Mills and Boon is, in many women’s eyes, the Queen Bee of Romantic fiction. They provide short, snappy stories regarding the loves and lives of many a romantic heroine, gallant prince or dashing suitor, and have provided inspiration to many fantasies.
My own experience of Mills and Boon ... Read review
Advantages: Quick Romantic Read - Low Price Disadvantages: Similar storylines through books
Mills and Boon is, in many women’s eyes, the Queen Bee of Romantic fiction. They provide short, snappy stories regarding the loves and lives of many a romantic heroine, gallant prince or dashing suitor, and have provided inspiration to many fantasies.
My own experience of Mills and Boon stems from my mum’s book collection. During my teenage years, when I was delving into the mystery that is the male species, I was often found ... ...
In 1908, Gerald Mills and Charles Boon combined forces to create Mills and Boon ltd, although they did not intentionally set out to be a Romantic Fiction Publishing House.
The depression of the 1930’s led people to yearn for escapism via fiction, and as the more popular genre was Romance, the company, Mills and Boon, decided to concentrate their efforts there.
There books were generally lent by libraries, so ... more
Mills and Boon is, in many women’s eyes, the Queen Bee of Romantic fiction. They provide short, snappy stories regarding the loves and lives of many a romantic heroine, gallant prince or dashing suitor, and have provided inspiration to many fantasies.
My own experience of Mills and Boon stems from my mum’s book collection. During my teenage years, when I was delving into the mystery that is the male species, I was often found to be reading a Mills and Boon story. They offered me a quick escape into the dream of the perfect partner, and gave me hope that one day; a handsome man would sweep me off my feet.
*History*
In 1908, Gerald Mills and Charles Boon combined forces to create Mills and Boon ltd, although they did not intentionally set out to be a Romantic Fiction Publishing House.
The depression of the 1930’s led people to yearn for escapism via fiction, and as the more popular genre was Romance, the company, Mills and Boon, decided to concentrate their efforts there.
There books were generally lent by libraries, so were often printed in Hardback, but with the decline of lending libraries in the 1950’s the company decided to produce and sell in paper-back, thereby offering their readers books that were easily accessible and at a low price.
In 1971, Harlequin Publishers acquired the rights to Mills and Boon, and they became officially know as Harlequin Mills and Boon Ltd. Soon after other offices opened in Germany, Sweden, France and Italy and later into Poland and the Czech Republic, and are now readily available worldwide.
*Product Line*
In 2000, five different series were introduced, which are now produced monthly by Mills and Boon. They are;
Modern Romance – Mills and Boon quote these as being “One romance you’ll never want to end” and described as being Glamorous, sophisticated and passionate romance.
Tender Romance – Mills and Boon quote these as being “Dare to dream” and are described as being warm and emotionally fulfilling novels that capture the magic of falling in love.
Sensual – Mills and Boon quote these as being “Strong women, bad boys and great Sex!” and are described as sexy, sassy and seductive.
Medical – Mills and Boon quote these as being “The best medicine of all” and are described as delightful contemporary romances set against the background of the medical profession.
Historical – Mills and Boon quote these as being “love and Passion bring the past to life” and are based around medieval sagas, to the roaring twenties.
Mills and Boon also offer another series of books under the brand name Silhouette, and they offer romance novels written under the subjects of Desire, Special Edition, Sensation and Intrigue.
*Website*
Mills and Boon have their own designated website which can be found at www.millsandboon.co.uk, and offer international links to countries such as Australia, France, Germany and North America.
The home page, on the UK website, is clearly laid out and highlights sub-sections of the website – Books, Authors, Online Reads and Membership.
On the left hand side they have listed their nominated book of the day, currently Dr Bodyguard by Jessica Anderson which is part of the Silhouette Intrigue collection, and in the centre is a link to the current online book. The online book is broken into chapters and is currently showing Wife for Real, by Kate Walker, and at present chapters 1 to 8 is available.
