Main
Character
Books
Read for pleasure.
Find romance novels, snacks, and book clubs. Fall in love with your new community.
Go on, add to your TBR.
Find us for great novels, bookish gifts, community events, and much more at our flagship store.
Spitalfields Market
30 Spital Square
London E1 6DX, UK
Hours
M: 11:00–18:00
T–Sa: 11:00–19:00
Su: 12:00–17:00
Find amazing reads online on our Bookshop.org page — your bookshelf will thank you!
Listen to swoony stories and support the shop with Libro.fm audiobooks!
Join us at our community events!
Join us for a deep dive into your favourite classic author, Jane Austen! We'll visit Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Persuasion. With the new adaptation coming to theatres, why not get in on the conversation! Join us for discussion, games, and community on Tuesday evenings in our shop in E1 Spitalfields Market.
15 September 2026: Sense and Sensibility
20 October 2026: Pride and Prejudice
17 November 2026 : Emma
15 December 2026: Persuasion
Refreshments available at Main Character Books. Welcome and chat starts at 18:30, club activity from 19:00–20:00, and mingling until 20:30.
Membership options include attendance to the club only. Discount will apply automatically in your cart when you purchase one of our gorgeous hardback editions to add to your collection.
Note that we are unable to provide refunds for events. If you are unable to attend, feel free to pass the ticket along to a friend!
Meet Taylor J. LaRue and have your Indie exclusive edition signed!
Sunday 25 October, 15:00-17:00pm, in timed slots
Join us for a book signing with Taylor J. LaRue celebrating her debut romantasy, Steelborn, which topped the charts on the #1 UK Sunday Times Bestseller List.
Your free ticket gets you admission in the queue. If you'd like to reserve the Indie edition of Steelborn, use the linked product and chose pick up in store!
To be sure every guest has an opportunity to meet Taylor, she will be limited to two signatures! (Bring your own novel or purchase one with us!)
Tickets are timed to ensure a moderate queue. Please arrive no earlier than 10 minutes before your allotted time.
The queue may be outside and under an awning, so please prepare for the weather accordingly!
Our store will be open from 12-5pm for other shopping.
ABOUT THE NOVEL
Enter a world ruled by tyrants and thieves, where magic is outlawed, revolution brews, desire is dangerous, and an impossible cure may prove deadlier than the curse.
Never run. Never bow. Never die.
Reya Connery became the Crimson Dagger, the most notorious thief in Rhiterra, by following a strict set of rules. One: There is no honour among thieves. Two: A good blade is key to any negotiation. Three: Only the dead keep secrets. And Reya has a secret that must be kept at all costs. But when a heist goes wrong on the eve of paying off her debt to a ruthless crime lord, Reya may need a new set of rules. And a lot of coin. Fast.
Enter Caelan Halcyon, an immortal warrior whose magic makes him a valuable target – if the curse inching closer to his heart doesn’t kill him first. There’s just one person who might be desperate enough to try and get their hands on the fabled cure in time to save his life, someone whose legend claims they can steal anything: the Crimson Dagger. A male of honour, Caelan loathes everything the beautiful, cocky thief represents, yet knows that Reya is his last hope for survival.
Their search takes them to the edge of the known world, where Reya discovers that there is far more at stake than her and Caelan’s own lives. Now, Reya must confront deadly foes, her growing attraction to the immortal who is as lethal as his jawline is perfect, and the rage she’s spent a lifetime trying to bury. This time, her daggers aren’t going to cut it, and the fate of all magic-born hangs in the balance.
Introducing an epic, slow burn enemies-to-lovers romantasy novel about a heroine forged in steel and rage, and the cursed immortal who might turn out to be as much her salvation as she is his, perfect for fans of Danielle L. Jensen and Callie Hart.
Join us for an evening of conversation with authors Lauren Okie and EJ Blaise, chaired by Georgia Stone! We’ll touch on tropes and trends in contemporary romance, and so much more.
15 October, 2026
✨19:00: Event doors
✨19:30: Author panel discussion and Q&A
✨20:15: Book signing, shopping, and chat!
