
A MASTERPIECE OF HOLIDAY STORYTELLING... Enjoy this stunning holiday collection from some of your favorite Dragonblade Publishing authors in this collection of never-before published seasonal tales! Imagine, if you will, that it is Christmas Eve. The candles are guttered, one by one, and a hush falls over the parlor. The children have gone to bed, and a tall, gloriously decorated Christmas tree looms in the shadows of the hearth’s dying embers. A tattered copy of Charles Dickens’ masterwork, “A Christmas Carol” sits, cold and lonely, upon a table nearby. A small gust of wind, hurling from the seam of an ill-fitting window, blows the cover open. The first chapter appears… “Marley’s Ghost”… The clock on the wall chimes midnight. Now, the magic happens. From the gaily bedecked halls of Regency England to the cold and crisp air of the Scottish Highlands, and everything in between, enjoy the magic of a holiday collection that has drawn inspiration from Charles Dickens’ most beloved literary works. Where the ghosts of Christmas, the incandescent spirit of a tiny disabled boy, and the joy that is the very heart of the Christmas season come alive. USA Today and Internationally bestselling authors bring you their version of a Dickens’-inspired holiday in O NIGHT DIVINE. This collection includes: 'Twas the Executioner Knight Before Christmas by Kathryn Le Veque The Laird's Yulebringer by Caroline Lee Making Spirits Bright by Chasity Bowlin The Haunted Scot by Hildie McQueen Never Keep a Secret at Christmas by Maggi Andersen Her Star from the East by Mary Lancaster The Remembrance of Love by Meara Platt How to Get an Earl for Christmas by Violetta Rand Yuletide at Gillingham by Alexa Aston A Thrill of Hope by Anna Markland A Gift for Agatha by Anna St. Claire The Heart is Never Silent by Aubrey Wynne Of Christmas Past by Charlotte Wren Tidings of Comfort by Elizabeth Ellen Carter A Christmas Miracle by Elizabeth Johns Her Christmas White Knight by Elizabeth Keysian Always the Mistletoe by Emily E.K. Murdoch A Libertine's Christmas Miracle by Emily Royal Past, Present, Future by Lynne Connolly A Yuletide Yearning by Maeve Greyson A Strange Christmas Game by Whitney Blake From Dragonblade to you, we wish you a very happy holiday season!
Authors

Elizabeth Keysian is a multi-award winning, USA Today bestselling author of heart-pounding Regency romances, set mostly in the West of England. She has completed a unique series for Dragonblade Publishing called Trysts and Treachery, which is set in the Tudor era. Though primarily a writer of romance, she loves to put a bit of mystery, adventure, and suspense into her stories, and refuses to let her characters take themselves too seriously. Elizabeth likes to write from experience, not easy when her works range from the medieval to the Victorian eras. However, her passion for re-enactment has helped, as have the many years she spent working in museums and British archaeology. If you find some detail in her work you’ve never come across before, you can bet she either dug it up, quite literally, or found it on a museum shelf. Social media/web links Newsletter http://eepurl.com/cxe369 Amazon page https://www.amazon.com/Elizabeth-Keys... Twitter https://twitter.com/EKeysian Facebook https://m.facebook.com/LizKeysian BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/profile/eliza...

Mary Lancaster is a USA Today bestselling author of historical fiction and historical romance. She lives in Scotland with her husband, one of three grown-up kids, and a small dog with a big personality. Her first literary love was historical fiction, a genre which she relishes mixing up with romance and adventure in her own writing. Several of her novels feature actual historical characters as diverse as Hungarian revolutionaries, medieval English outlaws, and a family of eternally rebellious royal Scots. To say nothing of Vlad the Impaler. Her most recent books are light fun Regency romances, with occasional forays into Victorian mystery. Connect with Mary on-line: Website: http://www.MaryLancaster.com Newsletter sign-up: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webfor... Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mary.lancast... Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/MaryLancaste... Twitter: @MaryLancNovels https://twitter.com/MaryLancNovels Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Mary-Lancaster... Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/mary-...

