Six Burning Candles

by Lizzie Strong

"Avaris for good rest, Eluvia for good health, Bo for a good harvest, Vien for strength, Lucien for wisdom, and Davros for peace of mind. I lit a candle for all of them and only wished for you, Trouble..."


Keida, the Lunar Cleric, of the Order of Avaris, and a frost Fae is a stickler for the rules. So when the Hierophant Rex commands she oversee the order and his daughter while he sees to an ominous vision he's been given by their Lady Avaris, Goddess of Night, she takes it seriously. Problem is that Melrose is anything but...She's a flirty, messy satyr with whimsical dreams of designing wedding gowns and everything Keida desperately wants.

The Lunar Cleric can't give up her life's work, the possibility of being the Hierophant Rex one day, for something as silly as love...until one kiss pushes her over the edge. Now she's risking excommunication to have more of Melrose. As tension grows high with the appearance of a Cardinal, unannounced, it's become apparent there is a deathly game afoot...Can Keida keep her ward safe, not just from danger, but her own wanting fingertips.

Genres: Lesbian

203 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 28, 2026

About the author

Lizzie Strong is A Monster Romance Author, where the monsters are spooky scary, and the romance is cute and cuddly. Queer Representation, Smink ;) friendly, consent heavy. A Florida swamp gremlin masquerading as a functioning human and author. The DM for a D&D podcast, previous retail and restaurant manager, constant worry wort, and romantic, Lizzie is always in between a brilliant idea and a dumb one. Inclusive books with magical nonsense, filled with monsters (you may or may not love) and mayhem. Find out more about her, the books coming out, and her nonsense at lizziestrongauthor.com

Reviews

[Poppy || Monster Lover · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC review
Melrose was such the brat and ray of chaotic sunshine. She had all the attitude and energy as impulsive to a fault. Keida was rigid, grumpy, and desperately in love with Melrose. They long standing friendship and mutual pining finally turned to more when Keida, for once, gave into impulse. They were passionate and imperfect, with Keida living in fear of Melrose’s father, the leader of their religious order, and making decisions based on that fear. I enjoyed the analysis of the complexities of religious faith and the just desserts that came toward the end.

Spice: 5/5

Triggers: Religious Trauma (Fantasy Religion), Attempted Kidnapping, acts of violence, Death of a parent (mother), crisis of faith, snake bite (side character), references to being orphaned, toxic relationship between former father figure and FMC

[KMart Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Keida is our rule-follower, quiet cleric. Melrose, a chaotic, flirty satyr who dreams big. This is exactly the kind of grumpy/sunshine dynamic I eat up every single time. And the fact that they’ve been circling each other for years makes the relationship hit the ground running in a way that actually works here. No awkward buildup needed, no instant love. The tension’s already there, just waiting to snap.

The romance is definitely the main focus. The chemistry is immediate and very hard for Keida to ignore once she lets herself slip even a little. I loved how open and judgment-free everything always is in Strong's books. Nothing is framed as something to be ashamed of or hidden away. It's fun to sneak around a little, but it's also framed as completely accepted and normalized.

There is a larger plot running underneath everything, with hints of something more serious going on within the order, but it mostly takes a backseat until later. You can feel the story trying to widen out near the end, and I do think it gets a bit rushed because of the shorter length. There’s only so much room to balance character moments, romance, and bigger stakes in a novella like this.

That said, I had a great time with it. The characters are charming, their dynamic is entertaining, and I loved the sapphic relationship. I’d absolutely come back to this world and these two.

Thanks so much to the author for the complimentary pre-released copy. Lizzie Strong is consistently one of my favorite monster romance authors. This review is voluntary and all opinions are my own.

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC review
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

Sapphic fantasy romance, first in a series featuring ray of sunshine satyr Melrose and the much more rigid and controlled frost fairy Kaida. Melrose’s father Leonardo is the head of their religion. Melrose is the treasured, slightly bratty daughter. And Kaida is his second in command, committed to denying her feelings for Melrose lest it enrage Leonardo. That is, until Melrose’s bratty ways open the door to spicy liaisons, magical tentacles, temperature play and good old fashioned body parts. This includes an absolutely delightful confessional scene, which should be included in all religion-based books.

There’s a bit of suspense introduced about halfway through, and it really adds to both the worldbuilding and the character backgrounds. Knowing this will be a series, I really appreciate that knowledge.

All over, a fun spicy sapphic read with a delightful resolution!

[Lou · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC

Now this is a religious experience I can get behind!

[Jillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

This is a steamy sapphic fantasy romance and the first book in the planned Followers of the Old Gods series.

Frost Fae FMC Keida is a devout cleric who has done her best to follow all the rules and suppress her feelings for the head Hierophant’s daughter, satyr FMC Melrose. But when Keida is tasked with keeping an eye on the flirtatious Melrose during a festival, she finally gives in to temptation. Things escalate further when the Hierophant is called away and the two are left alone together, with ominous visions hinting at danger.

