Notorious rake, Michael Drake, the Viscount Blackthorn accepts a Christmas wager to be the first to seduce the next lady to walk under the mistletoe, but the lady turns out to be none other than Holly Jenkins; a woman from his past, whom he has sworn to protect, but whose bold antics drive him to distraction…and temptation. Can he protect her from himself? Holly is living a lie. Forced to masquerade as a widow to keep herself and her sisters safe, she earns a living helping those being undeservedly blackmailed by using her lock-picking skills to expose the villains behind the schemes. Attending a ball, her clandestine work is interrupted by Lord Blackthorn, a man who is as vexing as he is sinfully handsome. A man who she’s always had feelings for, which she understands are futile. Because everyone knows you can’t give your heart to a rake… Or can you? But Michael has his own secrets, ones serious enough that could threaten any chance they have of a future together. After all, lies and deception. have a dangerous habit of unravelling when one least expects it…

When Annabel Cresswell is stranded by the side of the road one snowy afternoon, she knows she is in trouble. Until a knight appears in the form of Dominic, the tenth Duke of Roth. Playing Dominic's fiancée seems like an excellent solution, until Annabel discovers that really, all she wants for Christmas is a duke...

Banished to the country for wayward behavior, house maid Miss Rachel Lindsay is near-penniless and desperate. A cruel trick left her abandoned at an isolated country inn on a snowy Christmas Eve, and her only hope is a wealthy, stern, and sinfully handsome stranger—masquerading as her husband. The new and reluctant Marquess of Kyle, Arran Elliott’s journey to London has been halted by a broken carriage. His bid for lodgings is failing—until a mysterious beauty boldly announces they are wed to secure the last remaining room. But when their friendly bargain turns into nights of scorching hot passion and sensual discipline, Arran knows he can’t let the spirited and deliciously curvy Rachel go. His—and her—secrets be damned…

Will Mireworth yield her secrets to her new mistress…? As the family gathers at Mireworth for their first Christmas, Hannah is determined to unravel the secrets within its walls. Why did Wycliff’s ancestor hide the tower from the world, and what grip did the long-ago shadow mage have upon his family? With Barnes as her assistant, Hannah sets out to discover the truth. This is an epilogue novella to the Manners and Monsters series.

All signs point north for Not-So-Saint Nick Wild West Boys, Book 1 After too many mugs of mulled wine, introverted accountant Holly North lets her best friend guilt her into filling in as Mistress Christmas at Sugar Plums, a Christmas-themed strip club. The combination of a velvet mask and a Mrs. Claus-meets-dominatrix costume gives Holly the courage to approach the hot-bodied man across the room who is as lickable as a candy cane. Detective Nick West is working undercover to find the sexy vixen who supposedly robbed his buddy at Sugar Plums. His interest in the pole dancers vanishes faster than a flying sleigh upon his introduction to Mistress Christmas-a leggy brunette with smoky eyes and a lush mouth that begs for hours beneath the mistletoe. One lap dance and their attraction flares hotter than a fireplace on a cold winter evening. And Nick is only too happy to oblige when Holly blurts out her secret Christmas wish...a night filled with sweet and dirty carnal pleasures that will land them both on the naughty list.

In this beautifully written “Christmas gift to her readers” (Booklist), New York Times bestselling author Mary Balogh draws on the warmth of the Christmas season to heal the wounds of the human heart in five holiday historical romance novellas of family, friends, lovers, and strangers.... In A Family Christmas, an estranged husband and wife make an unexpected connection—and an illuminating discovery—during the holiday season. The Star of Bethlehem is a lost diamond ring causing a riff in an already troubled marriage until a servant solves not one mystery but three surrounding its disappearance. The Best Gift can come at the most unexpected moments, especially for a lonesome teacher enlisted over the holidays to chaperon the niece of a notorious rake. Playing House finds an impoverished young woman longing to celebrate just one last, joyous Christmas before she and her orphaned siblings are separated forever. And in No Room at the Inn, a winter storm on Christmas Eve brings a young couple in from the cold, desperately in need of warmth and shelter for their unborn child.

Regan, skeptical about love after learning that her fiancé is already married, moves with her daughter to Napa for her dream job, but when the scorned wife's brother tries to drive her from town, sparks begin to fly between the two.