Gina and Sally Makepiece have inherited a stall in the French House — an antiques centre nestled in the heart of the English countryside. Gina is determined to drag the French House and its grumpy owner into the twenty-first century. Bearing all the attributes of a modern-day Mr Rochester, Matthew Ballinger is less than happy with the whirlwind that has arrived on his doorstep. The last thing either of them want is to fall in love. But will a trip to France change their minds?

A delicious Christmas feast of short stories from the Sunday Times No. 1 bestselling author of A French Affair and The Perfect Match. Add some extra sparkle to your Christmas by joining Katie Fforde for a perfect, romantic Christmas feast of short stories. Collected together for the first time and including one brand new story. Make your Christmas wishes come true...

Take one aspiring cook, one judge, and a spoonful of romance... When Zoe Harper wins a coveted place in a televised cookery competition she's thrilled. It's a chance to cook her way to fame and fortune and the little delicatessen she's set her heart on. The first task has hardly begun when she finds herself with rather too much on her plate. Not only has she got to contend with the fiercely competitive and downright devious Cher, but she's fast developing an inconvenient crush on one of the judges — the truly delicious Gideon Irving. All too soon there's more than canapes, cupcakes and cordon bleu at stake. Will Zoe win the competition or is Gideon one temptation too far? And is Zoe really prepared to risk it all for love?

Who knows what might happen in a summer of love? Sian Bishop has left the hustle and bustle of the city behind and has thrown herself into a new life in the country. With her young son, her picture-postcard garden and her small thriving business, she's happy and very busy. She is not — repeat not — looking for love. And then, one glorious summer evening, Gus Beresford arrives. One-time explorer, full-time heart-breaker, Gus is ridiculously exciting, wonderfully glamorous — and, Sian tells herself, completely wrong for a romantically cautious single woman like her. But she and Gus have met before. And, despite Sian's best intentions, it isn't long before she's falling for him all over again...

When 'Virtual Assistant' Jenny Porter's boyfriend accuses her of being impulsive, soft-hearted and unbusinesslike, dashing off to Scotland to sort out a failing mill for one of her clients may not be the best way of proving him wrong. And promising to help run a mobile burger bar before she's even found her feet doesn't help matters. When she finds herself determined to save the mill — whatever her client's wishes — it seems that Henry's accusations may have contained more than a grain of truth. So when Jenny's awkward encounters with the abrasive but disconcertingly attractive Ross Grant develop into something more complicated — just as Henry arrives in Scotland to reclaim her — it's time for Jenny to make some decisions. Should she do the sensible thing and follow Henry back to London? Or is her Highland adventure more than just a fling?

Jo Edwards never planned to live on a barge. She's not even sure she likes boats. But when her husband trades her in for a younger model, she finds her options alarmingly limited. Dora Hamilton never planned to run out on her own wedding. But as The Big Day approaches, her cold feet show no signs of warming up — and accepting Jo's offer of refuge aboard The Three Sisters seems the only alternative. As Jo and Dora embark on reorganising their muddled lives, they realise they both need a practical way to keep themselves afloat. But, despite their certainty that they've sworn off men for good, they haven't bargained for the persistent intervention of attractive but enigmatic Marcus, and laid-back, charming Tom, who both seem determined to help them whether they like it or not...

Bidding for love can be a costly business... Flora Stanza has sub-let her London life in a bid to join the family antiques business. Her knowledge extends only to the information she has crammed from daytime TV, but what she lacks in experience she makes up for in blind enthusiasm. So she is more than a little put out when she doesn't receive the warm country welcome she expected. Her curt cousin Charles and his fiancee Annabelle are determined to send Flora packing, and their offer to buy her out is tempting... until a strange warning makes her think twice. Stuck with a cat about to burst with kittens, Flora has little choice but to accept the offer to stay in an abandoned holiday cottage miles from any neighbours, let alone a trendy winebar. And between fighting off dinner invitations from the devastatingly handsome Henry, and hiding her secret eco-friendly lodger William, Flora soon discovers country life is far from dull as she sets about rebuilding the crumbling business...