This book was delightful! The grumpy/sunshine dynamic worked wonderfully, and the characters were fun together. The pacing was a little different, with the relationship escalating quickly and turning steamy early on, then deepening as the plot thickened and the stakes grew.

Overall, a really great read. I hope to see more in the Followers of the Old Gods series in the future.

Spice 5/5
Plot: 4.5/5
Writing: 4.5/5
My Enjoyment: 4.5/5

*** I received an ARC and am voluntarily leaving my honest review.

[Lisen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 5 ⭐️
Spice: 3 🌶️

Tropes: frost fae x satyr • sapphic • brat vs brat tamer • high fantasy • magic religion

I hadn't really checked out this book before I dove into it. It's a Lizzie Strong; I'm gonna read!

I wasn't ready for this book though. Staying true to the Lizzie Strong style, spice was front and center - but what really blew me away was the storyline. So exciting! The blurb actually doesn't really do the story justice; it is a romance, but it's also a mystery/action/something.

Came for the spice, stayed for the plot!

And the characters ❤️ So strong, no-nonsense female characters driving the story and taking no bullshit from anyone.

This book is for you if you want a spicy sapphic book with a great plot that makes the book hard to put down.

[ThatsSomeGoodSmut · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for a copy of this book.

I went into this expecting a cute sapphic romance, some pining, when will the cleric finally give in, that sort of thing. What I got was so much more!!! Sex with magic?! Yes please. Add in some wax play and fun confessional times, and I'm fully invested.

Melrose and Keida are adorable, with Melrose being a flirty menace and Keida just trying to do her job and not get sucked in, not quite ready to sacrifice all the hard work she's put into her career. And on top of everything, we get a little suspense arc that I absolutely did not see coming!

This book is so sweet and spicy, I really enjoyed the whole thing.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

**ARC READER**
Lizzie has once again given us absolute cinema. I was obsessed with these two who are obsessed with each other from the start. Melrose and Keida pining for eachother was everything. Plus!! I was so happy I to be dropped in at the breaking point. This book was hot, it had some suspense, all wrapped up in a lovely little sapphic package. Thank you for another little dnd styled masterpiece Lizzie!! You keep us all so well fed 😋

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the best surprise ARC! Thank you to Lizzie Strong! 💕Six Burning Candles starts mid pine between Lunar Cleric Keida and Hierophant Rex’s daughter Melrose, we’re led through an interesting path of plotting, politics, yearning and spice. Overall SBC is a great read, there’s plenty of creative ‘with magic’ spice and well defined and funny characters! 10/10


Features
⚔️Sapphic Pairing
🙏🏼Fantasy Setting
💕Mystery and Intrigue
🍯 Brat FMC
🧶 Cleric FMC
🧵Dual POV
❄️ Scary Dad Privilege
☃️HEA

[Kat Reads Skulls · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adore Lizzie’s DND styled romances and have been waiting for a sapphic one since Cloak and Dagger Burlesque so to say I was excited to see this pop up is an understatement! This was the perfect mix of fun spicy grumpy/sunshine pining and suspense. I appreciated the secondary plot because it deepened our understanding of the new universe; this is the first in a new series and what I’ve seen so far makes me excited to see the rest!

Quick, engaging, spicy, enjoyable read

[Jessica Ogram · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was real sweet. I loved the main characters together, they’re the perfect definition of opposites attract. I wish individually they had more depth. I enjoyed the plot and the tension of it. The writing was good, easy to read and fast paced. I didn’t really feel many emotions reading this and some parts didn’t compute in my head but overall I had a good time reading it.

[Jilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

These two who are obsessed with each other from the start. Melrose and Keida pining for eachother was everything. 
This book was hot, it had some suspense, all wrapped up in a lovely little sapphic package. 

So strong, no-nonsense female characters driving the story and taking no bullshit from anyone.

[Kelly G · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fun! As always with Lizzie's books the characters were easy to fall in love. I love how each book she writes builds the King's Fall world out a little more. The mythology of the religion is well done, i found myself wishing to know more. Im sure future books will eventually grant that wish.

[Violet · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

👀Tropes: Dual POV Paranormal/Monster/Fantasy Romance with sapphic pining, brat x brat, grumpy x sunshine, and lots of smut.

☠️CW: Religious Trauma (fantasy), attempted kidnapping, violence, sexual content, death of parent, crisis of faith

🪢Kinks: Voyeurism, Confessional Scenes, Wax Play, Magic Toys

📚Read Method: Kindle eBook. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

✨My Thoughts: Keida and Melrose are amazing. I love their attitudes to life and the pining they show each other. And honestly, the very funny people around them and how they act at the end. I was highly entertained throughout the entire book and I wish to read this again. It's flirty, fun, with a dash of exciting plot, and tension.

💖Quotes: "I swore I'd never bed to be loved but I was feeling like my knees on the cathedral steps wasn't a bad idea. My ego wasn't in the picture in the least. I wanted her so bad it hurt."

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always, Lizzie knocks it out of the park! This was so good and gave me all the feels. I really enjoyed how this was written and can't wait to read more!