Carol Finch

"Left alone on the Cahill family ranch, Quin believes in making the most of the life he was born to. So, according to his late father's wishes, he's ruthlessly buying all the surrounding Cahill Crossing land he can get his hands on. Flame-haired Boston heiress Adrianna McKnight wants to forge her own path-from society girl to independent rancher-and has settled on Texas for her fresh start. Her new neighbor, Quin, doesn't like the competition one bit. But she's not going to let an infuriatingly sexy cowboy get in her way"-- Cover verso.

Abducted on her way to boarding school, a terrified 16 year old Catherine Enderly was brought from England to the coast of Ireland, the prisoner of the angry and powerful young Sean Culhane—a man sworn to vengeance against her family. Frightened but defiant, the young countess met her captor with a strength that belied her fragile loveliness. But even as Sean vowed to have his revenge on Catherine, with each encounter he became more attracted to her. Her fiery innocence was a seduction that lured the passions of long smoldering hostility into a blazing inferno of desire. Locked in a love-hate duel, he did not suspect that the captivating beauty who fought him with such tenacity was struggling desperately against her own awakened desires, and that his touch had become the burning reminder that the fierce hatred she felt for him had become an all-consuming love.

In a daring plan, Marshal Jackson Culpepper, 32, and his brothers disguise themselves as bandits and rob the corrupt local bank, hoping to root out the real embezzler. Too bad Cassandra Bixby, 24, was depositing her life savings that day...Naturally, Cassie demands an investigation...all the while fighting off her growing attraction to the Texas lawman who, to her frustration, refuses to take her seriously. Jack is in a bind--he can't very well arrest himself! Was it safe to share his secret with this woman-on-a-mission--the woman he's coming to love?

Fit to Be Frisked Cowboy Vance Ryder is footloose and fancy-free — until he plays a prank on gorgeous rookie cop Miranda Jackson. She fines him for his stupidity, but the police chief hits the roof and sentences both of them to a week in each other's company. Miranda doesn't want to be attracted to fun-loving Vance. But it isn't long before she's practically arresting him for theft — he's stolen her heart! Mr. Cool Under Fire Gage Ryder, confirmed bachelor and mystery man, takes on a temporary assignment as a bodyguard. But Mr. Cool Under Fire is definitely rattled when he meets his client — the feisty and playful Mackenzie Shafer must pose as his wife! She's more temptation than Gage can handle. How can he save Mackenzie from the bad guys when he can't protect himself from her sexy charm?

"Embedded deep behind enemy lines, Arthur 'Ranger' Campbell is prized for his razor-sharp senses and his ability to blend into the shadows. But when Arthur infiltrates the clan of the chieftain who murdered his father, his heart is locked on revenge. Inside he faces unexpected resistance from the sweetest of obstacles--a honey-haired siren who is his enemy's daughter. Intrigued by this ruggedly handsome newcomer to her father's forces, the vivacious and enchanting Anna MacDougall is a woman whose skill at uncovering deception rivals Arthur's own. Though yearning for a quiet life with a good man to love, Anna is drawn to this mysterious knight whose eyes devour her but whose words push her away. As danger, treachery, and the threat of looming war draw them closer into each other's arms, a warrior made of steel must make a choice from the heart: love or revenge."--P. of cover.

Evangeline Hallowell has sworn not to rest until she finds the dirty swindler who conned her sister. So when Colorado's best bounty hunter, J. D. Raven, refuses to help, the determined heiress joins the trail as his "wife"--for better or for worse.... With enemies galore gunning for him, the last thing Raven needs is some stubborn, sass-mouthed hellcat landing them both in bigger trouble! But he soon finds keeping Eva safe is way easier than keeping himself from wanting her....

SWEET TEMPTATION Serena didn't know how long the dark-haired stranger had been watching her bathe in the cool waters of the secluded cove, but from the searing look on his handsome face, he'd seen far too much of her pale, silken flesh! His gaze warmed her skin with the heat of a thousand suns and she gasped in surprise and delight as he reached out to touch what his silvery eyes had so boldly caressed. She had heard of love's fierce power -- suddenly she became a slave to its seductive magic. SHAMELESS DESIRE Trager hungered for the honey-haired beauty the instant he saw her. The clear waters could not hide her slender form and her long, blonde tresses provided little cover for her creamy shoulders and voluptuous charms. And when she looked at him with her emerald eyes wide with fear, her full, red lips parted in surprise, he knew he had to have her. He needed to see those green eyes widen with desire, feel those ruby lips part beneath his own, envelop her sweet, innocent body in the sensuous splendor of Ecstasy's Embrace

When lady rancher Shianne Kimball saw an unconscious man staked out stark naked in the desolate wilderness, she knew it was her duty to rescue him from the blistering sun. The innocent beauty prided herself on her Samaritan generosity as she slowly lotioned the stranger's broad chest and tapering waist ... but as her ministrations grew bolder, Shianne couldn't help but dream about how it would be to kiss the muscular cowboy. Then she noticed the cowardly sneak was awake -- and enjoying himself!

