Looking to turn up the heat with a new summer read?
Kiss & Tale in Collingswood is serving up all things romance as the state’s only brick-and-mortar romance bookstore.
There were approximately 75 romance-only bookstores across the country as of this spring, according to Romancing the Data, a statistics site.
Before Kiss & Tale opened in October, the closest romance bookstores to New Jersey included The Ripped Bodice in Brooklyn, New York.
Kiss & Tale owner Katie Cunningham, a lifelong fan of the genre, said she wanted to bring the love to New Jersey. For her, it was “Collingswood or bust,” she said.
“I just love the idea of surrounding myself by things you love, and mine is romance books and people who like to read them,” said Cunningham.
Popular works from big name authors — including Emily Henry, Christina Lauren and Sarah J. Maas — can be found on the shelves of the Camden County store, paired with weekly new releases. The shop also hosts author meet and greets.
Kiss & Tale offers everything from mafia love stories to werewolves romances, historical page turners and sports romances. The shop proudly displays LGBTQ+ books and bookish-themed merch to go with it.
The pink and red shelves are adorned with reading accessories, mugs, tote bags and t-shirts. Everything a romance reader could dream of, except the “book boyfriends” themselves, line the walls.
Jamie Bennett, who works at the store and runs its social media accounts, says her current favorite book boyfriend — the internet slang for a fictional male character who captivates the reader — is the ghost of an Irish fisherman from the early 1900’s who meets the female main character in present day. He is the main character in “Good Spirits” by one of Bennett’s favorite authors, B.K. Borison.
The catch is, “Good Spirits” won’t hit the shelves until October. Bennett fell in love with him while reading the ARC, or Advanced Reader Copy.
Cunningham rattled off a few of her other book boyfriend flames, the most recent being the fictional Wilder Wells from Meghan Quinn’s “Till Summer Do Us Part”, and Kingfisher from Callie Hart’s romance-fantasy “Quicksilver.”
She noted her favorite quality in a book boyfriend is a character who has golden retriever-like qualities — excitable, kind and easygoing.
Gushing over their favorite characters and authors is something the Cunningham and Bennett get the privilege to do every day with customers.
“It’s so much fun talking to other people who really enjoy it too. The book community is amazing – and getting to give recommendations and hear what other people love too,” said Bennett.
Cunningham credits the rise in popularity of the romance genre to social media and book content creators on Instagram and TikTok, appropriately named “Bookstagrammers” and “BookTokers,” depending on the app.
“When I started reading the genre it was something that you would hide in your book bag,” Cunningham said. “We can all talk about it openly now and there’s no shame in it.”
Currently, some of the shop’s bestsellers include Meghan Quinn’s “Till Summer Do Us Part,” Ashley Poston’s “Sounds Like Love,” Laura Piper Lee’s “Hannah Tate Beyond Repair” and Ava Rani’s “The Charmer.”
In addition to Kiss & Tale, Cunningham owns K&A Bagel Café in Cherry Hill with her husband Andrew. Her husband runs the day-to-day operations in the café while she swoons over her favorite books with like-minded people.
“So many times as a romance reader there’s a lot of people that are basically ‘yucking your yum’ or making you feel small for liking the romance genre, and here’s a place that makes you feel accepted,” said Cunningham.
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Paige Britt may be reached at [email protected].