This Thanksgiving break, I embarked on an adventure to find my inner romantic. What better way to spice up the holidays than with a deliciously raunchy Harlequin Romance novel? “Santa Baby,” a set of three novellas by Jennifer Crusie, Lori Foster and Carly Phillips, seemed like the perfect pick.

Not quite mirroring early novels of the romance genre such as “Pride and Prejudice” and “Wuthering Heights,” “Santa Baby” certainly exceeded my expectations for a sizzling read. To be honest, the second story especially seemed quite reminiscent of porn.

“He pressed his finger deeper, measuring her, then pulled out slowly to tease her taut clitoris, making her entire body shudder.”

The first story lacked any hard sexual content, so when I brought the second book with me to read between classes at the Union, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I realized reading about throbbing members and wet folds was not really Union-appropriate. I decided to save the book for later.

Despite my romance novel inexperience, seasoned romance-novel readers spend an average of $1,200 per year on their “addiction,” according to Tina Gianoulis, author of “St. James Encyclopedia of Pop Culture.” In addition, these saucy reads account for 40 percent of paperback sales in North America.

Curious about the deeper identity of the typical Harlequin Romance-novel reader, I hopped on my computer to see what I could find. Previously unbeknownst to me, there are tons of Web sites devoted to the genre. Most of them offer reviews of recently released books and forums where readers can discuss issues and characters.

I also came across research in Gianoulis’s article which says that the average Harlequin Romance reader is a 39-year-old woman with a household income of $40,000 a year. Not only that, but 45 percent of romance readers are college graduates and 50 percent work outside the home.

It was surprising to read these astounding facts, considering two weeks ago I was a trashy-Harlequin Romance virgin, but I can accept the numbers. Every time I go to the book store, I see at least five of the books on the “Reader’s Choice” or “Best Sellers” rack, and most book stores have a romance section. Now I know what all the fuss is about.

When I arrived back at my apartment to finish “Santa Baby,” I decided to share some of the passages with my boyfriend. You’d be surprised at how much fun a book can offer. I’ll let you use your imagination.

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