Location: Main Character Books, Spitalfields Market, E1 6DX
This ticket is for ADMISSION to the event. If you also want the novels, please add them separately and you’ll get a discount on the admission price at checkout. Books may also be purchased at the event!
Please note we cannot provide refunds on event tickets; if you’re unable to attend, we are happy to save any books and extras for pickup during store hours.
Lauren Okie studied English and American Literature at New York University. When she’s not mining old traumas or blocking sex scenes on the backs of grocery lists, Lauren works as a copywriter. Originally from Miami, she lives with her husband and daughter in the Los Angeles area. Her latest is Tropesick, a slow-burn romance about two childhood neighbours that unexpectedly reunite to ghostwrite a love story for a reclusive author.
EJ Blaise is an Irish author of all things romance. When she's not creating unrealistically perfect men, she can be found travelling, reading, and dreaming of running a bookstore café. Her latest is Better than Revenge, a swimmingly sexy sports romance with fake dating.
Georgia Stone is a London-based author of contemporary romance. She writes love stories that she hopes make people laugh out loud and clutch at their hearts in equal measure. After dabbling in fan fiction as a teen growing up in rural Switzerland, she didn't write her own stories for years, until one fateful day, she had the idea that sparked her debut novel. She fell back in love with writing and now very much appreciates that being a fiction author is essentially just a socially acceptable way of having imaginary friends. Her latest is The Roommate Rule, a witty forced proximity romance with only one cabin.
Join us for an evening of conversation and community with Danielle Allen and Lucy Wilson Tagoe (Dylan Allen)! They will join moderator Brian K (@readwithkapz) to chat all things romance. They’re making their first UK appearance — don’t miss out!
9 November 2026
✨18:30………………Event doors
✨19:00………………Author Panel Discussion
✨19:45-20:30…..…Book signing, shopping, chat!
Location: Main Character Books, Spitalfields Market, E1 6DX
This ticket is for ADMISSION to the event. If you also want the novels, please add them separately.
You’ll get a discount on the admission price at checkout if you add Big Girl Blitz. We highly recommend reserving a copy of To Catch a Sinner, The Legacy, and The Legend as we will have limited stock printed for the event. Books may also be purchased at the event!
Please note we cannot provide refunds on event tickets; if you’re unable to attend, we are happy to save any books and extras for pickup during store hours.
Come find new joy in a beloved tale — ahead of its release! Celebrated author Phoenicia Rogerson breathes new life into Tristan and Isolde with her feminist retelling, set in Camelot. Rogerson will be in conversation with author Bea Fitzgerald as they discuss old myths, new books, and love stories that last the ages.
Save half-price on your admission when you purchase the novel in advance!
11 NOV 2026
✨ 19:00: Event doors
✨ 19:30pm: author discussion and Q&A
✨ 20:15–21:30: author signing, drinks, chats!
Main Character Books, Spitalfields Market, E1 6DX
This ticket is for admission to the event. If you also want Isolde, please add it separately to your cart and you’ll get a 50% discount on the admission price at checkout! Novels will also be available for purchase at the event.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Isolde, Queen of Cornwall, is on the run.
She didn’t mean to drink a love potion with the king’s nephew, but that little accident has made her scandalously famous. Luckily, she and Tristan find refuge in Camelot, the legendary court of King Arthur. This ought to be her happy ending.
Only it isn’t. She discovers that Camelot is full of chivalrous knights who aren’t sure how to speak to a woman, and while it houses the greatest wizard of all time, he might just be responsible for crimes against humanity. And one more thing, the love potion has worn off…
Now Isolde will have to work out what sort of life a woman can carve out for herself when the songs about her have already been written.
A tale of battered reputations, Isolde introduces an unforgettable heroine finding her way through myth, love and a world of magic.