SOFT-HEARTED DREAMER All Miki Lassiter had left, now that her father had drunk and gambled away the family fortune, was her beautiful chestnut stallion and her dream - to stake a ranching claim in the newly opened Oklahoma territory and raise horses. And nothing was going to stop her. Then she met the arrogant stranger who thought he was being kind by rescuing her from the fierce prairie thunderstorm. She tried to squirm out from under the brute's protective embrace until she found herself melting beneath the smooth hardness of his long, taut body. It was impossible to voice her independence while her heart surrendered to the fire of his passionate kisses and her very soul throbbed with desire as his experienced hands caressed her rain-drenched flesh... HARDHEADED REALIST Cale Brolin knew what a cyclone and flashes of lightning could do to a rider on the open prairie. That's why the rugged horse trader grabbed the crazy, but curvaceous beauty off her plunging stallion and pinned her to the ground. But it didn't take him long to realize that the real cyclone was not in the sky, but right there beneath him, wriggling to get free...While the storm pelted him with rain, the heat of her flesh scorched him through his damp clothes, and his arms tightened around her. He wanted to lie there forever, his face buried in her fragrant silver-gold hair, his lips savoring her soft curves. No longer a free man, he was now a slave to the tumultuous ecstasy of a spitfire in a raging tempest, ablaze in the rapture of STORMFIRE...

Twelve days of Christmasthree heartwarming romances!A Husband for Christmas by Carol FinchTo reassure her overprotective parents, Victoria Thurston must convince the town marshal to be her "holiday husband." But the magical, festive airand Tori's luminous green eyesmake it very difficult for Logan Daniels to keep to their marriage in name only!The Homecoming by Elizabeth LaneBrooding rancher Clay McAllister paid his reckless brother's dues in a tough Kansas jail. Now Clay must win back his beautiful wife, Elise. And, after three years apart, some yuletide passion is just what Clay and Elise need to reignite the fire that still smolders between them....The Cattleman's Christmas Bride by Pam CrooksWith her reputation cruelly slandered, Allethaire Gibson is forced to flee to the snowy Montana mountains. There the dazzling socialite unexpectedly finds a Christmas romance with a man who has fought for respect just as she hasrugged cattleman Mikolas Vasco!

UNKNOWN DECEPTION Young and beautiful, Erica Bennet refused to obey her father's wishes and spend the rest of her life in an arranged marriage to the lecherous Sabin Keary. She had no knowledge of physical love, but she knew there was a man somewhere who could kindle her slumbering passions. She dreamt of warm embraces and tender kisses, of endless nights spent learning the joys of love. So she ran away, straight into the arms of her mystery lover, only to find the price of her girlish longings would be her own heart... UNWILLING TRUTHS There could have been no greater surprise for Dante Fowler than to find the innocent Erica Bennet in his bed in the most fashionable whorehouse in New Orleans. He had come into the city expecting to find a woman of experience to sate his pent-up desires; instead he stole the innocence of the most magnificent creature he'd ever seen. Her long raven hair fell in silky waves around her shoulders; her deep blue eyes seemed to see through to his soul. And when she disappeared without a trace; he vowed to find her again. He would kiss her creamy flesh and forever make her succumb to Satin Surrender.

U.S. Deputy Marshal Gideon Foxs first glimpse of the ravishing beauty was like a mystical vision. But when Lorelei Russell identified herself, the lawman in Gideon kicked in - this woman was wanted for murder! He would have to tame his fierce attraction until justice could be served. For her part, Lori could not believe the injustice of it all. Falsely accused, apprehended by a hard-hearted marshal and, the most unfair part - how her body rebelled every time Gideon was near, making resistance to her gorgeous captor absolutely futile. - Taken from cover p.4.

The brilliant ballroom was swarming with Shandra's suitors, and the auburn-haired beauty made sure to flirt with each and every one. But when the audacious Nolan Elliott swept her out onto the veranda, she felt her heart throb beneath the stolen map she'd hidden in her bodice. Though she had vowed to use the document to avenge her father's murder, it was hard to concentrate on her mission while that wily rogue was stroking her alabaster shoulders, sliding his strong hands over her yearning curves, and inflaming her with searing kisses. There were so many thieves in Natchez, Mississippi, that a man had to stand in line to commit a robbery, but Nolan Elliott was resourceful and desperate to find the flagrant chit who possessed the map he needed so badly. When the lovely Shadra d'Evereux bent close to him, he got a pretty good idea of where it had been hidden, but suddenly Nolan didn't give a fig about the rebellious secessionists who'd commissioned him to find the valuable paper. All he wanted -- at least for one endless night -- was to taste the succulent charms of the sensuous Shandra -- to map the contours of her silken flesh, kiss her cherry-red lips, and finally sample Love's Hidden Treasure.

Determined to prove herself as capable as the next man, Darcey O'Roarke travels west to stop the robberies that are plaguing her father's stagecoach business and falls for Kane Callahan, the man assigned to protect her.