The quaint, pastoral setting for Anne of Green Gables may not be what comes to mind when you imagine a steamy, sex-filled romance novel. Same goes for a coffee shop on the busy streets of Toronto, or a lakeside cottage in Barry's Bay, Ont. But that's exactly what buzzy Toronto author Carley Fortune has done with three best-selling romances: make classic Canadian locations sizzle.

Now, fans from around the world are clamouring to learn more about places that, to the Canadian reader, might seem familiar but not necessarily sexy. Industry experts note that may be because traditionally, romance novels written by Canadian authors tend not to be set in Canada. Even books published by Canadian publishing company Harlequin — a destination brand for romances — typically feature exotic or foreign locales , like a villa in France or Italy's Amalfi Coast.

But Fortune's massively popular books are helping to turn that tide, as she features locations like Barry's Bay, Toronto and now, Prince Edward Island. This Summer Will Be Different , set in P.E.

I., was released on May 7 and is already the No. 1 New York Times bestseller for paperback trade fiction.

Young female readers, #BookTok fuel spicy romantasy genre's staggering sales figures Q with Tom Power How one horrible phone call led Carley Fortune to quit her job and become a romance novelist "Lots of people write about where they're from or write about Canada if they're Canadian writers," said Julie Rak, a professor in the English an.