A Bargain for Sanctuary: A Cozy Lesbian Romance in the Palace

Raven Court Chronicles #1

by Autumn Wolff

A cozy Lesbian Palace Romance about a desperate werewolf who falls into the hands of a powerful Faerie Queen.

Sierra Chelsea is on the run from a sheriff and his deputies after murdering her abusive father. Stumbling through the woods of northern Maine, the young werewolf falls into a shady grove and comes face-to-face with a dark monarch of Faerie. The Raven Queen Varella takes an unusual interest in the desperate shifter and offers her a seemingly simple bargain.

If the werewolf will agree to become Varella's new pet, then she'll be offered sanctuary in the land of Faerie, far beyond the reach of mortal law.

Although she knows better than to bargain with fae, Sierra finds it difficult to think straight in the presence of such otherworldly beauty. And when Varella lightly strokes Sierra's cheek, the werewolf finds herself powerless to do anything other than swoon.

With law enforcement hot on her trail, Sierra agrees to become the queen's pet. When she awakens in her new home, Sierra discovers a surprisingly cozy life waiting for her in the palace. And while the Raven Court is full of magic and danger, the werewolf's biggest challenge might just be surviving endless amounts of teasing and pampering from her new mistress.

While most tales warn about the danger of mortals striking bargains with fae, Sierra begins to wonder if this was the best decision of her life. Maybe just this once she'll find herself in a safe home with more love than she could ever wish for.

A Bargain For Sanctuary is a cozy sapphic fantasy about a submissive werewolf and her mistress, the powerful Faerie Queen. It's full of wish fulfillment and fluff, perfect for a leisurely read.

Genres: Fantasy, Lesbian, Romance, Queer, LGBT, Lesbian Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy

240 pages, Paperback

Published March 17, 2023

About the author

Autumn Wolff is a Mainer, bub. And she’s a woman of few simple interests. When she’s not writing stories about girls kissing each other, Autumn is likely reading stories about girls kissing each other, playing Dungeons and Dragons, running, or watching a movie. She and her wife live near the ocean and consume more pizza than four turtles mutated by ooze. Autumn may not have the biggest living space, and it may never have enough bookshelves, but it’s home.

Reviews

[Tegan Rosenbaum · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ why is this sapphic FF(F?) fantasy book not talked about more? For fantasy lovers, a dark fae queen of indescribable power and a lost and battered werewolf in need of sanctuary are the building blocks of a great story! Strong world building, fluid writing, slow burn power exchange with flashes of polyamory and a solid storyline … just a fun read!!

Definitely on my recommendations list! Can’t wait to read the second book. ❤️

[lauraღ · Rating 2 out of 5]

“You enjoy submitting to me. And you always will. It’s part of what makes you such a fun pet to have. And make no mistake, darling. You are had.”

2.5 stars. This is exactly what it set out to be, exactly what it says on the tin: a cosy, relatively low stakes sapphic fantasy romance. It features an abused, touch-starved werewolf and a haughty dominant fae queen. My problem was that I thought I was in the mood for a cosy (for a given definition of the word) romance like this, but apparently I wasn't. Especially not delivered in the way this was. 

Sierra is on the run from the law after she kills her abusive father. She knows that she won't get anything like fair treatment from the corrupt lawmen in her town. In the woods, she makes a bargain with a mysterious faerie queen, who whisks her off to her realm, and immediately starts teasing her, pampering her, putting her in her place, all to differing degrees. And as much of a brat as Sierra is, she finds herself enjoying it more and more, especially when she starts to make new friends in the kingdom. This is a tried and true trope for me: I really will never not love stories where an abused person gets taken in, and shown a lot of love and support, gets to be spoiled and pampered. This wasn't my favourite version of that, but I still liked it. It was so cute, when the queen would start scritching her, or petting her hair, and she'd just melt into a puddle.

