Elaine Coffman

With his silver tongue and the devil's own blue eyes, shipbuilder Nick Mackinnon was temptation incarnate--but Tibbie Buchanan would never allow a man to get close enough to weaken her resolve. For five years she's lived in a self-imposed prison, hiding from the past that betrayed her. But now something inside her is yearning for release, for the freedom to live and to love. And day by day, Nick is chipping away at her defenses, at the wall around her body, her heart and her soul, determined to release the passionate woman inside and make her his own. . . .

A gift book for adults. Piggy explains why she loves Kermit, with romantic drawings of the couple.

Claire Lennox, Countess of Errick and Mains, is a powerful woman in a man's world. Her slender beauty belies the strong shoulders upon which she carries much responsibility, guarding her clan against greed, betrayal and treachery. Confident and courageous, she refuses to marry--ever again. Eight years ago, when she was an impulsive young girl, she lost her heart and her husband to foolish pride. Now, as desperate rivals plot to seize her title and lands, one man is willing to risk everything to save her. Fraser Graham tells himself there is nothing left between him and Claire but memories. Yet his heart dictates otherwise when ruthless enemies kidnap the woman who was once his innocent bride. After his daring rescue sends them running for their lives through the wild, windswept hills, he and Claire surrender to remembered passion. . .but pride and past hurts silence sweet words of love and forgiveness. As the noose of treachery tightens and a deadly plot unfolds to destroy everything Claire has sworn to protect, Fraser must decide if he will pledge his sword, his strength and his heart to the one woman he was always loved--or resign himself to losing her forever.

Napoleon has fallen and the Austrian Empire sweeps the continent. Dashing revolutionaries, traitors and spies lurk in every quarter in the turbulent Italy of the 1820s. Italian patriot Angelo Bartolini is a man of many faces: a devoted son and brother, a noble friend and a stalwart nationalist. As a member of the Carbonari, a secret society dedicated to freeing Italy from Austrian rule, Angelo is a wanted man. But as with all great men, Angelo has a tender side, and his spirit awakens the passion of the brilliant but shy English painter, Beatrice Fairweather, who now makes her home in the Tuscan countryside. The Italian is a compelling story of two people who fall in love at the wrong time for all the right reasons. It is a haunting tale of families and war, of missed opportunities, betrayal, tragedy and of a love that knows no end.

This collection of four dazzling stories proves that falling in love has all the excitement of a brilliant fireworks display. Playing With Fire by Elaine Coffman finds Susan Klein's birthday fireworks starting a dangerous brush fire. But rancher Wyatt Whittaker has fireworks of a different kind in mind for the charming city woman. Summer Fling by Victoria Barrett finds passion sparking between old college friends Anne Hayden and Adam Weston during a sultry Fourth of July weekend. Will they let the embers die or grow into a blazing fire? One Star-Spangled Night by Ashland Price unites a modern-day nurse, Alison Kimball, with wounded Revolutionary War Officer Richard Adams in a history-making romance. Showers and Sparks by Trana Mae Simmons links free spirit Gerrie Cartwright with stick-in-the-mud Judge Zachariah Brenham. But the powers of love can set fire to even the slowest of heroes, and by the Fourth of July, passion is exploding like the fireworks in the sky overhead. Celebrating the Fourth of July has never before been this much fun!

Set against the dramatic backdrop of 1785 Scotland, Elaine Coffman delivers her most breathtaking novel ever. In this unforgettable romance, a marriage that starts off to defy fate, just might end in love .... Lady Meleri Weatherby is desperate to escape the unthinkable: marriage to a man she does not love, a man she knows to be unspeakably cruel. In a bold move, she breaks off her betrothal to Lord Philip and flees her home in Northumberland, vowing to marry the first man she meets, never considering the consequences of such a show of independence. Robert Douglas has been dealt an equally dark hand by fate: the proud Scot must take an English bride or lose his ancestral home and noble name. It seems an impossible situation, until destiny puts him in the path of a strong-minded English lass with a will to survive that equals his own. Marriage is an ideal salvation for both. Meleri will be safe from her vengeful fiance in Beloyn Castle with the Douglas clan, and Robert will be able to keep all he holds dear. But neither has bargained on a heartless man who will go to any lengths to seek revenge, the tenacity of a stubborn ghost and the most powerful force of all: love. Series info: Bk 1: The Bride of Black Douglas Bk 2: The Return of Black Douglas Bk 3: Lord of Black Isle

She gave him love...and he betrayed her. Then a shocking tragedy left Natasha Simonov shattered. Suffering and loss only made her stronger...until, years later, the life she created came crashing down around her. Drawn into an exotic world of danger, intrigue, and adventure, she never dreamed that the man who betrayed her, the man she vowed to forget, would be the one to risk all, the one to show her the power of love and the magic of forgiveness. He taught her heartbreak...and losing her almost destroyed him. Lord Trevor Hamilton discovered too late that he could not live without her. His all-engrossing passion for her doomed him to spend the remainder of his life in torment, haunted by the memory of a woman he could never have. Though he became a wealthy duke in the House of Lords -- a man of great influence and power -- tragedy made him driven and bitter. But then a voice from the past called out to him, forcing him to choose between all he possessed and a memory. Only Natasha's forgiveness and love could save him .... Only then would they have what they had too long been denied ....

