Harlequin Plot Summaries
Plots
Browse through the plots and think about which plot you’d like to claim. Be aware, however, that no claims will be valid until May 1st. Any claims made before that date will be deleted.
To make a claim after May 1st, post your “DIBS on Plot: (letter)” in a comment below!
Good luck and have fun, everyone!
~~^~@
A - Anything For You (plot from Sarah Mayberry)
She was sick of being invisible, so instead she`d just be gone...
Delanely has been in love with her best friend and business partner Sam for sixteen years - not that he’s noticed. After taking a vacation with her sister’s family, Delaney decides that its really a family of her own that she wants. Sam is obviously not interested, and the only way for Delanely to move on with her get-a-husband-and-kids plan is to break ties with him - completely. She takes the drastic step of selling him her half of the business and moving out of her too-close-to-Sam apartment.
Sam goes ballistic and can't understand why she would want leave the business and move away. Its just too painful for her to be close to him - she needs a clean break. Will Sam realize what he's missing before its too late?
B - Bride Hunt (plot from Margo Maguire)
Her life is in the hands of a man she dares not love...
Lady Isabel Louvet is a woman of noble birth, wit, courage, and beauty. But though these qualities make her an excellent bride, they cannot save her when, on the night she was meant to choose a groom, wild Scottish brigands storm the walls of her father's castle. As what should be a celebration turns to terror and bloodshed, Isabel is carried away from her family to be offered to a Scottish chieftain as a slave...or worse.
But unbeknownst to Isabel, she has a champion, a feared warrior and knight of legend named Anvrai d'Arques. His visage bears the scars of battle, but his heart remains pure in its devotion to country and king -- that is, until he sets out to rescue Isabel. Her fierce spirit of survival stirs his passion more than combat ever could, and with her touch his world forever shifts. Now, with the Scottish on their heels and a country on the brink of war, they must go forth in battle together -- to save themselves, to protect their countrymen, and to find a love that can set them both forever free.
C - Can`t Stop Loving You (plot from Lisa Harris Jackson)
He opened the door with nothing but the radio on.
Kaycee Jordan is all set to give her exasperating new neighbor a piece of her mind, until he opens the door half-naked, and fully fine. A former pro athlete turned cafe owner, Kendrick Thompson is as delectable as chocolate. And Kendrick finds the strong-minded, gorgeous Kaycee as irresistible as the mouthwatering gourmet desserts she creates, although he is convinced she's way too young for him. Even so, when Kaycee asks Kendrick to help her build her business, it's an offer he can't resist. And soon, long days of work give way to nights of luscious, soul-searing pleasure.
But when their budding relationship causes a rift between their families, Kaycee and Kendrick must decide what hurts more: going against their loved ones or denying what's in their hearts.
D - Down and Out In Flamingo Beach (plot from Marcia-King Gamble)
It was as far from civilization as a town could get, and she thought nothing could keep her there...
My goal was simple: return to my old hometown to help my ailing Granny "J" give her failing quilt shop a major makeover, and hightail it back to Los Angeles and civilization.
Settling down in small-town Flamingo Beach isn't on the agenda. Neither is falling for someone like Derek Morse, even if the gorgeous construction worker has velvet-smooth skin and a rock-hard body that's been starring in all my illicit daydreams. Besides, Derek has me pegged for a seriously high-maintenance sister.
But as I'm about to learn, first impressions can be misleading. And taking the time to learn the truth about someone could lead to all kinds of delightful and mutually satisfying discoveries….
E - Enslaved (plot from Virginia Henley)
Where are all the real men? she wondered...
For Lady Diana Davenport, real men existed only in her books and dreams. There she could lose herself, becoming the licentious Diana, goddess of the hunt--far from the rigid restraints of eighteenth-century London, where she was courted by fops and fools. That is, until she tried on an authentic Roman helmet in an antiques store and was catapulted back in time, landing in Marcus Magnus's arms. This was no dream! She was lost in Aquae Sulis, the city she knew as Bath, prisoner of a Roman general who accused the violet-eyed beauty of being a Druid spy--and then made her his slave!
"COME TO ME." His words were soft, imperious, charged with danger and desire. Marcus Magnus was powerful, arrogant, and infuriating. A real man. And now Lady Diana was his slave, hostage to his will, vowing to fight him to the end--with every seductive weapon she possessed....
F - Fantasy, Every Woman`s (plot from Vickie Lewis Thompson)
Oh, yes . . . Oh, no!
Mark O'Grady has a bad habit of making love to a woman -- and then proposing. But sexual chemistry is never enough to get him down the aisle. So Mark puts an ad in Texas Men magazine, determined to take it nice and slow with the next woman -- make friends before getting too "friendly."
