The genre of romantic fiction is one which easily conjures cliché images of tall, dark strangers and meetings across crowded rooms. This anthology blows those clichés apart: here you will find genre-spanning stories which test the outer limits of what romance is, and which also explore its depths in the heart.

Prepare for surprises, passion, energy and a smattering of the unusual; prepare for mini-sagas set in foreign climes, short pieces which evoke amorous devotion, and even some alluring poetry, in one of the most entertaining, thoughtful and heart-warming collections produced this year.