner Nebula Dream on its maiden voyage across the galaxy, Sectors Special Forces Captain Nick Jameson is ready for ten relaxing days, and hoping to forget his last disastrous mission behind enemy lines. He figures he'll gamble at the casino, take in the shows, maybe even have a shipboard fling with Mara Lyrae, the beautiful but reserved businesswoman he meets.

Dark. Mysterious. Sensual. When Bronse Chapel, the commander of a specialized unit of the Interplanetary Militia, begins to dream about a beautiful and exotic brunette, he wants to dismiss it as being induced by lack of sleep ... or perhaps lack of sex. But his instincts tell him it's something different, something far more dangerous. Ravenna is the leader of the Chosen Ones, a small group of people from her village born with extraordinary powers.

New York Times best-selling author Angela Knight revisits the world of Guardian and genetically engineered Temporal Enforcers Dona and Alerio, who combine their talents - and fight their passions - as they investigate a time-travel murder spree. USA Today best-selling author Jennifer Ashley continues her Shifters Unbound series as Bear Shifter Cormac is determined to take single mom Nell as his mate, despite her objections - until her sons are endangered and she desperately needs help.

Mallory Reynolds is a driven woman fueled by her passion for photographing wild animals in remote locations. Every year she makes a trek deep into Alaska, but this time the unthinkable happens: she crash-lands after her plane stalls out in a storm. Injured, vulnerable, and threatened by the very creatures she loves, Mallory fears the worst - until she’s rescued by Michael Bradley, a mysterious mountain man living in self-imposed exile. Unfortunately, neither of them can leave Michael’s secluded cabin until spring. Mallory’s stuck with a stranger for months.

Humans made a deal with the Stryxian males: Help us defend Earth, and when the war is over, we’ll send you women to help rebuild your dying species. Now, the war appears to be over and Trinity Bentzer’s number has been called in the lottery. Only, instead of winning a boatload of money, she’s getting some badass winged alien she’s never met. Trin’s not thrilled to be shipped off and matched up, until she meets Raig. Maybe she hit the jackpot, after all.

I was a woman on the edge, shaken and shattered after a breakup that felt like it tore my entire world apart. My best friend, sick of watching me drown in misery and melancholy, harassed me until I agreed to go with her on a weeklong wilderness retreat. Nowhere in the glossy brochure did it say anything about the fact I was going to have to battle the insufferable but deliciously rugged trail guide instead of the elements. The brochure also forgot to mention that when you left civilization behind, there was no place to pack your inhibitions and fears.

My new bodyguard? A possessive, dangerous alien warrior who wants to claim me as his prize. Oh boy. Decades have passed since the Tyk'ix destroyed the Zoran homeworld. The fierce, sexy alien warriors have found refuge on Earth, but adjusting to this new reality has not been easy for either species. Sarah Granger wants nothing to do with the aliens - her father died protecting the Zoran, and she's yet to forgive them. When the Human Federation plans a mission into deep space to find a new home for the alien warriors, she volunteers, and to her own surprise, the curvy scientist gets the job! She couldn't be happier. Until, moments before launch, the Federation assigns her a bodyguard. And not just anyone: The most dangerous, arrogant Zoran warrior imaginable, who won't leave her alone for even a second.

Audra Copeland is among dozens of newly convicted felons dropped off on the prison planet Rhodon, where she discovers that the women of zone four have a long-standing arrangement with the men. If they hand over six of the new arrivals, the men won't raid. And Audra has just been drafted. She can take her chances on her own, or select a guardian. The deal is simple, if barbaric: sex, in exchange for food and safety from the other 200 men in zone four. It's a terrifying proposal. The men are violent, filthy degenerates. Then Audra sees Tyson at the edge of the crowd.

After aliens invade and conquer Earth, Eva is transported to a distant slave-trading planet. Freedom and escape are her only priorities, but none of her martial arts training could have prepared her for enslavement to the warrior King Taio. Eva finds herself drawn to this sexy alien male who ignites her heart and body. Taio is disgusted with the idea of owning a slave - until now. From the moment he sees her, he knows Eva is his for the taking. Torn between lust and duty, Taio discovers nothing will stop him from protecting his little warrior.

Gwynn Austin has no idea why her father has disappeared on a mysterious trip to Scotland. When she goes on a desperate mission to search for him, she finds more than she bargains for in a ruggedly handsome, wickedly exciting Highlander who exudes danger and mystery. And when she discovers her own link to Scotland, she'll have to trust her heart to help lead her.

Private investigator Grace tracks a kidnapped child to middle-of-nowhere Iowa. Encountering a strange creature she knows can't be a local animal, she doesn't need her psychic abilities to figure out the sleepy town is not what it seems. When she meets the intriguing Aiden, she's plunged into a world of Norse gods and fire demons where the Wild Hunt still rides the night.

Intense.... Rugged.... Sexy.... Untamed.... A collection of four novellas in the Wild Men of Alaska series.

From the moment Treat meets the new Deputy Chief of Dutch Harbor Seana Brogan, he's hooked, and that's before she arrests him. Unfortunately his love 'em and leave 'em reputation has proceeded him, and Treat finds himself in uncharted waters as Seana easily resists his charms. Reeling her in will be the most challenging catch he's ever landed.

New York Times best-selling author David Weber invites David Drake and S.M. Stirling, two of today's top writers of military science fiction, to join him in an exploration of Honor Harrington's universe.