I follow Xan West on Twitter, and when they announced their next project was a kinky wlw Chanukah book, my face was one big eyes emoji. My interest only grew the more they tweeted about the writing and editing process. When they posted the final list of representation in the book, I slammed that "Buy with One Click" button. I knew I wanted Eight Kinky Nights.

Leah and Jordan have been best friends for thirty years, but it's only after Jordan's divorce that they're living together. Both polyam, autistic, fat, Jewish, and disabled, Leah is a femme submissive and sex educator, and stone butch Jordan is interested in learning to be a dominant. It only makes sense that Leah teach Jordan, and, with Chanukah coming up, eight lessons are the perfect present. That is, until both ladies get more than they bargained for, with old wounds and new feelings flaring to life.

As I said, I knew I wanted Eight Kinky Nights, but it wasn't until I started reading that I knew I needed it. Part of the reason it took me so long to finish was I never wanted it to end. The writing is careful and deliberate. The characters are gentle and good with each other. The on-page healing is marvelous. While wlw books like Mia Sugiura's It's Not Like It's a Secret shine in showing how characters can screw up, Xan West revels in what if characters did everything right, with the resources they have at their disposal now. I didn't know a ton about the polyam kink community, so I also learned a lot about that scene and culture. Reading Eight Kinky Nights made me feel safe, warm, and affirmed. I hadn't even reached the last page before I was rec'ing it to queer friends.

Treat yourself to Eight Kinky Nights. You deserve this goodness in your life.