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For those who like the Grinch more before his transformation by the Whos down in Whoville, and those who don't automatically think of George Bailey's encounter with the angel in It's a Wonderful Life every time they hear a bell ring during the Christmas season, New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts, writing as J.D. Robb, has teamed with three other gifted writers of romantic suspense to produce four intriguing tales of holiday upheaval. Claire Cross's "A Berry Merry Christmas" sends Holly Berry, a technophobic elf, to spread a little Christmas cheer to orphaned Natalie Sinclair and her Uncle Drew. When Natalie requests a new mommy for Christmas, little does Holly suspect she's the ideal candidate to fill the role--and to become a loving wife to Drew, who finds himself believing once again in the magic of Christmas. Only Santa Claus--"Mr. C" to Holly--can make all their dreams come true. In Dee Holmes's "The Unexpected Gift," Sabrina McKay is spending her first Christmas since her divorce alone in Pine Falls, Vermont, with her young son. She finds the best gift of all not under her Christmas tree but passed out cold in her front yard. Investigating her son's report that "there's a dead man in the yard," Sabrina discovers former bad boy--and her girlhood boyfriend--Zach Danforth. Together again, they realize the true meaning of Christmas and the rediscovery of a love never lost. Jake Rimsa discovers that the packaging doesn't reveal the true value of the gift inside in Susan Plunkett's Christmas Promises. Roped into giving Marne York, his ex-fiancée, a ride home for Christmas, Jake finds little evidence of the polished, pampered, starry-eyed young woman he left behind when he joined the FBI. Instead Marne has become a fierce advocate on behalf of battered women and a woman who has learned, in the most horrifying way possible, to take care of herself. And Jake uncovers in Marne the long-buried passion she believed forever dead. Together they seek a foe determined to make Marne pay for her interference, and they find the greatest gift of all--love between equals. In the final story, only Nora Roberts can combine Christmas and an escaped serial killer with a grudge and still make it sizzle! Lieutenant Eve Dallas returns in Midnight in Death. When her first Christmas with her new husband Roarke is interrupted by reports of the naked, mutilated body of the judge responsible for convicting serial killer David Palmer, Eve learns that her name appears on the list of others to be killed. Since she was responsible for arresting Palmer the first time, Eve is back on the case. But Roarke is on her case, exhorting Eve to join him under the mistletoe for a little Yuletide cheer and to let him bring his considerable connections to bear to locate the hiding place of the monster threatening their happiness. Together they capture the psychopath and the spirit of Christmas. What a way to start the new year! --Alison Trinkle