Wales’ first romance bookshop has opened in Cardiff

Nestled in Castle arcade, a quaint pink room shines through a windowfront underneath the Christmas lights of the shopping quarter.

The shelves of Love Stories bookshop are lined with rows of romance novels – from the growing popular romantasy, to graphic novels and contemporary love stories. I’d say the majority of the books are novels published from the last 20 odd years. Among the vast selection of books are signed copies from various authors including Chloe Ford, Beth Reekles, Anna Fiteini and more. They even have special editions of popular books like Emily Henry’s.

As soon as we entered, we were welcomed with a warm smile from the owner, who offered a biscuit for our dog, which I thought was a lovely touch.

At the furthest corner of the shop, they had a nice selection of merchandise themed around the romance genre – including beautiful scented candles, illustrated bookmarks, stickers and greeting cards.

This arcade is becoming a book lover’s paradise – the shop is located right opposite Troutmark, a second-hand treasure trove sprawled across three floors. A trip to both shops followed by a hot drink and pastry from Pettigrew’s, or a Welsh cake from Fabulous, would make the perfect afternoon out.

The romance genre is increasingly popular but has been criticised in the past as not “worthy” enough for critical acclaim. With more people discovering and enjoying the genre thanks to Booktube and Booktok, I think this is such a great niche for a bookshop and I can’t wait to pop back in sometime in the future.

To see my full list of the best bookshops in Cardiff visit here.