Also on the website are links to Special Releases, Aspiring Authors, Free Book Offer and a link to a Quick Search option.
*Membership*
Membership to Mills and Boon is free, and registration is quick and simple. You are provided with access to:
Previous Orders Personal Wish list Password changes Name and address detail changes
When registering you are asked for your name and address details, as well as an e-mail address and password to access your account. The terms and conditions of the site are also available to read before your submit your application.
*Prices and availability*
Prices of the Mills and Boob books are very reasonable and vary from £2.69 for books purchased from the Modern, Tender, Sensual and Medical Series to £3.59 for some of the Historical romances. On average each book as between 200 and 300 pages.
Amazon.co.uk also sells Mills and Boon books, and currently has several special editions available for around £4.69. The special edition books tend to be three or more standard books, sold as a single unit.
Most local bookstores also sell Mills and Boon, such as WHSmith and Waterstones, and they are also generally available from charity shops such as Oxfam for under a pound.
*Contact Information*
The contact address for Mills and Boon is currently:
Mills and Boon Limited Eton House 18-24 Paradise Road Richmond Surrey TW91SR United Kingdom.
*Summary*
Mills and Boon offer reasonably priced romance novels, which capture the hearts and imaginations of females, and males, from all over the world. They have been one of the biggest romance publishers since 1971, and have several great ranges of books available.
I personally find them a little too short, and due to the number of stories I have read, have found that the standard story line of Boy meet Girl, Boy and Girl fall in love, Boy and Girl fall out, Boy and Girl get back together and get married, a bit monotonous after a while, and think this very simple plot line appears in to many of the editions I have read.
However they are a great snappy read, and I’m sure there have a place in my reader’s hearts for years to come yet.
Advantages: quick read Disadvantages: loads about, so hard to sell on.
Every month Mills and Boon ,owned by Harlequin publish 29 new titles.The topics include:Modern Romance, Tender Romance,Sensual Romance, Medical Romance and Historical Romance.It works out 6 under each one every month, which is 348 every year!!
Each book is aprox 190 pages long.I can read one in about an hour and a half.
Second hand book shops will try to buy them off you for about 5 pence, even the latest ones.They say it's because they have loads ... ...short books for Mills and Boon.She now does novels for Worldwide books and Mira.
All three are owned by Harlequin.I have about 14 novels by her.
Penny Jordan, is a really brillant author.
Next time you fancy a quick read, I can throughly recommed most Mills and Boon Books.They Retail for about £2.50 each.
Mills and Boon also do a collection of 4 stories in one book.My boyfriend bought me last year's Valentines Day one called "Valentine Affairs", ...
galls 12.02.2001 (14.02.2001)
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Advantages: ROMANTIC EASY READS Disadvantages: NONE IF YOUR A ROMANTIC
...have just recently started reading mills and boon. I had seen my gran read them years ago but i didn't think they were my kind of read. Anyway a few weeks ago my gran gave me a black bin bag full of mills and boon books to hand in to a local jumble sale. i was bored and decided to have a read at one of the books. Needless to say i ended up keeping them all and gave a donation to the jumble sale instead.
The core product in the Mills and Boon brand ... ...If you go to the mills and boon website www.millsandboon.co.uk and join up you will receive 2 books free and a mystery gift if after you receive your books you don't want to receive anymore you can simply unsubscribe from the club and you pay nothing and you get to keep the 2 books and the gift.
My favourite books so far have been from the modern romance section. The author i have read most and enjoyed is Penny Jordan. If you want to read some of ...
SHELLY78 29.10.2006
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Advantages: Easy to read and entertaining stories Disadvantages: Too much choice
Mills & Boon is a British publisher of short romantic novels, owned by Harlequin, a Canadian publisher, who publish around the world.
Recently they have moved into selling "bigger books", with imprints such as MIRA and HQN (launched in the US July 2004) and want to be the foremost publisher of women's fiction worldwide.
