The hottest rock star in the world walking into my work wasn’t on my bingo card. Speak of the devil . . . My soon-to-be ex-husband. Shane Faris is taller than I remember. Scruffier. More attractive than ever and sporting a sinful smirk that tells me he hears “Yes” too much. Figures. He offers me the divorce I want, but on one condition . . . Two nights together, for old times' sake.

I’ve always been a wild card–the first to start a fight on the ice, and the life of the party off it–but appearances can be deceiving. Being traded to the Boston Rebels could not have come at a better time. With serious family obligations to fulfill and a contract renewal with a new hockey team on the line, I have no time for anything else. I return to Boston knowing I need to buckle down and focus on what really matters.

One of the cardinal rules of matchmaking I was positive I'd never break. That is until Nathan Wilder walked into Love Moore Matchmaking Agency, needing my help to find him the one. A tall order to ask since he was the most hated man in the NHL. Broody. Crude. Abrasive. The man was a six-foot-three walking red flag. Right off the bat, every fiber of my being told me he'd be trouble. He wasn't looking for love. It was all a PR stunt to clean up his image so he could keep playing for the Boston Guardians. But there was something in his sad, soulful eyes that just pulled me in.

Holt Sebastian is royalty in our world. As CEO of the Sebastian News Corp, he’s the man with all the power. The man who decides if I’ll always just be a local television anchor or if I’ll be the rising star of my own show.

If I had known how irrevocably my life was about to change, I would have walked the other way after talking to my coach. I should have taken any other route out of the Toronto Terror head office. But I didn’t and now–everything is different. At first I didn’t recognize the woman doing a victory dance down the hall when she thought no one was watching. Until she turned around. And that beautiful smile was aimed at me.

Lennox Kennedy is beautiful, loud, and the love of my life. She's also my ex-girlfriend. The first time I saw her after ten years apart, I slammed into the plexiglass minutes before our game was set to begin. The second time I threw up. The third time's a charm apparently because as my fiancée and I walked into an appointment to meet the woman hired to plan our nuptials—there she was again. Obviously, I did what any smart man would do—I called off the wedding. I don't have a plan per se, other than winning back the only girl I've ever loved.

I caught her staring at me from across the quad, eyes fixed on the football jersey stretched across my wide chest. And if I flexed my muscles, showing off the strength of a defensive tackle, it was just to see her blush. And then she did, and I couldn’t get her out of my mind. Her wide eyes. The freckles on her cheeks. I needed to know her. The girl who scampered away every time we bumped into each other—by accident and by design.

Cash Ryatt is a distraction. It's no secret the bad boy race car driver has built a reputation from two things. Winning and fu-front-page headlines. I've read he's the best at both, but I have no intention of finding out firsthand. I have my own plans, and they don't include making the gossip sites as his next one-night stand. My three older brothers, his bosses, would never stand for it anyway. So, how did I find myself daydreaming about the one man I've been forbidden from dating? His mere proximity causes my heart to beat wildly in my chest.

They all insist they don't know me. But they watch me. Every day. Their silence continues until a handsome, tattooed stranger dressed in a suit saunters into the arena and starts sweet-talking me. Then they jump off the ice, ready to fight him to the death. And for some reason…he seems ready to return the favor. Now, I'm being swept into a life of glamorous darkness…and into a war between men I evidently used to love.

He was my boyfriend’s best friend—and the bane of my existence. I wanted to hate Luke Taylor. I did hate him. I just never hated him enough. Now, a decade later, tragedy has brought us back to the place where it all happened—my best times and my worst. Our lives have changed, but that pull between us is just as strong as ever. Only this time, it’s more dangerous too.

I met my dream girl. That’s right. She’s stunning and the worst bartender I’ve ever seen. I should have gone home and gone to sleep—dream girl or not. I had an early morning and the season was starting soon. But when she threatened me with boy band karaoke, I couldn't help myself. I went. The stars aligned. I have never felt more alive or wanted anyone more than I want her.