USA TODAY Bestselling Author, Two-time RONE Award winner, HOLT Medallion Finalist 2022 and 2023. Maeve Greyson's mantra is this: No one has the power to shatter your dreams unless you give it to them. She and her husband of over forty years traveled around the world while in the U.S. Air Force. Now they're settled in rural Kentucky where Maeve writes about her courageous Highlanders and the fearless women who tame them. When she’s not plotting the perfect snare, she can be found herding cats, grandchildren, and her husband—not necessarily in that order. To learn more about Maeve visit: https://linktr.ee/maevegreyson

USA Today bestselling author Elizabeth Ellen Carter is an award-winning historical romance writer who pens richly detailed historical romantic adventures. A former newspaper journalist, Carter ran an award-winning PR agency for 12 years. She lives in Australia. On the publication of her debut novel in 2013, Carter was heralded by critics as ‘a writer worth keeping an eye on’ with a style reminiscent of classic suspense novelist Daphne du Maurier. This impression has been borne out in her subsequent work. Her full-length novels frequently feature psychologically complex relations between the central characters and often delve into dark themes. Nonetheless, she also occasionally turns her hand to sweet romance (always with a touch of adventure) suitable for younger readers as well as older fans looking for a change of pace. Elizabeth Ellen Carter’s full-length titles and several novellas have been published by Dragonblade Publishing since 2017. She also regularly contributes to various multi-author anthologies and is a member of The Bluestocking Belles group of Regency romance authors.



USA TODAY bestselling author of Regency romance, and winner of the RONE award, Maggi Andersen wrote her first book for publication after gaining a BA in English and an MA in Creative Writing. She lives with her husband, a retired lawyer in the beautiful Dandenong mountains in Victoria, Australia. She wrote her first adventure story at 8 years old. Her novels are mostly adventure stories, but also sensual romances. Georgette Heyer and Jane Austen inspired her Regencies and Victoria Holt, her Gothic Victorian mysteries She also writes contemporary romantic suspense and young adult novels. Maggi supports the RSPCA (The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to animals) and animals often feature in her books.

Bestselling author Hildie McQueen loves unusual situations and getting into interesting adventures, which is what her characters do as well. She writes romance because she is in love with love! Author of Romance in Highland historical, Western Historical and contemporary, she writes something every reader can enjoy. Most days she can be found in her pajamas hiding from deliverymen while drinking tea from her David Gandy coffee mug. In the afternoons she browses the Internet for semi-nude men to post on Facebook. Hildie's favorite past-times are romance conventions, traveling, shopping and reading. She resides in beautiful small town Georgia with her super-hero husband Kurt, an unruly boy Chihuahua Pepito and a spoiled rotten girl Chiweenie named Lola. Visit her website at www.hildiemcqueen.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HildieMcQueen Twitter: https://twitter.com/HildieMcQueen Instagram: @HildieWrites

Raised in Corpus Christi, Texas, Violetta Rand spent her childhood reading, writing, and playing soccer. After meeting her husband in New England, they moved to Alaska where she studied environmental science. Violetta spent a decade working as a scientist before quitting her day job to pursue her dream as a full time writer. Violetta still lives in Anchorage, Alaska, and spends her days writing evocative contemporary and historical romance. When she’s not reading, writing, or editing, she enjoys time with her husband, pets, and friends.

Juggernaut Indie author Kathryn Le Veque is a 'tour de force' in publishing. Kathryn is a critically acclaimed 21-time USA TODAY Bestselling author, a charter Amazon All-Star author, an Indie Reader top seller, and a #1 bestselling, award-winning, multi-published author in Medieval Historical Romance with over 100 published novels. Among her many accomplishments, she is the CEO of Dragonblade Publishing, the #1 Historical Romance e-book publisher on Amazon. In 2020, Kathryn collaborated with Sourcebooks publishing for a Medieval Fight Club series set in Scotland.