'Funny, fresh and full of heart, even when it's breaking yours' —Cari Thomas
'Effortlessly balances humour with heartbreak for a truly unforgettable story’ —Naomi Kelsey
‘A love story that’s hilarious and touching surrounded by an adventure that will make you rethink everything you think you know about Arthur, Guinevere and Camelot. A literary voice that is utterly unique and delightfully refreshing’ —Ian Doescher
‘Takes two of literature’s most legendary love stories — Tristan and Isolde, Guinevere and Lancelot — and weaves them together with wit and with clever, sparkling dialogue, mining the depths of love and longing with a lightness of touch’ —Rachel Hochhauser
Join us to celebrate the release of Sunday Times bestselling author, Kate Dylan's adult romantasy debut, Soul Sworn, on publication eve!
Soul Sworn is a dark, addictive romantasy is filled with assassins, blood magic, and a sizzling enemies-to-lovers romance that will leave you breathless. Join Kate Dylan and bestselling author Saara El-Arifi for an evening of conversation and community, and have your copies of their books signed.
Save half-price on your admission when you purchase the novel!
16 NOV 2026
✨18:30: Event doors
✨19:00: Author talk, Q&A, in conversation with author Saara El-Arifi
✨19:45: Book signing, drinks and chat
Main Character Books, Spitalfields Market, E1 6DX
This ticket is for admission to the event. If you also want Soul Sworn, please add it separately to your cart and you’ll get a 50% discount on the admission price at checkout. Novels will also be available for purchase at the event.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Two ruthless assassins. One deadly romance.
Talia Atwater is a reaper, an elite assassin who uses her looks, her charms, and her rare ability to sense lies to rid clients of their sworn enemy: the person destined to kill their soulmate. For Talia, love is just another way to die.
Cain Hawthorne was raised to be a weapon. Bound to a powerful religious order, he hunts rogue reapers in the name of the Gods. Duty is everything. Love is forbidden. All that matters is protecting their fated ties.
So when Talia takes a job that threatens fate, Cain is sent to stop her.
But in a world where every soul is marked — for love and death — the line between mission and desire begins to blur.
As secrets unravel and attraction ignites, Talia and Cain are pulled into a dangerous game of seduction, secrets, and lies. And the closer they get to the truth, the clearer it becomes:
They were never meant to fall in love. They were meant to destroy each other.
PRAISE FOR THE BOOK:
“Truly seductive and sharp as a knife, Soul Sworn is a blade beneath silk. This is the assassins-to-lovers romantasy you’ve been waiting for.” —Tasha Suri
“Soul Sworn is a cut of the knife and a wrench of the heart… Smart, sultry, and absolutely twisted… I was utterly absorbed from beginning to end.” —Hannah Kaner
“Addictive, sexy, and electrifying from the first page, Soul Sworn had my heart in my throat the entire way through. Kate Dylan writes a slow burn so deliciously, gloriously stressful that I couldn’t put it down—or calm down. I loved every torturous second.”—Dhonielle Clayton
“Sexy, gripping, and wickedly fun, Soul Sworn is an absolute riot of a ride. [The] smoldering romance sears through every page to its unstoppable conclusion. Prepare to burn the midnight oil because you won’t be able to put this down.”—Georgia Summer
Please note we cannot provide refunds on event tickets; if you’re unable to attend, we are happy to save any books and extras for pickup during store hours.
RELEASE DAY EXCLUSIVE!
Reserve your copy of Cassandra Clare’s hotly anticipated novel, The Last King of Faerie, and join us for a pickup party!
Your ticket includes the hardback novel with free exclusive bookmark, enamel pin, and tote. We will also be book bedazzling, playing games, and winning prizes! Themed drinks and snacks will be available for purchase.
Come meet other Cassandra Clare fans and celebrate her latest novel!
🧚Pickup Party
💫3 November, 17:30–19:00
📍Main Character Books, Spitalfields Market E1 6DX
This is an authorless release party. If you cannot make the event, books may be picked up at any time after opening on 3 November, not just during the pickup party.
*** We do not ship outside the UK. If you order outside the UK, we will not refund your purchase. For pickup, if not collected within 10 days, we will restock the item without refund. ***
ABOUT THE NOVEL
Welcome to a world of demon-hunting, betrayal, secrets and forbidden love.
The highly anticipated first book of The Wicked Powers, the final Shadowhunters trilogy! #1 New York Times bestselling author Cassandra Clare brings the global phenomenon that began with The Mortal Instruments to a stunning conclusion.
