Spicy Librarian, a new romance bookstore in RiNo, recommends your next steamy summer read.
Love & Gelato
By Jenna Evans Welch
Gelato, winding Italian streets, and a journal full of secrets—Lina wasn’t planning on a life-changing summer, but Florence has other ideas. As she uncovers her family’s hidden past from a revealing journal, flirts with romance, and eats her weight in pistachio gelato, her story becomes one of healing and discovery. Equal parts coming-of-age and wish-you-were-there travel story, this sun-drenched tale feels like an escape to something sweeter: the moment you realize you’re exactly where you’re meant to be. It’s no surprise this became a Netflix film—its charm leaps off the page.
When Grumpy Met Sunshine
By Charlotte Stein
Opposites don’t just attract. In this story, they ignite. A hilariously pessimistic and brooding hero’s perfectly controlled world gets a jolt of chaos when he collides with a heroine who could brighten the midnight hour. Through razor-sharp repartee, laugh-out-loud mishaps, and disarmingly tender moments, their improbable chemistry blossoms beneath sunny skies. A summer romance that’s as laugh-out-loud funny as it is swoon-worthy, this is a feel-good celebration of what happens when sunshine crashes into storm clouds—and sticks around.
Read Between the Lines
By Rachel Lacey
Love is messy—especially when your crush also happens to be your fiercest bookstore rival. Dive headfirst into literary chaos as two quick-witted booksellers exchange quips, accidental touches, and hilarious sabotage between crowded shelves. Competition sparks something far sweeter, blurring the line between irritation and infatuation. Bursting with playful banter, delightful misunderstandings, and tender revelations, this clever bookish romance reveals that sometimes the greatest love stories aren’t written on pages but unfold between them.
Dishonestly Yours
By Krista & Becca Ritchie
Lies, tangled schemes, and two con artists with hearts they didn’t mean to lose—welcome to the most unexpectedly romantic heist of the summer. Every deception deepens their electric chemistry, sparking chaos, sharp dialogue, and a wildly entertaining game of emotional chicken. As their plans unravel, so do their defenses. Clever, chaotic, and full of charm, this story walks the line between trickery and tenderness with a wink— and maybe a stolen kiss or two. Set in a small Connecticut town, this story is filled with big lies and even bigger sparks.
Blackmailing Belle
By Holly Roberds
What’s summer without a little scandal? In Belle’s world, ambition tangles with temptation, secrets simmer beneath sunlit smiles, and blackmail spices up sultry days. This grim fairy tale stars a romance-only bookseller who is forced to marry a cursed mafia werebeast in a wickedly sharp, claws-out retelling of the classic story, in which love is the most dangerous deal of all. It serves up the perfect blend of humor and heart—proving that behind every scandalous story, there’s just a heart longing to be loved. Think Beauty and the Beast meets The Sopranos—with bite.
