Local novelist Margaret Rose knows a thing or two about romance: spice, meet-cutes, heartthrobs and happy endings. “I think people are searching for happiness and uplifting novels to read,” says Rose, author of romantic comedies Sink or Sell and Kissing Bandit. “The fun is in how you get there.”
Rose spent her early career working in retail, but when the pandemic arrived and traditional publishers fell through, Rose made the bold decision to self-publish her first novel, Sink or Sell, on Kindle Unlimited, a platform growing in popularity among emerging romance authors. From there, she found her romance novel-loving community in BookTok–a TikTok community of readers sharing their new favorite reads.
As it turns out, online romantic reading communities have been blossoming with readers searching for like-minded souls to discuss their latest finds. Carley Morton is one of them. With readers thirsty for places to gather in person, Morton saw an opportunity to provide just that. Morton is now the owner of Kansas City’s first romance-only bookshop, Under the Cover (605 E. 31st St., KCMO), one of less than a dozen romance-specific bookshops in the country.
A lifelong romance fan, Morton has hosted romance-genre podcast Smut Stuff with friend Jesicha Fontana since 2022. Although Morton is a passionate reader, opening a genre-specific bookstore was a risk for her. Despite romance’s widespread popularity, Morton feels that romance readers and writers often face ridicule. “It’s always been looked down upon,” Morton says. “It’s like [people assume] all women can read is romance ’cause they don’t care about XYZ.” However, after attending Romance GenreCon in August of this past year, Morton’s confidence in the business plan grew. Two months later, with the help of her husband, who devotedly researched the viability of opening a shop, Morton had secured a storefront in Union Hill. Six weeks later, they were open for business. Now, Morton feels she can proudly announce: “I do like reading romance, I do like a happily ever after, and I do want to read about bangin’.”
Under the Cover is warmly designed, featuring romance of every echelon, and it even has a dedicated “BookTok” section for novels trending on the platform. The back accent wall is embellished with a sexy, witchy mural of Stevie Nicks, painted by Morton’s longtime friend and local artist Allen Halsey.
Under the Cover has quickly become the go-to spot for local romance authors to host readings, signings and romance-specific events. “[The romance readers] are voracious,” says Morton, whose sales continue to far surpass any expectations she had when first opening.
“Under the Cover is really a trailblazer, which I think speaks so much to KC culture,” says Rose, whose novels are sold at the bookshop.
