Sam “Slam-Dunk” Cherio is wounded on his last mission for the Army, so he heads to his friend's Montana ranch to recuperate through the Christmas season. The bliss of family life is hard to swallow, but when he meets Mika Slovinika, she intrigues him, and he wants to know more about her. Mika is struggling in this strange new place in America. Her boss is mean. She has nothing to call her own, and she might be sent home. Running into Slam-Dunk at the grocery store gives her hope. Slam-Dunk might be in love, but is Mika free to reciprocate? Something is holding her back. His military training might be needed again to fight a different battle. Maybe Christmas will involve the best gift of all—freedom.

Originally published over twenty years ago, and out of print since 1998, Sleeping Bear Press is proud to bring this beloved Christmas tale to a whole new audience. Moving and nostalgic, and brought to life by glowing watercolor paintings, it reveals the joy of a very special present and the love that a father and daughter share.

A December ice storm destroys Rebekah Kingston's Christmas plans. With the power out and the West Texas roads closed indefinitely, she's forced to spend Christmas at her brother Braden's ranch instead of at home with her parents. But Rebekah and Braden are not alone. Also stranded is an annoyingly chatty ranch hand, Dirk Sims. While Rebekah is certain she's met him before, Dirk insists she's mistaken. However, when Rebekah inadvertently eavesdrops on one of Dirk's phone conversations, she discovers his lie. Dirk is not who he seems. This Christmas just got interesting.

Cautious observer Nicasia is at the Wilber Hotel for a wedding. She is careful when it comes to small spaces due to an attack as a teen, but intrigued by the antique phone booth, she steps inside to investigate. A just man with a star, Logan grew up at the end of the nineteenth century in a very religious home. But his reverend father led two lives and left Logan believing there was something wrong with him. Boom! Nicasia is bowled over and knocked to the floor by a force that comes out of nowhere. Where had the man been hiding? Logan is drawn to the 21st century maiden, but will he stay in the future? Each wants to forgive those who hurt them and put the past where it belongs, but neither knows how. Will they help one another?

Mia Donovan isn't interested in a relationship, she's too busy opening her cat shelter and rescuing floofy balls of fur. Being a bridesmaid is just a blip on her horizon. Bryce Murphy has no plans to change his bachelor lifestyle, but is willing to stand up as the best man for a good friend. In the chaos of plans gone awry, it's up to the bridesmaid and the best man to come up with a strategy to get it all back on track. In the midst of disaster, love strikes two hearts. Can eight cats, a feline allergy, and a photo shoot gone wrong bring Mia and Bryce together forever?

Includes all three Mistletoe Meadows novellas: Mistletoe Melody, Mistletoe Mission, and Mistletoe Movie Star. Mistletoe Melody: Former musician, Melody Staff, spends Christmas at a bed and breakfast in the village of Mistletoe Meadows. While everyone sings familiar carols of Christ drawing near, Melody stumbles over misplaced notes. Her recent diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis has scared off her fiancé and thrust her life into a grand pause. She's not sure her heart will ever sing again. Quentin Oxford has endured a devastating year. His preteen daughter suffered a stroke, and they've grieved his wife's sudden death, but the Lord coaxes a surprising refrain from Quentin's heart as God rewrites his and Melody's score into a holiday love song that will last for Christmases to come. Mistletoe Mission: While her own relationships always end up doomed, Emily Colt is still determined to create happily-ever-afters through her wedding and event planning business. In hopes of expanding, she enters her latest project--staging the Christmas wedding of the year--into a town-wide contest. But between crossing paths with the first man to break her heart and dodging a saboteur, she doubts success is within her grasp. Jilted pastor, Luca Wilson, fled to the mission field to escape a broken heart. All the hurt rushes back when he returns home to officiate his cousin's wedding, and he finds Emily--the girl to whom he once promised forever--organizing the celebration. Despite Luca's lost faith in love, their unforeseen reunion rekindles a spark, and Luca vows to help Emily save her struggling business. But to succeed, they will have to learn what it means to trust each other and believe in the God of Christmas miracles. Mistletoe Movie Star: Mistletoe Meadows is built around the magic of Christmas. As jingling sleighs cart rosy-cheeked lovers around the Mistletoe Mile, Charlene's holiday dream is more complicated than photo-edited perfection. She proposes a compassion ministry initiative called the Gingerbread House but struggles to convince the town that their need for a homeless shelter is real. Famous for his made for T.V holiday movies, Jonas longs for a happily-ever-after that isn't as neat and tidy as his scripted films. Partnering with Char to champion her ministry invigorates him with a new purpose and provides an excuse to spend time with the girl he never forgot. But when they embrace three young sisters fighting to stay together while living on the streets, their project becomes deeply personal. Together, they must prove to a town reluctant to see anything other than holiday perfection that the greatest gift of the season isn't found under a tree.

Amicus - The Studio That Made Us Scream and Scream Again offers an entertaining and affectionate overview of the legacy of this beloved studio and the films they produced. In the concluding chapter we shall also look at the work Milton Subotsky and Max Rosenberg did after Amicus folded. So, open that decanter of brandy, make sure there aren't any voodoo dolls or disembodied hands lying around, stay out of those catacombs, lock the doors lest an escaped maniac dressed as Father Christmas be lurking, watch out for the Werewolf Break, and prepare to enter the spooky, mysterious, eclectic, and wonderful world of Amicus Productions!

Ho Ho Humbug. So much for holiday joy... The important talk Marley Paige's long-distance boyfriend wanted to have wasn't to propose. Nope. He did want to share that he'd found his perfect match; it just wasn't her. Granted, she didn't want to marry the guy, but she had kind of oversold the fact she had a serious boyfriend to her grandmother. The word “love” may even have escaped her lips. Now, she has to own up to her oversell and ruin her family's Christmas...or does she? When Wyatt Porter took his grandmother's engagement ring to propose, he thought his girlfriend would say yes, which she did—before she moved on to someone else and lost the ring. So when his old classmate and nemesis steps onto his tour trolley wearing that heirloom ring, and his family assumes he and Marley are engaged, he does what any guy in his situation would do, he doesn't correct them. And for some unknown reason Marley plays along. Sure, he can't stand her, and she despises him, and no one would ever believe the two of them would ever get together, But that's so totally why Marley is Wyatt's perfect step-on bride.

Fly high with pro basketball's biggest stars in SLAM DUNK: TOP 10 LISTS OF EVERYTHING IN BASKETBALL. Presented in the format of Top 10 lists, this book is a comprehensive yet fun look at the best aspects of the ABA, NBA and WNBA. From the most dominant big men to the quirkiest uniforms, SI Kids ranks a variety of topics from the hardwood. Readers are guaranteed to love the big, exciting action photos from the Sports Illustrated collection and the insider knowledge of SI Kids. Filled with trivia and information, this dynamic book will be the definitive kids book on pro basketball.

The best-selling series from Eisner-nominated Takehiko Inoue, one of Japan’s greatest manga creators. Winning isn't everything in the game of basketball, but who wants to come in second? It takes dedication and discipline to be the best, and the Shohoku High hoops team wants to be just that. They have one last year to make their captain's dream of reaching the finals come true—will they do it? Thanks to consecutive three-pointers by Mitsui late in the first half of the game against Ryonan High, Shohoku High ends the half down by only six points. Rukawa's still got plenty of strength left and he's going to need it to face Ryonan's ace, Sendoh. The pressure on Ryonan continues to draw fouls from them--can Shohoku exploit this and pull ahead? Or is Ryonan's coach Taoka just waiting for Shohoku to trip themselves up?