Toronto-based romance fiction publisher Harlequin Enterprises has become the first publisher to offer entire eBooks enriched with interactive buttons that hyperlink to websites with more information about the novels’ content.

The deliberately unobtrusive links, placed intermittently throughout the publisher’s eBooks, can whisk readers to websites – many ad-supported – that contain photos, historical commentaries, illustrations, maps, sound effects, articles and more, enabling them to further immerse themselves in the worlds they’re reading about.

Harlequin has chosen to launch its Enriched Edition eBooks with Unmasked, by Nicola Cornick, because the Regency period in which it’s set provides ideal fodder. Readers will be able to instantly uncover the meaning behind obscure period details, customs, terms and references to help them better understand the story’s context.

The publisher plans to release select Enriched Edition titles from many of its other series and imprints. Readers can access Harlequin’s Enriched Edition eBooks, which are sold at the same price as regular eBooks, at www.eBooks.eHarlequin.com.