The Grandmother of Category Romance
Mills & Boon is the big grandmama of category romance. Gerald Rusgrove Mills and Charles Boon were the founders of the company. They originated in 1908 in the United Kingdom as a general publisher.
Fortuitously enough, the first book they released happened to be a romance, Sophie Cole’s Arrows from the Dark.
However, romance would not be the publishing house’s primary focus until the 1930s.
M & B sold their romances mainly to lending libraries. They produced brown, hardcover books which were instantly recognizable.
The M & B Romance
Mills & Boon’s romances were almost always told from a third-person perspective that focused on the heroine.
Usually, they left the hero’s thoughts unknown. Only through his words and deeds did the heroine, and thus the reader, know how he felt about her. The stoic, inscrutable hero would be a staple of the genre for decades.
Mills & Boon and Harlequin Ltd
A UK-based company, M & B, never directly released their books in North America. They distributed their books through Harlequin. In 1971 Harlequin Ltd bought out M & B.
Like Harlequin, they currently publish several lines.
| LINE |
|---|
| Mills & Boon Blaze (Australia) |
| Mills & Boon Cherish (Australia) |
| Mills & Boon Desire (Australia) |
| Mills & Boon Essence (Australia) |
| Mills & Boon Forever (Australia) |
| Mills & Boon Heart (Australia) |
| Mills & Boon Heartwarming (Australia) |
| Mills & Boon Historical (Australia) |
| Mills & Boon Intrigue (Australia) |
| Mills & Boon Medical (Australia) |
| Mills & Boon Modern (Australia) |
| Mills & Boon Romantic Suspense (Australia) |
| Mills & Boon Sexy (Australia) |
| Mills & Boon Western (Australia) |
| Mills & Boon Best Seller (reissues) |
| Mills & Boon Blaze |
| Mills & Boon Blaze 2-in-1 |
| Mills & Boon Cherish |
| Mills & Boon Cherish 2-in-1 |
| Mills & Boon Desire |
| Mills & Boon Desire 2-in-1 |
| Mills & Boon Enchanted |
| Mills & Boon Heartwarming |
| Mills & Boon Heroes |
| Mills & Boon Heroes 2-in-1 |
| Mills & Boon Historical |
| Mills & Boon Intimate (Australia) |
| Mills & Boon Intrigue |
| Mills & Boon Intrigue 2-in-1 |
| Mills & Boon Medical |
| Mills & Boon Medical 2-in-1 |
| Mills & Boon Modern Romance |
| Mills & Boon Modern Romance Extra |
| Mills & Boon Modern Romance Heat |
| Mills & Boon New Romance |
| Mills & Boon New Romance 2-in-1 |
| Mills & Boon Nocturne |
| Mills & Boon Presents |
| Mills & Boon Riva |
| Mills & Boon Romance |
| Mills & Boon Romance (Australia) |
| Mills & Boon Romantic Suspense |
| Mills & Boon Sensual Romance |
| Mills & Boon Special Edition |
| Mills & Boon Special Moments |
| Mills & Boon Special Moments 2-in-1 |
| Mills & Boon Super Historical |
| Mills & Boon Super Romance |
| Mills & Boon Supernatural |
| Mills & Boon Temptation |
| Mills & Boon Tempted |
| Mills & Boon Tender Romance |
| Mills & Boon True Love |
| Mills & Boon True Love 2-in-1 |
Covers
