Julie Beard

Four heartwarming tales of Christmas cheer--and cats who play Cupid! These stories include Julie Beard's "My True Love Gave to Me" in which a woman spends Christmas Eve searching for her black cat and finds a tall dark knight; Jo Beverley's "A Gift of Light" which tells of a tenacious tom courting a fiery feline at Christmas, as his master and her mistress follow suit; Barbara Bretton's "Home for the Holidays" in which college sweethearts almost break up on Christmas Eve, but their wise old cat gets in the way; and Lynn Kurland's "The Gift of Christmas Past" in which a feline guardian angel has to pull his mistress back in time to a Christmas Eve long ago where she finds her own true love.

When beautiful, quick-tempered Lady Rosalind Carbery inherits Thornbury Manor, she's determined to rule it alone and remain a virgin like the great Queen Elizabeth I. She longs for freedom and dreams of writing, like her friend William Shakespeare. But Drake Rothwell has other plans. A dashing privateer who was raised by Rosalind's father, he returns from the high seas to claim Thornbury as his own. Their merry battle takes a turn for the worse when the queen settles their dispute--by taking the house from both of them. Desperate, Drake and Rosalind join forces to lay double claim to the land by marrying-in name only. But soon the Rose of Thornbury realizes the one territory she cannot protect from Drake is her heart!

"You're asking me to give up my career to love you? that's not fair, Marco. "Angel Baker knew the risks. Every day she put her life on the line to protect those Detective Ric Marco and his overwhelmed police force couldn't. In twenty-second-century Chicago, victims of violent crimes turned to certified retribution specialists like Angel for justice. But when someone started murdering her colleagues, Angel had to unravel a cold-blooded conspiracy that led her to question the integrity—even the identity—of the only man who had touched her soul.

To hold onto her inheritance, Caroline must marry. But getting a husband isn't easy, because her estate is haunted by Lord Hamilton. Desperate, she marries a rake from one of the worst criminal districts in London. As she falls in love with him, she wonders if he is possessed by the ghost. This lighthearted Regency romance is a departure for Beard.

A dashing knight errant, Sir Hugh de Greyhurst longs for the pleasures of home and hearth. He casts aside all thoughts of love to marry a baron's daughter... SIGHT UNSEEN. But Margrete Trewsbury is as beautiful as an angel -- and just as chaste. Her plan to stay that way will test Hugh's honor, driving him toward the edge of desire. And as Hugh's passion begins to consume them both, a devious conspiracy jeopardizes their marriage. A threat that will unite them in danger and draw them closer together than ever -- body and soul...

People whisper about Ariel. She is beautiful, independent and the most skilled falconer anyone at Lonegrine Castle can remember. Still, she longs for something she's never known--until he appears at the castle out of nowhere, a wounded Knight Templar seeking the healing powers of the mythical Lady of Lonegrine.

Angel Baker isn't your ordinary twenty-second-century gal. Just ask mom.Instead of joining the family fortune-telling business, Angel's busy saving the world. And dating? Why bother when she's got Humphrey Bogart, her sweettalking robot.Welcome to Chicago circa 2100. The legal system is in shambles, robots are a woman's best friend, and kung fu fighting Retribution Specialists like Angel bring justice to criminals who've slipped through the cracks.So when dear old Mom is kidnapped, it's up to Angel to save her. But when her search leads her into a bizarre underworld where human life is measured in dollars, she'll be put to the ultimate test—forced to use her hidden psychic powers and rely on the help of a stubborn detective who has her reconsidering falling for a living, breathing man.

Lady Tess Farnsworth bitterly accepted the royal decree to wed the man whom she detested above all. The gloriously handsome Earl of Easterby had failed her in a desperate time of need, and her only solace in wedding him was the promise of vengeance. First, Tess plotted to seduce the Earl. Too late, she realized that the man she sought to seduce was himself a master of seduction...

Kristina Parker, about to be charged with a crime she committed in self-defense, fled Philadelphia with a new identity. Posing as the long-lost daughter of a wealthy rancher, she agreed to marry--in name only--handsome, brooding Cole Barton. But soon, she surrendered to the passions within her.

Lady Katherine rode through a fierce storm to her dreaded destiny: a wedding with the cold-hearted Stephen Bartingham. She had promised her dying brother she'd flee to a convent instead, but her father's will prevailed. She went unwilling, determined to remain chaste ... Taking shelter at a roadside inn, Katherine felt the first stirrings of a traitorous desire as a coarse, rugged stranger swept her into a wanton embrace. But shame engulfed he as she realized that the man she thought a peasant was, in fact, her betrothed ... And that the demands of her own passion threatened to rule above all.

After more than twenty years, Olivia, Duchess of Brandhurst, is finally free--free from the shackles of a loveless marriage to a cruel, domineering husband. And in one reckless night of passion, she experiences that freedom--in the arms of Will Barnes, a youthful gardener she meets by chance in the moonlight of a garden, a man forbidden to her by the unwritten laws of Victorian society. Once the night is over, Livie returns to her role of grieving widow. But memories of that night haunt Livie--and Will as well. Unable to forget her or the fierce emotions she inspires in him, he returns. With his working-class back-ground and artistic talents, Will is unlike anyone Livie has ever known. Despite the scandal that threatens their love, and the differences between them, she cannot resist him or the beauty he brings to her life. But when Livie's enemies try to destroy her with vicious accusations about her marriage, Will is determined to save her, even if it means giving her up. Somehow, Livie must prove to him that their passion is worth any sacrifice, and that he is much more than the duchess' lover--he is her love...

Beloved storyteller Lulu Ross champions non-violence. Just her luck, she’s tiara over glass slippers for a man who carries a gun. Professional bodyguard Colin Murphy is s-e-x-y. Too bad he’s delusional. Who would want to hurt Princess Charming—a low-profile, goody-two-shoes who performs as a storybook character at children’s birthday parties? Surely the sexy gifts from a secret admirer are meant for her sister, a bombshell wannabe action-star. Or are they? Murphy is determined to protect Lulu whether she likes it or not. Perpetually cheerful and absurdly trusting, the locally famous kiddy-heroine refuses to believe she's in danger. Tipped off by the FBI, Murphy knows otherwise, but convincing Lulu that she's the fantasy target of a mobster's fixation is like trying to hang shades on the sun. Contending with a woman who favors bubblegum lip gloss and a pink poodle purse becomes an exercise in fascination and frustration for the world-weary protection specialist; almost as frustrating as resisting her whimsical charm.