This collection of two novellas by popular authors combines previously released works in a new edition.

STATE SECRETS by Linda Lael Miller is from the 1980s for those who enjoy retro romance. A cookbook writer comes under Washington-style suspicion because she writes Middle Eastern cookbooks and has visited Iran. Wary agents wonder if delicious food is all she's peddling.... The fact that Holly previously wrote a book on Scandinavian recipes, and another on Mexican ones, should have made them see sense, but instead David Goddard is assigned to surveillance.

Holly Llewellyn happens to be a relative of the current president and nobody wants to take any chances. David's the agent without a family at Thanksgiving, so he can't duck the job. Holly is blameless but she does have a family member to protect. Even if that wasn't so, the agent's professional detachment is on the line because of the chemistry that is immediately felt between the two. This story starts off light-hearted but turns to more serious matters and asks how far you would go to protect a loved one.

THE FIVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS by Lindsay McKenna focuses on a black-ops team and how it is possible for them to relax when off-duty, at holiday times of year. PTSD and paranoia are part of their down time so Christmas isn't quite the same family occasion.

Colt Hamlin is reluctant to go and assist Abbie Clemens, whom he doesn't know, to help with decorating her house for Christmas. However his boss Laura is hoping that the two will be good for each other. Colt needs to relax and be normal for a time, and Abbie is a kind, sensible girl, aware of potential issues. Her husband has died on a mission. But it will take more than cinnamon rolls to make the jumpy, ornery Colt rejoin the normal world. Little touches in this story include eggnog and orchids, silks and pine, bringing the setting vividly to life.

This unusual combination of stories about security teams at Christmastime reminds us of those who work to protect others and who may not enjoy the same carefree holidays as the rest of us. The romances are gentle but for adult readers and overall A PROPOSAL FOR CHRISTMAS is a fine, involved read.