?Teachers and students of Popular Culture, Women's Studies, and American Studies will find that Kay Mussell's scholarly discussion of contemporary woman's romance fiction provides a systematic exploration of an underscrutinized but significant genre. Mussell's book makes several specific contributions, 1) It seeks reasons for the popular genre's persistent appeal despite changing cultural options for women, and it does so against a background of popular-culture theory and female psychology. 2) It codifies and defines contemporary women's romance conventions. ... 3) It examines the connections between contemporary women's romances and associated narrative forms. ... 4) It illuminates relevant critical debates and engages contending theoretical issues. ... While Fantasy and Reconciliation may be short on the absolute political assurance that some radical feminist scholars hope for, it offers thoughtful and lucid reflections upon popular female fantasy fiction during transitional times for women and validates the study of women's romances from a well-modulated women's studies perspective.?-American Literature