What makes someone collect 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 dedicated to her personal library, where shelf after shelf is filled with her large (and neatly organized) collection of Harlequin Intrigue paperbacks.
Over the last thirty years, Golden has gathered exactly 2,000 titles from this line – starting with the first one in 1984 and ending with the 2,000th released in 2021.
Golden admits to being a completist and “a bit of a neat freak, I suppose.”
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Krystin Golden of Windsor stands among the packed shelves carrying her collection of Harlequin Intrigue paperbacks. (Dalson Chen/CBC)
But now Golden has finally decided she has enough Harlequin Intrigue: She’s attempting to sell the whole collection as one lot.
She’s looking for an ideal buyer: “Someone who can take them on to rehome them. Someone who will appreciate the books as much as I definitely have.”
Golden emphasizes that Harlequin Intrigue paperbacks aren’t just shallow stories. Although each story includes a romance, it’s mixed with crime, mystery and suspense elements.
Harlequin Enterprises (a subsidiary of Harper Collins) promotes the Intrigue line as “action-packed stories that will keep you on the edge of your seat.”
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Windsor resident Krystin Golden with one of the 2,000 books in her collection of the Harlequin Intrigue line of romance paperbacks. (Dalson Chen/CBC)
An example is Assumed Identity – a title chosen at random from her shelves – featuring a serious-looking protagonist on its cover. Jake Lonergan is a man suffering from temporary amnesia who isn’t sure if he’s a DEA agent or a lethal hitman.
It’s only when Jake encounters “gorgeous single mom” Robin Carter that his life starts coming together, fueled by his heroic urge to protect Robin and her daughter.
“They are light reads,” Golden says with amusement. “Not a lot of subtext.”
Regarding love scenes, Golden mentions that Harlequin Intrigue books tend to be “very mild” compared to standard romance novels.
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Just a handful of examples from Windsor resident Krystin Golden’s personal collection of Harlequin Intrigue romance paperbacks. (Dalson Chen/CBC)
Golden acknowledges she hasn’t read every book in her collection: She’s read about two-thirds so far.
“There are definitely some repeat stories, to a point,” Golden said.
“I like something that’s an easy read,” she adds. “It’s nice to step away from real life and be another person in another setting for just a couple hours.”![]()
Windsor resident Krystin Golden among her shelves of Harlequin Intrigue paperbacks. (Dalson Chen/CBC)
Taryn Myers, who writes under the name Kate Smoak, is a romance author based in Chatham.
She believes Golden’s reasoning explains why Harlequin books have been popular for so long.
“They allow readers to step outside their own world and immerse themselves in another one,” Myers said. “They can explore different types of romantic connections and fantasies.”
Myers runs and organizes the Rose City Romance Conference where fans can meet independent authors writing modern romantic fiction.
The second edition takes place April 10 to 12 at Caesars Windsor convention centre.
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Chatham-based romance writer Taryn Myers, who goes by the publishing name Kate Smoak. ()
Harlequin paperbacks aren’t part of this event’s lineup nor do they fit into Myers’ personal preferences; however she understands why they work so well.
“They deliver ‘happily ever afters,’ which is what readers love about romance,” Myers said. “There are tropes in this genre for good reason because they’re popular.”
“[Readers] want to see that their invested character ends up having that ‘forever’ moment.”
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Could Golden’s vast library indicate she’s searching for some missing romance in real life?
Golden insists that’s not true: She’s happily married! Her husband built her library room complete with all those shelves holding her treasured Harlequin Intrigue books.
“I’ve had some changes in hobbies recently so I’d like to repurpose this room,” explains Golden. “I’ve been more into crafts over these last few years; therefore I’m shifting this space toward that.”
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