Charlene -- Charlie -- McPherson is sick of being every guy's buddy. One look at Mark's picture and she's out to inspire uncontrollable lust in him. Unfortunately it works -- before she discovers his reputation as a "serial groom." Now Charlie has to find a way to say, "I don't" to his luscious lovemaking -- long enough for Mark to fall in love with her . . .and say, "I do."
G - Guilty Affair (plot from Maureen Smith)
Her lover had been murdered, and she would do anything to prove it...anything.
Journalist Riley Kane has long suspected that the death of her fiancé, Trevor, a San Antonio police officer, was not a simple accident. The only person who can uncover the truth about Trevor is his former partner, Noah Roarke. But thoughts of Noah fill Riley with guilty longing.
Noah kept his distance from beautiful, tempting Riley while Trevor was alive. Now she's back, in his office…and in his arms. Blindsided by the heat that surges between them, Noah tells himself that the sooner he helps Riley find closure, the sooner she can leave town. But getting her out of his system, and out of his heart, won't be that easy….
H - Home Sweet Texas (plot from Sharon Gillenwater)
She had no memory of who she was, and he couldn’t help her… or himself.
When a strange man appeared to her like a mirage in the desert, he was the answer to the lost and injured woman's prayers. But she couldn't tell her handsome rescuer who she was, because she couldn't remember….
Ex-Texas Ranger Jake Trayner felt instantly protective of the mysterious lady who'd stumbled onto his sprawling Texas ranch. She brought a beacon of light to his solitary world and Jake was determined to help her find the missing pieces of her life. Even if the return of her memory erased the precious bond growing between them, and meant he'd never see her again…
I - Indecent Suggestion (plot from Elizabeth Bevarly)
What do you MEAN you hypnotized us into having sex?!
Becca and Turner - best friends since 1st grade - decide to quit smoking, and they go to see a hypnotherapist who can help them. The hypnotherpist mistakes Becca and Turner for another couple and hypnotizes them to respond to sexual cues instead. What follows is quite hilarious, and takes Becca and Turner's friendship to an entirely new level.
J - Jack and Jilted (plot from Cathy Yardley)
Abandoned at the altar, she’s determined to enjoy the honeymoon anyway, and enjoy it she will...
When his chef eloped with the masseuse, Captain Jack McCullough knew he'd have to pitch in to keep his four-star yacht afloat. Too bad he didn't know one end of the galley from the other, but he did have the looks, the charm and…the jilted bride?
Dodging caterers' bills instead of confetti, jobless Chloe Winton did what every suddenly-single woman should. She talked herself into taking the week-long honeymoon cruise her former fiancé had paid for. (Yes--for the whole week!) But when she meets the hot, sexy--do-gooding--captain, she's not sure the six days and seven nights will be enough!
K - Kitty and the Midnight Hour (plot from Carrie Vaugn )
She was a real animal in bed. Really.
Kitty Norville, a closeted werewolf who hosts a popular Denver radio program called The Midnight Hour. During her show, Kitty takes phone calls from listeners (not all of whom are human) while trying to maintain her secret identity. Unfortunately, the local vampire crime family wants her show canceled and has hired someone to kill her. In fact, it's during the course of Kitty's dramatic on-air conversation with her would-be assassin that she reveals to listeners that she is, indeed, a werewolf. Eventually, local police enlist her to help track down a serial killer who exhibits werewolflike tendencies.
Her new late-night advice show for the supernaturally disadvantaged is a raging success, but it’s Kitty who can use some help. With one sexy werewolf-hunter and a few homicidal undead on her tail, Kitty may have bitten off more than she can chew.
L - Last of the Red Hot Vampires (plot from Katie MacAlister)
Seriously, if there’s no such thing as Faeries, Vampires, or Angels, then what’s going on!?
Portia Harding, a no-nonsense physicist, has accompanied her lifelong best friend, romance author Sarah, to England, where she is investigating everything from crop circles to séances. Left at a so-called fairy ring when Sarah runs back to the hotel for her camera, Portia inadvertently summons a spirit named Hope who bestows her gift of weather control and disappears. Swept up into the arms of gorgeous Theo and carried away--or kidnapped, as the pragmatic physicist in her contends--Portia is sure she is hallucinating. She doesn't believe in the paranormal until she discovers that Theo is a soulless nephilim (the offspring of an angel and a human) and that she must pass seven tests to be admitted to the Court of Divine Blood, which is essential since she now controls the weather, which follows her around in the form of a small cloud.
M - Mother and Mistress (plot from Carol Marinelli)
She was hired to create a magical garden, and instead creates passion...
When ruthless Italian barrister Dante Costello hires Matilda Hamilton, he sees an opportunity. Matilda's job is to create a magical garden, in the hope it will help Dante's troubled little girl. However, since attraction between them is hot and intense, why not take Matilda as his mistress, as well?
