What's the most romantic thing you've ever done for someone else?

© Macsuga

What a Valentine's week! You've shared the stinkers and the swoony romances, the humiliating crushes and embarrassing dates. We should end on a high note, don't you think?

What's the most romantic thing you've ever done for someone else?

Michele Gorman, author of Bella Summer Takes a Chance says: I cooked an anniversary dinner for my college boyfriend in my dorm room. I made a makeshift kitchen, cobbling together hot plates and pans from every girl on my floor. I’d bought lobsters and brought white linen and candles from my parents’ house. I got an older friend to buy a bottle of wine. The menu was a surprise, and I was so excited when I set our plates down. He took one look and pronounced, “I don’t like lobster.” I burst into tears and threw him out. I killed lobsters for that man. I still shudder.

(Michele's books are also available here on Amazon.com)

 

Nicola May, author of The School Gates says: A boyfriend was going away on a 10 day trip, he was a smoker. I bought a packet of ten cigarettes and wrapped around each one a little love note for each day he was away.

(Nicola's books are also available here on Amazon.co.uk) 

Julia Williams, author of The Summer Seasonsays: When my husband and I were students, I found out that orchids were a symbol of eternal love, so I went and bought him some and left them on his car. I thought I was being terribly romantic. He meanwhile presented me with a heart made out of dental alginate material  which he'd made himself (he was a dental student). He was as befuddled by my gesture as I was by his, but somehow we've stuck it out all these years!

(Julia's books are also available here on Amazon.com)

Belinda Jones, author of Winter Wonderland says: Romance is not my forte. Last week, the night before my sailor husband was off to sea for a month, I wanted to do something nice so I lit candles all around the bath and turned up the heating so we wouldn't get chilly when the water cooled and in the door he walks, instantly puffing, 'Why is it so hot in here?' Before I could reply he was sniffing the air, 'Is something burning? It smells like something's burning...' Mood ruined. I should've just stuck with the pizza.

(Belinda's books are also available here on Amazon.com) 

Dina Silver, author of Kat Fight says: Probably surprising my husband with a weekend away in New York to see a baseball game in the original Yankee Stadium before they tore it down. It was something he’d always wanted to do.  

(Dina's books are also available here on Amazon.com) 

Talli Roland, author of The Pollyanna Plansays: When I lived in Montreal, I set up a birthday treasure hunt for my then-boyfriend with little clues that would take him to his favourite wine shop (where I’d purchased a bottle), a chocolate shop, etc… ending with meeting me  in his favourite restaurant for dinner. It was great in theory, but in practice… not so much. Communication broke down somewhere along the way and he was left stranded in the middle of the city with no clue where to go next!  

(Talli's books are also available here on Amazon.co.uk) 

Ellie Campbell, author of When Good Friends Go Bad says: I’d just start seeing this guy and things were going really well.  So well, that I took it on myself to book a holiday for the two of us to go island hopping in Greece.  It was May, we’d only been dating a couple of weeks and the holiday was in August.  My reckoning was, that if we did split up, I would be so distraught about losing the most precious guy in the world, that forfeiting the money I’d spent on the holiday, would be nothing in comparison. He was a bit shocked at the time, but we made it to August. And December. And then I married him.

(Ellie's books are also available here on Amazon.com)  

Lindsey Kelk, author of The Single Girl's To-Do List says: I've done a bunch of romantic things and I'm never quite sure they've fully succeeded - thoughtful gifts, sweet notes, mixtapes, massages, reminding them of their mother's birthdays, flying to LA, driving to Canada, you know, the usual stuff. Most recently, I had to leave a pair of shoes in England to bring a jar of Marmite back for a man. If that's not love, I don't know what is.   

(Lindsey's books are also available here on Amazon.com) 

Rowan Coleman, author of Dearest Rose says: Tracking down a particular guitar for my husband's birthday. I knew he wanted this particular guitar, and that it was pretty pricey and pretty difficult to get hold of. Now, I know about as much about guitars as I do about....Geography, so nothing at all. But with some help, some research and a bit of luck, I managed to track it down to Baltimore, USA and get hold of exactly the one he wanted. Its hard to buy a gift for a man, so I was really pleased to be able to surprise him with something that he really wanted.

(Rowan's books are also available here on Amazon.com)

Alexandra Brown, author of Cupcakes at Carrington'ssays: Took my now husband on a surprise trip to New York for his birthday, and it did have the desired effect as he proposed not long after.

(Alexandra's books are also available here on Amazon.com)

Juliette Sobanet, author of Kissed in Paris says: My husband’s thirtieth birthday was approaching, and he was adamant that he didn’t want to do anything big. Naturally, I ignored his request and planned a surprise party, complete with embarrassing childhood photos and a cheesy, romantic slideshow. When he opened the front door and was greeted with a loud “Surprise!” he was so shocked he actually let the door slam in my face. After the door slam incident, I wondered if I’d taken things a little far with the childhood photos, slideshow, etc., but of course he ended up having the best time and still talks about it today as one of the sweetest things I’ve done for him.  

(Juliette's books are also available here on Amazon.co.uk) 

Karen Swan, author of The Perfect Present says: For my husband’s 30th I really went to town: I hosted a surprise party for him, had a dinner jacket made for him on Savile Row and, best of all, surprised him with a trip to Cap Ferrar for the weekend. I had told him it was my Scottish Granny’s 90th (even though she was actually only 86 at the time) and went to the trouble of getting him to meet me at the  airport at the correct time for the Glasgow flight, in case he checked the flight times. He had bought a new suit for the supposed party and the first he knew of my deceptions was when I refused to board for the Glasgow flight. When he realised my Granny’s birthday had been a ruse, he was so shocked all he could say was ‘But I bought a new suit!’  Tut. He spent the rest of the weekend making up for it!   

(Karen's books are also available here on Amazon.com)  

Miranda Dickinson, author of When I Fall In Love says: I wrote a song for a guy I'd started dating and recorded it for him. He was really amazed and said he loved it. But a couple of weeks later, he dumped me! Several of the songs on my album were written for blokes who turned out to be idiots: needless to say, I haven't written one for my husband!

(Miranda's books are also available here on Amazon.com) 

Big, bouncy kisses to all the writers who kindly shared their romantic gestures, most embarrassing dates, inappropriate crushes, besotted evenings and worst-ever dates. Is it any wonder they write romance for a living? 

Readers, what's the most romantic thing you've ever done for someone else?