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The week of September 2, 2025 Meet Steamy Lit Romance Bookstore This week SBR welcomes a new bookstore to its ranks of reviewers, Steamy Lit Romance Bookstore. Melissa Saavedra founded Steamy Lit in 2021 with The Steam Box, a romance book subscription box that gained popularity for its commitment to inclusivity and sexual empowerment. In 2024, she opened Steamy Lit Romance Bookstore in Deerfield Beach, Florida and has since opened a second location in Tampa. The Steamy Lit literary collective also includes the Steamy Lit Foundation, a nonprofit organization, SAAV, an apparel brand, and the annual Steamy Lit Con in California.  The bookstore specializes in amplifying the voices of women romance authors of color and features a well-curated selection of romance novels and book boxes that celebrate self-love, creating an inviting space that celebrates sexuality and empowers readers. Events Coordinator Alyssa Rojas said that bringing author events to the stores is a passion, and that promoting diverse and marginalized romance authors is an important part of the store’s mission. They started an audiobook walking club to help integrate health and wellness with the love of reading, through which they also host dog walking events. Rojas also said that a priority for the upcoming year is making sure they’re able to give back even more to the community. Rojas said the best part of being a bookseller is getting to tell people about new BIPOC books they have in the store, and favorite handsells include Up Close and Personal by Ana Holguin and A Proposal They Can’t Refuse by Natalie Caña. You can follow Steamy Lit at @steamylit and at @steamylitbookstore and visit their website at www.steamylit.com. Bookstore profile by Candice Huber, Membership Coordinator for The Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance. |
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Read This Now! Recommended by Southern indies… |
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The Book of I by David Greig Adult Fiction, Fiction, Friendship, Historical, Humorous, Literary, Medieval, Nature & Environment, Scotland, Sea Stories, World Literature The Viking Age, a period marked by Norsemen raids and trade, serves as the backdrop for a compelling narrative of survival, faith, and redemption. Three distinct characters emerge from the shadows of this tumultuous era, each bearing their own burdens and stories. Brother Martin, a young monk, is one of the few survivors of a brutal massacre at a monastery. This experience challenges his faith and spirituality, and as you read it, you will witness his internal struggles with faith and spirituality. Una, a beekeeper, gets the opportunity to escape her brute of a husband due to the raid, and after years of enduring brutality, she is determined to find a new path. It’s not easy, but a better life is ahead. Then there is Griuir, who was a Norse raider left for dead. He struggles with guilt over his participation in the violent raid, the Viking legacy, and he looks to reconcile his violent actions with a desire for atonement. With the emotional journey through the beautiful landscapes of Scotland, the author does an exceptional job of writing about these characters’ personal growth and redemption. I did some additional research on the Viking age to understand more, and it did not disappoint me. It reminds me of other books I have read on enduring the power of redemption and the capacity for all of us to change. Beautiful!!!. Reviewed by Valinda Payne-Miller, Turning Page Bookshop in Charleston, South Carolina |
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If Not for My Baby by Kate Golden Fiction, Rock Stars, Romance A heartwarming story that gets stuck in your brain like an earworm. It reads like a love letter to music, not just the clear inspiration of Hozier but to musical theater and tour life. Tom is as swoony, awkward, and endearing as you’d expect, which is a nice balance to the frazzled insecurity that lives inside Clementine. This one’s for the ones so afraid of heartbreak we turn to music as preventative treatment and find that nothing can crack, peel back, and heal a human soul like a good song. Reviewed by Paola Parreno Merina, Steamy Lit Books in Deerfield Beach, Florida |
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To the Moon and Back by Eliana Ramage Adult Fiction, Fiction, Literary It’s hard to believe that this multifaceted novel is a debut, given how skillfully Eliana Ramage weaves the different strands of the story. At its heart is Steph, a Queer Cherokee Nation citizen, who decides at the age of six to become an astronaut and is single-minded in her ambition, pushing away both family and girlfriends in pursuit of her goal. But To the Moon and Back is so much more than that: it’s also about Native American history, identity and culture, about how the past – and the stories we tell ourselves about it – shapes our futures, and ultimately about family and the need for connection with others. I loved To the Moon and Back, well, to the moon and back. Reviewed by Jude Burke-Lewis, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi |
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Bookseller Buzz |
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People Watching by Hannah Bonam-Young
― Hannah Bonham-Young, Interview, Didees Magazine People Watching by Hannah Bonham-Young 
Hannah Bonham-Young is the author of Next of Kin, Next to You, and Out on a Limb. Hannah writes romances featuring a cast of diverse, disabled, marginalized, and LGBTQIA+ folks wherein swoon-worthy storylines blend with the beautiful, messy, and challenging realities of life. When not reading or writing romance, you can find her having living room dance parties with her kids or planning any occasion that warrants a cheeseboard. Originally from Ontario, Canada, she lives with her childhood friend turned husband, Ben, two kids, and a bulldog near Niagara Falls on the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe peoples. |