Dante has always kept his emotions firmly under wraps when it comes to relationships. But this time will he succeed when his desire for Matilda is pushing him to the edge of control?
N - Nerd in Shining Armor (plot from Vickie Lewis Thompson)
The only man who can save her is the one she wouldn’t touch with a ten foot ethernet cable!
Genevieve’s much-anticipated overnight business trip with her arrogantly sexy boss, Nick, has gone terribly wrong. Not only has Jack the computer nerd managed to tag along on the private plane to Maui, but Nick has turned out to be a corporate thief and a murderous psychopath who plans on killing off Jack and Genevieve in a plane crash. Luckily, Jack has played enough flight-simulator computer games to crash-land the plane, leaving Genevieve and himself alone on a desert island in the Pacific with only a guava tree and their soon-to-be-realized lust for each other to sustain them.
Jack may be a nerd, but he has a great body and a real sense of chivalry. He's also an amazing lover, and the stranded couple's uninhibited desert-island sex scenes leave readers conflicted about whether to root for the rescue party or not. If they are rescued will the Nerd in Shining Armor go back to his mismatched clothes and computer games?
O - Only A Duke Will Do (plot from Sabrina Jeffries)
It`s a wedding of politcial convenience, and the marriage from hell!
Seven years after Louisa North effectively banished him to India for recklessly kissing her, Simon Tremaine returns to England. Determined to pursue a career in politics, he has no intention of becoming involved with the lovely Louisa again, until the king "suggests" that marrying Louisa might help win Simon a nomination as England's next prime minister.
As the leader of the London Ladies Society, Louisa and her dedicated group of volunteers have been bedeviling the government for prison reform, but if Simon were to marry Louisa, he could effectively limit the scope of her group's work. Louisa is skeptical of Simon when he begins courting her, but Simon's kisses soon banish all her concerns, until Louisa discovers exactly why Simon now wishes to wed her.
P - Pirate and the Pagan, The (plot from Virginia Henley)
She would do anything it took
The impoverished Lady Summer St. Catherine and her brother Spencer live in the family's ramshackle country house until, during a brief trip to London, Summer catches the eye of Lord Ruark Helford, her wealthy neighbor in Cornwall. Upon their return to the country, Summer conceals her poverty as she charms Ruark, who proposes. Their idyllic happiness ends in a major row when Ruark learns the truth and concludes he's been used by Summer for his money and his power as a magistrate to free her brother who has been imprisoned on smuggling charges.
Summer flees and finds romance, mystery and financial assistance in the arms of a dashing pirate called Rory (Ruark in disguise). Subsequently, Summer romps at court, sports with "Rory," clashes with Ruark and even gets herself tossed into prison on her way to a final happy reconciliation.
Q - Quiet Child, The (plot from Deborah Salonen)
The child was proof of his infedelity, yet she was willing to try to help.
Alex Radonovic isn't particularly looking forward to Christmas. Her sisters have all found their soul mates, even her mother has a romantic interest. Only Alex is alone. Until her ex-fiancé arrives with a preposterous suggestion. He wants Alex to help his son. Her first reaction is to refuse, after all, the child is proof of Mark's betrayal. But her heart goes out to the sad little boy. Could this be the meaning behind her mother's prediction? If she helps little Braden, will she finally be able to forgive his father?
Maybe this Christmas will be different from all the others.
R- Rock Star (plot from Roslyn Hardy Holcomb)
As if, as IF he just walked into my store...
Callie has worked fervently on her five year plan and it is now time to start a new five year plan. Owning her own bookstore with her best friend in her small town home of Maple Fork, Alabama has been her biggest challenge, but a rewarding one nonetheless. However, when Bryan Spencer, a rock star, comes into her book store, Callie will find a new focus to dwell on; finding unconventional love. Thus ROCK STAR is the story of two people from different backgrounds who find the mind cannot stop what the heart feels.
Initially Callie kept her friendship with Bryan platonic, but as they began to spend more time together and Bryan opened up emotionally, feelings could not be denied. As Callie became more comfortable with their relationship, she also got to experience the celebrity lifestyle. When Bryan went back on tour, Callie was able to join him and keep their budding romance alive. However, when the tabloids write an unflattering story about her relationship with Bryan things for the couple take a turn for the worse. Now the couple must decide if their relationship is worth saving it when the people they most care about seem to be against them and whether Callie can weather the tabloid storm.
ROCK STAR is a story that delves with the dynamics of falling in love with someone who is in a high profile position and the complications of living in a small town where everyone knows your business.
S - Something Sinful (plot from Suzanne Enoch)
It was lust at first sight . . .
She was a vision, an exotic goddess who floated across the ballroom, conjuring images of warm nights and silk sheets, and Lord Charlemagne Griffin felt lightning shoot straight to his . . . well, he was definitely interested. So the lady isn't exactly the sharpest knife on the rack, as Shay soon discovers, but the generous bosom just above her low neckline more than makes up for it. Before he knows it, Shay is bragging about an impending business deal to impress her . . .
