They say life begins at 40.... But when infertility led to my divorce, it seemed more like the end. When I’d rather be at home in my sweats binging '80s movies, my dad begs me to go to Carlton with him for moral support as he presents my much younger sister to their unmated Alpha.

What was supposed to be one of the happiest days of my life turned into my worst nightmare. After losing my wife, my daughter is all I live for. Well, her and the ranch. Between work and my family, I keep myself busy. I don’t have time for relationships, nor do I even want one. It’s the way I like it. The way I need it. If I don’t open up, I won’t love.

Sixty-nine-year-old Arthur Pepper lives a simple life. He gets out of bed at precisely 7:30 a.m., just as he did when his wife, Miriam, was alive. He dresses in the same gray slacks and mustard sweater-vest; waters his fern, Frederica; and heads out to his garden. But on the one-year anniversary of Miriam's death, something changes. Sorting through Miriam's possessions, Arthur finds an exquisite gold charm bracelet he's never seen before.

Single mother Kelly Kennedy can't afford lavish gifts for her four-year-old daughter, Bree. Homeless veteran Tyler Manning doesn't believe he deserves a Merry Christmas. When Bree asks Santa for a father and picks Tyler, both Tyler and Kelly vow to keep Bree from being hurt while fighting their feelings for each other. Tyler struggles with frightening flashbacks that scare Kelly. Meanwhile, Kelly's criminal past threatens her chance for happiness.

Robin Cove has had enough of her boss, is over her boyfriend, and makes a split-second decision to leave it all behind. Too bad she didn’t check the weather forecast before she left. Stranded on the side of the road when her old car breaks down, Robin fears her impulsive action will be the death of her as her body temperature steadily lowers to dangerous levels. When Robin wakes up, she finds herself in the kind of home that she has always dreamed of having, except for the handsome man with the surly attitude.

Della Stout can hardly believe it when her father tells her he's lost it all - the money, the house, the servants, their entire fortune. But things only get worse when they inform her she's to be sent west, as a mail order bride. When she meets her husband to be, she's less than impressed - by him and the dusty little town he lives in.

I didn’t know I was pregnant. Ayden walked away from me a decade ago and never looked back. The only thing he left me was our sweet, amazing daughter. And a mile-long list of small town secrets. When his father—the town’s mayor—threatens me, Ayden’s childhood best friend steps in. And I have no choice but to fight the battles he ran away from.

Helicopter pilot Anna Morgan hasn't flown since her husband's death several years ago. Instead, the young army widow has sought refuge with her son on peaceful Rose Island. Surrounded by family and friends, Anna vows never to do anything more dangerous than arrive late to a PTA meeting. All that changes when Captain Nick Peterson comes to the island to take custody of his orphaned nieces. Anna feels compelled to help Nick with the girls, but what is she supposed to do about her growing attraction to him?

Thea Landry has always known her place in modern-day society. It's somewhere just above the trash can her mother dumped her in as a newborn, but below the class where much comes easy. With her tattered shoes and bargain-bin clothes, her life has never been full of glamour. So when a rich and charismatic man takes interest, she doesn't fool herself into thinking their encounter is anything more than a one-night stand. Months later, she's kicking herself for not getting his phone number. Or his last name. She's given up hope of seeing him ever again.

Love. Joy. Anticipation. That’s what your wedding day is supposed to be filled with...but not mine. I’ve never seen my future husband or even heard his voice. I only know that long ago, my father made a vow, and now, I have to fulfill it. They say Kane is a monster, with sharp clawed hands and hoofed feet. They say he’s cruel, violent, and likely to kill me before the end of my first night. They say...a lot of things. So when my future husband arrives to collect his debt, I’m terrified of the fate awaiting me.

Lucy Owens’ life was irrevocably changed in a matter of seconds. Life as she knew it was over in the blink of an eye. Moving away from all that she knew, Lucy now lives a solitary life in her cabin on the shores of Lake Tahoe. Filled with guilt and pain, she keeps herself to herself, and for years she manages to avoid immersing back into society.

Esther Thompson longs for a husband and a home, but nearing 30 and plain as they come, she knows her chances of having either are slim. Until the loss of her position as a governess forces her into becoming a mail-order bride. After losing his beloved wife, Jeremiah Price is left with a broken heart, five children, and a farm to take care of. Desperate for a new wife to ease his workload, and after three successive brides balk at the prospect of such a large family, he insists on a proxy marriage for his fourth.

After the sudden death of his wife two years ago, Darren Griffin has finally found peace. He has a good life, good job, two daughters he’d do anything for, and a beautiful home on the beach. Greer Monroe is grieving the loss of her father. It’s the final rung on the broken ladder that’s become her life - crappy job, no friends, and a cheating ex-boyfriend. At the insistence of her aunt, Greer decides to spend some time at her family’s beach house. When the glee-filled sound of children’s laughter dances through the breeze, Greer finds herself smiling again.