USA Today Bestselling author Aubrey Wynne resides in the Midwest with her husband, dogs, horses, mule, and barn cats. Obsessions include wine, history, travel, trail riding, and all things Christmas. Her Chicago Christmas and Regency series have received multiple awards and nominated numerous times as a Rone finalist by InD’tale Magazine. Aubrey’s first love is medieval romance but after dipping her toe in the Regency period in 2018 with the Wicked Earls’ Club, she was smitten. This inspired her spin-off series Once Upon a Widow. In 2020, she launched the Scottish Regency series A MacNaughton Castle Romance with Dragonblade Novels. Her Regency detective series, Paddy’s Peelers, will launch early 2024.

Like many writers, Elizabeth Johns was first an avid reader, though she was a reluctant convert. It was Jane Austen's clever wit and unique turn of phrase that hooked Johns when she was "forced" to read Pride and Prejudice for a school assignment. She began writing when she ran out of her favorite author’s books and decided to try her hand at crafting a Regency romance novel. Her journey into publishing began with the release of Surrender the Past, book one of the Loring-Abbott Series. Johns makes no pretensions to Austen’s wit but hopes readers will perhaps laugh and find some enjoyment in her writing. Johns attributes much of her inspiration to her mother, a retired English teacher. During their last summer together, Johns would sit on the porch swing and read her stories to her mother, who encouraged her to continue writing. Busy with multiple careers, including a professional job in the medical field, author and mother of small children, Johns squeezes in time for reading whenever possible.

I was born in Leicester, England, and lived in our cobbler’s shop with my parents and sister. It was an old house and most definitely haunted, but I didn’t find out until I left that my great uncle had hung himself in the living room! But I think our ghost might have been older than that. It was built on the site of the old Roman cemetery, and the land had been constantly inhabited, being in the centre of town. Then, when the council bought the house from us to build a road, my grandfather retired and my father went and worked for the Post Office. My mother was a sample machinist; that is, she worked with designers on the prototypes (models or samples) of garments. So I was very well dressed! We bought a relatively modern house in the country, and my mother was blissfully happy. It’s all very well living in a large old house, but it’s a dreadful task to keep it clean and warm! My mother's side of the family are Romany gypsies, although sadly we haven't any of the old trailers that are so astonishingly beautiful. I was taught to read the Tarot cards, and I usually use two packs; the Rider pack for simple readings and the Crowley Thoth pack for the complex stuff. I've always had an interest in the paranormal and it's been a delight to be able to put some of this into my novels.

Whitney is a bit of a wanderer and something of a bluestocking. She's been telling stories since childhood, when she would rewrite the endings of her favorite books and movies (or add "deleted scenes" to them). When she's not writing or reading, she enjoys cooking, dancing, and going for long walks with no specific destination in mind. Literary work comes naturally to Whitney, and she's very excited to be pursuing her passion: rich storylines, vibrant characters, and most of all, a happily ever after. Whitney has a doctorate in history, making her something of an expert! Whitney loves to hear from her readers: whitneyblakeauthor@protonmail.com

USA Today Best Selling author and Winner of the 2019 Romance Through the Ages Award for Georgian/Regency Romance, Chasity Bowlin is the author multiple bestselling historical romance novels, both independently and with Dragonblade Publishing. She lives in central Kentucky with her husband and their menagerie of animals. She loves writing, loves traveling and enjoys incorporating tidbits of her actual vacations into her books. She is an avid Anglophile, loving all things British, but specifically all things Regency. Growing up in Tennessee, spending as much time as possible with her doting grandparents, soap operas were a part of her daily existence, followed by back to back episodes of Scooby Doo. Her path to becoming a romance novelist was set when, rather than simply have her Barbie dolls cruise around in a pink convertible, they time traveled, hosted lavish dinner parties and one even had an evil twin locked in the attic.

