Thea Devine

HE PROMISED NOTHING The day his bride threw a temper tantrum and refused to walk down the aisle was the happiest day of Sam Garrison's life. To free himself forever from the spoiled brat's clutches, the cynical Montana rancher needed a new fiancee-just until he could get out of New York and back home where he belonged. Julianne Montgomery, the beautiful cousin of the bride, seemed the perfect choice; she was practical enough to treat the whole matter as a business proposition. If only she weren't also so dangerously tempting. Her smooth ivory skin begged for his caress, her full red lips nearly cried out for his kiss...and soon their business relationship was the last thing on his mind! SHE GAVE HIM EVERYTHING Julianne didn't hesitate to accept Sam's sardonic proposition. She'd been half in love with the handsome Westerner before she ever met him, just from reading all about him in her cousin's letters. But now she was in way over her head. For every time he looked at her with those piercing dark eyes, she trembled with a need she barely understood...and when he stroked her silken flesh with tender urgency and kissed her until she was breathless with desire, she realized she'd give up everything just for the bittersweet pleasure of being his MONTANA MISTRESS

An anthology from four acclaimed romance authors includes stories about a masquerade cruise, a love triangle before a wedding, a woman who learns about love at first sight, and a writer who has a romance with an editor. Original.

HE WAS HER VICTIM Amid the glittering decadence of the Brighton gaming hall, Jainee Beaumont coolly surveyed her prey. A year ago, Lord Southam had taught her that women were objects to be fondled and toyed with as discreetly as the cards or dice. Now she meant to show him how well she could play his game. The handsome nobleman was just what she needed. Under his protection, she would have access to London's highest circles -- and her long-lost father. He'd never know he was being used until she'd gotten what she wanted. But 24 year old Jainee had reckoned without Southam's knowing caresses and masterful kisses. And all too soon she realized she'd gambled everything only to lose to her own shameless desires! SHE WAS HIS PREY Southam watched his lovely opponent with narrowed eyes. Not long ago, she'd been a spirited guttersnipe, eager to carve his heart out. Now she'd become an elegant goddess, determined to wager her virtue for a voucher to Almack's. Though he'd come for an evening's play, nothing more, Southam, 35, couldn't resist meeting her challenge. It would amuse him to unravel her tantalizing web of half-truths and temptations until he uncovered the woman beneath. And once he had her naked and wanting beneath him, he'd brand her as his with the fires of her own raging passions!

Thea Devine's historical romances shimmer with lush sensuality and irresistible desire. Now she takes her readers on an unforgettable journey of sweeping adventure from the fog-enshrouded streets of Victorian London to the exotic splendor of Persia as two unlikely lovers surrender to the undeniable passions that carry them beyond desire! Archeologist Ryder Culhane might have been her late father's protege, but he was the last man on earth Alexandra deLisle would ever trust. Still, he was the only one who could help her find her sister...even if all the scoundrel really wanted was the priceless ancient treasure that had disappeared with her. And so the spirited beauty cast caution aside, joining the dangerously handsome adventurer on a perilous quest across the globe that would take them both to the very heights of ecstasy and a love that would unite them until the end of time!

Amanda Ross is thrilled when she is appointed junior high school principal in Caution Point, N.C. But her promotion will only be a pipe dream if the board of education discovers that she's pregnant--and single. She never expected her baby's father to desert her, but explanations won't satisfy a small town's rumor mill. A husband is what she needs, and handsome music engineer Marcus Hickson looks like the answer to her problem.Embittered by his ex-wife's selfish and cruel behavior, Marcus told himself he'd never marry again. That is, until doctors inform him that his injured daughter needs immediate surgery, and Amanda--financially independent because of her inheritance--offers to pay the medical bills if he'll be her husband. Desperate, Marcus agrees, as long as their arrangement" is strictly business. But days and nights under the same roof soon ignite mutual desire. Now Marcus and Amanda's marriage of convenience has become an affair of the heart...and a deception that endangers everything they hold dear.

Mesmerized by the dark knight's turquoise gaze, Lady Brianna of Bedford tried to turn away. After all, she was betrothed to Robert de Beauchamp. And now this total stranger, Christian Hawksblood, de Beauchamp's bastard brother, claimed her with a soul-searing look. What was his mystical power that compelled her to abandon herself to this man she dare not even trust...Christian Hawksblood, Prince and Knight Templar, burned with memories of the beauty he first saw in a vision, clad only in a nimbus of red-gold hair. Brianna of Bedford was his, ordained by fate. But first he had to deal with his jealous brother. And then with Brianna, the innocent temptress who branded him with passion even as she compelled him to listen with his heart...From the Paperback edition.

CAUGHT BY FATE Cassandra Taggart was tired of obeying orders. Though her late husband's will required her to hire a man to run her Georgia plantation, the beautiful young widow was determined to manage things herself. To satisfy the lawyers, she invented Trane Taggart, her imaginary step-son, who would handle the estate with the necessary masculine flair. But her plans went awry when a handsome adventurer claiming to be Trane Taggart showed up on her doorstep. Cassandra knew the beguiling stranger had to be an imposter, and she meant to uncover all his dangerous deceptions...while trying to hide her own! BOUND BY DESIRE After twenty years of roaming free, Trane was ready to come home to Riveland Plantation and confront the father who'd always treated him with such contempt. Instead he found a black wreath on the door, and a bewitching, sharp-tongued vixen behind it. He'd be damned if he'd stoop to proving his identity to this conniving female who seemed intent on cheating him out of his inheritance. And he had no qualms about kissing the treacherous secrets right out of those rosy lips, and stroking that silken body into languid submission. He just never intended to succumb to the sensuous temptations of her Southern Seduction!

The mercury's soaring--and so are the body temperatures of three lucky couples:The Guy Diet by Thea DevineDisillusioned food columnist Lo Cavallero only wants her men "lite." But what will happen when dishy newsman Jed Costigan tries to convince her that he's more than just a scrumptious morsel?Light My Fire by Debbi RawlinsJordan Samms has a mountain to climb--led by supersexy wilderness guide Zach Wilde. Before long, they're lighting each other's fire every night. But will the flames stay smokin' hot or blaze out of control!No Reservations by Samantha HunterEdie Stevens is shocked when uberhottie property owner Joel Roberts appears at her vacation cottage because of a mix-up with the dates. Seems they'll steer clear of one another...yeah, but how will they handle the sizzling chemistry?

An affluent family returns home from dinner only to find the brutalized corpse of a stranger in their house. The case tests Delaware and Sturgis to their intellectual and emotional limits.