From no-strings fling to family man! It might have been a brief fling, but Tessa Gilroy fell hard for gorgeous surgeon Drake Melford and was devastated when he left to pursue his hot-shot career abroad. Now he's back–and even more irresistible than ever! But Tessa's life has changed drastically in the past four years. She's a mother now, to her adorable adopted daughter Poppy, and she needs more than a fleeting affair–she needs someone who can be a father… Dare she dream that Drake's the one for her and for Poppy?

The fourth meerkat story in the hilarious Awesome Animals series – awesome adventures with the wildest wildlife. Told in Ian Whybrow’s unique style this hilarious Christmas adventure is a must-have for little meerkat fans. More hilarious adventures featuring Uncle Fearless, Skeema, Mimi and Little Dream – the all-star cast of Meerkat Madness, from the creator of the Little Wolf books. One of the fantastic titles in the Awesome Animals series – the funniest fiction, starring the wildest wildlife, from prize-winning authors. It’s Christmas in the Kalahari and the Really Mad Mob of meerkats are about to have a very Merry Meerkat Christmas indeed!

GOOD WITH HIS HANDS… BAD FOR HER HEART? Ever since her marriage disintegrated, Olivia Wilder hasn’t been interested in love. But one magical dance with Logan Travers might change all that. He might be a bit younger and a lot sexier than any man she’s ever dated before… but in his arms Olivia feels the weight of her past slipping away. After their first dance, Logan knows there’s something special about the beautiful brunette. He can see she’s been hurt before, but the more Olivia says she won’t be around forever, the more resolved Logan is to make her stay… always.

Rancher Kip Cosgrove promised his dying brother he'd take care of his motherless young twins. So when the boys' estranged aunt shows up on the Cosgrove doorstep with a will and the law on her side, Kip digs in his boot heels. Nicole Williams is wonderful with the boys, but Kip is just as much their kin as she is. And until legal issues are settled, she'll have to abide by his rules. Which means visiting the twins at the ranch. Seeing how much he loves the boys. How much they love him. And maybe…staying forever.

A spitfire wife of a recently slain mob boss was much more than FBI agent Dan Maddox had bargained for when he signed on to protect Carlotta Papparelli. After turning state's evidence, Carlie was at the top of the mob's hit list, and it was up to Dan to keep her alive long enough to testify. From the streets of Philly to the sun-drenched Florida coast, Dan and Carlie were running for their lives, and only their faith in each other—and the Lord—would keep them safe…

Responsibility was nothing new to Paige McKaslin. She had raised her siblings and her son. And though duty was her guiding force, even in matters of the heart, she never stopped counting her blessings — her faith and her wonderful family. Then the McKaslin diner, her livelihood and heritage, burned to the ground…. Paige was suddenly free to discover herself… and a blossoming relationship with rancher Evan Thornton. This intriguing man asked her out on her first date in eighteen years, totally disrupting her routine. Now love was an exciting possibility that made her rethink her orderly life. Could it be that God still had some surprises for her?

Just five days after they meet, Julie Hanrahan and Dr. Thomas Larkin exchange vows on a moonlit Caribbean beach, the whirlwind conclusion to a romance that's swept her off her feet. Tom is sexy, witty and charming and Julie's sure she's found her Prince Charming. But not every fairy tale ends happily ever after. With a workaholic husband, a hostile mother-inlaw and a resentful stepdaughter, the honeymoon doesn't last long. Especially after Julie finds out that Tom's first wife didn't die in an accident after all. The cops called her death a suicide, but Julie is convinced that somebody helped Beth over the side of the Swift River Bridge. Every marriage has its secrets. Julie is starting to wonder if she'll survive discovering the truth about hers…or die before she wakes.

Private investigator Jack McPhee has a two-word business philosophy: no partners. Rules are allegedly made to be broken, but Jack didn't expect that a contract to nab the so-called Calendar Burglar would force him to team up with a ten-pound, hyperactive Maltese. Or that as McPhee Investigations goes to the dogs, he'd fall deeply in-like with Dina Wexler, an undertall groomer, whose definition of a P.I. comes from watching w-a-a-y too many detective shows. Or that his absolutely genius idea to catch a thief would make him the prime–and only–suspect in a cold-blooded, diabolical homicide.

This is not a Barbara Holloway novel. - Kate Wilhelm's Mira novels have always achieved an NSR of 50% or more, including Clear And Convincing Proof (Mira Books, 8/03) at 65%, Skeletons (Mira Books, 7/03) at 64% and Death Qualified (Mira Books, 4/02) at 69% NSR. - Widely regarded as one of today's best writers, Kate is the bestselling author of over 40 novels, including legal and psychological thrillers and many science fiction classics. - Kate Wilhelm has won numerous awards, including the Nebula Award (three times) for short fiction, the Hugo Award, the Prix Apollo, the Jupiter Award and the Locus Award. - Kate was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in July 2003.

