Celebrate Valentine’s Day and a love-themed book launch all in one! Perfect for couples, friends, or anyone looking for some love-filled stories, 52 Love: A Year of Romance is a short story collection inspired by the first thirteen tips in 52 Love: Weekly Love Lessons in Bite-Sized Pieces, which will also be available for purchase. Sharing the collection will be podcaster, screenwriter, actor, and author Tonya Todd, as well as local author Wendy Wimmer, whose work appears in this anthology.
Meet Janice and Leslie Sommers, authors of the Amulet Series! Make great connections, have amazing conversations, and meet fellow romance bookish lovers!
Event by Southgate Media Group
Des Plaines Theatre
Duration: 4 hr
Public · Anyone on or off Facebook
❤️🖤 LOVE CAN BE SCARY BOOK FAIR 🖤❤️
Meet Authors, Buy Books
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, fall in love with stories that make your heart race—and maybe skip a beat. Love Can Be Scary Book Fair is a one-day pop-up romance and horror book fair taking over the historic Des Plaines Theatre for an afternoon of passion, suspense, and thrills.
From swoon-worthy romance to dark, twisted horror, this event brings together authors signing their books, along with vendors offering bookish goods and gifts perfect for Valentine’s season. Whether you’re shopping for a partner, a friend, or yourself, you’ll find something unforgettable.
💘 Why You’ll Love It:
Meet and chat with romance & horror authors
Signed books you can’t get anywhere else
Vendors with unique bookish gifts
The perfect pre-Valentine’s Day outing
🗓 January 31, 2026
🕛 Noon – 4:00 PM
📍 Des Plaines Theatre
Whether you believe love is sweet, terrifying, or a little of both—this is the book fair for you.
Love Can Be Scary. Come find your next obsession.
*Oh yeah, there are other books there too!
We are excited to announce the release of The Kink Brothers by Lynn Chantale, the first book in the Love and Bullets series!
Two lovers are better than one… unless there’s a murder investigation involved.
Forensic Accountant Cailyn loves her job. When she stumbles upon some bogus accounts, she undertakes an investigation of her own. With the help of Israel Asgood, one of her lovers, she gets in touch with a computer expert who may be able to assist.
When Cailyn’s home is burglarized and a dead body found, her second lover Roman Dagon steps in to offer his assistance. Unbeknownst to Cailyn, her two lovers have a past. But they’ll have to work out their differences or lose Cailyn forever.
You can order this book in all formats directly from us right here on our website, and if you use the code 4HP10 at checkout, you’ll receive 10% OFF!
We are excited to announce the release of all three of the Mothman in Love Special Edition Hardcovers by Paige Lavoie!
These are special edition hardcovers with new typeset, covers and jackets. Perfect for any collector!
22-year-old Heather is suffering from an epic case of burnout.
So, just like any other young influencer, she
Heather imagines spending her #unplugged days traipsing through the woods and tending to her garden. However, her cottagecore fantasy is turned upside down when a wounded cryptid crashes into her roof—and her heart.
With no help from her internet followers, and the local monster-hunter growing suspicious, Heather’s quiet life in the wilderness has suddenly become a little more complicated. To make matters worse, she thinks she might be falling in love with the brooding winged man in her living room.
All three of these special editions are available right now, including a set that includes all three together, each book signed by the author Paige with a cute drawing and a special note from the author herself!
You can order these books directly from us right here on our website, and if you use the code 4HP10 at checkout you’ll receive 10% OFF!
We are excited to announce the release of Running Wild by Mimi Francis, the sixth book in The Loves of Lakeside series!
He’s the one man she was never supposed to want—now he’s the only one who can help her fight for everything she loves.
Not only is Cherry Ridge Teddie Calloway’s home, it is her birthright. She has poured everything into keeping the ranch running, and she exceeded everyone’s expectations. When she discovers her father is going to sell it off to the highest bidder, Teddie isn’t afraid to get a little dirty to save it. But convincing a stubborn retired army colonel she’s capable of running the ranch isn’t easy, especially when the only person who seems to believe in her is the maddeningly handsome ranch foreman with a jaw that could cut granite and dark blue eyes that see right into her soul.
Wyatt Dawson has always tried to keep his distance from the boss’s daughter. Off-limits and untouchable, Teddie was the line he swore he wouldn’t cross. Until he did. Now he’s fallen hard for the one woman he’s supposed to stay away from, and there is no turning back. Wyatt can’t tell her no, not when it comes to their relationship or Cherry Ridge. He wants to help her save the ranch—but only if she’s willing to admit she needs him. All of him.
With her childhood home on the line, Teddie is determined to save the ranch and her birthright. But working side by side with Wyatt means the sparks are hotter than ever, and the white-hot chemistry between them can’t be wrangled. Holding onto Cherry Ridge means taking a chance on a love that’s been running wild for far too long.
You can order this book in all formats directly from us right here on our website, and if you use the code 4HP10 at checkout, you’ll receive 10% OFF!
We are excited to announce the release of Corrupted Desires by Chelsea Burton Dunn, the second book in the Dolce Obsurità series!
Enzo Lupo has wanted Ingrid Jacobs for the last three years, ever since she walked into his mother’s coffee shop with her daughter on her hip, asking for a job.
Ingrid is scared and alone after escaping an abusive relationship, but Enzo is willing to wait forever for her. It’s not until he’s installing security cameras at her apartment that he realizes Ingrid isn’t who she seems. Using his skills as a hacker and cyber security expert for the local Mafia, Enzo delves into her affairs to find out exactly what she’s been doing.
But it becomes clear when he confronts her that Ingrid had no idea that she had been working for the Irish—working against the Mafia his family helms. Now Ingrid is set to meet with the head of the Irish mob, and the couple find out far more than they bargained for.
Trigger Warnings: Mentions/threats of sex trafficking Graphic death Graphic violence Mentions of domestic violence Mentions/threats of rape Instances of misogyny Graphic sex Serious dive into anxiety, depression, and body dysmorphia.
You can order this book in all formats directly from us right here on our website, and if you use the code 4HP10 at checkout, you’ll receive 10% OFF your order!
We are excited to announce the release of Accepting All Comers by Dixon Ahl-Knight, the second book in the Small-Town Swingers Club series!
Matt Vasserheim is ready to open his home to renters, but will he be ready to open his heart?
As the summer ends, Matt prepares for another year of teaching. He has navigated grief and darkness after two tragedies in the last year, and his big renovated house feels overwhelmingly lonely.
Monica Richardson knows her marriage is over and needs a new place to stay. Luckily, her friend Rachel has the perfect idea. Rachel knows Matt has a big, empty house with plenty of room for a tenant. Little do Monica and Rachel know, Matt has been carrying a torch for Monica for the past year.
Combine all this drama with an invitation to the Small-Town Swingers Club, and Matt Vasserheim will learn more than he ever thought possible about love, relationships, and the people of Waterton, Iowa!
You can order this book in all formats directly from us right here on our website, and if you use the code 4HP10 at checkout, you’ll receive 10% OFF!
Multi-genre book fair with a concentration on romance.
Attending Author:
Step into your own story ⚔️
Join The Well Red Damsel from 11am to 3pm for a Romantasy Book Fair featuring 20 fantasy authors and vendors!!
Attending Authors:
Attending Vendors:
The Book Fair is open to the public and no tickets are required!
If you are interested in attending the Sword Yoga classes with Weapon Up at 10am, 11:30am, or 1pm – head to our Eventbrite page to grab tickets!
