HQN romance

Searching for her missing brother, Grace Carlyle never dreamed she would discover a secret world populated by mythological monsters--or find herself facing a sword-wielding being whose looks put mortal men to shame.But there he was, Darius en Kragin, one of a race of shape-shifting warriors bound to guard the gates of Atlantis, and kill all travelers who strayed within its borders.Now Grace's life was in his hands, and Darius had to choose between his centuries-old vow and the woman who had slipped beneath his defenses and stolen the heart of Atlantis's fiercest dragon.

Banning Talbot, Marquess of Daventry and Society's favorite bachelor, is accustomed to having his every whim obeyed-until he finds himself the reluctant guardian of Prudence MacAfee, the outspoken, golden-haired hoyden laughably nicknamed Angel. Now it's Banning's duty to introduce this deliciously unconventional creature to the ton's most eligible suitors. But his heart has an agenda all its own. . . .

One tragic decision dashed Rachel Carson's plans and made her scared of her own shadow. Now on the run, she must forever give up the hope of love -- or a baby. But with her new identity, she can help care for a motherless little girl, left in the protection of handsome Sheriff Cade Garner. As tough as his Wyoming mountains, Cade takes his responsibilities seriously. He will do whatever is necessary to protect baby Jenny and give her the life she should have had. But his sharp instincts tell him something is up with the mysterious nanny who swept into their lives. The alluring blonde has roused his senses ... and his heart. As a lawman, he seeks to uncover her secrets. He knows he can protect her and the baby, if only she will dare to trust again.

Fast track up the political ladder, fast cars, fast women—that's Garrett McKettrick. Make that was. A scandal has brought him home to Blue River, Texas, a place where a man can slow down, take stock and plan his next move. Which doesn't include staying at the family ranch with his brothers. A city boy, Garrett doesn't think he has the land in his blood.But Blue River has other attractions, like his former high school nemesis, Julie Remington. Now a striking woman, Julie comes complete with a four-year-old cowboy, a three-legged beagle and deep ties to the community. Good thing they have nothing in common...except their undeniable attraction and a future brighter than the Texas sun.

Caroline Monday knows better than to trust the dark and dangerous Morgan Blakely, Marquis of Clayton and England's infamous spy. Plotting revenge against a powerful enemy, Morgan will stop at nothing to secure Caroline's help-even claiming that she's a long-lost heiress and not the penniless orphan she'd thought herself. Yet as she's drawn into a world of old grudges and long-buried secrets, where the past is unraveled and the future uncertain, Caroline yearns to believe Morgan's words. . . and to give in to a desire that's stronger than her fear. . . .

She came to take his company. . . but would she lose her heart instead? Meredith Ashe thought her heart was broken when Cy Harden's family ran her out of town as a scared teenager, penniless and pregnant. Now, stronger and wiser, she's back, but this time as the poised, powerful head of a multinational corporation-and she's planning a hostile takeover of Harden Properties. Cy doesn't know the secrets Meredith is hiding, and she has no intention of telling him. She plans to let him think she's the same shy girl he abandoned years ago. . but she hasn't counted on the way her body still thrills to his touch. And when Meredith begins to fall for Cy all over again. . . even her carefully made plans can't protect her.

Christmas KnightAs Christmas approaches, Hope O'Hara is in desperate straits: unless she can find paying guests for the house she has lovingly restored, she'll lose it to creditors. Enter one literal knight in shining armor—valiant and virile Ronan MacLeod, who is swept 700 years through time to save Hope from a potentially fatal accident...and to discover a passion for the ages.MoonriseDevastated by a colleague's death and drawn to a thirteenth-century mystery, FBI agent Sara Nightingale arrives at Draycott Abbey for research and a much-needed getaway. Only, there she meets Navarre, a warrior from the Crusades who has been sent forth to avenge the guardian ghost of the abbey. Navarre and Sara cannot deny the centuries-old connection they feel...or the danger that surfaces from both the past and the present.

Izzy has always been the fearless Titan sister. But when an oil rig blows up, leaving her barely able to see, her sisters find themselves as concerned by her emotional withdrawal as by the possibility that the explosion was no accident. Are the mind games their long-lost brother Garth has been playing turning physical? Or is someone else out to get them?When her sisters enroll her in a survivor training camp, Izzy is not happy. Nick, her instructor, is determined that she won't be left in the dark. In more ways than one. But if he tells her the terrible truth behind why he's helping her, he'll never see her again. Unless they're both willing to take the biggest risk of all.