It’s Drusilla Blackthorn's third year at Shadowhunter Academy when a chance encounter at a nightclub turns into a kidnapping. Dru finds herself held prisoner by Prince Ash Morgenstern in the land of Faerie, a place that proves just as dangerous as it is beautiful. Despite herself, Dru is drawn to Ash and the darkness that seems to surround him – but one false move could cost her life.
Meanwhile, a shocking disappearance rocks the foundations of the Shadowhunter world. Kit Herondale and Ty Blackthorn must set aside the bitterness that lingers between them and join forces on a perilous quest to save everything they cherish.
Join us to celebrate the launch of Heir of the Shadow with Marvellous Michael Anson! Heir of the Shadow is the stunning sequel to Firstborn of the Sun, a West African-inspired epic fantasy.
Hear from the author about her novel, sneak in a question (or two!) and have your copy signed. She will be in conversation with Elodie Harper, author of Boudicca's Daughter and the The Wolf Den Trilogy. Don’t wait on partying with London’s local authors!
26 November, 2026
✨19:00………………Event doors
✨19:30………………Author talk and Q&A
✨20:15-21:00…..…Book signing, shopping, chat!
Main Character Books, Spitalfields Market, E1 6DX
This ticket is for ADMISSION to the event. If you also want the novel, please add it separately and you’ll get discounted admission automatically at checkout. Books may also be purchased at the event.
Please note we cannot provide refunds on event tickets; if you’re unable to attend, we are happy to save any books and extras for pickup during store hours.
*******
In the Kingdom of Oru, L’ore is an exile . . .
Her deadly, icy shadow magic has been discovered. She is a threat - one the Crown will stop at nothing to eliminate.
As L’ore flees the only home she’s ever known, alongside fellow outlaw Remi, the pair are ambushed by a band of Sand Raiders from the western lands. Death seems certain – until Remi reveals a secret of his own.
He is their long lost prince.
Taken together to the Sand Raider Kingdom – Remi to the throne and L’ore in chains – L’ore faces her gravest danger yet. As she awaits her fate, heartbroken, separated from everyone she ever loved – Remi makes her an offer.
A dangerous bargain.
To find the home she longs for, will she trust Remi’s offer or risk it all – alone?
PRAISE FOR THE BOOK:
“A searing tale of ambition, love and survival . . . This is a wildly imaginative debut which begins an epic story.” - Hannah Kaner
“Epic and gorgeous, Firstborn of the Sun enraptures readers in the rich, complex Kingdom of Oru with intricate magic, fascinating politics, swoony romance, and gasp-worthy twists.” -Dhonielle Clayton
“Gorgeously, powerfully written.” - India Holton
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Marvellous Michael Anson has been writing for over a decade and has self-published a thriller, His Dark Reflection, to critical acclaim. She was shortlisted for the Future Worlds Prize in 2023, the 2022 Jericho Writers Friday Night Live Competition and the 2022 Kit De Waal Bursary, was longlisted for the 2023 REVPIT competition, and won the 2023 Jericho Writers’ Self Edit Course Bursary. In addition, Marve is a filmmaker who wrote and produced an award-winning short film in 2016 and is a recipient of the 2017 AFRIFF Film School Scholarship Program. She is a member of the Society of Authors, the World Science Fiction Society and the British Fantasy Society. She is a mentor for Black Girl Writers. Firstborn of the Sun was her debut fantasy novel which is followed by Heir of the Shadow.
Show off your passion.
From contemporary to romantasy to that spicy one with the dragons, we’re here with a shared love for the genre. We’re building out our online offerings, but treat yourself to a little merch while you’re here!
Represent your favourite trope with this Beechfield EarthAware® organic cord baseball cap. Available in multiple colours, medium profile, and adjustable.
Our products are made to order, and can take up to 5 business days to ship (plus two days for shipping). We thank you for your patience!
Obsessed with magic, dragons, and far-away lands? Us too.
Represent your favourite genre with this Beechfield EarthAware® organic cord baseball cap. Available in multiple colours, medium profile, adjustable back.
