Thighs and Prayers

by Kat Blackthorne

Beneath the vibrant colors of stained glass, the small hillside convent of Howl Moor is on its knees for a different kind of prayer and worship.

The Altar Church of Lost Souls houses nuns, good works for the community, and secrets woven within dark halls and twisted sermons. Sister Jezebella is happy serving under her Reverend Mother and attending to her every desire. However, when newcomer Sister Lilith visits from a neighboring convent, Jezebella finds herself drawn to a different holy calling, one in the form of long blond hair and stolen glances.

But as Jezebella navigates her passionate relationships with her fellow nuns and her draw to the new girl, a bigger mystery is at play in Howl Moor. People turn up missing, wives are widowed, and someone-- or something-- is targeting church members. As the newest nuns at The Altar Church of Lost Souls, Jezebella and Lilith seek to uncover the answers behind the screams in the night and the howls in the forest-- all while facing their growing feelings and fervent passion for each other.

Church bells are ringing, these robes are tight, and holy hands are ready to be laid upon pure and perfect bodies.

Genres: Lesbian, Romance, Queer, LGBT, Dark Romance, Smut, Erotica

311 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 24, 2026

About the author

Kat Blackthorne is a bestselling author of haunting romance. She writes passion, characters, and worlds that linger past the last page. Her tales embrace cozy darkness with magical and spooky twists. Catnip for her is banter, begging, challenging norms, and beings who worship their women.

Kat lives somewhere deep in the mountains in a witch's cottage with her talking feline. She has a collection of quotes and character names a mile long, her favorite holiday is Halloween, and her favorite book is whatever she read last.

Join her spooky reader coven on Facebook: Kat Blackthorne and The Black Hearts Coven
Follow her on Tiktok where The Halloween Boys hashtags have over six million views: @katblackthorne
Find her on Instagram: @katblackthorneauthor

Reviews

[˗ˏˋ mckenna ˎˊ˗]

DNF for now, will come back eventually

**pre-read thoughts

LESBIAN NUNS??? say no more im in

[Solely Sapphic Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC REVIEW
Single 1st Person POV. 5🌟 5🌶️. 311 pages
11 Spicy Scenes

Forgive me Reverend Mother for I have sinned!

I didn’t grow up religious in any capacity, I come from a family of atheists, but this book took me to church and I would happily become a nun if Reverend Mother Veilentine were my prioress!

Come meet sister Jezebella a nun at The Altar Church of Lost Souls, pious she is not, but passionate she is. As her relationship with her sisters in Christ deepens and a new nun appears who draws her eye, Jezebella will be torn between passion and a deeper yearning. Between pleasure and pain and mysteries unfolding, what could possibly go wrong?

This book was EVERYTHING I wanted and more. If you think you’re getting into a smutty little story about lesbian nuns you’d be correct but it’s so much deeper than that. Thighs and Prayers delves into the deep layers of oppression and the intrinsic gap between men and women within not only the eyes of the church but also society as a whole. It’s about finding yourself, loving that person and saying f**k you to the system that seeks to dim your shine!

Thighs and Prayers comes out today and if you know what’s good for you, you’ll forget your TBR and read this immediately!

Things to LOVE:
📚Mystery / Romance
⛓️‍💥Forced Proximity
🔍Mysteries & Disappearances
🙏Morning Prayers 😉
🙌Holy Mother Domme
⛓️BDSM
🌶️🍑👈 + 💦💦

[Larareads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was soo excited when Kat first posted about this book and I loved it! The story is fascinating and I had such a fun time reading! Also the spice is freaking amazing and so so hot!

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

horny lesbian nuns with beautiful prose like what more do you need really

genuinely LOVED this book wow

[ashlee ❤ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jezebella + Lilith

-sapphic romance
-lesbian nuns (erryywhereee)
-town mystery
-feminine rage
-ultimate worship
-ff/fffff

“The hazards of scissoring should have been mentioned in the bible. No one warned me.”

“Despite years of fervent prayer and wise sermons, I’d only ever found god between my Sister in Christ’s thighs. At midnight mass, I found more than something as simple as the notion of god. I found divinity in a woman loving a woman. My highest calling wasn’t holiness, it was this— it was her. My vows gained a fullness as an understanding clicked into place. At midnight mass, between the thighs of god, every prophecy was fulfilled. At long last, a prayer answered.”

& really there’s nothing else left needed to be said, ya feel me!😏😏🙏🧎‍♀️🛐

[ari ⁠♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of all, this cover is STUNNING. I can’t even remember the last time I picked up a sapphic romance, so this was a really fun change for me.

