With the Little Bubblegum Romance Bookshop, Erin Masse ’09 is building a community, one title at a time.

On a 14-degree Saturday in January, with a snowstorm in the forecast, a dozen aspiring romance novelists gather six to a table at the Little Bubblegum Romance Bookshop in Providence to hear author Jenn Bouchard talk about her path to publication.

The talk turns to spice. “Spice,” in this context, refers to the relative heat of a romance novel. The more sex, the higher the heat, spice, or steam score, according to romance.io, a website that matches romance novels to readers’ tastes. The three terms are interchangeable, but only spice is measured in chili emojis—a helpful visual. A romance featuring hand-holding and chaste kisses, for instance, would rate one red chili; five red chilies is a “blazing inferno.”

Infer what you will.

Bouchard gives her books a spice score of two chilies.

The talk then veers into tropes. Some are familiar: Best friends become lovers (When Harry Met Sally), enemies become lovers (Pride and Prejudice), lovers misunderstand one another (Romeo and Juliet), lovers get a do-over (Persuasion), lovers from different sides of the tracks get together despite themselves (Jane Eyre).

Some tropes—amnesiac in love, surprise baby, or rival same-sex athletes—may be less familiar, though sports romance is a high-performing subgenre. (HBO’s wildly popular adaptation of Rachel Reid’s 2019 bestseller Heated Rivalry has a very high spice score.)

“Age gap—a 20-year-old falls in love with a 40- or 50-year-old—that’s a trope,” says store owner Erin (McElroy) Masse ’09. “Single dad can be a trope, too.”

A dietitian by education, Masse opened her store, the only brick-and-mortar romance-only bookshop in Rhode Island, in October 2025. She waves at the shelves in her 400-square-foot retail space, in which, it bears mentioning, the walls wear bubblegum-pink paint, satin finish.

The Little Bubblegum Bookshop offers a wide variety of romance-only titles.

“We have a curvy section, a person-of-color section, and an LGBTQ section,” Masse continues. “People like to see themselves in these books.”

Neuroscientists and biotech engineers will find representation in Ali Hazelwood’s oeuvre, which includes The Love Hypothesis and Loathe to Love You. Bearish blue-collar heroes are staples in the grumpy-sunshine (common trope) romances of Tessa Bailey. You’re a fan of fairies, werewolves, and vampires? Masse’s got the big names: Sarah J. Maas and Callie Hart, as well as up-and-comers.

A Place That Celebrates Romance Readers

“I wanted to create a space that’s joyful, inclusive, and fun, a place where romance readers feel seen and celebrated,” Masse says. “There’s something special about walking into a shop that’s full of love stories. It’s an instant mood boost.”

It might surprise some patrons to learn that Masse is a relatively new romance fan. She says she came back to reading during the pandemic. The more romance she read, the more enthralled she became. Masse started following BookTok, a sub-community of TikTok devoted to literature and regarded by the publishing industry as a powerful word-of-mouth driver of book sales. Over time, Masse built a reputation in her community and online as a romance expert and, after success as a pop-up bookseller, decided to go all-in, renting retail space on Wickenden Street.

“The response has been incredible,” Masse says. “Local authors are reaching out, and readers are connecting with their work. Our community has grown so quickly—that has been the most rewarding part.

“I’m excited to keep building a space where love stories and local voices can shine.”

A customer places a stack of books nearly a foot high at the cashier’s table. From the looks of the titles, she’s solidly team romantasy, a subgenre that, you guessed it, blends romance and fantasy.

“I recently got into this. I read a lot of books on Kindle—I have the unlimited subscription—and then if I really, really love it, then I buy the hard copy.”

“I’m excited to keep building a space where love stories and local voices can shine.”

­—Erin Masse ’09

The customer pauses for breath and grins. She’s not done. She’s just winding up.

“I’ve been following Erin’s stuff for a long, long time. I told myself, and I told my husband, ‘Today’s my day. I’m going to come in. I have a running list of books that I want to buy, and I love supporting local businesses.’ Yeah, I love this.”

Another woman with long dark hair and a middle part enters the bookstore. In her sunglasses, black leggings, and an A-line leopard-print fur coat, she is channeling Cher, circa 1976.

Masse approaches and asks if she’s in for something before the snowstorm.

“I just finished The Correspondent,” the Cher look-alike says. “I need a little spice.”

—Marybeth Reilly-McGreen

PHOTOS: SETH JACOBSON