New Hope Series by Lucy Darling

This Christmas we're all getting exactly what we didn’t know we needed… But maybe Santa knew better than us all. Candy. I should have known better, but I was naïve. He was supposed to be my best friend, the person there for me whenever the rug was pulled out from under me. The one doing all the right things to help me. If only I’d known he was the one ripping that rug out from under me all along... moreThis Christmas we're all getting exactly what we didn’t know we needed… But maybe Santa knew better than us all. Candy. I should have known better, but I was naïve. He was supposed to be my best friend, the person there for me whenever the rug was pulled out from under me. The one doing all the right things to help me. If only I’d known he was the one ripping that rug out from under me all along. Before I could see I was trapped in a game of revenge between powerful families, I was already carrying his baby, or so I thought. Finding out the baby I agreed to surrogate is not only mine, but also not his at all, I do the only thing I can think of. I run straight to the man who is now my baby daddy… little does he know. Hollis. When I left the city life behind after an accident, I wouldn’t have guessed that the small town of New Hope could give even the grumpiest man some Christmas spirit. This town has a mind of its own and some say Christmas magic. I growled and pushed the townspeople away; they in turn made me their mayor. Now my mother insists on me throwing a holiday party for the whole town in celebration. I should’ve known my mother had an ulterior motive. It’s not shocking that she tried to hook me up with the party planner. But this time I was prepared and came up with a plan of my own. I tell them all I'm engaged to my assistant, thinking that should do the trick, but what the town and my mother want, they get. When the sweetest Christmas treat of a girl ends up on my doorstep, it's already too late. She thinks I'm engaged, and I think she's the party planner carrying another man's baby. Either way, by Christmas morning, I’ll be making sure both are mine. This small-town holiday romance features a grumpy fake-engaged billionaire, a pregnant virgin with a case of mistaken identity, and a secret baby. Get all the tropes you love for Christmas tied up with one little bow. less

I don’t care if she’s my best friend’s little sister or if this will put me on the naughty list… Come Christmas, I’ll have her tied up with a bow under my Christmas tree. Sheriff Hudson. Mundane—that's what my life was before Kindred Cane came bursting into it, full of sweetness and a whole lot of glitter. I'd taken the job as sheriff of New Hope, retiring from being a ranger to be near her. I needed her warmth in ways I couldn't begin to fathom... moreI don’t care if she’s my best friend’s little sister or if this will put me on the naughty list… Come Christmas, I’ll have her tied up with a bow under my Christmas tree. Sheriff Hudson. Mundane—that's what my life was before Kindred Cane came bursting into it, full of sweetness and a whole lot of glitter. I'd taken the job as sheriff of New Hope, retiring from being a ranger to be near her. I needed her warmth in ways I couldn't begin to fathom. I lived in a world full of darkness for so long; now it’s like seeing light every time I lay eyes on her. I wake up and go to bed thinking about a future with her. She drives me nuts but in the best possible way. Too bad I don't know anything about the opposite sex. I went from military school straight into the Army. Now I'm the sheriff of a small town she all but runs. My words come out in grunts and growls, always ticking her off in one way or another. But I find that I rather enjoy riling her up. Kindred may think her antics deter me, but I only see it as foreplay. Kindred. Growing up in a town full of love, I've been waiting for the day when I'd find mine. Lucky for me, my big brother brought him right to my doorstep. As soon as I saw him, all of me lit up like a Christmas tree, and I knew the giant, surly man was mine. But when he opened his mouth, only grunts and growls tumbled out. I seem to be the only one on the receiving end of them. He chats up the librarians and all the ladies in the knitting club just fine. Women almost slip on the ice turning to check him out when he walks by. Trust me, I’ve seen it with my own eyes; how could I not when every time I turn around, he’s always there? If I didn’t know better, I would think he was stalking me. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. I know he’s only looking out for me out of duty. But when a real stalker or maybe two show up, Hudson turns into more than my shadow. He’s demanding I sleep in his bed, and those grunts and growls have turned into dirty talk. This man's filthy mouth is the best hidden treasure I have ever found in my life. Now I’m not sure which one of us is going to end up on the naughty list, but I’m going to enjoy finding out. less

Good things come to those who wait, but great things come to those who claim. Tinsley. I have a knack for biting off more than I can chew. I’m not talking about those giant heart chocolates we devour every Valentine's Day either. It’s paired with my inability to tolerate being pushed around. You go low, and I’ll come back with a shovel to go lower. Only this time I’m not sure I can dig my way out of this... moreGood things come to those who wait, but great things come to those who claim. Tinsley. I have a knack for biting off more than I can chew. I’m not talking about those giant heart chocolates we devour every Valentine's Day either. It’s paired with my inability to tolerate being pushed around. You go low, and I’ll come back with a shovel to go lower. Only this time I’m not sure I can dig my way out of this. I’ve pissed off the wrong man, and he’s more than happy to not only ruin my life but also the whole town of New Hope as payback. He claims I destroyed his life, when he did that on his own. Still, he sends his fancy lawyer after me, but now we’re on my turf. They think they can intimidate me. They’ve gravely underestimated me. There is no way I'll let them put up a fancy ski resort that will taint the sweetness of New Hope. So if that means seducing the fancy lawyer, so be it. It doesn't matter that I have zero clue how to flirt. I'll do what I must, but in true Tinsley fashion, my plan blows up in my face. I wake up married and in his bed. The kicker is he's not even a lawyer, and divorce isn't an option, unless I want to end a legacy. I'd be the first person in the town's history to get divorced. Pierce. My whole life has been a constructed plan to get where I am today: once a boy lost in the system to now a man that has the whole world at my fingertips. I am where I’d planned to be, but be careful what you wish for. All it took to turn everything I thought I wanted upside down was a chance encounter with my little spitfire. One look at her innocent doe eyes and round cheeks covered in glittered freckles had me rethinking everything. She lights flames to any coldness inside of me, burning it away so that there is only her to fill it. I knew without a doubt that Tinsley Blake was made for me. That there was nothing I wouldn’t do to have her. So I followed her home to a little town called New Hope and tricked her into marrying me, knowing full well that I was using the town's longstanding tradition of no divorces to my advantage. Now she’s stuck with me for better or worse. Til death do us part, like we said in our vows. She was the destination I hadn’t known I was searching for. She's mine. And I’ll never let her go. This small-town holiday romance features a wickedly charming billionaire, a stolen virgin bride with a case of mistaken identity, and a whole lot of secret surprises. Enjoy all the tropes you love this Valentine's Day. less