You might think you know Mills & Boon, but did you know that:
1) Mills & Boon have a UK website where you can see details of ... ...worldwide:
http://www.eharlequin.com
4) Mills & Boon has "opened the bedroom door" and publishes sensual romances (the red covers) & passionate modern romances (the blue covers). More traditional reads are under the orange covers. M&B also publish medical romances (green covers) and historical romances (purple covers). NB Cover colours relate to the paperback editions.
5) Harlequin has just announced its intention to publish a new imprint called ...
KatherineA 08.07.2004
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Advantages: lighthearted, quick and easy to read Disadvantages: The more experienced reader may want more of a challenge
Mills and Boon helped me rekindle my passion for books. I used to read a lot as a child, but as I got older the passion gradually disappeared, until I stumbled across an old Mills and Boon book. I got so much enjoyment from reading it that I subscribed to the Mills and Boon website (www.millsandboon.co.uk) and got 2 books free! If you don't wish to continue with your subscription you can just cancel it and you don't need to return the books or pay ... ...born-again reader, I think that Mills and Boon are fantastic because they are so easy to read with no difficult language. They provide light relief from the hectic world and allow me to dream about the romance and chivalry that is almost extinct today. They are only small books, so they are nice and quick to read. Also, because they are so popular, they are easy to get hold of, although not so easy to sell. If you like a literary challenge, with ...
princessemma1983 17.02.2007
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Advantages: They are easy to slip in your bag, they are great for relaxing with. Disadvantages: They can be finished quickly and present no mental challenges.
...reading. I love reading Mills and Boon books as a way to relax. This means that I do not want to have to think too much about where the plot is going. While doing my A levels and my degree I loved delving into a quick romance to take my mind off of more complex problems such as mathematical equations. Mills and Boon books were what kept me sane and very happy. Especially as they cover such a wide range of topics while keeping the same ideas of romance ... ...head.
All in all Mills and Boon create some wonderful reads and although story lines can be similar, what human beings desire is similar, so there isn't much of a chance to vary the books. After all a story with happiness, love, success, wealth and health is like a fairy tale and as such will be successful with the readers when told over and over again.
Mills and Boon books should not be bought in hope of a challenge or in hope of an extremely ...
sleyley1 19.06.2007
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Advantages: Great characters, enjoyable story, interesting issues explored Disadvantages: Rather too many minor characters
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I have to admit the Scottish sections of the book feel a bit like an 'aga saga', and - worse! - the Brazilian parts seem almost Mills and Boon in places. Not that I've read any of the latter genre for at least twenty years, I hasten to add! Moreover, 'Return to Drumveyn' is perhaps a bit over-crowded with characters and family relationships, particularly in Scotland where the author bases many of her books. Each novel she writes seems to pick up on a minor character from a previous one, and makes ...
**** Time for a change by Erica James ****
** About the author **
She has written several other books including Paradise house,a breath of fresh air and a sense of belonging. Her short stories have won prizes in different competitions and she has been short listed for the parker romantic novel of the year award three times.
**Main character**
Hilary Parker.At the start of the book she is really happy with the way her life is until she discovers her husband is cheating on her.(i wont say how she finds out,read the book!)
This leaves her with a dilemma ,what should she do next? What ever she decides her life is never going to be the same again that's for sure
To be honest i wasn't sure what expect when i got this book as my gran picked it up for me and her usual books are mills and boon, not something i particularly like ...
Advantages: An perfected world of romance Disadvantages: Sometimes scratches the service of far fetched
Penny Jordan is a fantastic author who specialises in writting romance and modern romance for the publisher Mills and Boon. From reading serveral of her book and owning serveral more i have not yet read i can tell that she likes to get the reader deeply involved in her books by mentally imagining images explicit to describe fully.
Her books are for adults and i would not recommened any person under the mental age of around 18 to read these books as they would not apprecite Penny's style to it's full ability.
The main target audience for her books is the middle ages to OAP's.
If you would like to find out more information about Penny then please visit the mills and boon website. ...
gunga 02.08.2008
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