LAS

He’ll save her from the nightmare in her past. Luke Haven has an adrenaline problem. As in, he can’t get enough. His squeaky-clean, nice-guy reputation in his small town isn’t a lie. But it’s not the whole truth, either. Although his real problem? He’s not even sure what he’s searching for. Melanie Andolini never thought she’d be starting over in her thirties. But moving back to her hometown is exactly the fresh start she needs. Until she runs into Luke Haven, and things get complicated. Really complicated.

It was supposed to be an easy house- and dog-sitting gig while the owner was gone for a month. But when my sportsing landlord comes home unexpectedly, injured and in need of a new arrangement, we end up as accidental roommates instead. But if Holt Webster, the tall, thick-muscled, square-jawed, broody-eyed rugby player, had told me he played for the Copper Valley Pounders, I would’ve told him that my stepdad bought the team while I was working cruise ships overseas.

I always thought I’d start the apocalypse. Instead I’ve been asked to help end it. How does one stop the end of the world, you might ask? You gotta knock up Lucifer’s vessel before he does. I know, I know. I was surprised too. But let me tell you, if ever there was an incubus made for the job, it’s me. With a name like Sin, you’d think this should have been the easiest task I’d ever been assigned. And you’d be correct. Except said vessel is a beautiful and dangerously powerful succubus in her own right. Oh, and she’s not interested.

Let’s start here. The twelve days of Christmas are actually after the holiday. And my dad, being the great guy he is, and the battalion chief of the fire department, signs up one of his rebellious firefighters for a retreat because of his bad behavior. The guy is a total grouch. But when he misses the bus for the adult redemption camp, Dad sticks the guy with me for twelve days. Alone.

I know what I’m hiding. But the guy I left in bed after a steamy one-night stand…I haven’t a clue what’s going on behind those Clark Kent glasses of his. I’ve met his goofy dog Gomer, his social media-obsessed grandmother, and his sheep that lives in a palace. I know he wears a three-piece suit and a flannel shirt equally well–not to mention what he looks like underneath. I know he abruptly quit his job at that evil conglomerate.

Waking up hungover in the sheep pen is the least of my problems. The worst? A foreclosure notice for my family farm. Scratch that. The actual worst is the woman delivering the news: my ex, who broke my heart and left me behind for the big city. I’ve spent a decade trying to forget Lia Thorne, and now she’s the only one who can help my family dig ourselves out from our crushing debt and even stronger egos.

Cows are better than people–a fact I've sworn by until the irresistibly upbeat Molly comes barreling into my life, running my farm stand and bringing the summer heat with her. She's also working for Fork Lick’s most debt-ridden business: my family's farm. I try to stay out of that manure pile. Except the crush I have on her makes me think about doing things like smiling all day and patching up my relationship with my brother.

I hate Ripley Brewer. So, why am I cuddling on his lap, peering into his ocean-blue eyes while cameras record our every move? My best friend needs my help to save her career, and I would do anything for her. Besides, filming a reality show sounds fun … until Ripley shows up to play the role of my fake boyfriend. As always, we nearly come to blows within minutes of seeing each other. The playboy billionaire accuses me of a setup, but I insist I’d rather live in a world without carbs than spend a minute with him.

Love doesn’t break us; it makes us whole, my nana used to say. However, one minute, my world is set on fire, literally. The next, I am raising a six-year-old as a single mom without a clear path ahead of us. No place to live. No job. No money. I’m returning to Sterling Falls to claim what’s mine, then there will be no looking back on this beloved small town, a place I consider a handful of sand in the hourglass of my life. Then again, Clay Sylver has shaken up that ancient time clock. The silver fox in his forties is a bit cocky, but solid in every way that matters.

My name is Caroline "Candy" Cane, I own a country inn, date a man who runs a Christmas tree farm, and my mom's peppermint fudge wins first place at the Reindeer Corners' festival every year. Basically, I'm living every romance-loving girlie's small town dream. Until a last minute trip to New York City leads to catching my boyfriend banging a Rockette (in full elf costume). So, when I'm offered a chance to star in a hospitality-themed reality show, I jump at the chance to serve hot cocoa in roller skates on national television.