Lady Sarala Carlisle may appear naive, but too late Shay realizes her unconventional beauty masks a razor-sharp intelligence and flawless instincts-and she'd just bested him! Well, two can play at this game, and one of Shay's many skills is the fine art of seduction. But in this contest, the only thing to lose is one's heart.
T - Thunderstruck (plot from Roxanne St. Claire)
Fuel Line? Finish Line? She doubted he knew the difference.
If Mick Churchill thinks he can buy out half of Shelby Jackson's family-owned race team, she's got news for him. So what if Mick's the most famous soccer star on the globe--with cash, connections and charisma? Fuel line? Finish line? Shelby doubts the Brit knows the difference.
Superstar Mick knew buying a NASCAR team was going to be tricky. The truth is the struggling team needs Mick's media savvy and team-building skills--even if Shelby can't admit it. Now, with Daytona just days away, Mick won't quit until he changes Shelby's mind. Any way he can.
U - Untouched (plot from Samantha Hunter)
Her superpowers are fueled by his touch...
Superheroine Risa Remington once had the power to read thoughts and emotions with a stroke of her fingertips. Until a lab accident changed everything. Now Risa has to learn to live in the real world--virgin territory for a girl who's never experienced life, love or sex.
CIA agent Daniel MacAlister has orders to babysit gorgeous Risa. She can't fall into the wrong hands--she knows too much. But when Risa falls into his bed one night--soft, warm and naked--he's forced to go on alert. Because his mere sexual touch seems to have triggered her superpowers. And if she finds out what's really on his mind, it's game over. Literally.
V - Very Special Love, A (plot from Courtni Wright)
For the child’s sake, they had to get along. But he was still a jerk.
Nurse Kiana Everett is determined to give her young niece a happy home after Courtney is orphaned. She never expected that her stern brother-in-law, Gabriel Merrick, had been named Courtney's legal guardian - or that an unexpected love could give them all a chance at a future together.
W - Whisper of Wanting (plot from Jamie Sobrato)
A Lust Potion that makes people fall all over each other? Yeah, right!
As a police detective, Nicole Arroyo has heard it all. But a potion that renders people crazy with lust? Right. This colorless liquid is just another one of journalist Ethan Ramsey's schemes to get her into bed. With her weakness for sexy men who break women's hearts, there's no way she's giving him a chance.
So how can she explain the sizzling urge that leads to the hot encounter with him in the backseat of his car…or the one against her front door…or the one…? Well. For some reason, she now wants Ethan. But a lust potion? It couldn't possibly be real…could it?
X - (e)X Marks the Spot (plot from Marlene Lovelace)
She was so over her ex-husband. So. Over.
Forced to leave her beloved military life behind at the ripe old age of thirty-seven, USAF Colonel Andrea (Andi)
Armstrong comes to the Florida panhandle for a fresh start. Little did she know, at least until that auspicious knock on her next-door neighbor's door, that there were some things about her old life she wasn't quite finished with yet. And evidently, if the expression on his love-struck face was any indication, her ex-husband, Colonel Dave Armstrong - aka said next-door neighbor - wasn't quite finished with her yet either. Hmm. Who was it who said the best is yet to come? Maybe there was something to that after all….
Y - Your Planet or Mine? (plot from Susan Grant)
He was totally out of this world.
With outrageously false accusations piling up against her famous political family and an ex-fiancé in hot water determined to take her down with him, the last thing Jana Jasper needs is more trouble - especially man trouble. But when she heads to the grocery store for an ice cream fix, not only does the muscled hunk in the frozen foods section ranting about spaceships and invasions look crazy, he looks…familiar.
Cavin of Far Star has never forgotten the girl he met during his weeks spent on that quaint little world, planet Earth, the girl who didn't believe he was real. And now he'll risk his future to save her. All she has to do is take him to her leader. Simple enough plan, although Jana isn't so easily convinced. Hell-bent on charming his way past her defenses, he's determined to stay one step ahead of the galaxy's most feared assassin, and may just capture his favorite Earthling's heart in the process.
Z - Zone, The Danger (plot from Debra Webb)
The race is on for his daughter`s life...
For team owner Buck Buchanan every day at the Huntsville track is a rush. The noise. The dirt. The roar. The furor. NASCAR's golden boy has only one regret: Jenna Williams. Not that he blames her for ditching him twelve years ago, but now she's back and has thrown a red flag.
Jenna is downright frantic, clutching a ransom note demanding a cool million in exchange for her daughter's safety. Their daughter's, actually. Yes, she knows how it looks asking Buck for help. But it's true. The child is theirs and Buck's the only one who can wrench her out of danger.
Even if that means trading himself for a girl he's never known.