I loved the gothic setting and atmosphere. Creepy convent, religious tension, yearning, suspiciously intense eye contact between women… and this book wasted no time with the spice 😮‍💨🌶️ These women were fighting demons (iykyk) and being horny at the exact same time. Priorities!

Weirdly enough though, despite how spicy everything was, the characters were still really endearing to me. Their dynamic had this softness to it that made me enjoy them together.

My issue is mostly that the story itself felt kinda flat. A lot of it felt kind of stagnant. Still, I’m glad I picked it up. I’m definitely going to be thinking about that last chapter for a while🤣

[kelisliveshere˚₊⋆ ʚɞ ⋆₊˚ · Rating 3 out of 5]

RTC (maybe lol)

[Brend]

I don't usually enjoy puns as titles, but i am gayer than my morals. This one works.

[Jess Brady · Rating 5 out of 5]

LESBIAN NUNS - SAY LESS

I do want to preface this by saying I've yet to read Selah Gothic, but it is up soon! Kat Blackthorne makes me fall hopelessly in love with her characters, but Thighs and Prayers took it further. These characters weren't just ravenous for each other; they were desperate for what their time together brought. I am getting ahead of myself because before you get Sister Jezabella and Sister Lilith you get Reverend Mother Veilentine. Which from the beginning you can tell she isn't all that she makes herself out to be, again that comes later. Which I am not going to go into because no spoilers.

The heart of this story is what well and truly made me realize why I always find myself back in the worlds that Kat creates. On the surface it is two nuns who are feral for one another, but beneath that there is oppression, finding yourself and gothic mystery that ties it all together.

I'm fresh off the heels of this one, so my thoughts are rather all over the place. I didn't have stories like this when I was their age. Stories that could've helped me see that there was nothing wrong with me or that I wasn't "acting out" because I wasn't happy not being myself.

Right in the thick of this book, I remembered the author saying how important this book was to her and that is why this book matters. It is beyond HOT, but it is everything you could feel about not belonging tied up in one. Often times readers find their selves lost in the pages that an author creates, they can put themselves in the positions of the characters because they understand. That is what Kat Blackthorne gave me with Thighs and Prayers.

[Amber The Ninth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so much more than I was expecting in the best way possible!

[Celina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love weird things, especially weird books. I can't wholly relate to the whole growing up in a religious family thing, but there sure was religion here and as an African woman, writing Jesus and God with small letters, I almost felt thunder smiting me thru my kindle, like damn.

Also, this sort of prayers definitely be very rewarding. An enjoyable read. It has a bit of mystery to it, and since I love mystery books, I thought it was a major thing but it wasn't. I mean, Lilith was just Lilith, imagine my shock. A man died though, that is always something.

[Caro · Rating 5 out of 5]

The holiest kind of chaos.

Thighs and Prayers feels like stepping into something equal parts sinful and sacred, and I mean that in the best way possible.

The feeling of a lifetime of tangled religious experiences, of trying to reconcile who you are with what you’ve been taught… it hits. And the way the book reframes that into something softer, freer, almost like finding salvation outside traditional doctrine, just works.

And then there’s the language. The way religious imagery is woven into sensual and emotional moments is honestly hilarious at times, but also weirdly beautiful. It leans so hard into it that it becomes its own kind of poetry.

What really makes the story stand out is how different the characters are in the way they process it all. Jezebella diving headfirst into desire, Lilith holding back and questioning everything, it creates this constant tension that keeps pulling you in.

The secrecy just elevates everything. Every glance, every interaction feels heavier because of what’s at stake, and being trapped in that convent with them makes it even more intense.

And underlying it all, that gothic, eerie atmosphere, the forest, the missing people, the sense that something isn’t quite right, adds this quiet layer of unease that lingers the whole time.

It’s messy, it’s bold, it’s a little unhinged… and it knows exactly what it’s doing.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s no question what this sapphic nun story is on the surface, but there’s a little more to it than that.
Thighs and Prayers had me intrigued from the very beginning. Between the secrets each of the Sisters and the Reverend Mother were obviously all keeping, to the mysterious occurrences in the little village and the beasts that lurked in the woods, the story moved quickly and kept you guessing what everyone was hiding.
This was the first novel from this author, and I have to say I enjoyed it more than I expected. I don’t read a lot of erotica, but I’d definitely consider reading more from Kat if this is the outcome.
😈✝️

[sara🧸🪐 · Rating 4 out of 5]

cw: improper use of jesus

[Marley Ghostfern · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book took me to church and I think I'd take my vows tomorrow if Veilentine were my prioress.

