What compels someone to own 2,000 romance novels?
“It was kind of an unforeseen circumstance,” says Krystin Golden. “I just got hooked on them, and it kept going.”
A room in Golden’s Windsor, Ont., basement is devoted to her personal library, where shelf upon shelf is occupied by her enormous (and carefully organized) collection of Harlequin Intrigue paperbacks.
Over the course of the past three decades, Golden has accumulated exactly 2,000 titles in the book line — from the first one published in 1984, to the 2,000th one published in 2021.
Golden confesses to being a completist and “a bit of a neat freak, I suppose.”
But now Golden has finally had enough Harlequin Intrigue: She’s trying to sell the entire collection as a single lot.
She’s hoping for an ideal purchaser: “Someone who can take them on to rehome them. Someone who will appreciate the books as much as I definitely have.”
Golden is quick to point out that Harlequin Intrigue paperbacks aren’t tawdry tales. Although every narrative under the brand includes a romance, it’s combined with crime, mystery and suspense elements.
Harlequin Enterprises (a subsidiary of HarperCollins) bills the Intrigue line as “action-packed stories that will keep you on the edge of your seat.”
For example, Assumed Identity — a title picked by Golden at random from her shelves — shows a steely-eyed protagonist on its cover. Jake Lonergan is a man with temporary amnesia who isn’t certain if he’s a DEA agent or a deadly hitman.
It’s only when Jake meets “gorgeous single mom” Robin Carter that his life snaps into focus, driven by his heroic desire to protect Robin and her daughter.
“They are light reads,” Golden says with bemusement. “Not a lot of subtext.”
As for the love scenes, Golden says Harlequin Intrigue books tend to be “very mild” compared to typical romance pulp.
Golden admits that she hasn’t read every book in the collection: Her tally is at about two-thirds.
“There are definitely some repeat stories, to a point,” Golden said.
“I like something that is an easy read,” she adds. “It’ s nice to step away from real life, and be a different person in a different setting, just for a couple of hours.”
Taryn Myers, who goes by the publishing name Kate Smoak, is a Chatham-based romance author.
She believes Golden’s explanation is exactly why Harlequin books have endured for generations.
“They allow readers to step outside of their own world and immerse themselves in another one,” Myers said. “They can explore different types of romantic connections, different types of fantasies.”
Myers is the owner and organizer of the Rose City Romance Conference, where readers of modern romantic fiction can meet independent authors in the genre.
The second edition of the annual event takes place April 10 to 12 at the Caesars Windsor convention centre.
Harlequin paperbacks aren’t featured at the event, and aren’t among Myers’ personal tastes, but she understands that they tap into a successful formula.
“They deliver ‘happily ever afters,’ and that’s what romance readers love,” Myers said. “There are tropes in the romance genre for a reason, and it’s because they are popular.”
“[Readers] want to see that the character they’ve invested time into ends up with a ‘forever’ moment.”
Could Golden’s vast collection represent a yearning for romance that’s missing from her real life?
Golden assures that’s not the case: She’s happily married. Her library room was built for her by her husband, including the many shelves that hold her Harlequin Intrigue books.
“I’ve had some change in hobbies, and so I’d like to re-purpose the room,” Golden explains. “I’ve been bigger into crafts over the last few years, so this room will be going towards that.”
