<p><em>Heated Rivalry</em>, <em>Love is Blind</em> or <em>Boyfriend on Demand</em> all underline the global appetite for passionate swooning. But let’s not forget the source for all of it: the romance novel. It may have a reputation problem but sales in 2023 reached 39 million copies or romance fiction globally — ringing in at $1.5 billion dollars. The books and readership continue to evolve as popularity increases. What is it about romance novels that women are drawn to? Is it unhealthy escapism, harmless fun or a kind of opiate?<em> IDEAS</em> looks back to a 1992 episode called <em>Paperback Love</em> to understand the enduring acclaim of romance novels.</p>