Forbidden Fiction Bookshop brings dark romance genre to San Diego
OCEANSIDE, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — Nestled along South Coast Highway in Oceanside, a brand-new haven for book lovers is bringing taboo romance genres to the front shelves.
“I’m a dark romance girly, and so every time I go to romance stores, it’s hard finding dark romance,” said Samantha Matouzzi, the founder of Forbidden Fiction Bookshop.
Forbidden Fiction Bookshop is a woman-owned bookstore in Oceanside, dedicated to the vast genre of romance, and the niche shop doesn’t shy away from some of the darkest titles of the category. The shop also supports local indie writers and readers who love “morally gray characters.”
“Back when I was younger, I was like, oh, romance books, okay. But I didn’t really know too much cause not a lot of people talked about it. And so, I started reading again, and I was like, ‘this is amazing,’” Matouzzi explained.
While readers who visit Forbidden Fiction Bookshop will certainly find stories of the aforementioned morally gray characters along with tumultuous journeys of love, the shelves also share space with contemporary romance titles, as well as Indie works and local authors.
“So, one of my goals is for people to pick up new books and new titles by new authors,” Matouzzi said. “I believe that the store is gonna bring more diversity and it’s gonna bring a bigger community together, including with the local businesses.”
With the array of titles amid the Victorian backdrop of the niche store, people have not only been turning out in person to support the shop, but the store has also gained a following online and through social media.
Matouzzi has been posting on TikTok and Instagram, which have been hubs for book lovers in recent years. People join subcommittees like “BookTok” to share posts about everything related to reading, and Matouzzi has seen the benefits.
“Once I started posting more, it was weird, like just blew up. I’ve never had that experience, and so it’s just like, oh my gosh, this is great. It actually made me feel like, wow, I’m doing the right thing,” Matouzzi said.
For more information about Forbidden Fiction Bookshop, you can visit their website.
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