"A brand-new, heart-pounding tale featuring Catherine Mann's heroic Special Ops unit." Air Force captain Bobby "Postal" Ruznick wouldn't consider working a job that didn't occasionally scare him to death. But nothing gets under his skin like sexy profiler Dr. Grace Marie Lanier. Not that Dr. Uptight Lanier could tolerate his risk-taking ways when they'd struck sparks off one another on assignment a year ago. Now it looks as though the two of them are stuck with each other once again. Being paired with Bobby's Special Ops crew sends Grace Marie's calm, collected existence into a tailspin. Not only does she have an assignment of utmost importance to complete...but she's got little recourse except to turn for help to the one man who threatens her orderly world the most -- Bobby. Now with one week to stabilize a situation that could destroy the lives of countless others, Bobby and Grace Marie are about to learn that to save the world, they'll have to risk their hearts.

After three romantic flame-outs in a year and a restaurant career going nowhere, Dani Buchanan needs a fresh start. She goes looking for her biological father, but never expects to find a senator running for president. As his long-lost "love child," Dani could seriously derail the election-- something his handsome campaign manager Alex Canfield isn't going to let happen. Dani isn't about to let Alex run her life, no matter how tempting she finds him--and Alex isn't going to allow Dani to melt his cynicism, no matter how close he has to get. The last thing either of them wants is love, especially with scandals brewing and family trouble on the way. But Dani and Alex are forced to trust each other, and when trust turns to passion, the potential for disaster is only a tabloid scandal away.

Montana Hendrix has found her calling—working with therapy dogs. With a career she loves in a hometown she adores, she's finally ready to look for her own happily ever after. Could one of her dogs help her find Mr. Right - or maybe Dr. Right? Surgeon Simon Bradley prefers the sterility of the hospital to the messiness of real life, especially when real life includes an accident-prone mutt and a woman whose kisses make him want what he knows he can't have. Scarred since childhood, he avoids emotional entanglement by moving from place to place to heal children who need his skillful touch. Can his growing feelings for Montana lead him to find a home in Fool's Gold, or will he walk away, taking her broken heart with him?

"Grace Lindstrom has followed her fiancé across three continents, starry-eyed and full of dreams. But when he dies in a plane crash, Grace discovers that their life together was the cruelest kind of lie-and swears to never lose herself to that kind of love again. Until one night, when a chance encounter leads her to the kind of man she's always dreamed of-and the deep family ties she's never known. Noah McKay knows he can't offer Grace any kind of future-not when he spends every day putting his life on the line. But when Grace's grandfather suddenly falls ill and she's called home to the small island town where she grew up, he realizes he can't live without her. Aided by good knitting, good chocolate and deep friendship, Grace is slowly learning to trust again-but can she learn to love a man whose secrets run so deep?"--Page 2 of cover.

Secrets...or lies? Had Theo Moreland, the Marquess of Raine, killed her brother? And had the treasure the two men sought in South America hastened his descent to an early grave? American journalist Megan Mulcahey had to know. But to find out, she needed to infiltrate the marquess's household.The new American governess intrigued Theo. Wanderlust had always plagued him—until Miss Mulcahey came to Broughton House to teach his young siblings. Now the strange pull of their immediate desire both troubled and excited him. He had seen her beauty once before, in a fever dream his memory could not escape. So why was this delicious vision now snooping around his mansion like a common thief?

Is there any mission more dangerous than a hot one-night stand?In the world of international espionage, Lila Moreau is as tough as they come. But she's finally ready to trade in her secret double life for domestic bliss. That is, after she takes care of one last vendetta: to bring in rogue agent Adrian Padgett before he unleashes disaster.But to find him and his band of merry hackers, Lila must infiltrate small, snooty Waverly College. All while breaking in her sexy new partner, Joel Faraday. Sounds like a challenge--even for a superspy.Soon Joel starts to distract her in more ways than just the professional. And he's determined to lure Lila into the most impossible mission of all...love.

Designing footwear is Jenny Prillaman's life, so getting the plum assignment to create a socialite's wedding shoes is a dream come true. Dealing with the heiress is another story. So is staying away from her dreamy new boss, a man too hot to deny for long, despite Jenny's best intentions of keeping her business away from his pleasure. Making Bellagio, Inc. an international success is executive Marc Waterson's career ambition. But his life's desire is to find the right woman and settle down. Too bad Jenny would rather follow in his corporate footsteps than try on the glass slippers of a company wife. At least Marc's got one thing going for him — the way to a woman's heart is through a really great pair of shoes!

