Known for his sharp-witted mysteries set in Botswana and Sweden and numerous other literary works, Alexander McCall Smith here presents an assortment of short fiction revolving around casual dates, romantic encounters, and other human entanglements-which often don't proceed as expected and may turn shocking, compulsive, complicated, or sometimes, completely disastrous. But when it comes to matters of the heart, we human don't give up easily...

Two newly-single sisters, one a divorcée, the other a widow, become roommates with a handsome, gay cupcake-baker as they try to return to the dating world of lower Manhattan.

"Sally Milz is a sketch writer for The Night Owls, the late night live comedy show that airs each Saturday. With a couple of heartbreaks under her belt, she's long abandoned the search for love, settling instead for the occasional hook-up, career success, and a close relationship with her stepfather to round out a satisfying life. But when Sally's friend and fellow writer Danny Horst begins dating Annabel, a glamorous actress who guest-hosted the...

A wedding. A trip to Spain. The most infuriating man. And three days of pretending. Or in other words, a plan that will never work. Catalina Martín, finally, not single. Her family is happy to announce that she will bring her American boyfriend to her sister's wedding. Everyone is invited to come and witness the most magical event of the year. That would certainly be tomorrow's headline in the local newspaper of the small Spanish town I came from....

Karina Ahmed's parents have a lot of rules, and for her it is worth it to follow those rules instead of her dreams. With her parents in Bangledesh for a month, she expects to relax those rules a bit, but when the guy she's tutoring says she's his girlfriend to cover up the fact that he's getting help with his schoolwork, that breaks a major rule in a major way that she's sure will end in disaster. A strict deadline -- twenty-eight days -- and payment...

"Call Ava romantic, but she thinks love should be found in the real world, not on apps that filter men by height, job, or astrological sign. She believes in feelings, not algorithms. So after a recent breakup and dating app debacle, she decides to put love on hold and escapes to a remote writers' retreat in coastal Italy. She's determined to finish writing the novel she's been fantasizing about, even though it means leaving her close-knit group of...

"Is it possible to love someone you've never met? A young woman finds out in this sweeping will-they-or-won't-they love story that begins with a chance wrong number dial... When Hannah picks up a call from an unknown number, she doesn't imagine it will change her life. After all, it's just an easygoing American named Davey who misdialed her while calling into a job interview. And when Hannah jokingly wishes him luck after clearing up the confusion,...

Brendon Lowell loves love. It's why he created a dating app to help people find their one true pairing and why he's convinced "the one" is out there, even if he hasn't met her yet. Or... has he? When his sister's best friend turns up in Seattle unexpectedly, Brendon jumps at the chance to hang out with her. He's crushed on Annie since they were kids, and the stars have finally aligned, putting them in the same city at the same time. Annie booked a...

"A sapphic rivals to lovers rom com for fans of Ted Lasso and A League of Their Own, where two soccer teammates are at odds before falling in love as their team gears up for the World Cup. Grace Henderson has been a star of the US Women's National Team for ten years, even though she's only 26. But when she's sidelined with an injury, a bold new upstart, Phoebe Matthews, takes her spot. 22-year-old Phoebe is everything Grace isn't-a gregarious jokester...

"Bestselling and award-winning author Robin Jones Gunn returns to the cozy English village of Carlton Heath, with a winter romance to melt your heart. A year-and-a-half ago, Anna flew from Minnesota to Carlton Heath to attend the wedding of her cousin, Ian, to an American woman named Miranda. The beautiful event ended with Anna receiving an unexpected, unforgettable kiss from groomsman Peter. Now Anna is delighted to be invited back for Christmas...