And now, the bodice ripping variety Or, the recipe for a Harlequin

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What can I say? Escapism at its most indulgent, we have the romances that more often than not are only published in the cheap mass market paperback format. Girl meets boy. Girl hates boy (and yet can’t resist his arrogant charm). Boy meets girl. Boy finds girl enticingly annoying. Girl and boy exchange witty retorts until they cannot resist temptation any longer. Then their mutual hate for each other is revealed to actually be (wait for it) undying passionate love. And then passion ensues (and does it ever). We get steamy scenes that make your cheeks flush. Then there is some sort of conflict in which boy temporarily loses girl, but through their own passionate determination, boy and girl once again find each other. Flash forward a few years and we see that boy and girl are still desperately in love, usually with a child or two rocking on girl’s knee. The only thing you really have to change for these types of books is the title. I like Lord Perfect (seriously). How ‘bout try Never Seduce a Scoundrel? Any takers for Some Like it Wicked? I know you want to read Duchess by Night. They’re all here, waiting for you to not be able to resist their charms. You might as well give in.