It was in Paris she first saw him. He was tall, handsome, utterly dangerous. Inexplicably drawn to him, Brianne Martin pulled a grief stricken Pierce Hutton back from the depths of despair. He was forever grateful, but he drew the line at seducing a woman half his age. It was in Paris she fell in love. Although Pierce was strictly off limits, Brianne couldn't imagine surrendering her innocence to anyone but him. Certainly not to her stepfather's corrupt business associate. Obsessed with Brianne since their first meeting, this man would stop at nothing in his relentless pursuit of her, including masterminding a marriage to merge their powerful families. All seemed lost, until Pierce passionately saved Brianne's life...as she'd once saved his.

Dashing and elegant, Baron Christian St. Clair is the toast of the ton. . . and a man with a closely guarded secret. For his dazzling looks and celebrated charm mask his late-night escapades as the elusive Peacock, enemy of the rich and benefactor of the poor. Now Gabrielle Laurence, the destitute beauty who loathes St. Clair's rakish ways and power over her social standing, is close to discovering the truth. But can he convince her to trust a rogue-and take a chance on the passion that flares between them?

Would she be a wife or a handicap? Wealth and social standing meant little to Glynis. Her aim in life was domestic: a husband and a quiet home, somewhere away from it all. But Steven Grant-Tally didn't fit into this image. He was handsome, clever, rich, highly successful, and he moved in glittering social circles entirely alien to her. He had everything and he needed a glamour girl for his career. With his egotism and his ambition to climb the ladder of fame, Steven was the reverse of all Glynis's simple ideals. That was what worried Glynis about her fiance. She loved him despite the differences in their backgrounds, but she didn't move in his expensive, luxurious world, and she didn't approve of the hectic glamour of his social life. Could shy and retiring Glynis, with her hand-made clothing and simple ideals, be a match for the other woman in his life...? All she wanted to be was his wife. They were in love, but could love bind them together? Could their marriage survive on love alone when there was such an insuperable barrier between them?

What do women want? Newspaperman Colin Lyons needs to figure it out—fast! Because advice columnist Rina Lowell is waging a sexual campaign against him that he can't withstand for long. Not that he wants to…. Rina is as irresistible to him as her column is to her readers. The problem? The newspaper's in the red, and all fluff pieces have to be cut. Still, faced with Rina's seductive powers of persuasion, Colin can't resist taking her to bed. Little does she guess he's about to put her out of a job, too….

Two years after the fire that took his wife and left him alone with a daughter too traumatized to speak, Lieutenant Matt Sinclaire is ready to love again, but wonders if he can protect his daughter and U.S. Forest Ranger Casey Cantrell when evil strikes again.

"Single mom Danalee Jackson owns the Blue Note --an Alaskan bar offering nightly jazz and a cocktail of regulars who have an opinion about everything. Between dealing with her son's dad, a failing float-plane business and her bar's code of violations, Dana has no time for romance. Mark Moretti is burned-out after finishing his father's legacy project, the multimillion dollar Grove Marketplace in downtown Boise ... When a canceled flight leaves Mark stranded in Ketchikan, he finds himself at the Blue Note. One look at the exotically beautiful Dana and he decides to stay in town ..."--P. of cover.

HunterThe desert was no place for a female. But as chief of security for a top secret operation, Hunter had his orders, and Jennifer Marist needed his protection. He thought he could handle spending a week on the rugged Arizona plains with the one woman he was determined never to touch....But he hadn't planned on the lure of Jenny's wild, sweet passion--or on discovering a love he'd never dreamed possible.Man in ControlEver since DEA agent Alexander Cobb had given Jodie Clayburn a Texas-size brush-off, they'd been sworn enemies. But eight years later, this cynical long, tall Texan couldn't believe the baby-faced schoolgirl had turned into such a beauty. Or that she'd help him crack the drug-smuggling case that threatened Jacobsville. He'd risk everything to protect her. Would the man in control finally get caught in his own web of danger...and desire?

Easy money. That's why P.I. Ben Callahan agrees to take the job of watching over spoiled heiress Grace Montgomery. But he soon discovers she has a reckless streak a mile wide. She's determined to experience everything she's been missing...including a chance to explore her sensual side. And she wants to do that exploring with Ben! He's not complaining—it's just too bad what they've got going won't last after Grace discovers Ben's on the family payroll....

Lexi Titan can just see the headlines. All of Titanville will be buzzing. Not that she has any other choice. Faced with exactly thirty days to come up with two million dollars, she is out of options. Marry Cruz Rodriguez or lose everything-the successful day spa she built herself, her tyrant of a father's respect. And the long-standing competition with her sisters for the family business.Cruz has money, success, smoldering good looks-everything but the blue blood needed to become a true member of Texas society. If Lexi agrees to be his fiancee for six months, lending him her famous father's influence and connections, he'll hand her a check on the spot. And in six months they'll go their separate ways.But neither one is prepared for their long-ago shared passion to throw a wrench into what would seem to be the perfect deal....

