Did You Know Calgary Has a Bookstore Dedicated to Romance Novels?

Faced with an increasingly girthy stack of options, bookish love-junkies have been riding a growing wave of romance-lit enthusiasm. While the industry has been thriving since the Brontë sisters put female-centred goth on the bestseller list in the mid-1800s — followed a century later by the popularity of sweet Harlequin-love (i.e., A Kiss in the Gondola) and, a few decades later, by spicy bodice-rippers (The Sicilian Boss’s Mistress, etc.) — the highly relatable, contemporary romance novel is crushing it.

According to numbers from Booknet Canada, overall romance-book sales in this country increased by more than 40 per cent between 2017 and 2022; the COVID-19 pandemic years were particularly robust, with sales figures growing as rapidly as the industry’s variety of romantic sub-genres.

Indeed, do you fantasize about falling in love with a hockey player? There’s a book for that. How about a time-travel tryst? It’s a thing. Then there’s the later-in-life romance; 2SLGBTQIA+ romance; workplace romance; BIPOC romance; paranormal and sci-fi romance; social-justice romance; and so on. It’s a whole lotta love, but Calgary sisters Nicola and Shannon McNaughton have managed to squeeze all the swoon-worthy stories a heart desires into 209 square feet.

Opened in 2023, Slow Burn Books sits a block south of the main drag in Marda Loop, fittingly perched above the très romantique Avitus Wine Bar and sandwiched between a clothing thrift store and a jewellery boutique. It’s a bricks-and-mortar manifestation of the sisters’ love of contemporary romance books, starting with 2020’s hit Beach Read by Emily Henry. “I binged that in one day and then stumbled upon A Court of Thorns and Roses,” says Nicola. “Once I realized fantasy and romance could be combined, I was done for.”

For a while, the McNaughtons didn’t know anybody who shared their passion. “A lot of people were afraid to talk in real life about how much they enjoy romance novels for fear of being judged,” says Nicola. The recent popularity of social platforms such as #booktok, however, ushered in a more diverse, unblushing audience that discusses and celebrates the best of love- and lust-lit as an intelligent, compulsively readable genre.

“We hope our store brings joy to people and encourages readers to connect with one another,” says Shannon. “It’s heartwarming to see people in our own store give recommendations to strangers — we’ve even seen customers who’ve never met joining each other’s book clubs, all because of a shared space.”

Sure, the shopkeeper-siblings could use a little more floor space, not to mention a storage room, but love finds a way: Slow Burn regularly partners with Wild Rose and Marda Loop breweries for book launches and signings. On Jan. 20, the store will host a midnight launch party for devotees of author Rebecca Yarros who have been awaiting Book 3 in her fantasy series. If dragons, magic and steamy sex aren’t your bag, just look around — there’s certainly a bookstore meet-cute on a shelf near you.

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