I love ice cream. It’s 500g of deliciously dreamy goodness that holds the answer to all a girl’s problems. Frankly, why only start a tub when you can finish it? Licked from a suspiciously ineffective wooden tool at the theatre, spooned straight from the tub after a messy break-up, or even, on occasion, for breakfast. It’s practically milk, right? All year round it acts as a guilty pleasure, but come the summer months…I convince myself I need it to survive.

Unfortunately, the fact that it’s a highly impractical food source in the sunshine, does nothing to alleviate this unhealthy addiction. The race is on, and I am not prepared to be beaten. The sticky-fingers and sugary dribble running down our chins are just the ostensible signs of happiness…because, truly, ice cream never tastes better than under the sweltering rays of the sun.

And just like ice cream, there’s something indescribably wonderful about a serendipitous summer fling. Surrendering to the scorching heat, the fiery passion and the steamy intensity it’s a romance like no other. Like moths to a flame we fall in love without a second glance at the consequences. We live for the moment, in the knowledge that this fleeting love affair might just be over as soon as it began, soaking up every minute, every second, like it’s our last.

The world has never felt brighter; our hearts have never felt lighter. But then, all too suddenly, it ends. In the words of Nicholas Sparks, summer romances are “shooting stars – a spectacular moment of light in the heavens, a fleeting glimpse of eternity. And in a flash, they’re gone.” Not at Mills & Boon! In our romances, that unforgettable summer fling can lead to forever…

In The Truth About De Campo by Jennifer Hayward (Modern, May 2014) Quinn Davis is desperate to prove herself once and for all, which means she must not fall prey to Matteo De Campo’s enticing appeal…but Matteo will not be denied. He’s every woman’s wildest fantasy and Quinn knows that he needs his wine empire to overwrite his recent mistakes. But nights in a summer paradise give Quinn a glimpse of the true demons behind his smouldering gaze and she begins to question everything…just what is the truth about De Campo?

And in One Night to Risk It All by Maisey Yates (Modern, May 2014) a summer romance takes the form of the ultimate seduction! Gorgeous Greek tycoon Alexios Christofides is notorious for getting exactly what he wants – and he’s not above mixing business and pleasure. He’s determined to wrench the Holt empire away from his enemy – even if it means seducing the man’s fiancée! Rachel Holt has spent years playing the dutiful daughter and fiancée…until one, electrifying night with a handsome stranger gives her a taste of freedom she’s never known. But this one night has great consequences for them both…

There are times in all our lives when we girls must choose between the ice cream and the summer romance. For one is most certainly not conducive to the other…and my fourth ice cream in so many days is perhaps more of a hindrance to my bikini body than help. So, as the sun emerges from the clouds, forget the frozen cream – this summer is all about following your heart!

Tell us, have you had a serendipitous summer fling turn into forever…?

 

By The Mills & Boon team