A heady dose of romance and sex; a spicy plot complete with mayhem and murder; and stereotypical characters— a tall, dark and handsome male and a stunningly beautiful damsel.

These are the ingredients that make a perfect Mills and Boon romance novel that has attracted generations of women and, yes, men as well. And this quota of escapist fantasy comes courtesy the century-old British publishing house Harlequin Mills & Boon Limited.

Started in 1908 in the United Kingdom, the publishing house has been exporting mushy novels to 109 countries, including India, and in 26 different languages. In fact, to mark its centenary this year, Mills and Boon set up an office in Mumbai, and will now print books in India. The publishing house has already appointed an exclusive distributor to release five new titles every month, priced at a neat at Rs 99. Also, there are plans to have more Indian settings and characters in the romances.

For scores of Indian women— teenagers as well as older women— Mills and Boons are the ideal form of ‘light reading’. While avid readers buy the books from stores or online, most borrow them from lending libraries. This is largely due to the printing cycle of the books. Titles, published under 11 series— Modern, Romance, Blaze, By Request, Medical, Historical, Desire 2-in-1, Special Edition, Super romance, Intrigue, Spotlight— are put out in the market each month. After 30 days, the unsold copies are withdrawn. They can then be bought direct from Mills & Boon for the next three months or until they are sold out, whichever is sooner. Again, any remaining books are disposed of. Fans looking for particular books after this time can only get them second-hand or from lending libraries.

Most popular series...

Saravanan, owner of Eswari Lending Library, one of Chennai’s largest libraries (it stocks 20,000 such titles), says, “Silhouette and Medical romances are easily one of the most popular books borrowed. Women between the age groups of 17 and 70 read them.” Post-graduate journalism student M Nidhi, says, “I started reading Mills and Boons in Class 12.”

So, what is it about these books that attract large numbers— last year roughly 130 million books were sold, worldwide. For young readers, the sexual content is a strong attraction. Though the stress was more on romance and less on sex earlier on, nowadays the books are more graphic. “Books of the 1970s and ‘80s stop with the description of a passionate kiss. Now, however, there is absolutely amazing sexual description and a lot of us read it because of that. In fact, men read them too,” reveals Nidhi.

K Anand, a commerce student, adds, “There are really spicy, sex scenes especially in the Blaze books. There’s some Perry Mason-like (mystery) stuff, too. But to be honest, I flip through them in the bookstores and read the best bits.”

But what is a hit with youngsters is a big put-off for older women. Sumitra Ranganathan, 43, a software professional based in the US, has been reading Mills and Boons since she was 10 years old. She prefers the older authors, like Sara Seale, Mary Burchell and Essie Summers, because “they leave room for romance”. The latest books “are too steamy”. “I want the books to reinforce my idea of romance and not make me sick,” she says.
Susan Philip, a journalist, who is in her mid-40s, agrees. “The really old titles are mostly family oriented. The stories have humour, multiple characters and are set in different places. Now, the plots are thinner, the stories predictable and the situations stereotyped,” she rues.

Landmark, one of South India’s largest retail bookstore chains, stocks the latest books. Joseph Francis, Head, Book Section, Nungambakkam Branch, says, “We stock Mills and Boons in the our romance section where they share space with old-time favourites like Georgette Heyer. These books are usually bought by youngsters— predominantly women. Some young men pick them up as gifts for their female friends. The sales are good and growing steadily.”

Cause for concern?

But the amazing popularity of such fiction— with sexual content that borders on soft porn— among youngsters is a cause for concern for many. According to Ravi Samuel, a psychotherapist, “These books are written by authors from the US and UK keeping their social sensibilities in mind. The cultural context is totally different. This may not be fully understood by vulnerable teenagers. They may start looking for romantic partners early and if they find one, and are unable to sustain the relationship, a sense of failure can set in.”

Says Anand, “I have noticed that some girls think that real life ought to be like these books.” Agrees Nidhi, “The books do define some women’s approach to marriage and love. I have a good number of friends who really go by these books.”

But Philip thinks that it is only a temporary phase— almost like a rite of passage for young girls— and that not much should be read into it.