With a famous NHL player for a stepbrother, Violet Hall is well acquainted with the playboy reputation of many a hockey star. So of course she isn't interested in legendary team captain Alex Waters or his pretty, beat-up face and rock-hard six-pack abs. But when Alex inadvertently obliterates Violet's misapprehension regarding the inferior intellect of hockey players, he becomes much more than just a hot body with the face to match.

I was a small-town girl with big city dreams and more ambition than money to my name. He had everything—money, privilege, and the world at his feet. Opposites in every way, but that didn’t matter. We were lightning in a bottle, and everything felt possible when we were together. Life was perfect.

He’s the billionaire Beast of Calico Cove, and I’m his sacrificial lamb…I mean, his new employee. Malcolm Bettencourt is a recluse with a nasty scar across his face and a bad attitude. He has a bone to pick with my family over a loan my dad can't pay back, so to save our lobster business, I agree to be his live-in housekeeper and cook. We have nothing in common, and there’s no reason to think he would want anything to do with someone like me. Except I can’t stop thinking about him, and he can’t stop looking at me.

One wardrobe malfunction. Two people who don’t belong together. Three awful words: “Be my wife."

It’s the flight before Christmas and Molly just got an unexpected gift: a free first-class upgrade on her plane trip home for the holidays. Bring on the complimentary cocktails! But after one too many, she spills all her secrets to the hot guy seated next to her—only to wake up mortified when her buzz has worn off. At least she never has to see Liam again ... or so she thinks. When Molly arrives at Christmas House, the festive rental home that she and her family are sharing with her sister’s fiancé and his wealthy family, she discovers that Liam is one of the new in-laws. Oops.

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.

Living in a year around Christmas town has its drawbacks. The caroling, the decorations, the insanely cheery spirit, it never disappears. It's why I like to hibernate away in my cave - I mean housekeeping a healthy distance from the holly jolly spirits. And all was going according to plan until my nemesis, Storee Taylor, moved in next door to care for her Aunt Cindy. Without blinking, she turned my simple world into a real nightmare-before-Christmas, especially when she decided to enter the town Christmas Kringle contest - which she was determined to win.

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.

Evie Crowe is starting over in a strange town with her newborn, and men are the furthest thing from her mind. If only the quiet, hulking farmer, Luke Ward, would stop coming into the thrift shop and piquing her reluctant interest. Evie wants to stay single all the way—she can’t trust anything more than friends-with-holiday-benefits. But Luke is in it for the long haul. He’s fixed on making this a Christmas Evie will remember forever. If she gives him a chance.

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.

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.

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.

After a snowstorm grounds her flight, Lucy makes a last-ditch effort to get home for Christmas using a rideshare app. She thinks she’ll be taking a road trip with a stranger...but the guy who shows up is someone she knows all too well. He’s the hookup she ghosted a few months ago, and now she’ll be stuck in a car with him for the most awkward road trip of her life.

After a bad breakup, Nola wants nothing to do with Christmas, especially in her quaint hometown of Bright Harbor, Maine. Infuriatingly charming and cheery, Nola’s surroundings only worsen her sour mood. To make matters worse, Caleb, the boy who broke her heart years ago, is all grown up and still living in town. While doing her best to avoid him, Nola bumps into the local mailman, who gives her a mysterious letter. And when she finds that the writer is a fellow Scrooge, she can’t help but feel her spirit lifting.

Louisa McDavid figures after escaping from the cult she grew up in, the universe owes her a happy ending. Her sisters are all safe, she owns her own business, and she doesn't give a damn what anyone thinks of her. But as a woman in love with love, why has it been so hard for her to find one of the good ones? Everything changes when Ciaran Carter basically steps out of the pages of one of Louisa's beloved smutty books and into her romance-only bookstore. Tall, muscular, handsome, and he likes to read? He's the perfect book boyfriend come to life.

A desperate attempt to pay tuition so I can graduate college is the only reason I took this job. When I accidentally spill a bottle of expensive tequila on Jovan Aguilar, I have no idea he's the one who owns the elite Miami nightclub—a fact he doesn't reveal until the morning after I end up in his bed.

