For Love and Money: The Literary Art of the Harlequin Mills & Boon Romance (Genre Fiction Monographs)

Laura Vivanco’s study challenges the perception that Harlequin Mills & Boon romances are merely mass-produced commodities, churned out in accordance with a strict and unchanging formula. She argues that many are well-written, skilfully crafted works, and that a few are small masterpieces. For Love and Money demonstrates the variety that exists beneath the covers of Harlequin Mills & Boon romances. They range from paranormal romances to novels resembling chick lit, and many have addressed serious issues, including the plight of post-Second World War refugees, threats to marine mammals, and HIV/AIDS. The genre draws inspiration from canonical texts, including Shakespearean comedies and Austen’s novels, as well as from other forms of popular culture. Though adapting a stock of common plots, the way such plots and metaphors are incorporated into any given novel renders it unique.

“Laura Vivanco’s For Love and Money is an impressive study of the popular fiction of Harlequin Mills and Boon that is a must read for any student of popular fiction and for those who write and love the genre” —Liz Fielding, author of over 50 Harlequin Mills & Boon romances.

“Deep learning, wide reading, and clear thinking are very much in evidence in Vivanco’s exploration of HM&B. A welcome addition to popular romance criticism.” — Professor Pamela Regis, author of A Natural History of the Romance Novel.

“Laura Vivanco’s For Love and Money is the book that scholars and fans have both been waiting for: a deft, attentive introduction to the Harlequin Mills & Boon romance novel as a work of art. Vivanco has a remarkable eye for the textual details that bring each novel to life. I am profoundly impressed.” — Professor Eric M. Selinger, author of What Is It Then Between Us? Traditions of Love in American Poetry.

"Laura Vivanco’s analysis of the category romance is both meticulous and inspiring. And while Vivanco limits her examples and discussions to category romances by Harlequin Mills & Boon and the HQN imprint, her application of Frye’s mimetic modes begs for expansion to texts and authors across the genre. This piece of literary criticism should serve as a template for romance scholars to move from defending the genre to discussing its values and complexity as a literary art. — Maryan Wherry, Journal of Popular Romance Studies