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.

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 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.

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 believe that everyone is destined to find their one true love, their happily ever after. That’s why I run a relationship advice column to help those who need a little guidance. Granted, I’m by no means an expert, but it is my favorite subject, and I’ve spent plenty of years studying it as I’ve watched others fall in love.

Hailey Rose writes the love stories that people fantasize over, but when complications in her personal life make it impossible to write the steamy scenes she needs, she finds herself desperate for something to bring back the spark. She finds inspiration in the place she least expects it when moans of pleasure float into her apartment through the thin walls. When the sexy guy next door brings home a different woman every night, she finds it increasingly difficult to stop eavesdropping.

It should have been me. I was supposed to be the one who died in the car accident that day. Not my best friend who had a family to leave behind. But like most things, life is unpredictable and filled with unexpected changes.

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.

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.

Miles Sexton was the kind of guy I avoided at all costs. The man’s confidence and good looks screamed heartbreaker, and I’d had enough of that for a lifetime. But it wasn’t easy to avoid someone when they parked their food truck right outside the upscale restaurant you worked at as the executive chef. Or when they constantly came in, asking to borrow ingredients because they failed to be prepared.

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.

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.

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.

All newly minted pediatrician Jamie Malek wants is to borrow a roasting pan for Christmas dinner. Unfortunately, that requires her to interact with Marc—her best friend’s troublemaking brother, who’s now a tech billionaire. He’s the one who got away. She’s the one who broke his heart. Outside, a howling blizzard. Inside, a crackling fire. Suddenly, being snowbound with the man she never expected to see again might not be such a bad way to spend a winter’s night.

Five Years Earlier: Henry Dunne knows three things: that agreeing to host this raucous house party was a terrible idea, that he absolutely cannot show up to his nursing shift tomorrow with a hangover, and that the beautiful redhead in the corner will be sleeping in his bed tonight.

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.

Obituary writer Nadine Barbault doesn’t mind being called “Lady Death”. It suits the ice queen persona she’s cultivated to survive the fast-paced Toronto Herald. So when Nadine learns that famous (and reclusive) author Dot Voline has died, she doesn’t hesitate to run the obituary…only to discover that Dot is very much alive. Nadine’s screw-up has brought Wesley Chen of the rival Spear no end of joy—she’s been a thorn in his extremely ambitious side for years. But the renewed interest in Dot also surfaced chatter about a mysterious past scandal.

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.

After watching my mother succumb to a mysterious illness, I promised myself two things. I'd find the cure for what ravaged her and leave the godforsaken city where she abandoned me. Four years later, I received an acceptance letter from Dracadia University, one of the oldest most prestigious schools in the country. Nestled on a secluded island off the coast of Maine, it's rumored to be haunted by the souls of the mental patients exiled there centuries before, those whose bones are said to make up the island's white sandy shores. And restless ghosts aren't even its most daunting peculiarity.

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.