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What Stalks the Deep by T. Kingfisher Fiction, Horror It’s all the bests of the Sworn Soldier series — looming dread, compelling narration, and a touch of wry humor — now paired with the Appalachian Gothic. What Stalks the Deep follows Alex Easton deep into a West Virginian coal mine of twisting tunnels, disappearances, and eldritch creatures lurking in the depths. Reviewed by Flora Arnsberger, Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
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Why I Love Horror by Becky Siegel Spratford Adult Nonfiction, Horror & Supernatural, Literary Criticism A great anthology for readers of the horror genre who are curious about the authors they love and why they write within the genre – and who want to reflect on why they love reading horror. The introductions to each author from Becky were especially great for authors I’ve yet to read from because they provided a good starting point to reading their works. Also, still can’t stop thinking about Grady Hendrix’s essay in particular. Reviewed by Natalie Nichols, Court Street Books in Florence, Alabama |
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The Dead of Summer (Book 1) by Ryan La Sala LGBTQ+, Young Adult Fiction A quaint ocean-side town run by drag queens? It’s the best summer everrrr! Except for whatever came on land from the depths of the Atlantic. Or the old chemical spill. The Dead of Summer (Book 1) is another Ryan La Sala winner. I have a low threshold for horror. I can’t do graphic gore but I adore creepy and La Sala provides this in spades. He also gives us some truly multi-dimensional characters so that you are on the edge of your seat to see if they’ll survive the night. I love how Ollie had his musical ear and how that plays into the storyline. And his friendship with the Suds is the stuff of friendship legends. We all wish we were Suds. The various formats (transcripts/ narration/ journal entries) used to tell the story really increase the tension and allow for some plot twists I did not see coming. Reviewed by Candice Conner, The Haunted Book Shop in Mobile, Alabama |
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Axolotl and Axolittle by Jess Hitchman Animals, Children, Juvenile Fiction, Reptiles & Amphibians You know what I love? Puns and Axolotl’s! Filled with vivid pictures and a cute story about siblings who are so different but tease each other and make some silly, silly moves. Axolotls are so popular right now that I know this will be a one-of-a-kind book to share with storytime. Reviewed by info page158, Page 158 Books in Wake Forest, North Carolina |
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Cannon by Lee Lai Comics & Graphic Novels, LGBTQ+ Cannon by Lee Lai is a blow to the nervous system with cathartic aftershocks. Through gorgeous linework, paneling, and speech bubble placement, Cannon portrays a pressure cooker of circumstances for “stoic” protagonist Cannon/Lucy, in her relationships (platonic, romantic, and familial), stressful restaurant job, and attempts to keep everything under control (even as she’s seeing birds) in the form of going on runs while listening to breathing meditation podcasts. I sweated. I felt too seen. I devoured it. Reviewed by Julie Jarema, Hub City Bookshop in Spartanburg, South Carolina |
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Decide for Yourself Books that appear on PEN America’s list of challenged books. |
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Jack of Hearts (and other parts) by L. C. Rosen Banned Books, Boys & Men, LGBTQ+, Loners & Outcasts, Young Adult Fiction Jack Rothman is 17 years old. He likes to wear eyeliner, wear fantastic clothes, and have sex with boys. A LOT of sex. He’s gossiped about a lot in his high school, but when his friend Jenna starts drumming up interest for a new column Jack will be writing for her website, he starts getting little pink notes in his locker. The first one is short and sweet. But they get creepy really fast, and he has no idea who it is that is now stalking him. This is absolutely a very frank, sex-positive book for queer teen boys. It’s not going to be for everyone. But just like Jack helps the readers of his column, this book has real answers to problems that aren’t going to be covered in your high school sex ed class. I enjoyed that MANY of the adults in this book were positive in regards to Jack’s sexuality, but there were some who were not, and that’s a very real fear. Reviewed by Jennifer Jones, Bookmiser in Marietta, Georgia |
Southern Bestsellers What’s popular this week with Southern Readers. |
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Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy Adult Fiction, Bestsellers, Fiction, Nature & Environment This was my first McConaghy title to read, and it did not disappoint. The intrigue and intensity built earlier as an unknown woman washed up on the shore of a remote island at the far end of the world. It becomes clear there are secrets to be unearthed and truths hidden. I found the first third a bit slow … it took more time than perhaps necessary to get to some real action, but the author does do a great job in the process of creating relationships and trust among the inhabitants of the island, given how little they truly know of each other. I felt all the feelings with this read: grief from the loss of loved ones, wonder at the fierceness of nature, and fear of a coming climate crisis. It will be a solid book for readers who enjoy suspense, complicated family dynamics, with a touch of climate crisis thrown in. Reviewed by Christina Tabereaux, The Snail on the Wall in Huntsville, Alabama |
     [ See the full list ] |
Parting Thought “Reading is my inhale, and writing is my exhale.” |
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Publisher:
The Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance /
siba@sibaweb.com |
SIBA | 51 Pleasant Ridge Drive | Asheville, NC 28805
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