Sept. 28 was a bittersweet day for Melissa Saavedra. Nearly two years after debuting Steamy Lit, her romance-only bookstore in Deerfield Beach, she closed its doors.

The shelves stood empty of the titillating titles so desired by passionate readers of the genre: Dark, Latinx, sports, historical, cowboys, aliens, queer, romantasy, paranormal, morally gray, enemies to lovers. And the cozy Chesterfield-style sofa, bookish-themed T-shirts and hats, and the wall filled with inspirational messages were all gone.

But like every good book, this story has a twist — and a happy ending. Saavedra will kick open the doors to her new Steamy Lit location in Fort Lauderdale’s Thrive Art District this Saturday, Oct. 4.

Why the move south? It was time to be in a different environment, she said.

“I act

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