Browse through the plots and think about which plot you’d like to claim. Be aware, however, that no claims will be valid until May 1st. Any claims made before that date will be deleted.
To make a claim after May 1st, post your “DIBS on Plot: (letter)” in a comment below!
Good luck and have fun, everyone!
~~^~@
A - Anything For You (plot from Sarah Mayberry)
She was sick of being invisible, so instead she`d just be gone...
Delanely has been in love with her best friend and business partner Sam for sixteen years - not that he’s noticed. After taking a vacation with her sister’s family, Delaney decides that its really a family of her own that she wants. Sam is obviously not interested, and the only way for Delanely to move on with her get-a-husband-and-kids plan is to break ties with him - completely. She takes the drastic step of selling him her half of the business and moving out of her too-close-to-Sam apartment.
Sam goes ballistic and can't understand why she would want leave the business and move away. Its just too painful for her to be close to him - she needs a clean break. Will Sam realize what he's missing before its too late?
B - Bride Hunt (plot from Margo Maguire)
Her life is in the hands of a man she dares not love...
Lady Isabel Louvet is a woman of noble birth, wit, courage, and beauty. But though these qualities make her an excellent bride, they cannot save her when, on the night she was meant to choose a groom, wild Scottish brigands storm the walls of her father's castle. As what should be a celebration turns to terror and bloodshed, Isabel is carried away from her family to be offered to a Scottish chieftain as a slave...or worse.
But unbeknownst to Isabel, she has a champion, a feared warrior and knight of legend named Anvrai d'Arques. His visage bears the scars of battle, but his heart remains pure in its devotion to country and king -- that is, until he sets out to rescue Isabel. Her fierce spirit of survival stirs his passion more than combat ever could, and with her touch his world forever shifts. Now, with the Scottish on their heels and a country on the brink of war, they must go forth in battle together -- to save themselves, to protect their countrymen, and to find a love that can set them both forever free.
C - Can`t Stop Loving You (plot from Lisa Harris Jackson)
He opened the door with nothing but the radio on.
Kaycee Jordan is all set to give her exasperating new neighbor a piece of her mind, until he opens the door half-naked, and fully fine. A former pro athlete turned cafe owner, Kendrick Thompson is as delectable as chocolate. And Kendrick finds the strong-minded, gorgeous Kaycee as irresistible as the mouthwatering gourmet desserts she creates, although he is convinced she's way too young for him. Even so, when Kaycee asks Kendrick to help her build her business, it's an offer he can't resist. And soon, long days of work give way to nights of luscious, soul-searing pleasure.
But when their budding relationship causes a rift between their families, Kaycee and Kendrick must decide what hurts more: going against their loved ones or denying what's in their hearts.
D - Down and Out In Flamingo Beach (plot from Marcia-King Gamble)
It was as far from civilization as a town could get, and she thought nothing could keep her there...
My goal was simple: return to my old hometown to help my ailing Granny "J" give her failing quilt shop a major makeover, and hightail it back to Los Angeles and civilization.
Settling down in small-town Flamingo Beach isn't on the agenda. Neither is falling for someone like Derek Morse, even if the gorgeous construction worker has velvet-smooth skin and a rock-hard body that's been starring in all my illicit daydreams. Besides, Derek has me pegged for a seriously high-maintenance sister.
But as I'm about to learn, first impressions can be misleading. And taking the time to learn the truth about someone could lead to all kinds of delightful and mutually satisfying discoveries….
E - Enslaved (plot from Virginia Henley)
Where are all the real men? she wondered...
For Lady Diana Davenport, real men existed only in her books and dreams. There she could lose herself, becoming the licentious Diana, goddess of the hunt--far from the rigid restraints of eighteenth-century London, where she was courted by fops and fools. That is, until she tried on an authentic Roman helmet in an antiques store and was catapulted back in time, landing in Marcus Magnus's arms. This was no dream! She was lost in Aquae Sulis, the city she knew as Bath, prisoner of a Roman general who accused the violet-eyed beauty of being a Druid spy--and then made her his slave!
"COME TO ME." His words were soft, imperious, charged with danger and desire. Marcus Magnus was powerful, arrogant, and infuriating. A real man. And now Lady Diana was his slave, hostage to his will, vowing to fight him to the end--with every seductive weapon she possessed....
F - Fantasy, Every Woman`s (plot from Vickie Lewis Thompson)
Oh, yes . . . Oh, no!
Mark O'Grady has a bad habit of making love to a woman -- and then proposing. But sexual chemistry is never enough to get him down the aisle. So Mark puts an ad in Texas Men magazine, determined to take it nice and slow with the next woman -- make friends before getting too "friendly."