Perfect for fans of Maeve Binchy' - Candis Aleksandr Berinksi is a Russian biochemist in the U.S. on a visa that is about to expire.

Perfect for fans of Maeve Binchy' - Candis The Forgetful Bride Caitlin Marshall's trying to go home to Minnesota, but at the last minute she gives her airline ticket to a stranded soldier. So Cait spends Christmas with Joe Rockwell, who was a childhood friend–and is still a terrible tease, claiming that Cait's his wife. Oh, sure, they were "married" in a pretend ceremony when she was eight, but now Joe wants to make their "marriage" real! When Christmas Comes Emily Springer trades her Leavenworth, Washington, home for Charles Brewster's Boston condo. Then Emily's friend Faith comes to visit her in Washington–and instead finds Charles, a complete stranger and a curmudgeon, to boot. His brother, Ray, meanwhile, shows up at Charles's place, only to discover Emily living there. But through all the mix-ups and misunderstandings, among the chaos and confusion, romance begins to emerge….

Perfect for fans of Maeve Binchy' - Candis At the age of fourteen, Jessica Kellerman was wildly infatuated with Evan Dryden. But that was just a teenage crush and now, almost ten years later, she’s in love-truly in love-with his older brother, Damian. But everyone, including Damian, believes she’s carrying a torch for Evan!

Family, Clayton Style Raising four-year-old triplets and an abandoned teenager, single mother Arabella Clayton Michaels has her hands full. She loves everything about her big family in tiny Clayton, Colorado. But when a Denver surgeon arrives with the news that her beloved teenager is his long-lost niece, Arabella worries she'll lose the girl—and much more. Jonathan Turner's harrowing past makes her want to open her heart to him. But will the handsome doctor accept a bigger ready-made family than either dreamed was possible?

Four Makes A Family With her daughter's health back on track, Kelsey Rhodes counts her blessings. But life is still not easy for the sweet single mom. She craves companionship, yet finds it difficult to trust anyone. Ross Salburg seems like the perfect match for her. The handsome single dad also struggles to keep his daughter healthy. Can Kelsey convince Ross to take a leap of faith and meld their two families into one?

Cody Jameson knows that hiring gourmet chef Vivienne Clayton for the Circle C Ranch has to be a mistake. He once secretly loved her, but she’s back in tiny Clayton, Colorado, for just a year. Vivienne wonders how she’ll survive in the town she couldn’t leave fast enough. Yet she soon finds herself cooking beans and biscuits for cowboys and helping Cody with his sassy teenage sister. To the entire ranch’s surprise, it seems like this big-city chef might actually stand a chance of becoming a cowboy’s lady forever. Rocky Mountain Heirs: When the greatest fortune of all is love.

To Make A Child Smile Little Autumn barely speaks--and rarely smiles. So as a fresh start for both himself and his daughter, widowed doctor Matt Graham moves to a small Southern town. There they happen across a lovely young woman named Hannah Taylor. Something about Hannah awakens the girl, and suddenly Autumn is full of sweet chatter and laughter. In remission from the very illness that took so much from Matt and Autumn, Hannah seems to understand what the family of two needs. She's healed his daughter's heart. But can he open his enough to accept her love? Excerpt. All Rights Reserved. The display area, which had seemed expansive all morning, suddenly grew smaller as Hannah realized that she and Dr. Matt Graham were now alone. "Your name is Hannah?" he asked. She was a little embarrassed at the fact that she hadn't thought to introduce herself."Yes, Hannah Taylor." He shifted the curtain aside and glanced into the store. Then he let the thin navy fabric fall back into place. "I didn't want her to hear," he said softly. "But I want to explain." He breathed in, let it out. "Autumn hasn't smiled and has barely spoken since we lost her mother. So when she smiled at you, when she spoke to you." He pulled the curtain aside and glanced at his daughter again, then turned back to Hannah. "It was like watching a miracle. It's been two years." Two years. "I look like her mother?" In Hannah's mind, that was the only reasonable answer for why the child would have come out of her shell today. But he shook his head. "No. Rebecca had long curly red hair," he smiled, obviously remembering his wife. "And lots of freckles." Then his eyes seemed to be drawn to Hannah's shirt or more precisely to the small pin on her left chest. "Rebecca had breast cancer." Hannah swallowed past the lump in her throat, and her hand instinctively moved to the pink ribbon pin."You think she saw my pin from out there?" "I don't know, but somehow you reminded her of Rebecca." He indicated the pin. "You're a survivor, aren't you? You've had breast cancer too." "I am. Actually, my sister and I are both survivors," Hannah said. He tilted his head, curiosity at Autumn's awareness still evident on his face. "Well, for some reason, she was drawn to you, and you got more words from her in the last ten minutes than three child psychologists did in two years." He paused. "Or than I have, since her mama died." Hannah remembered her silent prayer, asking God to let her help this little girl. "Maybe because I'm meant to help her? God has His plans, you know." That made him smile, and Hannah couldn't deny the impact that his smile had on her heart. "Just now, when she told me that she loved me," he inhaled, let it out, and seemed too overwhelmed to finish. "She hasn't told you that she loves you," Hannah said, "in two years?" He shook his head, looked as though he wanted to say more, but remained silent. "Bless your heart," Hannah whispered. He stepped closer. "I know this will sound a little odd, but I think maybe the reason I picked this town, the reason Autumn and I are here is because of you." Hannah's mind reeled with the statement. What was she supposed to say? "I'm sorry.I can't imagine how that made you feel. It's just that I've been hoping for a breakthrough for so long, and then all of a sudden, here you are, and Autumn speaks. I'd have to say it's an answered prayer. And in all honesty, I haven't prayed a lot in the past two years. Didn't have a reason to trust in the power of it anymore." "But now?" she asked, still wondering what role God planned for her to have in his daughter's life. And, maybe, in this man's life?

