In Jo Beverley's DAY OF WRATH, we visit England in December 999. The Vikings are raiding, and many people are cowering in wait for Second Coming. Wulfhera of Froxton had entered a convent because the love of her life married another, but now she flees home to be with her family. There, however, she finds her home in disarray, and her beloved Raef a widower sunk in grief, desperate for revenge against the Viking raider who he believes murdered his wife. What's worse, her sister has been ravished by this same Viking, but only wants to run to Torkil Ravenbringer for more. Then Hera finds a jewel in the belly of a fish. Can this be the Star of the Magi? If so, can it help her heal the wounds, and possibly gain her heart's desire?
In Alice Alfonsi's's STARLIGHT WEDDING, touched by scandal and odious rumors, Felicity flees Bath for the blustery, closed-up seaside town of Lyme Regis. Yet, she knows she cannot flee the truth: that marriage and children are now forever beyond her. Or are they? When she discovers a star sapphire tangled in an old fishing net on a remote beach, a sudden storm sweeps her onto the crumbling estate of Castle Seabourne and into the life of hardened Royal Navy Captain Will "Sea Hunter" Court. Recently knighted for fighting the hated French at the Battle of the Nile, Will Court has returned to Seabourne to accept his inheritance of the family's estate and the title of Earl. But a twist of fate shocks Will. It appears his late brother had produced a barely legitimate heir-a half-French orphan of the bloody revolution--who now calls Will uncle and guardian. To top that, a ragged-looking chit has just turned up on his doorstep with what appears to be a stolen jewel. Can the Magi's Star shine the light of joy into a man's darkened heart and a woman's dying hopes at the close of the 18th Century? Perhaps Christmas truly is a time for the miracle of love.
In Tess Farraday's LAST KISS AT THE LOVING CUP SALOON, three orphans are abandoned in a ghost town saloon. They have no one but reluctant cowboy Joe Nelson to see them through the century's last bleak Christmas. Though he has no ntention of playing Santa Claus, Joe provides for them -- stealing a piano to entertain them and Katherine, a runaway bride, to mother them. oe's ready to ride into the sunset, when affection begins tugging at his heart., binding him to the lonely brood and their makeshift mother. None of them had planned on the sudden appearance of an ancient necklace which offers all the magic of Christmas and love as old as time. In this story, author Tess Farraday continues her tradition of heartfelt romance written with a touch of magic
In Kate Freiman's JOY TO THE WORLD we have the final story of this unique Christmas Anthology. It's just before Christmas, 1999, in southern Connecticut: Angela Michaels' beloved brother Matthew is missing, and so are millions of Christmas charity funds administered by him for the Michaels Family Philanthropic Foundation. Valiantly striving to preserve Christmas for the charities and individuals depending on the Foundation's endowments, Angela discovers that both of the young men who have been courting her are lying about essential matters. As she tries to separate the truth from lies, she learns that the Foundation's computer has been hacked into, to create a fake Y2K bug that will cause very real disaster along the entire east coast of the U.S. The situation is grim, beyond her abilities to solve, and she doesn't know whom to trust. Then she finds an antique star-sapphire pendant in a fish-shaped tree ornament, and begins to feel hope unfolding... Is the gem merely the subject of ancient myth, or can the love empowering the "Star of Wonder" help Angela find all the truth in time? Or will January 1, 2000, be the beginning of a dark era?