Charlene -- Charlie -- McPherson is sick of being every guy's buddy. One look at Mark's picture and she's out to inspire uncontrollable lust in him. Unfortunately it works -- before she discovers his reputation as a "serial groom." Now Charlie has to find a way to say, "I don't" to his luscious lovemaking -- long enough for Mark to fall in love with her . . .and say, "I do."
G - Guilty Affair (plot from Maureen Smith)
Her lover had been murdered, and she would do anything to prove it...anything.
Journalist Riley Kane has long suspected that the death of her fiancé, Trevor, a San Antonio police officer, was not a simple accident. The only person who can uncover the truth about Trevor is his former partner, Noah Roarke. But thoughts of Noah fill Riley with guilty longing.
Noah kept his distance from beautiful, tempting Riley while Trevor was alive. Now she's back, in his office…and in his arms. Blindsided by the heat that surges between them, Noah tells himself that the sooner he helps Riley find closure, the sooner she can leave town. But getting her out of his system, and out of his heart, won't be that easy….
H - Home Sweet Texas (plot from Sharon Gillenwater)
She had no memory of who she was, and he couldn’t help her… or himself.
When a strange man appeared to her like a mirage in the desert, he was the answer to the lost and injured woman's prayers. But she couldn't tell her handsome rescuer who she was, because she couldn't remember….
Ex-Texas Ranger Jake Trayner felt instantly protective of the mysterious lady who'd stumbled onto his sprawling Texas ranch. She brought a beacon of light to his solitary world and Jake was determined to help her find the missing pieces of her life. Even if the return of her memory erased the precious bond growing between them, and meant he'd never see her again…
I - Indecent Suggestion (plot from Elizabeth Bevarly)
What do you MEAN you hypnotized us into having sex?!
Becca and Turner - best friends since 1st grade - decide to quit smoking, and they go to see a hypnotherapist who can help them. The hypnotherpist mistakes Becca and Turner for another couple and hypnotizes them to respond to sexual cues instead. What follows is quite hilarious, and takes Becca and Turner's friendship to an entirely new level.
J - Jack and Jilted (plot from Cathy Yardley)
Abandoned at the altar, she’s determined to enjoy the honeymoon anyway, and enjoy it she will...
When his chef eloped with the masseuse, Captain Jack McCullough knew he'd have to pitch in to keep his four-star yacht afloat. Too bad he didn't know one end of the galley from the other, but he did have the looks, the charm and…the jilted bride?
Dodging caterers' bills instead of confetti, jobless Chloe Winton did what every suddenly-single woman should. She talked herself into taking the week-long honeymoon cruise her former fiancé had paid for. (Yes--for the whole week!) But when she meets the hot, sexy--do-gooding--captain, she's not sure the six days and seven nights will be enough!
K - Kitty and the Midnight Hour (plot from Carrie Vaugn )
She was a real animal in bed. Really.
Kitty Norville, a closeted werewolf who hosts a popular Denver radio program called The Midnight Hour. During her show, Kitty takes phone calls from listeners (not all of whom are human) while trying to maintain her secret identity. Unfortunately, the local vampire crime family wants her show canceled and has hired someone to kill her. In fact, it's during the course of Kitty's dramatic on-air conversation with her would-be assassin that she reveals to listeners that she is, indeed, a werewolf. Eventually, local police enlist her to help track down a serial killer who exhibits werewolflike tendencies.
Her new late-night advice show for the supernaturally disadvantaged is a raging success, but it’s Kitty who can use some help. With one sexy werewolf-hunter and a few homicidal undead on her tail, Kitty may have bitten off more than she can chew.
L - Last of the Red Hot Vampires (plot from Katie MacAlister)
Seriously, if there’s no such thing as Faeries, Vampires, or Angels, then what’s going on!?
Portia Harding, a no-nonsense physicist, has accompanied her lifelong best friend, romance author Sarah, to England, where she is investigating everything from crop circles to séances. Left at a so-called fairy ring when Sarah runs back to the hotel for her camera, Portia inadvertently summons a spirit named Hope who bestows her gift of weather control and disappears. Swept up into the arms of gorgeous Theo and carried away--or kidnapped, as the pragmatic physicist in her contends--Portia is sure she is hallucinating. She doesn't believe in the paranormal until she discovers that Theo is a soulless nephilim (the offspring of an angel and a human) and that she must pass seven tests to be admitted to the Court of Divine Blood, which is essential since she now controls the weather, which follows her around in the form of a small cloud.
M - Mother and Mistress (plot from Carol Marinelli)
She was hired to create a magical garden, and instead creates passion...
When ruthless Italian barrister Dante Costello hires Matilda Hamilton, he sees an opportunity. Matilda's job is to create a magical garden, in the hope it will help Dante's troubled little girl. However, since attraction between them is hot and intense, why not take Matilda as his mistress, as well?
Dante has always kept his emotions firmly under wraps when it comes to relationships. But this time will he succeed when his desire for Matilda is pushing him to the edge of control?
