Visiting indepfinishent romance bookshops in the US inspired the creation of The Spicy Librarian
A bookshop that claims to be the largest in Europe specialising in adults-only romance novels opens this weekfinish.
The Spicy Librarian in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, has more than 2,500 titles stocked and aims to put a spotlight on romance sub-genres while providing a safe space for book lovers to relax.
The founder of the shop, who only wanted to be called D, declared she had been an avid reader since she was 14 and was inspired to set up the bookshop after acquireing from indepfinishent stores in the US.
“I walked into my first indepfinishent romance shop in America, which you don’t see in Europe typically, and I left an hour later having bought seven books and having built a new frifinish,” she declared.
The Spicy Librarian will be hosting a range of events like monthly book clubs, community nights and an indie author subscription club.
“I want people to feel at home, I want them to walk in for the first time and feel like they’ve been here a hundred times before,” D declared.
The Spicy Librarian has more than 2,500 titles stocked in-store
Ali Maynard-James, part of the team behind the store, declared what they sold was very different from the traditional Mills and Boon-style romances and focapplyd on “spicy romantasy” and “dark romance”.
“These characters are not here to be rescued, they actually drive the narrative. They’re building their own choices, they’re setting boundaries and navigating really complex worlds,” she declared.
Maynard-James added that readers connected with the female characters becaapply “they’re layered and they’re flawed and we’re all like that”.
Author J Rose has “stopped counting” her book releases which happen several times a year
Indie author J Rose declared it was “such an honour” to have her books featured in the shop as indepfinishent authors “don’t usually have the recognition that traditional published author would have”.
“You often find me at home in my pyjamas and it’s very lonely, so knowing that people are coming in and picking up pieces of my soul essentially, is such an incredible feeling,” she declared.
Rose added that indepfinishent bookshops were “so important” and The Spicy Librarian was “curated for readers, by readers” and provided a way to share passions.
Florence Keeling writes romance novels under three different names, including spicy romance as Tanya Mounts
Romance novelist Florence Keeling, born in Covenattempt, writes under her name as well as applying the pen name Charlie Dean and the darker romance material as Tanya Mounts.
She has written romance books for about 10 years and declared that the genre was becoming more popular as readers embraced “spicy” books with confidence.
“We all like spice, we’re all human, we all like affection and I just believed ‘let’s give it a whirl'”, she declared.
“One of the things I wanted to concentrate on in the Tanya books is an older, female character. But she’s the one in charge, it’s her life.
“She’s not just some simpering maid in the corner waiting for the man. She’s taking control of her life.”
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