Holly and the Beast — Annabel Joseph

Holly's been given in marriage to a beastly Scottish laird in order to broker some Yuletide peace. It's a terrible fate for an Englishwoman, and she steels herself to endure her new husband's unbridled savagery. Except that Laird Cochrane's not that savage. Or beastly.Or anything she expected...Little more than strangers, Holly and Laird Cochrane share a wedding night at his castle in the Lowlands, with surprises in store for both. You'll love this charming, seductive holiday story about first impressions, second impressions, and a dreaded arranged marriage that might just end in love. This 20K word novella was originally published as part of the Once Upon a Christmas Wedding anthology in 2019.