Harlequin Intrigue Rant

My Nanny - which is my grandmother for those who think I am a woman child - gets a pack of five Harlequin Intrigues each month and I have just started to really read what she has. Reading at least three of them I found something troublesome: All of the books follow the same guidelines.

I am a man. I build log cabins.

1st Guideline: A vulnerable female lead.
I find that every single female lead character in all these books are being hunted down by some sinister man. Do these women not know about self defense? Every time they knowingly go into harm's way so you would think they would come prepared with a thing of pepper spray or mace.

2nd Guideline: A big burly strong male lead to protect the wimpy female lead
It is always the same type of guy. Rough on the edges, ripped like a washboard, never follows the rules, and feels the need to protect the wimpy women in this world.

3rd Guideline: Female lead doesn't like to admit her vulnerability and instead pushes independence and almost gets killed
"Don't tell me what to do! I can't just sit here and do nothing! Oh, I almost got run over by a black SUV!" That's it in a nutshell.

4th Guideline: Both parties refuse to admit that they want to bed each other and then bed each other.
Do I really need to explain this one?

It is not hard to predict what is going to happen in these books, which is a shame. Some of the plots are pretty good, but the generic guidelines they follow take away from it. They need to spice it up a bit. Put a 50 something balding, pot bellied man in the mix. It is all I ask.