** Nadia **
****Being dumped right before the holidays is the worst. The last thing I wanted to do was head off to a big family dinner where I could hear all about why I was suddenly single. My mom wasn't taking no for an answer. The last person I expected to see was the one man I'd always wanted, the one who'd never given me a second look. But there he was, eyes smiling with promise, right in front of me.
Could this be happening? God, I hope so.
**Sam**
I was at loose ends, and figured why not? When my grandmother invited me to a Thanksgiving family dinner with her old friend, I was hoping to see my first love. And then, there she was, arms full of pie, right in front of me.
Pie everywhere and the sexiest woman I've ever met? Break out the whipped cream.
**Hot Apple Pie is part of Second Helpings, a group of ten short stories released by acclaimed romance authors. Each book is a second-chance romance that takes place during Thanksgiving. All guaranteed sweeter than sweet potato pie and dirtier than a sink full of dishes!
Check out all the fun and quick holiday stories by these other incredible authors: Sierra Hill, Alexis Adaire, Tessa Blake, Laney Powell, Vivian Ward, Derek Masters, Dori Lavelle, Sher Dillard and Tracy Lorraine.** Views: 626
A VERY SPECIAL MYSTERY ANTHOLOGY FEATURING THE BEST BY THE BEST…In 1984, Mystery Writers of America brought together a roster of authors that has rarely been equaled before or since. Every living MWA President (including several who were also Grand Masters) was asked to select one of their own published stories and write a brief introduction as to why it was their favorite one. The resulting volume, edited under the keen eye of author and screenwriter Brian Garfield, contains some of the finest crime and mystery stories of the previous 50 years.Dorothy Salisbury Davis delights with tale of a most unusual art "heist." Master of the macabre Robert Bloch is in fine form with a story of a con man who takes advantage of lonely women, until he meets his match in deception. Helen McCloy goes to the other side of the world for her engrossing story of 19th century China. John D. MacDonald introduces us to a salesman suffering from the wickedest of... Views: 626
After her husband's alcohol induced rage lands her in the hospital, Leah embraces the 51% ownership of her grandfather's nursery in a small town in Oklahoma. The only issue is the cocky cowboy who owns the other 49%. Austin has grown into quite a man since the last summer she spent in Colvin at her grandparents' house as a child. But she has vowed to never need another man in her life after what she left behind in New York City, so can Austin be the one to change her mind?Austin is shocked to find out the nursery he loves so much has been willed to himself and the one girl he has had a crush on since he was a boy. The only problem is they can't stand to be around each other. But she is gorgeous and he can't keep his thoughts off the red head he has to spend all day with. She's a tough one to crack and when he finds out what happened to her will he run away or want her more? Views: 626
Outlaw. Telepath. Pirate. Queen.Mercy is no longer a fugitive running for her life and hiding from the family she left behind. She thought the hardest part of going home was going to be surviving the dangerous, psychically gifted pirates she calls family, but the truth is far more complicated, and her relatives aren't quite as murderous as she remembers.Now Mercy is their Queen, a role she never wanted. When a peace summit with the pirates' greatest enemies ends in disaster, Mercy's new life spins out of control. The Talented people she is supposed to be uniting are on the verge of a bloody war that will only end when all of them are dead.Her consort, Reaper, is a psychic Killer, a man much more accustomed to taking lives than to saving them. And Mercy has never been responsible for anyone but herself. Now, she must embrace her role as queen and uncover the truth in a complicated web of psychic Talents and politics. If she doesn't unravel a hundred years of... Views: 626
Welcome to Calendar where life is sweet, but death is murder.Vanessa Wright never planned to return home to Calendar. But her relationship ends, her job disappears, and she suddenly inherits a former inn from her great aunt, so she concludes it's finally time for her to return to the sleepy mountain town. Although it was where she grew up, she has no plans to stay there for long. All she must do to get her life back on track is fix up the inn and find a buyer.The Blackberry Inn has lost some of its charm and good looks over the years, going from gorgeous, Victorian-era splendor to being relegated to a dilapidated fixer-upper. It's going to be one helluva a job to restore it to its former glory. Fortunately, Vanessa isn't afraid of a little hard work. She boldly confronts her first night alone in the big, old house with determination and courage, until she finds a dead body on the veranda. The indications are that a man might have broken in. Who could the failed... Views: 626
Lori Keyes loves her new look and her new stylist--but can she clear his name when he’s arrested for the salon owner’s murder? After a full year of running a bed and breakfast in the resort town of Dusky Cove, Lori Keyes is ready for something new. She’s tired of looking tired and feeling frumpy. A new stylist, Jonah, gives her a new look that shaves off ten years and shows her spunk right away. Lori has never been happier with how she looks and feels. When she comes back to thank Jonah, however, she finds his salon’s surly owner stabbed in the lobby. The murder weapon? Jonah’s scissors. Jonah is the prime suspect, but he insists he’s innocent—and Lori believes him. When he hears about Lori’s past success in unraveling mysteries, he begs her to help. Will her efforts all be in vain? Or can she clear his name before he goes to prison for a murder he didn’t commit? Views: 626
Rapunzel Gothel has lived her life in a bubble. A near assault in high school scared her into following her mother's rules of "No boys, ever" Now, at almost 25, she finds herself lonely and itching to break out of the barriers that surround her. Hank Fitzherbert is a carefree, optimistic playboy, who feels sorry for the girl too scared to live her life. Deciding to help Zellie learn how to live, he starts taking her on fake dates, as a friend, to teach her how to navigate the real world. Things go awry when Zelie's mother, Cassia, begins to scheme to separate them. As the two try to figure out why Cassia is so intent on keeping them apart, Zellie and Hank must also fight their growing attraction to each other. What started out as just friends, is beginning to spiral into so much more. Views: 626
Will a string of mysterious trespassing incidents give Rookie Officer Ed Solomon his chance at being a big-time detective?Gordon Hepler and Ed Solomon are reminiscing at Finnegan's bar one snowy night, about a case that turned Gordon's career path around and had Solomon rethinking his desires to be a big-city detective. Back then, Gordon had no intentions of being a cop, and Ed was a greener-than-green rookie police officer being trained by Arch Hepler, Gordon's father.In most places, people breaking into garden and storage sheds might not be a big deal, but in the small town of Mapleton, Colorado, it's a veritable crime wave, at least according to Chief Dixon. Kids playing pranks? Or something more serious? Could these trespassers have something to do with a much bigger, big-city crime?What starts out as a perfunctory investigation soon escalates. Will Dixon, Arch Hepler, and new rookie Solomon discover the truth before Mapleton sees its... Views: 626
Prequel to 'Til Death Do Us PartOkay, then ... that's what Sam said after Henry convinced him he was interested in dating, not merely a fling while together on a research trip to the Solomon Islands. And so they embark on their first date, but the conditions are not ideal.Henry is desperate to convince his crush of his sincerity but second guesses his every move. He's thrilled to discover Sam is just as anxious to impress him. Can these two work through their first-date jitters or are they destined to drift apart? Views: 626
