Too shy to love… Quinn Ramsay is facing the biggest decision of his life, whether or not to sell his hugely successful sports conglomerate. His schedule has been insane for years, an endless series of trains, planes and automobiles. Even so he’s not so sure he wants to give it up. For what, he keeps asking himself. Where would he go from here? What would be his next step? With those questions in mind, he heads to a friend’s house on Salt Spring, a small island in the Pacific Northwest that promises solitude and uninterrupted time to think and plan. Not in his plan is meeting Emily Welland, the shy owner of the local bookstore. She intrigues him as no woman has in years—more so when he sees how determined she is to avoid him. Emily is timid, insecure, and introspective—and she has her reasons. She’s read about Quinn Ramsay, the brilliant and handsome celebrity entrepreneur with the Midas touch, and she’s seen pictures of him in the tabloids, always with a beautiful model or actress on his arm. She knows he walks red carpets with the same ease that he hosts charity sporting events and fund raisers. His glittering California life is the polar opposite to her quiet, safe, and reclusive life on Salt Spring Island. And when he starts to show an interest in her, her initial reactions are disbelief, fear—and panic attacks. None of which she can control. All of which makes Quinn more interested than ever.

One damaged heart. Two weeks in Paris. Single mother, Lynn McDonald, has left her Salt Spring Island home to take the trip of a lifetime. She's in Paris! And she plans to see and feel everything wondrous in the incomparable City of Light. Cool, jaded—commitment-phobic—Paul Severns, an acclaimed film director, is in Paris taking a break from Hollywood's glut of egos and ambitions. A friend brings Paul and Lynn together. The attraction—between a wary man who refuses to believe love even exists and a spirited woman whose life has been shaped by unselfish dedication—is immediate. And completely unworkable. They only have a few days to cover the vast emotional distance between them. Lynn has reason to believe that anything is possible, but Paul's unyielding defense of his thrice-hurt heart proves to be her ultimate test.

Love. Loneliness. And linguini... Grace Whitby is feeling a little blue, a little lonely, has ever since her two best friends married and left Salt Spring Island. She readily admits she wants what they have, the right guy to share her life with. But when Colin Ross, her high school crush and now a celebrated chef, reluctantly returns to Salt Spring and an old passion reignites, she's wary. Grace isn't keen to get involved with a man who hates her island home, has a clingy ex-girlfriend, suffers from stress headaches, and doesn't believe in the word "sorry." So what if Colin seems totally at home on her couch, her cat loves him, and he looks sexy as hell in her kitchen, the man's got issues. He's definitely not the man for Grace. Until he shows her exactly what a talented man can do in the kitchen.