“A cheerful, lighthearted romp…cleverly mixes in a seductive game of alternating dares that morphs into more than just a holiday hookup…[a] joyous tale.”—Publishers Weekly Lauren Hall has one wish for Christmas this year—raise money to build a new, no-kill animal shelter for the little Virginia town of Sycamore Cove. And she is prepared to do anything to make it happen. Even dare a man she just met to perform a strip tease for the local knitting society. Gabe Nicholson has one wish too—obtain the job of a lifetime to launch his career. But his wishes get snowballed when his best friend's little sister hands him a pair of stripper pants and a bottle of eggnog-flavored body oil. It’s all sugar plums and mistletoe until a scandal caused by Lauren’s fundraiser threatens to ruin everything. With Gabe's work opportunities disappearing before his eyes and Lauren's fundraising efforts tanking, their game of dares stands to burn them both. Unless it ignites a spark of Christmas magic…

“Inspiring, cozy, and full of heart!” —Lisa Greenwald, author of 11 Before 12 and the Pink & Green series A thirteen-year-old girl spends her first holiday away from home completing a scavenger hunt that takes her across Europe in 12 Dares of Christa, the first contemporary novel from Marissa Burt, author of Storybound. Christa is a holiday junkie. What’s not to love? There’s decorations! Gifts! Caroling with friends! But thanks to her parents’ recent separation, Christa’s favorite time of year is now filled with heartache. And when her mom announces that she’s taking her on a mother-daughter trip to Europe over winter vacation, Christa knows she should be excited. She just can’t imagine spending the yuletide season without her dad. However, waiting at her hotel in Italy is a special package from her father: the first of twelve dares that take Christa to landmarks in three beautiful countries and introduce her to people who will show her that hope is alive in the strangest of places. Funny, genuine, and feel-good to the core, The 12 Dares of Christa is one fa-la-la-filled adventure that fans of Wendy Mass and Lisa Greenwald will love.

Kara Carter has her future set—the right photography job, the perfect reliable boyfriend, and her own apartment in New York, until one morning changes it all. She has no choice but to move back home to Waverly Lake, North Carolina, a town she had sworn off for ten years. It's one thing to return as a failure, it's another to find her neighbor is the one and only Danny Bennett, the boy who broke her heart senior year of high school. As Kara helps with the family's furniture business—and steers clear of Danny—she is pressured into teaming up with her dad for the Annual Waverly Lake Regatta. But when her dad's accident results in forfeiting his sailing team slot, no one in Waverly Lake can forgive her past—except Danny. Danny Bennett, now a single father of seven-year-old daughter Hannah, can't help but be drawn to Kara. When he offers to help Kara race in the regatta, little does he know how the woman who stole his heart long ago will change the way he sees family, love, and parenting a child with autism. Can these high school sweethearts sail through the pain of the past?

One woman is torn between faith, family, and passion in this “heartfelt immigrant love story” from the author of Forbidden by Destiny and Forbidden by Time (Publishers Weekly). Raised by her immigrant parents, Sara has been taught that a good daughter makes decisions based on her family’s approval, and she’s spent most of her life in their good graces. Until she meets Maziar. An instant electricity ignites between them, and their meeting seems like fate. Just as her mind begins to soar with the possibilities, he shatters her hopes. Sara is Muslim. Maziar is Jewish. Will faith tear them apart? Despite centuries of unrest behind them, Sara and Maziar embark on a forbidden love affair, attempting to navigate through cultural and religious prejudices. Deep within the trenches of their battle, Sara finds herself more empowered and careless than ever before, but will her love and newfound life be worth the ultimate cost—her family? Praise for the Forbidden Love series “Forbidden by Faith shows how family, love, and faith can collide, even in this modern age.”—A. K. Leigh, author of See Her Run “A strong message about family and protecting those you love.”—InD’tale “Ms. Papehn is a wonderful storyteller! I was immediately caught up in the lives of her characters. In Forbidden by Destiny, the heroine, Leyla, might be of Iranian descent but her story belongs to all women.”—Carrie Nichols, author of the Small-town Sweethearts series

A modern woman in the court of King Richard III is torn between saving the man she loves and stopping a historic wrong in this time-travel romance. English historian Jayne Lyons has pinned her career hopes on proving that her ancestor, King Richard III, was not the nefarious villain of Shakespeare’s tragedy. In fact, she believes he is innocent of the infamous murder of the Princes in the Tower. But while volunteering with the search for his missing grave, Jayne gets a much closer look at Richard than she expected. Cast back into the brutal 15th century, she suddenly finds herself in the middle of Richard’s army camp. Realizing that she may not be able to return home, Jayne begins to adjust to her new life. And the more she gets to know the true Richard, the more she is drawn to him. She even starts entertaining the hope of saving him. But the Princes are missing, and all evidence points to Richard. When he asks her to spy for him against his enemy, Henry Tudor, she must decide whether to help the man she loves, even though he may be one of history’s greatest villains. THE 2018 RONE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST IN TIME TRAVEL

Spurned by her first love, Beatrice swears off men and marriage, until Benedict walks back into her life…A charming new take on Much Ado About Nothing. When her rich and titled family tries to force the witty Beatrice to accept a betrothed, she holds fast to her vow. But when her heartstrings are tugged once more, two years later, she has trouble resisting the man who started it all. Benedict may have been poor before, but now he’s gained wealth and renown for prowess both on the battlefield and in the bedroom. The two reunite in a series of hot skirmishes, wielding words like fencing foils. But can they drop their defenses long enough to realize their love burns as bright as ever—or will their desires be doomed to the past? “I love the idea of taking Shakespeare's plays and rewriting them from the heroine’s point of view. Brilliant.”—Jessie Gussman, author of Anything for You

Not even a generous dowry can tempt any man to court Kathryn, until Sir William rides into town… A “smart and subtle” retelling of The Taming of the Shrew (Katherine Longshore, author of Courted). Kathryn’s strong will and sharp tongue have branded her a shrew in her small town. And even the temptation of her father’s wealth cannot sway the men in her direction. Astride his warhorse, William is the pinnacle of manhood and a burr in Kathryn’s side. His impish “Kate” calls raise her hackles, yet she can’t keep from being lulled by his voice. Though he claims he is the only man for her, she is certain he desires only her rich dowry. When he proposes marriage, she accepts as a way out of her miserable home, but expects nothing. Freed from her cruel family and judgmental town, Kathryn must decide if she will continue her battle of wills with the sometimes charming, often maddening Sir William. Does she remain the shrewish Kathryn—or find a way to be Will’s Kate? This delightful take on the classic romantic comedy—from the shrew’s point of view—is “rich in Shakespearean references and vivid historical details” (Katherine Longshore).