One of the cardinal rules of matchmaking I was positive I'd never break. That is until Nathan Wilder walked into Love Moore Matchmaking Agency, needing my help to find him the one. A tall order to ask since he was the most hated man in the NHL. Broody. Crude. Abrasive. The man was a six-foot-three walking red flag. Right off the bat, every fiber of my being told me he'd be trouble. He wasn't looking for love. It was all a PR stunt to clean up his image so he could keep playing for the Boston Guardians. But there was something in his sad, soulful eyes that just pulled me in.

Victor. Torsten. Cassius – the jock, the artist, the stepbrother. The Poison Ivy Club. Ruthless. Connected. Violent. Untouchable. They rule Stonehurst Prep with an iron fist. If you want Harvard, Princeton, or Yale, they’ll get you in. Guaranteed. But they’ll take their pound of flesh first. A deal’s a deal – you give them whatever they want, and they’ll make your dreams come true.

As a star senior on the Tiff U volleyball team, it's been my goal to come back strong after an injury that nearly took me out of the game. I'm Laney freaking Price, and I'm taking my shot to make it on the new pro women's team, despite the lack of support from my father. The problem? Cutter McCreary. He is the captain of the Tiff U hockey team, an all-around loveable guy, and a total player. Did I mention a complete thorn in my side since freshman year? Yeah… that guy. His charms don't tempt me. Until a mix-up with our housing situation forces us into a bit of a predicament.

The first time she knew real happiness was when she found out that the man who raised her wasn't her real father. She thought there couldn't be monsters in the world that were any worse than the monster she had called 'daddy' for most of her life. Then she stumbled into the world of demons. The Demon King knew the second his fated mate had been brought into the world. After living years too numerous to count, it meant little to him other than to keep him from living as he had. He now belonged to only one female—and he would have to wait years for her to mature enough to matter.

Working as the head trainer at Lodestar Ranch is my chance to prove I have what it takes to be a woman in a man's world. The only problem? My boss is the world's grumpiest cowboy… and I can't keep my eyes off him.

Skye Jordan thought she had it all figured out. Eighteen months ago, she was in college and dreaming of a basketball career. But in a split second her world fell apart. Now she’s back at Havencrest U, broke and desperate. She has no use for sexy, bad boy musicians who kiss her senseless. . . until she lands an internship at the radio station where he works.

Includes all five books in the Vegas Aces: The Wide Receiver series: Rookie Mistake, Hidden Mistake, Honest Mistake, No Mistake, and Favorite Mistake.

He's the troublemaking, foul-mouth hockey goalie who always gets what he wants. She's the shy, anxiety-filled, dog lover who just so happens to be the key to him playing this season. Add in striking a win-win deal that includes a fake relationship and these two college students have one complicated year ahead of them.

Rosaleigh caught my eyes from the beginning, but I didn't make my move. She was too young. Unfortunately, my best friend didn't have the same morals. It killed me, watching from a distance as he disrespected the woman who was always meant to be mine. When she finally discovers the truth about him, all bets are off. I'm done holding back. I make my move, ready to prove she has a real man now—one who will have her back and give her the life she deserves. I won't let anything stop me. She's not getting away again. I'm going to make her mine.

Fall head-over-heels in love with the unforgettable men of The Exception Series from USA Today Bestselling author Adriana Locke. This collection includes The Exception, The Connection, and The Perception.

The good news is I was recently named head coach of the Portsmouth Whalers hockey team, the youngest coach in the NHL for their newest expansion team. The bad news? Brace yourself. I wish I had when I found out my half-brother just took his life. When I got up off the floor I also found out he left me with a mountain of debt-and his baby daughter.

Falling for my brother's best friend is the last thing I expect to do when I return home to Magnolia Grove, heartbroken and ringless. But catching my fiancée banging his Harvard grad intern made me rethink my life choices, like ditching my education to play house. No more pretending, and no strings. All I need now is some careless fun while I rebuild my life, one odd job at a time.

Romantic. Addictive. Second chance wishes and first time kisses. Everything you need for a cozy story. You’ll devour each of these winter stories down to the last page.