HR Reps Worst Fears Confirmed

HR Reps Worst Fears Confirmed

Over Half of Americans Are Diving Head First into Interoffice Relationships

NEW YORK, Feb. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- When it comes to relationships between men and women, the interoffice romance is no longer taboo. According to the 2008 Harlequin Romance Report, Confessions(1), 57% of men and 61% of women admitted to having a crush on someone they work with. Not only did men and women confess to having crushes, a shocking 65% of men and 56% of women made it official, starting a relationship with a colleague.

According to the report, Americans revealed when honesty is the best policy and when lies are still acceptable. They also took some time to confess a few of their best kept secrets...

-- Whether you are getting away with it or not, 39% of men and 35% of
women still have their ex's phone number saved in their phone or
BlackBerry.
-- Forty percent of men and 44% of women admitted to having snooped
through their partner's emails/text messages/instant messages, private
letters and/or mementos from previous partners.
-- Forty-five percent of men and 55% of women have planned to bump into
someone on purpose.
-- Fifty three percent of men and 54% of women have researched a potential
date or significant other (i.e., Googled, checked for an online
profile, searched MySpace or Facebook).

The Report also includes:

Celebrity tell-all's -- The 2008 report includes rankings of celebrities whose juicy tell-all books we'd most love to read. Perez Hilton's tell-all book topped the male list with honorable mentions for George Clooney and Jack Nicholson. Angelina Jolie took the number one spot for the women, with honorable mentions for Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears for their multiple DUIs, rehab sessions and on-again, off-again relationships. Oprah Winfrey, Victoria Beckham, Brad Pitt and Colin Farrell also made the list.

The best confession tunes of all time -- Harlequin's Romance Experts compiled a list of the top ten songs about confessions. From Usher to Bon Jovi, the songs are available for download at www.charitytunes.com/harlequin. Charity Tunes will contribute 10 percent of the amount collected from each download to Big Brothers Big Sisters.

This is just a taste of the findings in the 2008 Harlequin Romance Report. The full text of the 2008 Harlequin Romance Report: Confessions can be downloaded at http://www.harlequinromancereport.com/reports.php/

Harlequin Enterprises Limited is the global leader in series romance and one of the world's leading publishers of women's fiction, with titles issued worldwide in 25 languages and sold in 94 international markets. The company produces over 115 titles monthly and publishes more than 1,300 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). Harlequin's Web site is located at www.eHarlequin.com. Harlequin has offices in 18 countries including Toronto, New York and London. For more information please visit www.eHarlequin.com or www.press.eHarlequin.com.

1 This survey was conducted online by Harlequin Enterprises Ltd. at

www.harlequinromancereport.com between September 26 and October 31,
2007. The survey was open to adults over the age of 18 residing in any
country. The microsite was visited by more than 3,000 men and women
around the world.

www.harlequinromancereport.com and its contents are the property of
Harlequin Enterprises Limited ("Harlequin") or its licensors and are
protected, without limitation, pursuant to Canadian and foreign
copyright and trademark laws.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Harlequin Enterprises Limited

CONTACT: Jessica Tullman, +1-212-614-4902, jessica.tullman@bm.com; or
Debra Kanter, +1-312-596-3484, debra.kanter@bm.com, both of Burson-Marsteller,
for Harlequin Enterprises Limited

Web site:

http://www.eharlequin.com/
http://www.harlequinromancereport.com/
http://www.harlequinromancereport.com/reports.php
http://www.charitytunes.com/harlequin
http://www.press.eharlequin.com/

NOTE TO EDITORS: For a copy of the 2008 Romance Report, to obtain a provincial breakdown of the American statistics or to arrange an interview with a Harlequin romance expert, please see below contacts.

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