N - Nerd in Shining Armor (plot from Vickie Lewis Thompson)
The only man who can save her is the one she wouldn’t touch with a ten foot ethernet cable!
Genevieve’s much-anticipated overnight business trip with her arrogantly sexy boss, Nick, has gone terribly wrong. Not only has Jack the computer nerd managed to tag along on the private plane to Maui, but Nick has turned out to be a corporate thief and a murderous psychopath who plans on killing off Jack and Genevieve in a plane crash. Luckily, Jack has played enough flight-simulator computer games to crash-land the plane, leaving Genevieve and himself alone on a desert island in the Pacific with only a guava tree and their soon-to-be-realized lust for each other to sustain them.
Jack may be a nerd, but he has a great body and a real sense of chivalry. He's also an amazing lover, and the stranded couple's uninhibited desert-island sex scenes leave readers conflicted about whether to root for the rescue party or not. If they are rescued will the Nerd in Shining Armor go back to his mismatched clothes and computer games?
O - Only A Duke Will Do (plot from Sabrina Jeffries)
It`s a wedding of politcial convenience, and the marriage from hell!
Seven years after Louisa North effectively banished him to India for recklessly kissing her, Simon Tremaine returns to England. Determined to pursue a career in politics, he has no intention of becoming involved with the lovely Louisa again, until the king "suggests" that marrying Louisa might help win Simon a nomination as England's next prime minister.
As the leader of the London Ladies Society, Louisa and her dedicated group of volunteers have been bedeviling the government for prison reform, but if Simon were to marry Louisa, he could effectively limit the scope of her group's work. Louisa is skeptical of Simon when he begins courting her, but Simon's kisses soon banish all her concerns, until Louisa discovers exactly why Simon now wishes to wed her.
P - Pirate and the Pagan, The (plot from Virginia Henley)
She would do anything it took
The impoverished Lady Summer St. Catherine and her brother Spencer live in the family's ramshackle country house until, during a brief trip to London, Summer catches the eye of Lord Ruark Helford, her wealthy neighbor in Cornwall. Upon their return to the country, Summer conceals her poverty as she charms Ruark, who proposes. Their idyllic happiness ends in a major row when Ruark learns the truth and concludes he's been used by Summer for his money and his power as a magistrate to free her brother who has been imprisoned on smuggling charges.
Summer flees and finds romance, mystery and financial assistance in the arms of a dashing pirate called Rory (Ruark in disguise). Subsequently, Summer romps at court, sports with "Rory," clashes with Ruark and even gets herself tossed into prison on her way to a final happy reconciliation.
Q - Quiet Child, The (plot from Deborah Salonen)
The child was proof of his infedelity, yet she was willing to try to help.
Alex Radonovic isn't particularly looking forward to Christmas. Her sisters have all found their soul mates, even her mother has a romantic interest. Only Alex is alone. Until her ex-fiancé arrives with a preposterous suggestion. He wants Alex to help his son. Her first reaction is to refuse, after all, the child is proof of Mark's betrayal. But her heart goes out to the sad little boy. Could this be the meaning behind her mother's prediction? If she helps little Braden, will she finally be able to forgive his father?
Maybe this Christmas will be different from all the others.
R- Rock Star (plot from Roslyn Hardy Holcomb)
As if, as IF he just walked into my store...
Callie has worked fervently on her five year plan and it is now time to start a new five year plan. Owning her own bookstore with her best friend in her small town home of Maple Fork, Alabama has been her biggest challenge, but a rewarding one nonetheless. However, when Bryan Spencer, a rock star, comes into her book store, Callie will find a new focus to dwell on; finding unconventional love. Thus ROCK STAR is the story of two people from different backgrounds who find the mind cannot stop what the heart feels.
Initially Callie kept her friendship with Bryan platonic, but as they began to spend more time together and Bryan opened up emotionally, feelings could not be denied. As Callie became more comfortable with their relationship, she also got to experience the celebrity lifestyle. When Bryan went back on tour, Callie was able to join him and keep their budding romance alive. However, when the tabloids write an unflattering story about her relationship with Bryan things for the couple take a turn for the worse. Now the couple must decide if their relationship is worth saving it when the people they most care about seem to be against them and whether Callie can weather the tabloid storm.
ROCK STAR is a story that delves with the dynamics of falling in love with someone who is in a high profile position and the complications of living in a small town where everyone knows your business.
S - Something Sinful (plot from Suzanne Enoch)
It was lust at first sight . . .
She was a vision, an exotic goddess who floated across the ballroom, conjuring images of warm nights and silk sheets, and Lord Charlemagne Griffin felt lightning shoot straight to his . . . well, he was definitely interested. So the lady isn't exactly the sharpest knife on the rack, as Shay soon discovers, but the generous bosom just above her low neckline more than makes up for it. Before he knows it, Shay is bragging about an impending business deal to impress her . . .