Can empty nesters find a second chance at love in the mountains of Colorado? After June Meyers' devastating divorce six years ago, she remained devoted to her children and their home in Ohio. Now her youngest child is off to college, and June faces her future with a mix of anxiety and excitement. The Walker Horse Ranch in isolated Peakview, Colorado, provides the perfect setting for Jeff Walker to hide from the pain of losing his wife to cancer eight years ago. He’s raised his sons and now his ranch and horses are his life. It’s just simpler that way.

After the accident, the chief was pushing me to retire. Being a firefighter was all I had ever wanted, what I lived for. Well, other than my 12-year-old daughter, Abby. Raising her as a single dad, much less a busy firefighter, wasn't easy, but life never is. Then a call came in from an all-too-familiar area code. I was being beckoned back to my hometown, back to Canon. I had left that small town years ago, leaving behind a lot, including...her.

When mystery author D. B. Ziegler is late delivering her book, Abi Schore steps in to help. Surely she can give her favorite author moral support over the holiday break and get the manuscript to her boss at Tea & Sympathy Publishing in time for the new year. When Abi shows up on Ms. Ziegler’s doorstep bearing holiday treats, she’s met by the author’s handsome grandson Dov, who reveals a startling plot twist. His grandmother isn’t able to finish the book and Dov promised he’d complete it so fans won’t be disappointed—a task that’s harder than he ever imagined.

Two little girls stand with their heads bowed in my living room. I’m told they’re my granddaughters. Daisy is nine, and Alice seven. Daisy is the spitting image of her mother. This is the first time I’ve met them since my daughter and I fell out after she married that waste of space, Vince. They’ve come to live with me because their mother — my daughter — was murdered. In her own home while they slept close by. I think Vince killed her. But the police can’t prove it. I’ve always known he was no good. He treated my daughter like dirt. I said he’d cheat on her — but she wouldn’t listen.

There's no place like home for the holidays ... especially for Lesley Carver. Life in the big city just wasn't her jam and now she's back in Hickory Falls, working at the family diner and helping her mom after she took a tumble. Lesley longs to build a life here, working at the cafe, selling her handmade ornaments and ... er, apparently reviving her high school crush on her best friend’s older brother. Only one problem, her mom wants her to leave Hickory Falls far behind.

Tilly Farriday isn’t feeling very jolly this season. Recently divorced and broke, she’s squatting in one of her rental agency’s properties until her new home is ready. The sprinkles on top of the burnt Christmas cookie that is her life? The new owner shows up early, forcing Tilly to hide in the attic to save her job…and what remains of her dignity.

First published in 1843, it tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a mean and unpleasant man who dislikes people generally and Christmas especially. One Christmas Eve he is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley and the spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come and given a glimpse of the many homes and lives which Scrooge has touched in his wretched life to date. After their visits, Scrooge is transformed into a kinder, gentler man.

It’s 1984, and life has changed beyond recognition. Airstrip One, formerly known as Great Britain, is a place where Big Brother is always watching, and nobody can hide. Except, perhaps, for Winston Smith. Whilst working at the Ministry of Truth, rewriting history, he secretly dreams of freedom. And in a world where love and sex are forbidden, where it’s hard to distinguish between friend and foe, he meets Julia and O’Brien and vows to rebel.

Clark Griswold was onto something...at least with his annual holiday meltdown. And since the last three weeks of my life have been riddled with humbug—another breakup, a broken toe, an office promotion I deserved and didn’t get—I’m not at all in the mood to celebrate nor have the happ, happ, happiest Christmas EVER.

My fiancé brought me tea and scrambled eggs in bed that morning, and we snuggled together, talking about buying our rings, and about our perfect wedding next year. Then we headed into town. He held my hand and gazed at the ring I liked best, a smile spreading slowly over his face. Then a glass of bubbly to celebrate. I felt flushed, excited and ready for the rest of my life with the man I loved. We race to get on the train home. It screams to a halt and I run towards its open doors. Made it. I think he’s right behind me — but when I turn around, he’s gone.

Lucas knows the perfect night entails just three things: video games, wine, and pad thai. Peanuts are a must! Other people? Not so much. Why complicate things when he’s happy alone? Then one day the apartment board, a vexing trio of authority, rings his doorbell. And Lucas’s solitude takes a startling hike. They demand to see his frying pan. Someone left one next to the recycling room overnight, and instead of removing the errant object, as Lucas suggests, they insist on finding the guilty party. But their plan backfires. Colossally.

Johnnie Rico never really intended to join up—and definitely not the infantry. But now that he’s in the thick of it, trying to get through combat training harder than anything he could have imagined, he knows everyone in his unit is one bad move away from buying the farm in the interstellar war the Terran Federation is waging against the Arachnids. Because everyone in the Mobile Infantry fights. And if the training doesn’t kill you, the Bugs are more than ready to finish the job.