Essays by Sandra Brown, Jayne Ann Krentz, Mary Jo Putney, and other romance writers refute the myths and biases related to the romance genre and its readers.

Premiering August 8 on The Movie Channel as a major motion picture, "The Waiting Game" is the unbeatable story of two lovers caught in an intriguing and passionate adventure amidst the search for a mysterious cache of gold and the missing man who alone knows its location. The movie will run throughout the month of August and will be prominently featured in future months.

Finding that romance novels are an important literary genre not only because they comprise nearly half of paperback fiction sold, but also because they employ sympathetic values and identifiable conventions, critics present 12 studies analyzing a selection of specific conventions, patterns, themes, and images and trace them back to origins in folktales or fairy tales and back again to the latest adaptations available in the supermarkets. No index. Paper edition (778-0), $21.95. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

From a magnificent ballroom ablaze with lights to an imposing country house steeped in shadows comes a breathtaking tale of an impetuous miss--and a passion that leads to peril... At five and twenty, Prudence Merryweather knew very well tht risks a woman took by visiting a gentleman in the dead of night. But bearding the notorious Earl of Angelstone in his den was the only way to stop him from engaging her hot-headed brother in a duel. And that was why she found herself ushered into Sebastian's frobidding presence at three int the morning--and thoroughly kissed before dawn. She was a country-bred innocent--and an intriguing experience for a man who dwelt more in the shadows than in the sunshine. Yet as her boldness drew Prue into one dangerous episode after another, Sebastian found himself torn between a raging hunger to possess her and a driving need to protect her. And the reckless beauty would soon need all the protection she could get...

Legend has it that years and years ago Emelina Fleetwood discovered a treasure of gold and, before she died, buried it and then drew a map of the spot. A treasure map, which supposedly traces the path to their ancestor's pot of gold, has been handed down to each generation of Fleetwood women. The current map owner, Sarah believes in the legend and hires treasure hunter Gideon Trace to help her search. And he's more than willing to share her adventure.

The popularity of romance fiction is such that it constitutes nearly one quarter of new paperback fiction printed in the world. Its success depends on its ability to reflect and articulate the reader's aspirations for a better life and stands at the same time as a testament to her alienation. This fresh look at the romantic fiction seeks to discover the reason for its appeal by combining analysis of the poetics of the genre with a study of the real reader's intervention.