Romance has long been the steel backbone of the publishing industry. But with the rise of BookTok and romance-obsessed communities, terms like “smut,” “romantasy,” and “shadow daddy” have become everyday vernacular. As a result, a romance-bookstore revolution is underway, with Texas emerging as an unlikely—and enthusiastic—hub for many of the stores. In January, Denton’s the Plot Twist had 1,400 shoppers stop by on opening weekend, leaving bookshelves nearly naked. Last October, Jaclyn Wooten opened a second outpost of Blush Bookstore in Dallas’s Bishop Arts District. The shop currently sells four times as many books as the original, Kansas-based location. Last summer saw the opening of Midland’s Love Affair Bookstore, with a line wrapped around the building. And on Valentine’s Day, this Friday, Laurelin Paige is hosting a…
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