Nobody said it would be easy...

But Kayla Price hadn't expected it would be this hard to begin a new life with her daughter in the Texas Hill County town of Homestead.  She's excited to join the innovative Home Free program, take ownership of a parcel of land and start a vineyard--doing everything she can to revitalize the dying town.  And "everything she can" includes helping her neighbor, cowboy Ethan Ritter, set up a riding program for challenged kids.

Turns out hard labor isn't enough to make Kayla's venture a success, and she and Ethan must find out who wants her gone and why they're desperate enough to resort to sabotage. 

She's fighting the past... 
Dr. Lana McCoy moved to Aransas City, Texas hoping to escape her past.  But that fateful night in California keeps coming back to haunt her.

He's battling the present...
Gabe Randolph loved running his charter fishing boat business.  It meant he was outdoors, active and carefree.  Now he's struggling to come to terms with a new reality.

Can they find a future?
When someone threatens to harm Lana, she and Gabe put aside their individual problems to ensure each other's safety.  That night in Texas shows them anything is possible. 

Leslie Sanderson's brother, Cal, is dead--and he's left behind two children no one knew he had. She and Kip Webster, Cal's closest friend, "inherit" these secret kids.

As they form their makeshift family, Leslie and Kip decide to share a house.  And that leads to other kinds of sharing... One night, just before Christmas, Leslie tells him about the devastating thing that happened when she was young--something she's kept secret all this time.

Because in Kip, she find the promise of safety, acceptance and love.  The promise of what family should be. The promise of Christmas... 

"Hogan. Jack Hogan."

The cocky ex-Secret Service agent is determined to point out the security risks in this eccentric little beach town.  Mayor Claire Betancourt's town.

Claire is just as determined to protect Heron Point and its free-spirited citizens--however quirky they may be--from his interference.  No way are Jack's take-charge attitude and dangerous good looks going to sway her.

But Claire gets a shocking reality check when her nine-year-old daughter is kidnapped and Jack is the only one who can save her.  And he's surprised to discover that what started out as just a job has suddenly become very personal. 

Most men have nine months to prepare to be a father...

Not Beau Stanton.  Still, he's determined to be a great dad to the fourteen-year-old problem child who shows up on his doorstep.  And that means the end to his days as a footloose bachelor.  That's not difficult--until he meets Nancy McGuire.

Nancy has her own problems.  She's a single mom who doesn't need a man like thrice-divorced Beau. She's been there, done that and got the T-shirt.  No need to repeat.

As the season of goodwill toward men approaches, these two families of two are thrown together.  Hard to believe, though, that in this case two and two can ever make four. 

Kay Stockham: Congratulations to debut author Kay Stockham who hit #7 on Waldenbooks Bestseller list with Montana Secrets, an October  Harlequin Superromance!

• November 12
• 10:00 a.m. to Noon, Central
• Linda Warren will sign copies of Christmas Texas Style at Carousel Paperbacks in College Station, Texas. (1120 Harvey Road)
• November 16
• 7:30 p.m., Eastern
• It's a party at Murder on the Beach Bookstore to celebrate the release of Cynthia Thomason's latest historical mystery, Grave Review, and her latest Harlequin Superromance, An Unlikely Match.  Wine and cheese will be served.
• November 19
• 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m., Pacific
• Debra Salonen will sign her latest book at the Barnes and Noble Bookseller on Olive Avenue in Merced, California.

• April  2007
• How much fun can you take?  Find out by joining Cindy Gerard and several other of your favorite authors on the Authors at Sea Cruise.  Visit her website and find out how you can receive a whooping $250 off the price of the cruise!

Melinda Curtis: Win an autographed book from Melinda's backlist plus the Romance Writer's of America 25th anniversary bookbag!  Visit her website for more details.

Brenda Novak: Don't miss Brenda's next Contest Bonanza, where you can win a $500 shopping spree to the store of your choice, dinner at Chili's Bar & Grill, a $25 gift certificate to Waldenbooks/Borders, a 1-lb. box of See's Candies, autographed books, or a lovely beaded "book thong."  And if you don't win this month--don't despair.  You'll get a new lucky number each month so you can try and try again.  Visit her website for more details.

Debra Salonen: To celebrate the release of her  first single title, Betting on Grace, her November contest will feature a fun and fabulous bracelet from "Wishing Bracelets" (A $15 value) along with a signed copy from her  backlist and some other goodies.  She'll post a photo of this charming--and hopefully lucky--piece of jewelry in her blog; please drop by and check it out.

Kathryn Shay will give away copies of her new book, Someone to Believe In, or any of her backlist, to three lucky winners chosen every three months. Visit her website for more details.

Kay Stockham: To celebrate the release of Montana Secrets, Kay is hosting a special Launch Party Scavenger Hunt.  Answers to the questions on her contest page can be found amongst the pages of Montana Secrets.  If answered correctly, entrants will be included in a very special prize drawing to take place November 30, 2005.  Check her contest page for more details.

Cynthia Thomason:  Check out Cynthia's contest page beginning November 1 and answer an easy question to be eligible to win a signed copy of An Unlikely Match and one of two nice beach bags!  Contest runs to December 30th.

Linda Warren:  For the release of Linda's Harlequin American anthology, Christmas, Texas Style, she will be giving away a copy of The Christmas Cradle, a Texas beaded bookmark and a 2006 calendar.  Visit her website for more details.