Tinsel And Temptation

Tinsel, Texts and Temptation Julia Carter disliked Christmas. She didn't hate it, she just disliked it. For thirty-something Julia Christmas had begun to epitomise life, big on hype and expectation, low on delivery. She was ten years into a marriage that had begun to grind along like the wheel-rim of a burst tyre on the long, pot-holed road of marriage. The only glimmer of light on the horizon was Andy, the good-looking, glib-tongued young man who worked for a rival company. With Andy she was a few weeks into a blossoming relationship of snatched moments, steamy texts and breathless anticipation. Julia felt bad ... and good! Bad because her husband hadn't done anything particularly wrong, it was just that he had struggled to do anything particularly right over the past few months. Bad because she didn't feel the way she did when he had swept her off her feet more than a decade before. Bad because, her marriage was becoming like the Christmases of her childhood, a fading myth based on warm, long passed memories. She felt good because a new man had stepped in to massage her faltering ego and tickle her more or less redundant fancy. Her titillating, text driven romance thrived as Christmas raced relentlessly into view. The tinsel and glitter of the season added sparkle and spice to her dangerous game. Every lingering meeting brought a decision about her future closer. Julia craved the happiness and light-headed thrill she had felt when love had first come to visit, and she was sure that Andy heralded its return ... wasn't she? If only there was someone, somewhere she could take fully and completely into her confidence, someone who could share her joy and her pain, someone to show her the way ... but she had no one close enough to take on that massive role in her life just now. As Christmas week began it was as if a countdown timer had begun. With each passing second Julia was drawn towards the decision that would shape her life for the years that lay ahead of her. It was a strange and perplexing week, a sequence of days that seemed to have almost been taken out of her control. A series of messages on her 'phone began to take her places she didn't expect to go. It was a week that would flick open some of the pages in the book of life and invite to her to read what she would from it; but what, if any, lessons would she learn?

Six authors. Six voices. Six genres. One winter season. Once Upon a Kidnapped Santa Delilah Dawson What happens when you mix a baker, a kidnapped Santa, a remote cabin and a snowy Christmas Eve? A recipe for the best sexy Christmas Day ever! Fire and Fruitcake Eileen Rendahl A new story from Eileen Rendahl's award-winning Messenger series. It's baby's first Hanukkah and Melina and Ted have their hands full figuring out what to expect when you're expecting a fiery conflagration when they get a call about a mysterious creature stuffed full of fruitcake and up to no good. Hearts Wide Open Elizabeth Maxwell Julia Orchard has never worried about karma. She's young, beautiful and living large in New York City. Sure, she's done things in the name of success that she's not proud of, but who hasn't? Then during the biggest pitch of her career, the ghost of her dead husband appears with a message: you have until Christmas morning to pay your debts or face an uncertain future. As Julia races against the clock, she begins to realize there's power in small acts of kindness and facing life with your heart wide open. Orion's Mirror Evelyn G. Walker People do change. As Halley is headed home for the holidays after her first semester in college, she knows this to be true. But will her family and closest friend treat her just the same? Not Even a Mouse Spring Warren It's the darkest, coldest time of year and Ned is making a killing selling high octane cordials to make the prairie holidays merry and bright. He decides to make one more stop at a little house with a light in the window before heading home on the night before Christmas. The Merriest of Murders Kris Calvin A California senator's holiday party might be just the place for lobbyist Maren Kane to put a bad break-up behind her and meet someone new. Until Santa turns up dead in the senator's pool and Maren's a suspect! Agatha Christie meets House of Cards under the mistletoe.

Olivia is a typically wholesome, all-American girl: an A student, a star athlete, a daddy's girl. Whenever she wants something, she goes after it and gets it, and this Christmas, she wants Noah. They've known each other since they were kids, but now she's all grown up and determined to prove it to him. Noah has always led a charmed life, but there's more to him than meets the eye, especially when it comes to what turns him on. Someone as sweet and innocent as Olivia could never understand those kinds of needs, so when he pushes her away, it's for her own good. One year later, when they find themselves together again at Christmas time on the other side of the world, it's possible they'll turn out to have more in common than they ever imagined. This book contains sexual scenes involving voyeur/exhibitionist kink. It is unsuitable for readers under the age of 18.

Daredevils In the prologue to the Hughes Investigations Series, Caela and Ian discover a pattern. Cases that seem solitary and random, may well not be. Still relatively new at the PI job, Caela takes risks she might later regret. The Devil Inside Caela wasn't a 'nice' girl. As a PI for her father's firm, Caela Hughes had been trained by the best. Now she was the best. The mystery client wanted to know what Mykos Adamos was up to, and Caela was hired to find out. A rich playboy, son of a Greek tycoon, Mykos went from the darling of the paparazzi to the man girls were warned to avoid. What tragedy had turned the playboy into a bad boy? What was he doing, socializing with Saudi princes known for their exotic tastes, or European jet-setters who played in the shadows? What happens when death stalks Caela and those around her, threatening to bring it all tumbling down? The Devil You Know Like she didn't have enough to worry about! Caela and Mykos have to make this partnership work or lose everything. A renown PI firm, a crack team at her fingertips, you'd think everything would be easy. Yet, there are strands of poison woven deep into the threads that hold Hughes Investigations together. Trust is broken, trouble abounds, and now a serial killer is coming for Caela and those she loves. She got him put away once, can she do it again? The Devil in the Details Everything Caela has survived has shown her she's capable, strong, and part of a solid team. It's going to take the whole team to get Hughes Investigations clear of the criminal infiltration that started with Jeffries, and continues with the Ruiz brothers wanting to control her company. Cases are still being investigated and lives are still on the line, but her father's surprising assistance turns out to be worth more than a simple debt being paid. The past and the present collide in the third book in the Hughes Investigations series. Tinsel & Temptations Caela's focus has been on work, training, and her college classes, leaving no time for romance. Ian has just always been there, her best friend and confidant. He's like family. Every guy Caela has dated, has ended up an enemy. She won't look at Ian that way, because when they break up, she'll lose more than just some guy she used to know. She'll lose her best friend. This holiday season has some surprises for them both.

Breaking up is hard to do, but three weeks before Christmas it’s even more painful. Jessica Raymond isn't in love with her ex-girlfriend anymore; she just hates to emotionally limp through the holidays. When a cute gray kitten shows up on her doorstep, Jessica panics. She doesn’t have time for a pet. Finding sexy Veterinarian Dr. Taylor Mitchell intriguing isn’t part of the plan either, but both manage to turn her world upside down. Taylor Mitchell isn’t going to let a beautiful woman with a bad attitude bring her down. It’s the holidays and she’s determined to show some much-needed Christmas spirit and help a lonely cat find a good home. A few kitten-induced mishaps bring them closer and sharing the same space suddenly isn’t so bad. Chatting is actually pretty nice. Did this sweet kitten show up to help them find each other? Or is the holiday spirit to blame for their special connection?

Cassie Miller is broke. Her parents cut off all funding when she dropped out of medical school, and graduate school is expensive. A full-time nanny job at the Wellington estate is the answer to her problems, except working for beautiful, successful Brook Wellington wasn’t in the job description. Brook has always had a head for business. Born into a global shipping empire, she sits at the helm running it with skill and savvy. But success comes at a cost. Her priority is her six-year-old son, but she can’t be in two places at once. Hiring a nanny isn’t the perfect solution, but it would certainly help, and Cassie came highly recommended. If only she wasn’t so damn attractive. Can Cassie and Brook deny their growing attraction and keep things professional? Or will they sidestep propriety and give in to temptation?