There's a certain cringe factor to Mills & Boon books, but I've been thinking lately that they are perfectly designed for their purpose: light, throw-away romance reads for an audience who wants to know exactly what they're getting before they open the book.
Look how well labelled they are:
The label is often the most prominent text on the covers, way more important than the title or the author. Each label is also associated with a colour, to make it easier for readers to quickly locate the books they want on the shelf. The typefaces chosen for the labels also tie-in: in the medical example above, the typeface is a no-nonsense serif; the label for 'Desire' is in a romantic, decorative typeface.
The format and production values of Mills & Boon books also reflect their function. They are small, light-weight paperbacks, easy to hold with one hand, and easy to transport; they have low production values as they don't need to last much longer than a single read through. It's hard to see in the picture below, but the paper is very low grammage, thin and grainy, almost like newsprint in quality.
The layout of the text is very easy to read, with large font and margins:
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