Secret Romance #5

Charlton's Secret Romance #5 brings two heart-tugging stories to its February 1970 cover, teasing "Heart of Stone" — where Susan Crann navigates a complicated love triangle with Cornell Todd and Miles Conroy — and "If This Isn't Love," which finds Paula traveling all the way to a Paris masquerade ball in search of answers. Charles Nicholas's cover artwork splits the scene neatly between a stylish young couple arriving together on one side and a glamorous masked-ball crowd on the other, with elegantly dressed revelers in top hats and eye masks filling the background. At just 15 cents, this issue packs a double dose of romantic intrigue and the kind of emotional storytelling that made Charlton's romance line a steady favorite.