MAN OF THE MONTH MR. DECEMBER Mistletoe Hunk: Montana man Shep Wilde, who's finally come home. Christmas wish: Sexy Andrea Dillon—all wrapped up and ready under the tree! Can wishes really come true?: He won't take no for an answer! It was one red-hot holiday! Shep and Andrea were strangers, yet a holiday celebration with champagne turned into a night of wild abandon. Shep was crazy about Andrea, but after their lovemaking, she wanted nothing to do with him! Well, it was up to Shep to convince the reluctant lady that he was her man—not just for December, but every month of the year! MAN OF THE MONTH: He's born and raised in Big Sky Country…and heading for a Montana wedding!

Widowed, a single mom, Christmas, and she’s just lost her job. Can it get worse? Apparently it can when Santa asks if he can help her and Jenna Darlington knows it’s a cruel joke. Because Santa—Chance McKenna--is a member of the Rock Gods, a group of rock climbers who live off of adrenaline and stupidity. Been there, done that. Buried her husband because of it. She has no respect for a man who doesn’t respect life—even if he is offering her a job. Chance knows exactly how Jenna feels about him and the rest of the Rock Gods. So why does he feel the way he does around her? They’re polar opposites when it comes to life views. But isn’t the saying that opposites attract? **This book has a sweet/clean and wholesome version by Kay Lyons titled HIS CHRISTMAS WISH. Ivy James is the alter-ego of Kay Lyons, who now focuses on sweet/clean and wholesome contemporary romance and romantic suspense. For more information about Ivy’s slightly sexier novels (or to find Kay’s clean and wholesome versions of them as well as her latest titles), please go to Ivy James Author/Kay Lyons Author.

Melanie Briggs and her baby daughter create quite a stir when they suddenly arrive to stay at the Stone Ranch. She'd make the perfect wife in Jared Stone's opinion. Not that he has any intention to marry or become an instant dad. He fights every urge to take sweet Melanie to bed. But some things are meant to be…. En route to Montana for the holiday, Will Stone gets stuck in a blizzard with Melanie's wild cousin, Ms. Dylan Briggs. As far as Will is concerned, the snow can't stop soon enough. Then again, sharing a bed with sexy, sassy Dylan might be the perfect way to wait out a storm!

Thunder Canyon Nugget: Calling All Single Men All Rose Traub wants is to fall in love, get married and have her happy ending. But after dating every eligible bachelor in town, the sassy Texas transplant is still looking for Mr. Right. That doesn't include handsome, boyishly charming Austin Anderson, who's totally wrong for her in every way. Then why is the buzz around town that they're dating? And we're wondering if there's any truth to the rumor that Austin secretly wants to set a wedding date of his own...with the sassy redhead who's lighting that special spark. Stay tuned, faithful readers, to see if Rose and Austin take that fateful walk down the aisle together...and give Thunder Canyon the fairy-tale wedding this Montana town has always dreamed of

As a small Montana town prepares for a Christmas to remember, a woman with a secret opens her heart to a handsome pastor in this sweet Western romance. As the centennial celebrations in Jasper Gulch, Montana, reach their festive conclusion, Robin Frazier’s guilt is only mounting. The shy historian is hiding a secret that will affect everyone in town. And the more time she spends with pastor Ethan Johnson, creating an old-fashioned Christmas for his church, the more she realizes what this secret is costing her. Ethan is just the kind of man Robin’s heart longs for. And judging by the look in his kind brown eyes, he seems to feel the same way about her. But to have a future together, she’ll have to reveal who she really is. Perhaps this Christmas is the perfect time to take a chance . . .

Love is rekindle and a cold Montana Christmas becomes a second chance for two star-crossed lovers. Eight years after Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder destroyed his marriage and nearly took his life, all ex-Marine Colton Ritter has left are summers with his son and his family’s sprawling ranch, the Lucky Jack. When his father dies and leaves the ranch’s future in the hands of Colton’s estranged wife, Lauren, Colton knows he has one chance at saving everything he holds dear. Loving the cowboy was never the problem. Learning to live with the soldier who returned from war was, so the stipulation of her father-in-law’s will is nothing short of insanity. But living at the ranch for a year may be the only way she can save her son’s inheritance from being auctioned off to the highest bidder. Like the five generations before him, the Lucky Jack is in Colton’s blood, and Lauren knows he’ll do anything to protect it even if it means breaking her heart again. contemporary western romance, Cowboy romance, western romance, military romance, Crossfire Canyon series, second chance romance, steamy romance

Melinda Sweet loved her husband before she learned of his wealth and she loves him still, despite the fact that it’s gone. Unfortunately, while she knows the collapse of his Chicago financial services business had nothing to do with him, he believes otherwise. His upbeat adjustment to their new – and temporary – life on his grandfather’s rundown honey farm is a foil to cover the burden of failure. She wasn’t expecting to throw – in five weeks – the traditional Sweet Christmas Open House, but it’s a good earning opportunity and how hard could it be? Austin Sweet is determined to make his wife proud of him again. But he also wants to erase the sting of shame he feels from his parents, to whom he owes a debt of gratitude for arranging for this caretaking job. Getting paid to fix up this disaster is better than living in their basement, sure. But what does he know about bees? Or fixing broken plumbing? Or cleaning a chimney? But when Austin’s grandfather gives him the farm as a Christmas gift, there’s only one response. Accepting the gift will secure a future that will make his wife even more unhappy than he already is. Refusing the gift will finalize the rift between him and his family, but he’d rather lose them than Melinda. Then he discovers she’s spared him the choice. Austin’s not-so-Sweet side rears up as he determines that he’s done trying to make everyone happy. He’ll get his wife back, no matter what. And they’ll decide their future together.

From Christmas heartbreak… To their happily-ever-after? Bridal shop owner Maddie Kincaid used to believe in happy endings. After being jilted weeks before her wedding, she retreats to a friend’s guest ranch and runs into her old coworker, ex–bronc rider Sean Arteaga. While planning the ranch’s Christmas open house together, Maddie starts falling for him…until Sean's attempt to protect her backfires. Can Maddie find a way to forgive him and finally get her own fairy-tale ending? From Harlequin Heartwarming: Wholesome stories of love, compassion and belonging. The Cowgirls of Larkspur Valley Book 1: Home with the Rodeo Dad Book 2: A Sweet Montana Christmas Book 3: The Cowgirl's Homecoming

I spent one winter researching the holiday history, folklore, legend, and more of each and every state,' says Carole marsh. A great coffee-table book or classroom read, this book-in an edition for each U.S. state-shares a wealth of fascinating historical material and trivia about everything from holiday traditions to how we got the Christmas tree, superstitions, and more. From the Yule logs of Maine to snow on the Alamo, you'll love your own state book, but wish you could read them all. Don't forget to send your favorite teacher or grandchild a copy for their state!

HOLIDAY HOMECOMING This isn’t the first time Jewell Hyatt let Saxon Conrad go. When they were teens, she broke up with him so that he could pursue his country music career. Now, pregnant after their unexpected reunion, Jewell must prepare herself to let Saxon go again. Her heart may object, but she refuses to hold him back. Music never completed Saxon the way Jewell did…and still does. He’s ready to settle down, and a baby on the way makes his decision that much easier. The only hard part will be convincing Jewell to give him a chance. All of Saxon’s dreams have come true, except the most important one—a future with the woman he loves.