Award-winning and USA Today bestselling author Alexa Aston lives with her husband in a Dallas suburb, where she eats her fair share of dark chocolate and plots out stories while she walks every morning. She’s a binge fiend (The Crown and Ozark are favorites) who enjoys travel, sports, and time with her family. Her historical romances bring to life loveable rogues and dashing knights, while her contemporary romances are light and flirty and sometimes contain a bit of suspense. Stay in touch with Alexa at: Website: https://alexaaston.com/ Newsletter Sign-Up: http://madmimi.com/signups/422152/join Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authoralexaa... Twitter: https://twitter.com/AlexaAston BookBub Follow: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/alexa... Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/alexaaston BingeBooks Author Page: https://bingebooks.com/profile/AlexaA... Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Emily E.K. Murdoch is also known as Emily Murdoch. Emily Murdoch is a medieval historian and writer. Throughout her career so far she has examined a codex and transcribed medieval sermons at the Bodleian Library in Oxford, designed part of an exhibition for the Yorkshire Museum, worked as a researcher for a BBC documentary presented by Ian Hislop, and worked at Polesden Lacey with the National Trust. She has a degree in History and English, and a Masters in Medieval Studies, both from the University of York. Emily is currently working on a new four part Regency novella series, two of which are now published. You can follow her on twitter and instagram @emilyekmurdoch, find her on facebook at www.facebook.com/theemilyekmurdoch, and read her blog at www.emilyekmurdoch.com


Who knew I’d become an author? Not me. But when the opportunity knocked, I answered the door and welcomed it in. I approach life with as much positivity as I can—celebrating the hits and laughing at the misses. Nothing worthwhile is easy, and that includes everything in my life. But I have much to smile about—my lovely mother, a beautiful daughter, two precious granddaughters, my adorable dogs, and my sweet husband of over thirty years. He has always supported me—including uprooting to move to the other side of Charlotte, N.C. for a life change, just when we thought we were settled. If settled means not going after my dreams, then I never want to be settled. I give my all to things I enjoy—and that includes writing. In 2021, I hit the USA Today Bestselling Author list, and recently, two of my books were named RONE Finalists! I love to express myself to the point that my daughter avoids going to the movies with me because I’m that woman in the row in front of you who gleefully munches her popcorn and laughs at every hilarious scene. Loudly. Besides my family, I love chocolate, popcorn, laughter, and animals. I love animals so much that I frequently sprinkle them in my stories as secondary characters. They usually steal the show! British and American history have always interested me, so writing historical romances set in the U.K. and the US is where my passion is. When I was barely three years old, my parents divorced, and my mom moved my sister and me from New York to South Carolina to live near her parents. Juggling a full-time job and full-time school, my mother became my first genuine hero—she never waved the white flag when things were tough. And things quickly got tough. My grandmother, who helped care for my sister and me while my mother worked, became ill with cancer, and didn’t survive the surgery, dying before I was seven. Losing Grandma devastated me. She read to me and taught me to read before I started first grade. I credit her for inspiring my love of reading, and I credit my mother for encouraging me to turn my ideas into stories. When I was ten, my neighbor gave me her book club copy of Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind and it remains one of my favorite books. But it was Kathleen Woodiwiss’ Shanna and Ashes in the Wind, that hooked me on historical romance and sparked my dream of becoming a published author. While I primarily write Regency Romance, I enjoy almost any period in American and British history. I love hearing from readers. To get in touch, email me at annastclaireauthor@gmail.com. To keep up to date on my new releases, special promotions, contests, giveaways, and more, sign up for my newsletter by clicking here. You can also follow me on BookBub, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

USA TODAY Bestselling Author Emily Royal is a mathematics geek who grew up in Sussex, England and has always had a passion for romance and bad boy heroes in need of redemption. Emily graduated from Oxford University with a Chemistry degree, but returned to her mathematical roots to work in financial services, while indulging in her dream of becoming a pilot, and enjoying a brief international sporting career. She now lives near the Highlands, with her Scottish husband, two daughters and menagerie of rescue pets including Twinkle, an attention-seeking boa constrictor. When not working on algebra, dreaming about her heroes, or keeping Twinkle from slithering over her keyboard, Emily enjoys painting, playing the piano and keeping her family well stocked with cake.