Cheyenne Bridges makes a reluctant return to her hometown of Indian Rock, Ariz., her job hinging on whether she can persuade her high school flame Jesse McKettrick to sell some of his land for her employer's condo development deal.

"The McCaffertys: Randi" Is hiding the identity of her child's father worth risking her life? Randi McCafferty seems to think so, but investigator Kurt Striker is hell-bent on changing her mind. Hired by her well-meaning but overbearing brothers to keep Randi and her son safe, Kurt knows the only way to eliminate the danger is to reveal Randi's darkest secret...any way he can. Yet when protection leads to desire, will Randi and Kurt's explosive affair leave them vulnerable to the threats whispering in the shadows? Audible

Having entered the witness Protection Program, Devon is used to a life on the run. Her neighbor Chad is willing to help her, but is he her guardian angel...or the man sent to kill her?

Jillian Greene is always getting caught in the act--it's her job! Working at Catch a Mate, Jillian gets paid by suspicious wives to smile, flirt and prove that no man can be trusted around the opposite sex. But she never gets physical--until a heart-stoppingly gorgeous male walks in....Marcus Brody has just been hired to test female fidelity. But the last thing Jillian needs is a partner...especially an infuriating, irresistible man who's got her fantasizing about tearing off his clothes!

A cowboy through and through, ranch owner Mallory Kirk knows what it means to put in a full day’s work. But does his new cowgirl? He has his doubts that Morie Brannt will be able to pull her own weight, even if the petite young woman does seem to have a lot of spirit. As they spar over events at the ranch and a past that threatens their hopes for the future, sparks begin to fly, and Mallory can’t help but notice Morie in a new light. But is this tough Wyoming man ready to love?

When Santa Fe antique dealer Julia Anderson was curiously drawn to purchase a battered jewelry box, she never expected it to contain her own personal love slave. Especially not tall, dark and sinfully handsome Tristan-a man hard to resist, and determined to fulfill her every desire. Though Tristan was a rogue of the battlefield and the boudoir, making love with Julia was like nothing he'd ever known. Yet revealing his true heart would break the centuries-old spell and separate them forever. And Tristan would do anything to go on loving Julia. . . even remain a slave through all eternity. . . .

"The body count on this job is freaking me out. Since I signed on to bust scam artists with Chameleon, the missions have been getting increasingly dangerous--and so has my love life! There's Arch, my bad-boy Scottish lover, who's been keeping secrets so long, he may never come clean. Then there's my sexy boss, Milo, who's in hot water with some seriously bad characters. Maybe it's time for a whole new gig--one without cons or criminals. But first I have to bring in one more bad apple...in my own inimitable style. After that, one of my guys had better step up to the plate, or it's hasta la vista for Evie...."--p. of cover.

Blame it on the cowboy: After finding his fiancee in bed with another man, Logan McCord agrees to a no-strings-attached fling with a cute stranger. Chef Reese Stephens mistakenly thought she had only weeks to live when she sought out a one-night-stand with a cowboy. Now, she must track Logan down to get back the heirloom watch she had given him. Cowboy underneath it all: Eliza Wright tried to help her sister out by telling the town that she and her sister's sort-of boyfriend were a couple, leaving her sister free to marry the man she truly loved. This comes as a shock to Kane Bullock when he comes home after ten years to find his sort-of girlfriend married and himself in a relationship he knew nothing about.

Newly divorced and back in her hometown, Melody Tanner is ready to change her life for the better. Her girlfriends think it's the perfect time to revisit the lists they came up with as a joke at Melody's bachelorette partya list of five men they could sleep with no matter what.But when Melody looks at her list, she discovers two of the men are already dead. Worse, the homicide detective she contacts just happens to be her #1, former marine Nick Walker.Nick isn't taking the coincidental deaths too seriously, until the other two men on the list die suspiciously. Melody thinks the only way to keep Nick alive is to let him go. But Nick's willing to take the risk. Besides, if he does have to check out, there's no place he'd rather do it than in Melody's arms....

When she was good, she was very, very good...When Emma Frasier returns home to Joyful, Georgia, she's greeted with the kinds of winks and lusty grins one might offer...an adult film star? But when she was bad...Thanks to smalltown gossip and citizens who clearly need to get a life, Joyful's residents think Emma Jean is the "famous star" building a strip club in town. And that her barely concealed...uh, attributes are the ones gracing the new interstate billboard. She was better.As if being taken for a blue movie queen isn't rattling enough, there's Johnny Walker, the local bad boy turned gooda man who tempts Emma to be just as wild and wicked as Joyful thinks she is.