(New York) January 23, 2007 - Americans seem to always be on their PDAs and cell phones, hard at work wherever they are. Or are they? There may be another reason men and women are intensely typing away on their electronic devices, and it isn't business. Harlequin's Romance Report 2007 found that more than 55% of men and 47% of women in the U.S. have sent a sexually explicit email, text or instant message to someone - proving you just may be able to mix business and pleasure.

"People are looking for more romance in their lives and so it's natural that it has transcended to electronic devices and the internet," says Marleah Stout, editor of the Romance Report, "Cell phones and PDAs are great tools in keeping the love alive. By sending an impromptu text message in between meetings, you are telling the special person in your life how much they mean to you without having to resort to grand gestures."

(To dowload your copy of the 2007 Harlequin Romance Report click on the "Romance Report" link on the upper right. To continue reading the press release click on the "Read More" link to your left.)

This year's Romance Report 2007: The Romance Revolution, positions Harlequin at the front lines of a revolution where men and women everywhere are reclaiming romance for themselves, and refusing to succumb to clichéd labels or be constrained by taboos. They are taking the romance out of the bedroom and into their everyday lives.

"People want romance that is natural to them, one that eschews clichés and stereotyped expectations," says Stout. "The Romance Revolution is about feeling comfortable and confident. Romance isn't necessarily about breaking the bank on dinners or grandiose gifts; it can be picking up a movie on the way home from work, preparing a meal together, or stopping everything to share a dance to your favorite song - all simple actions that speak volumes."

The Power of Love

Most heroes in a Hollywood love story, when faced with the choice - love or money - will always choose love. Is the same true in the real world? According to the Harlequin Romance Report, love really does conquer all, with 71% of U.S. adults rate finding true love as important achievement in their life over 68% saying having money to buy whatever they want.

What was Old is New Again

When there is thought behind something can it really be cliché? Traditional gifts are being given new life according to the Harlequin Romance Report. When asked if traditional ideas of romance like chocolate or flowers were outdated nearly three-quarters of men (72%) and eight in 10 women (78%) disagreed.

But do women trust the intentions behind that bouquet?

Women polled by Harlequin seem to give men the benefit of the doubt when it comes to romantic gestures with 59% of women disagreeing with the notion that men do romantic things for their partners because it is expected of them. And it is not just roses and godiva - these days men are looking for more thoughtful gifts - lilies instead of roses, personalized candies instead of boxes of chocolate and instead of dinner and movie it's rock climbing and a mountain top picnic.

Unconventional Romantic Destinations

Romance can be found in the most unlikely places. This year the Romance Report 2007 uncovers some of the more unconventionally romantic destinations, such as:

• Pamplona, Spain for the thrill seekers who wish to experience the running of the bulls with their favorite girl or guy

• Crete, Greece for history buffs who can explore ancient civilizations hand in hand

• Thailand for beach lovers which holds the most famous beaches in the world

• Tokyo, Japan for those who crave a different but still urban atmosphere

I'm talking about...forgiveness

In every relationship, there is always the issue of temptation, no matter how in love you are. The new romantic looks at the issue of cheating through a different set of eyes, a more forgiving set, and surprisingly it was the men who were more inclined to forgive and forget when it came to these indiscretions.

- Nearly twice as many men than women would forgive their partner for having sex with somebody else (20% men vs. 12% women).

- While men and women are equally likely to forgive a minor transgression such as flirting with someone else (74% men, 71% women) men are actually more forgiving than women when it comes to any of the following:

• Lying about # of sexual partners: 59% of men vs. 50% of women

• Kissing someone else: 54% of men vs. 37% of women

• Having cyber-sex with someone else: 47% of men vs. 24% of women

• Having sex with someone else: 20% of men vs. 12% of women

The statistics tell us that men are looking at relationships as more than just black and white, right and wrong, but understanding that it takes work, and they are willing to fight it out.

Star-Struck

Hollywood has long been the compass on trends and so we looked again to see which hot celebrities were leading the new romantic charge. Who are these ultra-cool celebrities? The coolest women include Demi Moore, Salma Hayek, Cameron Diaz, Sheryl Crow and Sandra Oh. For the men we look to Matt Damon, Jay-Z, Johnny Depp, Jack Nicholson and our triple threat George Clooney.

Survey Methodology

This survey was conducted online by Harris Interactive on behalf of Harlequin Enterprises Ltd. between June 21 and June 23, 2006 among 2,256 U.S. adults 18 years of age or older. Figures for region, age within gender, education, household income and race/ethnicity were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.

With a pure probability sample of 2,256 adults one could say with a ninety-five percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of 3 percentage points. The sampling error for the sub-samples of men (n= 1,082) and women (n= 1,174) is higher and varies. However that does not take other sources of error into account. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

About Harlequin

HARLEQUIN ENTERPRISES LIMITED is the one of the world's leading publishers of women's fiction. Its books are published worldwide in 25 languages and sold in over 94 international markets. The company publishes over 115 titles monthly and publishes more than 1000 authors from around the world. HARLEQUIN ENTERPRISES LIMITED is a wholly owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation, a broadly based media company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TS.nv.b). The company's Web site is located at www.eharlequin.com.