We all love a woman in uniform

'Together, in the unlikely surroundings of a left-wing men's lavatory, the two of them find love'

Mills and Boon, famous for producing romantic fiction for women, is now going to produce books for men with tough heroes and a nice lot of action.

Mills and Boon, famous for producing romantic fiction for women, is now going to produce books for men with tough heroes and a nice lot of action.

Well, all I can say is that this column is way ahead. It was five years ago that we started our own publishing imprint, Mills and Bang, which puts out novels designed to appeal to both men and women by combining the best of war and love in a new genre called military romance. So don't bother with the monosexual productions of Mills and Boon when you can get offerings from Mills and Bang's autumn list to satisfy both men and women...

With A Bang by Lavinia Grenade Colonel Ivor Grady knows more about bomb disposal than any man alive, though not more than his fiery star pupil Sergeant Sheila Stayforth, the headstrong lass who swore she would never talk to Grady again after not getting 100 per cent in her final exam. But when news comes through that there is an unexploded terrorist bomb in the House of Commons, it is Grady they send for. And when Grady finds himself baffled by the device someone has set ticking in the Labour members' loo, it is Sheila he sends for. Together, in the unlikely surroundings of a left-wing men's lavatory, the two of them find love while talking through the problems of defusing a Czech wiring system. Tragically, the bomb does go off, but happily it leaves them unscathed and only removes 30 or 40 Labour backbenchers deemed surplus to requirements.

Sweetbreads for Two by Annie Mcnab "What the devil's this?" roared Captain Lewis Armstrong, poking at the objects on his plate. "Fried sheep turds?"

"No sir," said the mess sergeant. "Chicken livers in sherry sauce, sir."

"And who presumed to cook this abomination?"

"I did," answered a quiet voice. "Any objections?"

Captain Armstrong looked up into the most devastating pair of grey-blue eyes he had ever seen, clear with a hint of laughter. They belonged to Iris Whitely, the new regimental chef who was determined to sweep away the old fuddy duddy eating habits and put some new flavours on those old moustaches. It would be a long struggle, she knew. But the day she saw Captain Armstrong going back for seconds of polenta - and ticking off young Lieutenant Paley for not trying some - she realised that one day soon she would be feasting off Captain Armstrong's captive heart.

Other People's Officers by Rosemary de la Epaulette

The title gives a clue - we are in Trollope country here, but with a twist that she could never have imagined. For the story is not of two families, but of two regiments, cruelly forced to merge by government cuts.

Thus it is that young Lieutenant Alan Yarrow, of the Northern Rifles, suddenly finds himself commanded by the grim, growling figure of Colonel Struther, of the Scottish Bombardiers. And what makes it worse is that they are both in love with the same woman, Pipe Majorette Jenny McTavish. She is kidnapped at the Edinburgh Tattoo by a crazed Scottish Nationalist gang, and both Alan and the grim Colonel demand the right to rescue her...

To Call Him Sir, by Sally Enfield "And what shall I call you," said Captain Teddy Barker, mockingly. " Shall I call you Sir? Or Ma'am? Or would you prefer to be called Ms Major?"

Captain Teddy Barker was by no means pleased to be put under the command of a woman on a mission to rescue 13 blockheads captured by Nigerian rebels. He was even less pleased to find that the commander was Major Norma Lafayette, the red-headed firebrand who had once beaten him to win the regimental shooting competition.

"Call me what you damned well like, Barker," she said coolly, "as long as you do what I tell you, and remember that our mission is a bit more important than your own petty prejudices."

Barker flushed angrily. But in the days to come he was to appreciate more and more her powers of leadership, and to call her 'Sir' without irony.

And how he finally came to call her Mrs Barker is a tale that will keep you on the edge of your Kleenex box.