Panel - Love, Romance and Cocktails

A fun 'girls' night out' with a panel of romance writers talking about their work, being the unsung heroes of an overlooked genre now very popular with women of all ages.

Romance books are selling more than ever, with sales up 41% in 2021, and further again in 2022, according to NPD BookScan. This growth does not appear to have flagged in 2023, and you only have to glance at #Bookstagram and Booktok to see swathes of content creators extolling the delights of romance tropes old and new.

This is being fuelled by any number of trends, from the need for escapism and happy endings, the growing ease of access via e-readers, to the rising tide of openness and celebration around women’s sexuality on social media.

With streaming services like Netflix picking up on the trend and doubling down with shows like Bridgerton, more people than ever are discovering their passion for the genre.

Despite this growing openness, the fact is many women are still potentially uncomfortable discussing what excites them and knowing where to look for their next romantic read. Some may not even have dipped a toe in the romance pool yet.

With our Love, Romance and Cocktails event, we want to bring women together in a fun, friendly environment, where they can discover – or fan the flames of – a love for romance writing in all its forms.

We want to create the feeling of a good old-fashioned girls’ night in or boozy book club, sipping cocktails and discussing everything romantic – the now-infamous hand flex, their formative experiences of the genre, and even what they would like to see represented in future novels.

While we want to talk all things romance, we also want to open up a chance to get chatting about the naughty stuff.