But as I mentioned, the tone and delivery of this just wasn't for me. It was written in a very casual style, with a lot of quips and humour and references to fantasy and pop culture, and it just didn't land for me. Not that I didn't get the references or whatever, but it was just, idk, forced and not that funny. I guess this is cosy, in the sense that there isn't much plot outside of the characters' developing relationships, and while there is action, it doesn't take  up much of the story. But the vibes were nothing like I'd expect from a cosy fantasy romance. It felt like it was trying to be a comedy sometimes, and that was jarring. I'm not saying you can't have serious topics in a light-hearted book, but the treatment of Sierra's abuse did nothing for me. The world building was thin, and I would have expected a whole lot more romance than it actually contained. Sierra and Varella spent a lot of time apart, and that felt pretty unsatisfying. Sierra had other friendships (and this unexpectedly turned poly, and she had the most lightning fast insta-friendship and insta-love with a half-fae girl that I could have loved, but didn't because of how fast it was) but since that was the main relationship (Varella is on the cover!) I expected there to be more of her. I thought the almost binary separation of Sierra and her wolf was just kinda goofy. All werewolf books tend to do that as part of their lore, and it never really appeals to me, having the character and their wolf be almost separate entities. And I really didn't like how the book used flashbacks and did continuity in general. There was one instance where a big event happened, we went forward a few hours late, and then had a flashback to what happened immediately after the big event. That can work sometimes, but here it felt clunky.

Also, now I'm really delving into nitpicks, but the metaphysical sex magic or whatever felt sooooo cheesy. So silly. Genuinely would have just preferred a fade to black.

So unfortunately, while this did have fun aspects and some things I liked, I didn't like it enough to pull up my rating. I don't think I'm interested in continuing the series. I can 100% see the appeal of the entire plot and setup though. Your mileage may vary, so give it a go if it sounds interesting.

[Elena Abbott · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful read.

I've read a lot of shifter stories in my day, and a small number of fae-based stories too. None of them have ever truly melded the two together quite like this novel.

I really enjoyed Sierra as a character, getting to learn new things alongside her as she adjusts to her new life. Her relationships with both the Raven Queen and with Lily felt very strong and warm.

And I personally enjoyed how much of a bottom Sierra is, as it's something I can relate to.

All in all, a wonderful book and a very refreshing take on a shifter story, this one starring the fae as well.

[Shannon👻 · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

[Em · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, cozy (most of the time) queer fantasy romance that hit all my fav things. It was a quicker listen - which I LOVE when a shorter book is able to get to everything I want without dragging on.

I am not sure if it was the narrator for the raven queen or her straight up personality but not my favorite character. Though she got that possessive thing down.

I LOVED Sierra and Lily characters. I especially loved the chapter about non romantic friends and importance of physical connections, and am still thinking about if I like the direction that relationship developed.

For a cozy fantasy I sure am thinking about life quite a bit.

[Lady Olenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars

I have never encountered the kind of shared love written in this book. It made me feel a bit uneasy and my rigid brain tried to process all this info. I love it for the characters and am cautiously optimistic about the future. In general I enjoyed my time in the fae world. I mean meeting werewolves, faes of all forms and the extent of their magic is breathtaking.

[Hannah Raynard]

A fun time.

There are more than a few things that should have been caught in editing, but the story is a good time nonetheless.

[Giselle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book, but i think there should be a warning it would be polyamory. It started halfway/end of the book and took all focus away from the couple I was already invested, so sad because until that i was having a great read
But if that’s hot cup of tea, go ahead. I have a feeling this is going to be an amazing series.

[MissAlice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sapphic holy grail. Magic, love, soul bonds, poly, shifters, Queen, war, pack mentality, werewolf, dryads, witches, Domme/subby... tops and bottoms... I mean... EVERYTHING is in this book. I had the best time laughing at the bottoms bratting be it in wolf or human skin. The MC's narrative will make you giggle. Oh, and the love shared with two fierce women in their own relationships? Be still my little swooning lesbian heart. 10 stars and cannot wait to read the next book in this chronicle.

[Vanna Book-Mage · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of this story hooked me. I feel like the execution kinda fell flat. It definitely wasn't high stakes, but idk if it delivered on the relationship between Sierra and Queen Varella for me and to throw Lily in the mix as well felt premature. Overall, it was fine, not my favourite read, but I get to cross a bingo square off the Sapphic Book Bingo 2025!

[3DKing · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's cute and exciting. Had a lot of fun with the banter.

