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Verdict: A hot, fast, kinky Pride novella: Penelope Harkness, a plus-size drag king with ADHD, is adrift after losing her Domme of five years when she tumbles into bed with Christine, a newly out career woman at her first Pride. Readers love the chemistry, the representation and Christine’s friendship with Will; others could not connect, and two stopped early.
Best for: Readers who want a short, explicit D/s romance with older, neurodivergent sapphic leads.
Heat level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Rating: ★★★★☆ (3.9/5 — a 4.21 Goodreads average across 38 ratings, 3.77 on StoryGraph from 11 reviews, and 4.6 stars across 18 Amazon ratings)
Tropes: One night to more, D/s, late-in-life coming out, Pride, small town, novella.
Northeast of Eden is Alex La Bruyere’s 2026 small-town sapphic novella from Such a Blanche Publishing, about 122 pages, part of the multi-author Pride in Pine Grove series set in Pine Grove, Connecticut. The book describes itself as a kinky romcom about pathetic sapphics.
It holds a 4.21 average across 38 Goodreads ratings, with 82% of them four or five stars, 3.77 on StoryGraph from 11 reviews, and 4.6 stars across 18 Amazon ratings. Most early reviews come from advance readers.
What Is Northeast of Eden About?
Pen performs a rambunctious set as drag king King Kong at The ConnectiClit, the local lesbian bar, and everyone loves her. But since losing her longtime Domme, every new partner leaves her feeling broken and inadequate.
Enter Christine, who catches her eye across the parade route. Christine is fresh out of a happy twenty-year marriage, in which she and her husband both came out, and a drunken tumble on Pride night could turn into something more permanent.
What Works in This Book
- Chemistry: Readers say the care between the leads shines throughout.
- Older leads: One reader loved that the characters are a little older.
- Christine and Will: Their friendship is funny and a highlight.
- Representation: ADHD, autism, plus-size and diverse ethnic representation.
Book Synopsis
A drag king who wants to feel owned again. A newly out woman at her first Pride.
One night that might not be enough.
My Review
La Bruyere packs a lot into a short space: drag, D/s, a late coming out and two neurodivergent women learning each other. Readers who clicked with it found the mental-health representation well handled, enjoyed the small moments of realism between intense scenes, and appreciated seeing Christine grow into the Domme role. Several wanted a full-length book about the pair.
It is not for everyone. Two readers stopped before 20%, both saying it simply was not for them, and one quit at 60%, confused by the terminology and feeling the representation read like a checklist. One found Christine standoffish and could not connect, and another wanted more of Christine’s thoughts on her first relationship with a woman.
My honest note: A spicy, big-hearted novella that works best for readers already comfortable with kink.
| Element | In Northeast of Eden |
|---|---|
| Central relationship | Penelope “Pen” Harkness (drag king with ADHD) & Christine (newly out, autistic) |
| Core tropes | One night to more, D/s, late coming out |
| Setting | Pine Grove, Connecticut, at Pride |
| Heat level | 🌶️🌶️🌶️ |
| Length | 122 pages (novella) |
| Series | Pride in Pine Grove (multi-author) |
| Content notes | Explicit kink; the author provides content notes in the front matter |
How Spicy Is Northeast of Eden?
High. Readers call it a hot, fast read and a fully strapped Pride novella.
The publisher points readers to the author’s website or front matter for content notes.
Who Should Read This Book?
You’ll likely love it if: you want a quick, kinky romance with neurodivergent leads. It is on our neurodivergent sapphic romance list.
You may want to skip it if: D/s dynamics or instalove are not for you.
In short: Pride, drag and a new Domme.
What Readers Are Actually Saying (September 2026)
On Goodreads the split is 45% five stars, 37% four, 16% three, no two-star ratings and 3% one.
Why readers love it (according to the discourse): Chemistry first. Second, heat. Third, representation. Fourth, the side characters.
What readers argue about and complain about: Connecting with the characters, above everything. Second, kink terminology. Third, instalove.
The comparison worth making first: Eight Kinky Nights, another kinky romance with neurodivergent representation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Northeast of Eden part of a series?
Yes. It belongs to Pride in Pine Grove, a multi-author small-town sapphic series, and each book follows a new couple.
What is the neurodivergent representation?
Pen has ADHD, and readers describe Christine as autistic. The blurb asks whether Christine can make space for Pen’s ADHD brain with gentleness.
How kinky is it?
Very. It is a D/s romance in which Pen, a sub who lost her longtime Domme, and Christine explore kink together. One reader found some of the terminology hard to follow.
Is it instalove?
Largely, as the novella length suggests, though one reader appreciated that an epilogue shows more of how the relationship developed.
Is Northeast of Eden on Kindle Unlimited?
Yes, when we checked, or $2.99 to buy on Kindle.
If You Loved Northeast of Eden, Read These Next
Explore the rest of Pride in Pine Grove, or try Eight Kinky Nights and The Apples Hung Like Stars. Browse our neurodivergent sapphic romance list or the full Book Reviews archive.
The Bottom Line
Northeast of Eden sets out to be a kinky, funny Pride romance, and its heat and heart deliver for most readers. What holds it back is a short, dense story some could not get into. A fun Kindle Unlimited read for kink fans. Check Northeast of Eden on Amazon →
The Eikna Overall Ranking
On the Eikna scale, Northeast of Eden ranks as a good neurodivergent-rep pick — hot, short.
The Evidence Scorecard
Overall ★★★★☆ 3.9/5
- ✓ 4.21 average across 38 Goodreads ratings
- ✓ 82% of Goodreads ratings are four or five stars
- ✓ 3.77 on StoryGraph from 11 reviews
- ✓ 4.6 stars across 18 Amazon ratings
Romance ★★★★☆ 3.8/5
- ✓ One night to more
- ✓ D/s
- ✓ Instalove
- ✓ Caring
Characters ★★★★☆ 3.7/5
- ✓ Pen
- ✓ Christine
- ✓ Will
- ✓ Hard to connect for some
Writing ★★★★☆ 3.7/5
- ✓ Clean editing
- ✓ Realistic moments
- ✓ Dense terminology
- ✓ Fast
Emotional Impact ★★★★☆ 3.6/5
- ✓ Coming out
- ✓ Confidence
- ✓ Pride
- ✓ Warm
Heat Level ★★★★★ 5/5
- ✓ Kinky
- ✓ Explicit
- ✓ D/s
- ✓ Adult
Ending ★★★★☆ 3.7/5
- ✓ Epilogue
- ✓ Series continues
- ✓ Warm
- ✓ Hopeful
Re-read Value ★★★★☆ 3.6/5
- ✓ On Kindle Unlimited
- ✓ $2.99 Kindle price
- ✓ 122 pages
- ✓ Quick read
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