After an argument with her husband Gilles, Venus Rees is left devastated by his sudden death. But when she discovers that he died of a treatable genetic condition she knew nothing about, she is haunted by the thought that he didn't love her enough to save himself. As time passes, Venus looks set to be trapped between grief and distrust forever. Until she meets the shy, good-looking and seemingly ideal Alex.

Intertwining Venus's compelling attraction to Alex in the present with Gilles' enraptured pursuit of her in the past, Ideal Love is an intimate and life-affirming novel about love, from its incandescent beginnings to its final breath and back again.

'Burnett's ear for dialogue between lovers – and friends – is second to none. Ideal Love is an extraordinary interrogation of the human heart in all its complexity. Anyone who has ever felt they might die for love will relish this book.' Rowan Pelling

'A rich and evocative novel about what it means to love and, above all, what it means to be human.' Annabel Abbs

'Interesting and challenging' Katie Fforde