First in a'Tis the season for a new holiday novella from acclaimed author Elizabeth Essex! The Scandal Before Christmas is romance so good it's scandalous... Lieutenant Ian Worth needs a wife by Christmas, and he can't afford to be choosy. He has to find her, woo her, and wed her before he goes back to sea—all within a matter of days. Anne Lesley is a shy spinster with no prospects, and nothing and no one to recommend her but her own self. She accepts the lieutenant's hasty offer only for the comfort and security it will bring. But when a midwinter storm snows her and Ian in, they both find they got much more than they bargained for—laughter, light, and a Christmas filled with honest to goodness true love... Praise for Elizabeth Essex's Reckless Brides series: "Nonstop action, witty repartee, and deft plotting."—RT Book Reviews "Deliciously sexy romance...I will read anything Elizabeth Essex writes!" —New York Times bestselling author Celeste Bradley "Adventure-packed, passion-filled, and totally satisfying."—Romance Junkies

"I am yours, and you are mine. Forever." Lady Lauren Kendall has sworn that she’ll never marry. Betrayal by the man you love definitely hardens a woman’s heart. And forgetting her wicked former fiancé isn’t easy. Especially when his kisses are hot enough to melt the winter snow. Theodore Hawthorne cannot forget the woman who should have been his wife. Forced together at a country house Christmas party, the fire between them is far from extinguished. Determined to win Lauren back, Theodore sets a course of tender seduction. A heart once broken is not easily won the second time around. One thing is certain, however. By the stroke of midnight on Christmas Day, there will either be a scandal to resolve or a wedding to celebrate!

In her latest romance, Jane Goodger weaves an unforgettable tale of a woman who thinks she's lost everything--until a little Christmas magic reunites her with the one man she could never forget. . . Dashing, debonair, and completely irresistible, Edward Hollings has all of Newport buzzing--and to Maggie Pierce's surprise, she alone has caught his eye. But when the handsome earl returns to England without proposing, a devastated Maggie knows she must forget him. Life only gets worse for Maggie, as all her dreams of happiness and love come crashing down around her. When Maggie receives an invitation to go to England for the Christmas birth of her dear friend's baby, she accepts--vowing to keep her devastating lies and shameful secrets from the one man she has ever loved. Edward vowed he'd never marry, but he came dangerously close with Maggie. She's beautiful, witty, indescribably desirable--and Edward can't forget her. When Maggie visits mutual friends for Christmas, Edward can't stay away. In fact, he finds himself more attracted to her than ever--a desire fueled even more by Maggie's repeated snubs. With the love he never thought he'd find slipping away, Edward is determined to make Maggie his own, no matter what the cost. . .

Have yourself a scrumptious, small-town Christmas with this special Cupcake Lovers holiday novella, Some Kind of Wonderful! Growing up in Sugar Creek, Maya Templeton and Zachary Cole were best friends. After high school, each went out into the world in search of adventure. Maya moved to Florida to explore her passion for baking and pastry-making, eventually establishing her own business: Cupcakes & Dreamscapes. Zach joined the military and became a Marine Scout Sniper. Now, after years apart, they're both going home for the holidays. They don't seem to have much in common anymore. In fact, Zach seems to have the hots for Maya's business partner. But when the two get stranded together during a blizzard, they are forced to reexamine their connection. Are Maya and Zach better off "just friends"-just as they were when they were young? Or could it be that true love was there all along? Look for Anything But Love-available now!-from St. Martin's Paperbacks. Praise for Beth Ciotta's Cupcake Lovers series: "An absolute treat."-Kristan Higgins, New York Times bestselling author "Ciotta is a master of the fun-to-read romance, and this [series] is no exception."-RT BOOKreviews "Will keep readers waiting eagerly for [more]." -Publishers Weekly ABOUT THE AUTHOR Beth Ciotta is an award-winning author who specializes in romantic comedy with a twist. Her work includes contemporary, historical, and paranormal romantic fiction. "I can't think of anything more fulfilling than writing stories where everyone (except the villain, of course) gets a happy ending!" Beth lives in New Jersey with her husband, two zany dogs, and a crazy cat. A retired professional performer, Beth now pours her artistic passion into her writing.

International vaudeville star and Broadway prima ballerina Jeanne Devereaux performed for millions across America and Europe from age eleven until her retirement at forty. A headliner at Radio City Music Hall, she led a large group of performers on one of the first USO Camp Shows tours to Japan. Born Jean Helman, she entered showbiz as a dancing trouper performing in palatial theaters and was one of the last vaudevillians surviving into the 2010s. In her later years living in Pasadena, California, Devereaux indulged her passion for research and writing in the Huntington Library's Rothenberg Reading Room, losing none of her intelligence and wit despite a fading memory. Drawing on personal interviews, theatrical programs, and her diary and letters, this biography illuminates the life and career of one of vaudeville's stars of stage, film, and television.

This comprehensive guide to James Ellroy's work and life is arranged as an encyclopedia covering his entire career, from his first private-eye novel, Brown's Requiem, to his 2012 e-book Shakedown. It introduces new readers to his characters and plots, and provides experienced Ellroy fans and scholars with detailed analyses of the themes, motifs and stylistic innovations of his books. The work is a tour of Ellroy's dark underworld, highlighting the controversies and unsettling questions that characterize his work, as well as assessing Ellroy's place in the annals of American literature.

Opera for the People is an in-depth examination of a forgotten chapter in American social and cultural history: the love affair that middle-class Americans had with continental opera (translated into English) in the 1870s, 1880s, and 1890s. Author Katherine Preston reveals how-contrary to the existing historiography on the American musical culture of this period-English-language opera not only flourished in the United States during this time, but found its success significantly bolstered by the support of women impresarios, prima-donnas, managers, and philanthropists who provided financial backing to opera companies. This rich and compelling study details the lives and professional activities of several important players in American postbellum opera, including manager Effie Ober, philanthropist Jeannette Thurber, and performers/artistic directors Caroline Richings, Euphrosyne Parepa-Rosa, Clara Louise Kellogg, and "the people's prima donna" Emma Abbott. Drawing from an impressive range of primary sources, including contemporaneous music and theater periodicals, playbills, memoirs, librettos, scores, and reviews and commentary on the performances in digitized newspapers, Preston tells the story of how these and other women influenced the activities of some of the more than one hundred opera companies touring the United States during the second half of the 19th century, performing opera in English for a diverse range of audiences. Countering a pervasive and misguided historical understanding of opera reception in the United States-unduly influenced by modern attitudes about the genre as elite, exclusive, expensive, and of interest only to a niche market-Opera for the People demonstrates the important (and hitherto unsuspected) place of opera in the rich cornucopia of late-century American musical theatre, which would eventually lead to the emergence of American musical comedy.