Susan Donovan

Tis the season to fall in love in four quaint small towns.

A mermaid statue could be the cause of heartbreak or everlasting romance for a practical-minded police chief and his first love. Every instinct told Police Chief Clancy Flynn that his island's claim to fame was nothing but a silly tourist attraction. But now and then, he couldn't help but wonder if his lifetime of bad romances-- starting with the pretty tourist who broke his fourteen-year-old heart-- could be traced back to a childhood prank involving that very statue. Then one day the pretty tourist comes barreling back into Bayberry-- all grown-up and on the run with her niece. Though Evelyn McGuinness is wanted for kidnapping, she tries to persuade Clancy that there's more to the story. Now the by-the-book police chief must make the toughest decision of his life: to take Evelyn into custody-- or into his arms....

Popular romance authors present four erotic novellas of love and passion in an anthology that includes ''For Maggie's Sake'' by Lora Leigh, Susan Donovan's ''Bed and Breakfast,'' ''Siren's Call'' by Lori Wilde, and Carrie Alexander's ''His Body Electric."

When Boston museum curator Piper Chase-Pierpont unearths the steamy memoirs of Regency London's most celebrated courtesan, the Blackbird, she's aroused and challenged by what she finds. Could the courtesan's diaries be used as a modern girl's guide to finding love and empowerment?

"Duncan Flynn long ago said goodbye to his hometown of Bayberry Island, Massachusetts, where a mermaid statue allegedly grants true love to the pure at heart. So when the injured Navy SEAL gets sent home--just in time to help his family prepare for the annual Mermaid Festival--he's not in the mood to celebrate. Nor fall in love. But during a night run on the beach, a magnificently naked woman emerges from the surf who bears an uncanny resemblance to the mermaid in Fountain Square. Adelena Silva's otherworldly mermaid paintings have made her famous and wealthy, but Lena herself is a recluse--at least until Duncan Flynn comes home. She's secretly loved him her whole life, and is determined not to let him get away again. But will revealing her truth win his heart, or cause Lena to lose him?"--

Josie Sheehan collects failed relationships the way some women collect designer handbags. Now, at thirty-five, she has exactly one male in her life: her Labradoodle, Genghis. In fact Josie, along with the three very single women in her dog-walking group, has recently sworn off men, resigning herself to long walks in the park with her devoted, four-legged friend. All bets are off, however, when she meets Rick Rousseau, a pet-company CEO who is smart, sexy, and, best of all, head-over-heels for Josie. Even Genghis, an excellent judge of character, seems to know that Rick is the real deal. But just when Josie starts to think that she has found something more enduring than puppy love, she discovers that Rick has a complicated past―and a secret that could put the woman he loves in serious danger...

"For years Rowan Flynn distanced herself from Bayberry Island and its infamous mermaid legend. But after her investor fiancé lost what was left of her family's fortune, Rowan reluctantly agreed to run the Safe Haven Bed-and-Breakfast, determined never again to fall for the ridiculous fantasy of the mermaid matchmaker. Now Rowan is just biding her time until she can return to her "real" life in New York, fixing up the B and B and avoiding neighbors who are angry that the Flynns won't sell their land to a developer set on turning the island into a glitzy vacation destination. But when a handsome stranger arrives at the B and B the night before the annual Mermaid Festival, Rowan's life takes a turn for the interesting. Could it be the divine hand of the town's patroness? Or is Rowan being set up for another disappointment?" --

Kat Cavanaugh was sixteen when she hitchhiked out of West Virginia, vowing never to return. Now, nearly twenty years later, Kat's back - beautiful, rich and looking for an apology from the boy who broke her heart.

It's the most dangerous case of Will Trent's career. He knows this from the moment he sets foot in the abandoned Atlanta warehouse where a body lies on the floor--the body of an ex-cop. Bloody footprints leading away from the scene reveal that another victim, evidently a woman, was carried away ... and has vanished into thin air. And, worst of all, the warehouse belongs to the city's biggest and most high-profile athlete--a local hero protected by the world's most expensive lawyers. A hero married to Will's ex-wife. A hero whom Will's superiors at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation have spent the last six months investigating for rape.But for Will--and also for Sara Linton, the GBI's newest medical examiner--the case is about to get even worse. Because an unexpected discovery at the scene reveals a personal link to Will's troubled past ... and the consequences will wreak havoc on his life and the lives of those he loves, those he works with, and those he pursues.

"If I could take what I've learned and make one menial job easier for you, or prevent you from having the kind of sex where you feel you must keep your sneakers on in case you want to run away during the act, then every misstep of mine was worthwhile. I'm already predicting my future shame at thinking I had anything to offer you, but also my future glory in having stopped you from trying an expensive juice cleanse or thinking that it was your fault when the person you are dating suddenly backs away, intimidated by the clarity of your personal mission here on earth. No, I am not a sexpert, a psychologist or a dietician. I am not a mother of three or the owner of a successful hosiery franchise. But I am a girl with a keen interest in having it all, and what follows are hopeful dispatches from the frontlines of that struggle."--

Marketing exec Lucy Cunningham is thrilled when her firm lands The Palm Club account. The campaign concept for Miami's hottest fitness club was Lucy's idea: take one fitness-challenged woman, put her in front of TV cameras, and into the hands of the club's top personal trainer, Theo Redmond. And there's a big cash reward for each pound shed. It seems like a brilliant idea-until Lucy gets picked to be the guinea pig. It's obvious she needs to drop the pounds, but the idea of letting it all hang out in front of some Malibu Ken jock has her choking on her Milk Duds before she even begins! After one meeting, Theo knows Lucy will be his toughest client and one of the most unforgettable women he'll ever meet. Smart-mouthed and stubborn, it's clear she isn't fond of marching to anyone's drumbeat but her own. But she shocks Theo by rising to the challenge like a pro. And he finds his heart in jeopardy long before Lucy starts to slim down and turn heads. As Lucy sweats her way into a whole new life, things start to heat up between her and Theo. But trust doesn't come easy for either of them. They've both been burned by romance in the past. Now Lucy and Theo are about to discover that appearances can be deceiving-and in the end, true love lies somewhere between pizza and Pilates...

Lily Morgan may be Shivaree, Georgia's most talked-about lady. Everyone in town knows about the bitter breakup of her marriage five years before, when Daniel Walker, her husband's tough, uncompromising lawyer, tore her reputation to shreds and left her with nothing but a wish to get even. But now something about Daniel makes her blood boil and her pulse quicken . . . not with righteous fury, but with passion. Daniel has returned to Shivaree to once again match wits with Lily Morgan. The thought of a rematch with Lily delights him, for he has never forgotten her hot temper--or her lovely looks. But when a shocking murder shakes the town, Daniel joins Lily to find a killer, and their unexpected partnership sparks something between them they never expected--desire. Now Daniel, the strong-willed lawyer for whom winning is everything, realizes he must win the one reward he can't live without: Lily's forgiveness--and her love.