Lady Sarala Carlisle may appear naive, but too late Shay realizes her unconventional beauty masks a razor-sharp intelligence and flawless instincts-and she'd just bested him! Well, two can play at this game, and one of Shay's many skills is the fine art of seduction. But in this contest, the only thing to lose is one's heart.
T - Thunderstruck (plot from Roxanne St. Claire)
Fuel Line? Finish Line? She doubted he knew the difference.
If Mick Churchill thinks he can buy out half of Shelby Jackson's family-owned race team, she's got news for him. So what if Mick's the most famous soccer star on the globe--with cash, connections and charisma? Fuel line? Finish line? Shelby doubts the Brit knows the difference.
Superstar Mick knew buying a NASCAR team was going to be tricky. The truth is the struggling team needs Mick's media savvy and team-building skills--even if Shelby can't admit it. Now, with Daytona just days away, Mick won't quit until he changes Shelby's mind. Any way he can.
U - Untouched (plot from Samantha Hunter)
Her superpowers are fueled by his touch...
Superheroine Risa Remington once had the power to read thoughts and emotions with a stroke of her fingertips. Until a lab accident changed everything. Now Risa has to learn to live in the real world--virgin territory for a girl who's never experienced life, love or sex.
CIA agent Daniel MacAlister has orders to babysit gorgeous Risa. She can't fall into the wrong hands--she knows too much. But when Risa falls into his bed one night--soft, warm and naked--he's forced to go on alert. Because his mere sexual touch seems to have triggered her superpowers. And if she finds out what's really on his mind, it's game over. Literally.
V - Very Special Love, A (plot from Courtni Wright)
For the child’s sake, they had to get along. But he was still a jerk.
Nurse Kiana Everett is determined to give her young niece a happy home after Courtney is orphaned. She never expected that her stern brother-in-law, Gabriel Merrick, had been named Courtney's legal guardian - or that an unexpected love could give them all a chance at a future together.
W - Whisper of Wanting (plot from Jamie Sobrato)
A Lust Potion that makes people fall all over each other? Yeah, right!
As a police detective, Nicole Arroyo has heard it all. But a potion that renders people crazy with lust? Right. This colorless liquid is just another one of journalist Ethan Ramsey's schemes to get her into bed. With her weakness for sexy men who break women's hearts, there's no way she's giving him a chance.
So how can she explain the sizzling urge that leads to the hot encounter with him in the backseat of his car…or the one against her front door…or the one…? Well. For some reason, she now wants Ethan. But a lust potion? It couldn't possibly be real…could it?
X - (e)X Marks the Spot (plot from Marlene Lovelace)
She was so over her ex-husband. So. Over.
Forced to leave her beloved military life behind at the ripe old age of thirty-seven, USAF Colonel Andrea (Andi)
Armstrong comes to the Florida panhandle for a fresh start. Little did she know, at least until that auspicious knock on her next-door neighbor's door, that there were some things about her old life she wasn't quite finished with yet. And evidently, if the expression on his love-struck face was any indication, her ex-husband, Colonel Dave Armstrong - aka said next-door neighbor - wasn't quite finished with her yet either. Hmm. Who was it who said the best is yet to come? Maybe there was something to that after all….
Y - Your Planet or Mine? (plot from Susan Grant)
He was totally out of this world.
With outrageously false accusations piling up against her famous political family and an ex-fiancé in hot water determined to take her down with him, the last thing Jana Jasper needs is more trouble - especially man trouble. But when she heads to the grocery store for an ice cream fix, not only does the muscled hunk in the frozen foods section ranting about spaceships and invasions look crazy, he looks…familiar.
Cavin of Far Star has never forgotten the girl he met during his weeks spent on that quaint little world, planet Earth, the girl who didn't believe he was real. And now he'll risk his future to save her. All she has to do is take him to her leader. Simple enough plan, although Jana isn't so easily convinced. Hell-bent on charming his way past her defenses, he's determined to stay one step ahead of the galaxy's most feared assassin, and may just capture his favorite Earthling's heart in the process.
Z - Zone, The Danger (plot from Debra Webb)
The race is on for his daughter`s life...
For team owner Buck Buchanan every day at the Huntsville track is a rush. The noise. The dirt. The roar. The furor. NASCAR's golden boy has only one regret: Jenna Williams. Not that he blames her for ditching him twelve years ago, but now she's back and has thrown a red flag.
Jenna is downright frantic, clutching a ransom note demanding a cool million in exchange for her daughter's safety. Their daughter's, actually. Yes, she knows how it looks asking Buck for help. But it's true. The child is theirs and Buck's the only one who can wrench her out of danger.
Even if that means trading himself for a girl he's never known.