[John B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a little unsure of this book at first because of the dynamic between Sierra and Varella, but ultimately I was ok with it because of Sierra’s constant acknowledgment of being ok with the bargain she made and the resulting relationship with Varella.

[Silkvx · Rating 5 out of 5]

interesting read

Well I am waiting for book 2. I was sad the book ended. I like this take on the fantasy world.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad!

The writing was good and it was a pretty good story. I liked the Queen and Sierra's evolving relationship. I didn't care for the addition of Lilly and it really changed my overall opinion of the book. I would still recommend that you give it a chance.

[Sydney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It's a fun, quick read. It was a bit more simplistic than I was expecting, and there were more than a few typos of one form or another, but it was still a good story. I'm not sure how Sierra would have been implicated in the death of her abusive father considering she was in her wolf form when she killed him though. There are a few other small things like that were a little more explanation was needed but not given.

This is also a poly romance story, which is always fun to stumble across considering the synopsis doesn't mention anything about it. Both romances happen pretty quickly and progress to love just as fast.

There is no third act breakup. There is some minor action and late story drama that mostly pushes the plot along. Otherwise it is more slice of life than anything. I'll probably read the other books in the series because this was a fun, interesting, kind of palate cleanser book.

[charles clayson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Explosive beginning to this series❗This story starts off with the heroine Sierra the wolf shifter barely staying ahead of the crooked law men that are in pursuit of her.
But by the will of good fortune she loses her footing and tumbles down and embankment where she eventually encounters the dark Queen Varella who straight away offers her safety if she will agree to be her pet!?
I think that is more than enough temptation to peek anyone's interest❗
Now for my rating of book one of 2.
Five 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 ❗

[Star · Rating 3 out of 5]

Content warnings: past parental abuse, murder, death, blood, gore, fatphobic comments, war themes.

Rep: Sierra (MC) is cis, white, lesbian, and werewolf. Side lesbian characters. Side nonbinary character.


This was an intriguing read. I was hoping to have a specific mood itch scratched, and this helped.

[Shula McCann · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot of fun

This was a very well written fantasy romance, and my first cozy lesbian romance ever (and a fantastic place to start). I loved the main characters and felt sympathetic towards them and their struggles. The story had a very good pace, and other than the slightly abrupt ending I have no complaints and I’m looking forward to book 2.

[Jamie (TheRebelliousReader) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars. Where was the coziness? I didn’t get cozy from this at all. Also, the writing is really not that good. The characters were fine though a lot of the dialogue was cringe but I did find the world building and relationships to be interesting. I’ll read book two just to see what happens next. Hopefully it’s much better than this one.

[Grayson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Top tier sapphic book. I read this as well as the audio, the narrator Stella Rose, is the perfect fit for these characters, I'm also very happy to know how names are pronounced. I can never find books like this so Im glad there is another one in the series.

[Kirian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, that was so much fun! An original fantasy, with great main characters, super sidekicks, lovely dynamics. Great storytelling in the narration of Stella Rose. I'm surprised I didn't find it earlier, but now I'm going to devour the series.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read

A surprisingly great read. Filled with adventures and heartfelt healing. Trauma can lead to finding your inner strength and happiness.

[Scynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

interesting

This book keeps you wondering what’s next. Not so much love or sex that it gets overbearing just enough to make you wonder what’s next

[Alex (HEABookNerd)]

DNF

Nothing against the book, it's just not the plot for me and the subservient, you're my pet thing is just not my jam.

[Faye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cozy lesbian romance describes this book quite well. I enjoyed the story a lot especially the teasing between Varella and Sierra.

[L A Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful

This is a wonderful story of a Fae queen and a broken, lonely werewolf. It just pulled me in and didn't let go.

[E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story -3
Narrator - 5

The story was cute. Definitely a Sub and Dom story, but very low key. Enjoyed both the plot and the narrator.

[Kathryna Napier · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF.

I found Sierra to be insufferable as a narrator and character in general. I could hardly get through the first couple chapters before deciding this wasn't for me.

[Al · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprise Polyamory!

[Subira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mistress and submissive relationship but make it paranormal? Yes, thank you