August 20th is Bookstore Romance Day! Created by Billie Bloebaum in 2019, Bookstore Romance Day aims to give indie booksellers an opportunity to celebrate romance fiction and to strengthen ties between bookstores and the romance community.
Our friends at WORD Bookstores are marking the occasion with their own staff-written, store-centered romances. Each story highlights a popular romance trope and, in honor of this special day, we are sharing the series here:
TROPE: FORCED PROXIMITY
"Two characters find themselves stuck together in a confined space."
By Poppy Pines
TROPE: FAKE DATING
"The central couple begins a fake relationship and ends up falling in love for real."
By Amanda Toronto
TROPE: BODYGUARD ROMANCE
"Two individuals who are absolutely not supposed to get involved (because one's safety is on the line) end up falling for one another. Has elements of Forbidden Romance."
By Lance Avarice
TROPE: DATING ON A DARE
"Two individuals who might not otherwise date, end up entangled romantically, when one of them loses a bet to the other."
By Holly D.
TROPE: MARRIAGE OF CONVENIENCE
"Two individuals decide to marry, often out of financial or some sort of strategic necessity."
The Calculus of Your Affection
By Evelyn Early
TROPE: BIG CITY, SMALL TOWN
"This trope centers around a character who, for whatever reason, relocates from a big city to a small town. Hijinks and romance ensue."
By Hercules Thrust