'THE BOOKSTORE OF MY DREAMS'

Her romantic notion developed into an exciting new adventure!

- Rebekah Hebenton

With cotton-candy walls and an eye-catching book chandelier, Enamoured Books is designed to be judged by its cover. But any reader enticed to step inside will find it is unlike any other store.

Located in Remuera, it is Auckland’s first-ever romance-only bookstore. The heart behind the operation is 27-year-old Ruby Wallace -who, two years ago, decided to take a leap of faith and share her love of romance with the world.

"I exclusively read romantic fiction, but it’s hard to find a good selection of romance books in stores in New Zealand," she explains.

"I saw these romance-only stores opening overseas. At first, it was a wild dream to open one here. But I love books and I find it so calming to be in a bookstore. I reached a point where I thought, ‘Maybe it’s not that silly.’”

Tt may seem arisky gamble to cater to such a aniche market, but the rise of BookTok has shown the power of the romance reader.

Colleen Hoover was the highest-selling author in New Zealand in 2023. Her sudden rise to popularity came off the back of the TikTok community, who love to read and want a physical copy of their latest obsession.