Our products are made to order, and can take up to 5 business days to ship (plus two days for shipping). We thank you for your patience!
Large tote for all your book (and non-book) shops. EarthAware® large shopper made from 100% organic cotton canvas. Available in multiple colours with white embroidery, size 52 x 38.5 x 16cm.
Our products are made to order, and can take up to 5 business days to ship (plus two days for shipping). We thank you for your patience!
Let’s talk books.
Stay in touch to hear more about our opening, book clubs, and events.
Contact Main Character
FAQs about MC
The shop
Spitalfields Market
30 Spital Square
London E1 6DX, UK
Find us on the North side of Spitalfields Market, near the elephants!
Hours
M: 11:00–18:00
T–Sa: 11:00–19:00
Su: 12:00–17:00
Main Character is the brainchild of Owner/Founder Cassie and Comms Director Allie, who found comfort and community in a romance book club during COVID. Since then, we’ve had children, moved countries, changed jobs, and worn too many (romance) hats. Main Character is a love letter to the community of romance-book loving people who have seen and supported us through it all.
We are lady-owned and embrace diversity and love in all its forms. We believe that books should be fun and enjoyable: if you like it, it’s the book for you! We don’t yuck someone else’s yum and think that everyone should read for pleasure.
Contact us at hello@maincharacterbooks.co.uk!
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Yes! We have ramps that allow access the store. Inside, there are wide enough aisles through which one may use a wheelchair, pram, etc. If you need more room or assistance with reaching the books, feel free to let our books sellers know (all our displays are movable and we have to use step stools). Seating with either stools or chairs with backs is available both during shop hours and for events. Public toilets are available nearby in Old Spitalfields Market which has an accessible toilet. If you need a different accommodation for your visit, please let us know at hello@maincharacterbooks.co.uk and we will do our best to find a solutioN!
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No, Generative Allie! Award-winning art director Allie taught herself Photoshop to make graphics for an Orlando Bloom fansite during the Legolas era and SHE ISN’T STOPPING NOW. Give her a shout if something needs fixing: allie@maincharacterbooks.co.uk
We believe in the human touch and do not stock books made with AI. (As far as we can reasonably ascertain!) Main Character does not and has never used AI to create our merch, graphics, posts, recommendations, website, or other creative materials. If there’s a mistake, we cannot blame the bots.
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We adore indie books but sadly do not have the capacity to manage all the contracts! If you are available on Gardners, we have the potential to stock you.
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We are lucky to be centrally located so lots of authors stop by for signings. We don't have control over author schedules, but you can check our events and socials to see which authors we've had in store!
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If you're in the UK, the easiest way to support us while getting great novels delivered is to order from our bookshop.org!
If you are planning on visiting the shop and want certain books, please reach out to hello@maincharacterbooks.co.uk at least a week prior to your visit. We will need the title, author, and edition of the book(s) you're looking for and we can see about availability.
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Yes! Our space was purposely designed for events. We can seat 32 at tables, 50 seated for talks, and 70 standing for cocktails. Please email hello@maincharacterbooks.co.uk with your vision for the event and we will follow-up with pricing and availability.
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Main Character is brand new so we’re still getting our footing as a company. From our accountants to our design team, we try to partner with women-led, family-owned, and local businesses. Sustainability, inclusivity, and progressive values are important to us, and we look for the same values in those in our team.
We are proud to serve cakes from Luminary Bakery, a local social enterprise that empowers women who have experienced homelessness, domestic abuse, violence, or sexual exploitation. When you treat yourself in our cafe, you’re helping support their great work!
In our personal lives, we volunteer time in our local communities. Prior to spending all her time in the shop, Cassie used her courtroom knowledge by supporting victims and witnesses of crimes at her local magistrate court. Allie uses her past comms career by supporting community organisations around progressive candidates.
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We sell books — with lots of paper — so it is important to us to conserve resources as much as we can! For damaged and remaindered books, we have a clearance cart in store. You get a great novel and the book avoids pulping at the publisher — win-win! We also hold monthly book swaps where we add to the pile, so you may score a new book.
