Kirjahaku

Fate is conspiring against lawyer Anton Swann. First his grandmother dies, then he hits the worst traffic of his life on the way home from her funeral, keeping him from friends in London—and possibly a much longed-for sighting of his ex. And finally the detour he thought would save him time ends with the electrics failing on his car, leaving Anton to trudge through heavy rain back to an old cottage he'd passed along the way, hoping to find help. What he finds instead is the mysterious Dr. Stephen Miller, a man fighting his own battles. Anton is invited inside to join the tail end of an all-male dinner party, but this is no chance encounter. What Anton thought was fate is actually a spirit at work making sure he ends up at the cottage—and stays there until unfinished business is resolved for both Anton and Stephen.

It can take losing everything to realize what you had all along.Up-and-coming London chef Marcus Vine is poised on the edge of success, but the only men courting him are investors. That leaves Marcus with some free time—which is fortunate, because his godchildren need him. A year ago, a horrible accident killed Marcus's best friend, Raine, leaving her children without a mother and her husband, Tom, without a partner. Consumed by grief, Tom has been going it alone, refusing help, but when Marcus sees him out with the children, it's obvious that Tom and his two daughters need someone. His persistent caring finally wears Tom down, allowing him to accept the comfort Marcus offers. Soon Marcus is up to his elbows in homework, home-cooked meals, and after-school activities. Over time he helps them rebuild their world, until soon their lives are approaching normal.Then the unexpected happens: Tom confesses he has romantic feelings for Marcus, and nothing can ever be the same.

One starry, starry night, romance blossoms during Christmas lockdown.One glacial Friday night in late October, Spencer K. Wyrrell-Squirrel-sits hidden behind an evergreen bush, freezing his arse off on a stone bench in the deserted twentieth-floor rooftop garden of his boss's London flat. Taking a break from volunteering to show social-distanced guests around her penthouse gallery of abstract art, he is waiting with an ice bucket and a bottle of champagne for the arrival of his habitually unpunctual colleague and best friend, Bev. But when the balcony door eventually slides open, the person who steps out is not his friend at all but the smoking-hot celebrity and chat-show host, Marshall J. Highlander. Unsure what to do, Spencer stays put and overhears Highlander's private call. A newspaper is threatening to publish nude photographs of him and an ex-boyfriend from a holiday in France.After more calls are made, an eerie silence descends on the rooftop. When a curious Spencer peers through the evergreen plant, he notices Highlander has climbed up onto the small wall surrounding the garden, looking out to the River Thames. In a moment of panic, Spencer decides to show himself, because, celebrity or not, everyone is only human and, as his mother has always drummed into him, most problems can be softened with well-chosen words, a little understanding, and a hug tight enough to make your eyes water.And on that starry, starry night, an unexpected romance blossoms between two unlikely souls during a time of Christmas lockdown.

Mitchell Baxter considers Hong Kong his home and his castle. Tommy Chow has the heart of a fortress. But even the mightiest strongholds have their weak spots.Escaping painful memories of England, Mitchell Baxter has worked hard to build a life in Hong Kong. His sister thinks he might as well be living on the moon. With a landlady he has never met who sends him cards with auspicious Chinese proverbs, a wheelchair-bound friend who doles out savage advice and a demanding boss who thinks nothing of calling him into work on Sundays, he has grown to love his solitary existence. But change is constant in The City That Never Sleeps, and in the same week Mitchell's sister persuades him to let the nephew he barely knows come to stay, he learns about his employer's plans to shut down all Hong Kong operations.Tommy Chow is a native Hongkonger living a carefree existence. As a handsome and athletic twenty-nine-year-old sports teacher, he is rarely without a bedmate. He has the perfect life of a single gay man. If only he could shut out the voice in his head telling him something's missing.When Mitchell ruins Tommy's evening with a good deed, Tommy gives him a roasting, after which neither hopes to see the other again. But Hong Kong is like a village and the two keep running into each other. Forming a truce, Tommy provides suggestions to keep Mitchell's nephew occupied while Mitchell agrees to help Tommy win over the best man at his sister's upcoming wedding.And sometimes a nudge in the right direction is all that's required.