Sister Jezebella is a nun at The Altar Church of Lost Souls. Not pious. Very passionate. What starts as a sapphic story about lesbian nuns quickly reveals itself to be so much more. It's a story about oppression, self-worth, gothic mystery, howls in the night, blood on the trees, and people going missing in Howl Moor. I was being edged by the intimate scenes AND the mystery simultaneously and I have no complaints. You can't convince me otherwise: God is a woman. Go read this!

In this book you'll find:
⛓️Sapphic romance
⛓️Mystery
⛓️Forced proximity
⛓️Holy mother domme
⛓️Prayers
⛓️BDSM
⛓️FF/FFFFF
⛓️Worship

🎶Kat Blackthorne,Hallelujah 🎶

[TheMorgueDoll · Rating 5 out of 5]

As as a queer ex Catholic turned Athiest, this was done SO well. The attention to detail while adding REALLY damn good spice was fucking phenomenal. I loved how Kat wrote Selah Gothic, but a bunch of lesbian nuns!? Feminism, sticking it to the man (literally) and also some mystery. Loved it. Love love loooooved it and was not at all expecting it to turn the way it did. THANK 👏🏼 YOU 👏🏼 KAT 👏🏼!!!!

[WitchysReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of advance copy received from Author

I always know I am in for an adventure full of twists and turns and secrets and passion when I start a Kat Blackthorne book, and I have been more than fulfilled with Her Worship and guidance with this one. God is indeed a woman...and loves lesbians.

This story healed me in ways I didn’t know I needed to be healed from religious trauma. Touched my soul and lit a fire in me that I am worthy to love and be loved as I am. One of my favorite quotes being "It was my favorite prayer, a delicious offering that I swirled in my mouth and sucked at greedily."

The tension of Sister Jezabella learning the ways of The Altar Church of Lost Souls from Reverend Mother Veilentine versus the freedom of the hidden moments with Sister Lilith is such a beautiful thing to watch flourish throughout the story. Both Jezzabella and Lilith learning the secrets of the town of Howl Moor...and the secrets of worshipping each other. I couldn't get enough.

"The only prophecies I'd ever been privy to were the swing of women's hips and the dip of their cleavage. God created women, and he may as well have created them for me and me alone with the fervor of which I adored everything about them."

Not only is there the passion with hauntingly beautiful prose that Kat is known for, we have the gothic mystery subplot that begins when Lilith appears... there are howls in the night, blood on the trees.... and people going missing? I was on the edge of my seat being edged with the delicously blasphemous intimate scenes and craving to know more of what is happening in the woods of Howl Moor.

Truly just another 5 star read by an author who puts her heart and soul in her work, and it shows in the vulnerability within her characters.

And now...it’s time to go to Midnight Mass.
Thank you so much Kat for letting me ARC read this phenomenal masterpiece and leave an honest review. For having faith in me to read something so special to you.

[Chance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just Try It

Well that was exactly what I would expect from Kat and so much more. I’m pretty sure the Catholic guilt is gonna come for me soon but it will be so worth it. The book starts right off the bat and my jaw was dropped. The mystery of the forest, the new sister, the little town, and Reverend Mother will have you turning the pages until you finish.

Kat truly did make habits and tunics seem pretty sexy. And holy smokes that ending 🥵

If you’re interested in some naughty nuns then this is the book for you. Or just give it a try and never be able to look at a pew the same way again.

[ㅤmelli ꧔]

𓏲࣪◜dnf ♡ᵎ

I usually really like her writing style, but I'm finding it really difficult to get into this one.

Maybe I'll pick up the book again later and finish it.

started: 14.05.26
stopped: 14.05.26

[Jacqueline Halle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sapphic nuns, howling in the woods and a take on midnight mass that you'll either be all for or disturbed by it all 😂🥵

[PossessedbyKaitlyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5**
Okay now I need the first AND last chapter etched into my tombstone

[Blaisey · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75⭐

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I need to be lobotomized after this one chat

[Tia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amen.

Lost me at with plot but the smut was good.

2.5 ✨

[DaniPhantom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best smut I’ve read in a while!!! Love the yearning and the subplot was pretty good too

[Marie Maness · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deliciously blasphemous

Lesbian nuns? Yes please please please! This book was deliciously blasphemous and the spice left me in a puddle on the floor. Between the underlying spookiness of people going missing and unexplained animal attacks/noises, and the prayer meetings — this book kept me HOOKED. I will be recommending this to literally everyone, even the ones who will hate it 😈

[T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me 🫱🏻‍🫲🏼 Sapphic Nuns

[Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mother Superior, step on me. That and the cult of women are the only things I liked. Maybe I'm just not the target audience. Nuns don't turn me on at all. And it's not about religion, I'm an atheist, it just happened that way. The plot is very strange. To begin with, the setting. What the fuck is this. So we have a conditional Middle Ages, where Christianity has just begun to banish paganism, a church in almost every village, but at the same time they have electricity and telephones?! Why?! The two main characters cause me nothing but annoyance. But I must say, they're pretty empty. The sex is varied, which is also good. But that 's how it 's described 💀💀💀
In short, one hot mother superior out of five

