By Lori Perkins There was a time when a reader looking for a romance novel at an independent bookstore might have to hunt through a single shelf in the back—or quietly ask a bookseller where the “good stuff” was. In 2026, that is increasingly becoming a thing of the past. Today, August 15, readers across the country are celebrating Bookstore Romance Day, an annual event devoted to romance fiction, its authors, booksellers and readers. And this year’s celebration arrives at a