"Finally, a true and insightful history of the romance novel. This book establishes the historical legitimacy of an important literary genre." --Jayne Ann Krentz "Regis sets out to analyse the formal features and literary history of this much-maligned genre. . . . "A Natural History of the Romance Novel is a thorough, sensible, and partisan book, arguing for romantic fiction as a genre that celebrates freedom of choice." --"Times Literary Supplement