Set against the dramatic backdrop of 1785 Scotland. Elaine Coffman delivers her most breathtaking novel ever in this unforgettable romance. a marriage that starts off to defy fate. just might end in love.... Lady Meleri Weatherby is desperate to escape the unthinkable marriage to a man she does not love, a man she knows to be unspeakably cruel. In a bold move, she breaks off her betrothal to Lord Phillip and flees her home in Northumberland, vowing to marry the first man she meets, never considering the consequences of such a show of independence. Robert Douglas has been dealt an equally dark hand by fate: the proud Scot must take an English bride or lose his ancestral home and noble name. It seems an impossible situation, until destiny puts him in the path of a strong-minded English lass with a will to survive that equals his own. Marriage is an ideal salvation for both. Meleri will be safe from her vengeful fiancé in Beloyn Castle with the Douglas clan, and Robert will be able to keep all he holds dear. But neither has bargained on a heartless man who will go to any lengths to seek revenge, the tenacity of a stubborn ghost and the most powerful force of all: love.

A stirring saga of a nurse who only wants to do her duty in World War Two – and who ends up having to make an agonising choice. Set in Ireland and Birmingham, this is the latest from emerging star of the genre Anne Bennett.Carmel Duffy is the eldest child of a brutal and abusive marriage, and she can't wait to leave home. She's equally determined to have no husband or children of her own – what she wants more than anything is to be a nurse. As soon as she turns eighteen, she heads for Birmingham and begins her training.With her beautiful auburn curls, she draws plenty of attention and her resolve to concentrate on her career is tested when Dr Paul Connolly comes onto her ward and into her life. Gradually he wins her heart, and they agree to marry, both certain that they want no children. They have valuable jobs to do – all the more so when World War Two looms. But those years will change everything: their relationship, their priorities, their very characters. Carmel will find that the future is very different to the one she thought she wanted for so long...

What's an honorable Scot to do when a beautiful woman washes ashore beneath the family castle? Give her to his brother? When Tavish Graham stumbles upon the naked body of 23 year old Sophie d'Alembert, he thinks she is dead. But it doesn't take him long to discover that Sophie is very much alive and more woman than he can handle, so he leaves her with his 29 year old brother, James, the Earl of Monleigh. Beautiful, young and French, Sophie finds herself in the wild, strange land of the Scots. Terrified and not willing to trust James, she fails to tell him that she is the granddaughter of Louis XIV -- and that she is fleeing a forced marriage to the hated English Duke of Rockingham. Reluctantly, Sophie begins to fall in love with the rugged Highlander. And before she can reveal the truth of her past, James discovers her royal connection, and wonders what else she is keeping from him. Can James resist her, or will he defy the might of England and France for a lover as wild and passionate as himself?

"Homicide Detective Scarlett Bishop has seen enough bad guys slip through the cracks and innocent victims go unavenged to know that good doesn't always prevail. So far she's been able to lock away her rage and her vigilante fantasies. That lock is about to break. Former Army Ranger Marcus O'Bannion is a fierce champion of victims' rights. His secret past gives him good reason. He believes he's seen the depths of human depravity, but then his investigation into the murder of a young girl who once asked for his help lures him and Scarlett down a dark, dark road--and straight into the crosshairs of a dangerous, powerful underground ring that deals in human trafficking. To stop them, Scarlett and Marcus have to be just as cunning and just as ruthless. But first they have to make it out alive"-- Page of cover.

Ah, Christmas. It's a time for family and friends, giving andreceiving, and just possibly, true love. Now, in this magical collection ofholiday stories, four of romance's hottest writers capture the joy, hope,and heartwarming hilarity that only Christmas can bring...

Jennifer Baxter was a woman who did as she pleased. But when she ran south of the border, her father sent Jay Culhane, a rugged gunslinger, to bring her home. Not about to take orders from any man, Jennifer fought the arrogant stranger, recklessly challenging his resolve to tame her. But how could Culhane control his own growing desire for a woman who dared him to believe in the power of love?

There is a time to be born, a time to die... Some men are born with a clear destiny. Fletcher Ramsey is such a man. His father murdered, his birthright stolen, he was forced to flee to America with his mother, Maggie Mackinnon. Since boyhood he has had one goal: to return to Scotland for revenge. Now Fletcher is determined to regain the title of Duke of Glengarry...and God help anyone who stands in his way. A time for every purpose under heaven. Some women recognize their fate. Cathleen Lindsay is such a woman, a preacher's granddaughter innocent in the ways of passion but wise in the ways of the heart. And when Fletcher Ramsey rides into her life, she knows him for what he is: a man who is her opposite in every way, a man who sees her and his future in one grand vision...his to fight for, to possess, and to forever love.