Coombethwaite, the lakeside town where passions run deep, is the setting for the stories in Blaze, the first anthology from The Minxes of Romance. 8 scorching tales from The Minxes of Romance. Romance is in the air for Coombethwaite's retained firefighters, and none of them will escape its heat unscorched MEMORY'S FLAME by Maya Blake A fiery reunion - when Ellie returns after twelve long years to bury her grandfather, the last person she expects to see is her first love, Jake Spencer. One look, one touch and they know memory's flame is as sizzling as ever THE FIRE INSIDE by Romy Sommer Fire fighter Sam Redfern is used to being seen as just one of the boys. Until TV talent scout and celebrity Ryan Morgan shows up in Coombethwaite and starts to make her feel very much like a woman. A woman with needs. A SMOULDERING ATTRACTION by Suzanna Ross Shelley Fox is finished with all things romantic. So is Harrison Reid - until he meets Shelley and realises he might easily be persuaded otherwise. LOCKED INTO LOVE by Catherine Coles Journalist Cassie Parker returns to Coombethwaite with her dream in tatters-the last thing she needs is to rely on her ex for anything but on her second day back she needs hunky fireman Ben Spencer to release her from handcuffs HOT, BOTHERED AND BEWITCHED by Kat French All alone on her birthday, Wiccan vet Seraphine conjures up more than she bargained for when she casts a Halloween love spell. Five minutes later a knock on the door heralds the arrival of handsome fireman Isaac Quinn, complete with a stray black cat. Is it just coincidence, or has Mother Nature answered Seraphine's request with lightning speed? LIGHTING LOVE'S SPARK by Sally Clements Primary school teacher Annabel Jackson knows flirting with the parents is a no-no, but when single father Daniel Walker arrives at Coombethwaite Primary in full fire fighter garb clutching an axe, how can she resist? WORTH THE RISK by Tara Pammi Baker Annie Bennett has always stood on the sidelines while life passed her by. And it has brought Annie nothing but loneliness. With the New Year coming in, Annie decides it's time to come back home, risk her heart with the man she's always loved. Will her risk pay off or will Marcus never see her as anything but his best friend? A KINDLING ROMANCE by Lorraine Wilson Stressed out lawyer Polly Minton felt trapped in her city job and now she's trapped again, this time in a Lake District chimney; hunky fire fighter and local landowner Drew Reynolds has problems of his own but will he be the one to set her free in more ways than one?

Photographer Valentine Jones doesn't believe in love, but when her romantic friend Maggie drags her along to a speed dating event, she finds herself reluctantly attracted to architect Finn Logan. Against her better instincts, she ticks yes on her scorecard to seeing him again. He never calls. Finn shouldn't have flirted with Val at the speed dating event. He was there to chaperone his wayward niece, not find another girlfriend - he has two already. When he meets Val again at his cousin's wedding, he tries to explain, and ends up kissing her instead. Finn's company need a photographer to nail an important contract, and Val needs the job. Before long, Finn has dissolved his harem, and persuaded Val into his bed. She's all for a quick fling, but nothing more - a ruined marriage has taught her that love is an illusion. But Finn's ruthless pursuit is making her change her mind, until the party at his parents' house that changes everything...

Capable financial advisor Melo Bellucci always knew when it came to organising her sister's wedding she'd be in charge. After all, her sister Rosa is notoriously scatterbrained. But there's a silver lining in the form of the Best Man, Melo's childhood crush, Cade West. When Cade returns to the Tuscan island, Isola dei Fiori, he's prepared to mix business with pleasure, especially when he meets Melo again. The confident, sexy woman is a world away from the lanky tomboy he remembers, and attraction burns between them instantly. But when he discovers that the perfect site for his hotel, idyllic Paradise Beach, belongs to Melo rather than her father, can their relationship survive, when there are two plans for Paradise?