[Abbey Lancaster · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received an advance copy of this book from the author.
The smut in this book is it’s one saving Grace. It’s sassy, sacrilegious, and creative, with a dom/sub dynamic most of the time.
That being said, the description of religious life in this book is so utterly confusing, I couldn’t get into the story. I am a former Catholic, and this book wants to keep the misogyny and homophobia of Catholicism without bothering to do the most basic research into Catholic teachings- there’s a comment at one point about the main character believing in the rapture, which Catholics don’t believe in. The book also can’t make up its mind if it’s a fun, sexy convent where there is no homophobia or a more realistic one where there is. It’s trying to do too much.
I also felt that some of the sections with Sister Jezebella’s relationship with Reverend Mother badly needed a sensitivity reader who was familiar with the sexual abuse issues within religious life, because some of the language used was too similar to actual coverups for actual abuse.
On a basic writing level, the characters are just cardboard cutouts- nothing profound or complex here.
If you just want the smut, this is a fantastic book. Just don’t look at the plot too closely or the whole thing falls apart.
If I had edited this book, I would have taken most of the plot out, added a bit more sex, and just had a fun, sacrilegious erotica novella.

[Unpopmary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book so much more than I expected. It’s my first time reading this author, and now I’m completely hooked—I need more of her work. Going in, I wasn’t sure how much actual plot I would get, since it is erotica after all. But I was genuinely surprised by how much depth there was beneath the spice, especially with the mystery woven throughout. It gave me far more than I anticipated.

Jezebella and Lilith completely carried the story for me. Jezebella, in particular, was a standout. She’s everything a nun “shouldn’t” be: bold, curious, playful, and unafraid to question God himself. That made her incredibly compelling. The fact that she openly calls herself a “bad nun” only made me love her more. Lilith took me a little longer to connect with. She starts off more reserved and rigid, but as the story unfolds—especially through her diary entries—you begin to see her layers. Watching her slowly embrace her desires and step outside her comfort zone was one of the most satisfying character arcs in the book.

The romance has a slightly unconventional feel. It leans into insta-love at first, but it doesn’t stay surface-level. The intimate scenes actually carry real meaning. They become a space where Jezebella and Lilith can be vulnerable, free from the restrictions placed on them. Their connection goes beyond physical attraction, and you can feel those deeper emotions building over time. I also loved how natural and even playful their dynamic felt. Thankfully, nothing came across as repetitive. Consent is handled really well too, especially with Jezebella being the more experienced one. She’s attentive, respectful, and never assumes anything, which I appreciated a lot.

The dynamic between Jezebella and the Reverend Mother adds another layer entirely. It focuses more on control and submission than romance, and it almost feels like a mentor-mentee relationship. Because of that, it never blurred into the same emotional space as Jezebella and Lilith’s relationship, which worked really well for me. I’m usually not the biggest fan of poly dynamics, but here it felt clearly defined, so it didn’t take anything away from the main couple.

One of the strongest elements of this book is how it uses erotica as a form of empowerment. It directly challenges the hypocrisy within the church—especially the way women’s desires are policed while men’s are ignored—and pushes back against restrictive views on sexuality and same-sex relationships. It feels bold, unapologetic, and honestly a little rebellious in the best way. The ending, especially, felt incredibly freeing and cathartic, like a final statement that ties everything together.

That said, your experience with this book might depend on your relationship with religion. As someone who isn’t particularly religious, I didn’t connect as deeply with those themes as others might, especially readers who have experienced religious trauma. So depending on your background, this could hit much harder or feel more intense and provocative.

The writing itself was one of my favorite parts. It has this eerie, almost poetic quality that fits the gothic setting perfectly. The atmosphere is rich and immersive, and the imagery is vivid enough to pull you completely into the story. It made the whole reading experience feel even more emotional and engaging.

My only real criticism is the mystery resolution. After so much buildup and tension, it ended up feeling a bit too straightforward. It made sense, but I was expecting something with a little more impact, especially considering how much it was teased throughout the book. I just wish we had seen more of the consequences and what it meant in the bigger picture.

Overall, Thighs and Prayers goes far beyond what you might expect from an erotica novel. It’s emotional, character-driven, and deeply rooted in themes of power, desire, and rebellion. If you’re looking for something bold, atmospheric, and a little unconventional, I highly recommend giving it a try.

Thank you to the author for the early read!