Facing Her Past Single mother Kait Field is back home in the small Oklahoma town she left eight years ago. It’s time to empty the family home, close the door on the past and introduce her daughter, Jenna, to her daddy. Ryan Jones hasn’t quite forgiven his teenage sweetheart, who left him with unanswered questions and a broken heart. But Kait was never accepted by his controlling family, and they don’t seem any more welcoming this time around. Yet now Ryan and Kait are resolved that nothing will come between renewed promises of faith, forever—and the second chance that neither expected.

EVER FEEL LIKE SOMEONE’S WATCHING YOU? ME, TOO. BUT LATELY IT’S BEEN HAPPENING IN MY ROOM. WHEN I’M ALONE. A friend posted a video of me dancing online, and now I’m no longer Alicia Ruffino. I’m dancergirl. And suddenly it’s like me against the world— everyone’s got opinions. My admirers want more, the haters hate, my best friend Jacy—even he’s acting weird. And some stalker isn’t content to just watch anymore. Ali. Dancergirl. Whatever you know me as, however you’ve seen me online, I’ve trained my whole life to be the best dancer I can be. But if someone watching has their way, I could lose way more than just my love of dancing. I could lose my life.

Let me set the record straight. My name is Charlotte Silver and I'm not one of those paranormal-obsessed freaks you see on TV…no, those would be my parents, who have their own ghost-hunting reality show. And while I'm usually roped into the behind-the-scenes work, it turns out that I haven't gone unnoticed. Something happened on my parents' research trip in Charleston—and now I'm being stalked by some truly frightening other beings. Trying to fit into a new school and keeping my parents' creepy occupation a secret from my friends—and potential boyfriends—is hard enough without having angry spirits whispering in my ear. All I ever wanted was to be normal, but with ghosts of my past and present colliding, now I just want to make it out of high school alive…

As the "oracle of dating," Kayla is supposed to have all the answers about love and relationships. She's supposed to have the perfect relationship. But now that Jared is "taking a step back," Kayla feels like a total fraud. So the expert on dating starts taking her own rebound advice—and some from her friends—and stops moping around. Yeah, there are other possibilities out there—including the beyond-cute French foreign exchange student she's showing around town. But when controversy erupts about the Oracle's advice, Kayla is sent reeling once again. Will anything work out for her this year? Yet when her friends start seriously needing the Oracle, Kayla begins to focus on what really matters: Viv, Sharese, Amy and Ryan, her true-blue buds. And suddenly, everything starts making sense again…

Smart. Great Sense Of Humor. Hardworking. Kind To Children And Stray Dogs… Did she mention handsome? Mind-bogglingly sexy? Single mom Lisa Kincaid doesn't want to be attracted to Kevin Decker. She knows the sexy, caring construction-company owner will always be there for her, and up until now friendship has suited her just fine. But suddenly she isn't looking at her husband's former boss in the same way…and neither is a certain four-year-old Cupid. For the past three years Kevin has felt responsible for Lisa. He knows the accident that left her a widow wasn't his fault, but that doesn't stop him from wanting to help. Except his feelings go beyond mere friendship. And her little boy thinks Kevin and his mom are perfect for each other. Now, if Kevin can only get Lisa to believe it, too!