Embrace That Guilty Pleasure Like It's Your Own Hardbodied Romantic Hero

You may have noticed the recent crop of somewhat bizarre subway ads promoting an upcoming Lifetime series of Nora Roberts romance novel adaptations. You know, the ones where various washed-up actors sport awkward, pained expressions and clutch each other, shirtless?

Well, that campaign represents no isolated phenomenon. According to a New York Times article, it seems that the recession is driving even those who used to dutifully follow the news and force themselves to read the classics, to give in and join the escapist ranks of bodice-ripper addicts.

Harlequin Enterprises, leading publisher in the world of heaving bosoms and steamy propositions, reported that earnings were up 32 % this year, and even Barnes & Noble reported an increase in romance sales despite a projected 4%-6% decline in overall sales.

The genre has a definite cult following, evidenced by popular blogs such as this one, a sassy site (motto: "all of the romance, none of the bullshit") that gives clever reviews and letter grades to chosen novels. Others, like Teach Me Tonight host discussions about everything from gender roles and class distinction to authors' techniques for building suspense and character. As these sites show, the Romance following is more broad than stereotypes might indicate. The popular outcry in D.C. over a subway advertisement that made fun of the romance genre by placing it next to Plato's Republic, which the ad dubbed “Greater Washington Subway Reading” was marked with protests by self-described "feminists with PhD's" who resented the judgment being passed on the romance genre.

Further aiding this industry's recession-era growth: Romance fans are a loyal and voracious bunch, consistently buying 4-6 books a week, according to Sue Grimshaw, the romance buyer at Borders. The Times quoted one Atlanta reader who spends $100 a month on romance novels as saying, “I would give up something else if money was tight...I have my priority list.”