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 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.

Get ready to fall in love with the charming small town of Stone Creek, Tennessee! These novellas are sweet enough to give you a cavity and steamy enough to keep you warm at night.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Hockey coach Ashley Jaswal doesn't take nonsense from anyone … except her overbearing and superstitious family. They believe she's a good luck charm for her brother Jas, the newest Vancouver Canucks draft pick, forcing Ash to attend all his games as he rises up the NHL ranks, sacrificing her personal life (not that she has one—who decided hockey season needed to be 10 months long anyway?). Ash also clashes with Jas’s teammate, Canucks captain Devin Snyder.