One photo changes everything... A mortifying incident in her youth has shaken sense into Cara Byrne. No more bad-boys. No more getting arrested. Instead, hard work and good behaviour has earned her a job teaching at the local Boys Secondary School, and a proposal from a worthy man. So what if he doesn't exactly light her fire - surely passion is overrated? When her friend since childhood, Ethan Quinn, storms back into the small Irish village he left to pursue a career as a Hollywood action hero, she's stunned to discover she's as susceptible to his lethal charm as every woman in the world. And when a compromising photograph floods the media of them in a clinch, her almost fiance reveals his true colours, CarEthan starts trending on twitter, and she loses her job, could anyone blame her if she accepts his invitation to hide out at his Malibu beach house? Ethan loves women, but never lets his girlfriends into his heart. He's failed at being there in the past, and won't put his heart on the line for anyone, ever again. But Cara's a different matter - and when passionate attraction is added to his friendship with the one person he's always confided in, he's thrown for a loop. Cara's lost everything, and like it or not, he's responsible. There's no fighting the attraction that blazes between them - but when the month long affair is over, will he ever be able to let her go?

Seven years ago, Matthew Logan ran out on his wedding to June Leigh. Life is good for fledgling dress-designer April Leigh. She couldn't be happier that her sister has found a new love, and is excited about her very first commission, June's wedding dress. On learning June has invited runaway groom Matthew Logan to the wedding, April has to intervene. Matthew's presence will ruin everything - her father hates him, and just the sight of him in the church might give her mother a heart attack. Matthew Logan has no intention of going to June's wedding, but intriguing April's arrival on his doorstep sparks his interest and he can't resist getting to know her better. When a disaster forces them together neither can deny the passion that combusts into a red-hot affair. Discovering the truth about the past shifts April's feelings from lust to love, but bitter experience has taught Matthew to guard his heart. When it looks as though Matthew will lose her forever, will he fight or flee?

Is loving Ryan a challenge too far? Jaded war correspondent Ryan Armstrong reports terrible events without letting them pierce the armor covering his heart. When his colleague Emily Harte is murdered, he feels responsible for her death, and travels to England to return Emily's effects to her daughter. Bereaved, primary school teacher, Andie Harte has set herself a list of challenges to prove she can be as brave as her recently murdered mother, but when she's hounded by the press the need to escape means she must accept help from Ryan. During their time in seclusion, attraction blossoms into an affair. Their relationship was only supposed to be a fling. When the time comes for Ryan to return to Bekostan, can she risk loving a thrillseeker, or is that a challenge too far? Ryan avoids love, knowing the pain losing it can bring. A life without Andie is sensible, but is it possible?

Jake Forrester, a controlled, self-reliant security expert scarred by his father's murder is pursuing his goal of an independent life, relying on himself and logic, until he's forced to accept the help of an impulsive, spirited goldsmith who follows her instincts, wherever they may lead. When Tempest MacKenzie witnesses a gorgeous stranger being bundled into a van, she tries to help him, but becomes tangled in a complex web of intrigue. Tempest finds stubborn Jake attractive, compelling and infuriating, his logic the complete antithesis of her reliance on her instincts. And Jake is fascinated and attracted to the feisty redhead. As they spend time together trying to thwart a heist at the British Museum, the attraction between them flares out of control. The thief has a grudge against Jake, and danger stalks their every move. Will Jake learn to trust Tempest's intuition, before it's too late?

She had the perfect life - and all she wanted was to escape it. Artisan chocolatier and reluctant matchmaker Annie Devine wants to survive the annual Durna Matchmaking Festival without messing up. She's useless at relationships, and the whole village know it. They've known ever since the day she was left at the altar in her wedding dress. When Jack Miller, charismatic head of Miller Advertising is forced to make an emergency stop on his transatlantic crossing, she mistakes him for a love-lorn bachelor, and sparks fly. Jack's in Ireland to discover his roots, while Annie's desperate to escape hers. Annie longs to win the coveted Chocolate Oscar competition, and claim the ultimate prize, her own shop in Dublin. But with the deadline for Jack's return to New York looming, is she making the right choice?