Spoiler Warning

Heads up, confessors: this is a SPOILER-HEAVY episode. We are beginning our deep dive into A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas, and we are discussing everything—including Feyre’s trauma, Tamlin’s rapidly multiplying red flags, Rhysand’s questionable methods, and G-Rex officially joining Team Fuck Tamlin.

If you have not read A Court of Mist and Fury, save this episode and come back after you have survived Under the Mountain and developed at least one emotionally complicated opinion about an attractive High Lord.

The Book

Title: A Court of Mist and Fury

The Confession

Welcome back to the feral little sister of Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads.

Three months after Under the Mountain, Feyre should be living happily ever after.

Instead, she is traumatized, losing weight, waking from nightmares, unable to paint, and preparing to marry a man who seems determined not to notice that she is falling apart.

Tamlin calls it protection.

We call bullshit.

In Part 1, we unpack Feyre’s PTSD, Tamlin’s increasingly controlling behavior, Lucien’s inability to stand up to him, Ianthe slithering into the Spring Court, and Dirty Skittles’ theory that Tamlin does not actually see Feyre as his equal.

He sees her as his trophy.

Meanwhile, G-Rex remains convinced that her butch badass bisexual Feyre is being played by two very different High Lords.

Keywords: A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas, ACOMAF, ACOTAR, ACOMAF spoilers, Feyre Archeron, Tamlin, Rhysand, Lucien, Ianthe, Spring Court, Night Court, Feyre PTSD, Tamlin red flags, fantasy romance podcast, fae romance, romantasy, spicy book podcast, BookTok fantasy, Paperback Confessions

The Pour

This episode requires something strong enough to survive a Spring Court engagement.

Pour yourself a Night Court-inspired cocktail with blackberry, lavender, vodka, lemon, and sparkling water—or grab an espresso martini in honor of G-Rex continuing her battle against literary edging.

Nonalcoholic confessors can try blackberry lemonade, lavender tea, sparkling water with berries, or coffee strong enough to survive an uncomfortable Tamlin sex scene.

Just the Tip

In Just the Tip, we ask a bigger question:

When does protection become control?

Feyre wants to train, understand her new powers, help rebuild Prythian, and have some fucking autonomy.

Tamlin repeatedly decides what is best for her and calls it protection.

Dirty Skittles believes Tamlin may be so determined not to become his cruel father that he has created a different kind of cage.

Nacho sees someone who may genuinely believe he is protecting Feyre while completely ignoring what she actually needs.

G-Rex sees a powerful woman being told to sit down, behave, and let the men handle everything.

That shit is not going over well.

On our Halos to Handcuffs scale, Tamlin is no longer drifting toward handcuffs.

Sir, please place your hands where we can see them.

What We Get Into

Favorite Chaos Moments

Our First Impressions

G-Rex is officially done with Tamlin. She sees Feyre as stronger than ever, yet constantly being told to stay home and let the men handle everything. She is also keeping one suspicious eye on Rhysand because manipulation still counts, even when the guy is hot.

Dirty Skittles sees Feyre trying to rebuild her identity after trauma while everyone around her ignores what she actually needs. Her theory: Tamlin does not see Feyre as an equal. He sees her as something precious to protect, possess, and display.

Nacho initially wants to believe Tamlin can redeem himself, but that hope is fading fast. They are especially struck by Feyre’s loneliness and Lucien’s failure to truly stand up for her.

Bottom line: Feyre survived Under the Mountain, but surviving Tamlin may require an entirely different kind of strength.

Subscribe, Rate & Review

Subscribe so you never miss an episode of Paperback Confessions, and rate and review us wherever you listen.

Every review helps more confessors discover our messy little book club.

Visit www.paperbackconfessions.com for episodes, bookish chaos, questionable fictional men, spicy recommendations, and everything else we probably should not be saying into microphones.

Coming Up Next

Feyre is losing herself.

Tamlin is tightening his grip.

Ianthe is whispering in all the wrong ears.

And Rhysand still has a bargain to collect.

In Part 2, the Spring Court fairy tale starts cracking as Feyre is forced to confront the difference between being protected and being imprisoned.

The wedding is getting closer.

The red flags are getting bigger.

And the Night Court is waiting.

#PaperbackConfessions #ACOMAF #ACOTAR #ACourtOfMistAndFury #SarahJMaas #FeyreArcheron #Rhysand #Tamlin #Lucien #Ianthe #SpringCourt #NightCourt #FaeRomance #FantasyRomance #Romantasy #SpicyBooks #BookTok #Bookstagram #FantasyBooks #BookPodcast #RomancePodcast #TraumaRecovery #Feyre #FuckTamlin #ButchBadass #LiteraryEdging

Website: https://www.paperbackconfessions.com

Instagram: @paperback_confessions

Paperback Confessions is the feral sister podcast to the award-winning Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads, where we normalize conversations about mental health through honest stories, laughter, and real connection.

Discover more at: https://goesoninourheads.net

Heads up, confessors: this is a SPOILER-HEAVY episode. We’re wrapping up our deep dive into A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, and Feyre’s final challenge, Under the Mountain, somehow involves murder, resurrection, seven High Fae, one very suspicious Rhysand moment, and Tamlin finally locating his balls approximately seven seconds too late.

If you haven’t read A Court of Thorns and Roses, turn back now because we are absolutely not holding shit back.

Welcome back to the feral little sister of Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads.

We have officially reached the final chapter of our A Court of Thorns and Roses deep dive, and Feyre’s third challenge is exactly as horrifying as promised.

Three hooded figures.

Three lives.

And underneath the final hood?

Tamlin.

Feyre has to decide whether she can kill the man she came Under the Mountain to save. But she remembers something important: Tamlin’s heart is made of stone.

So she stabs him.

And it works.

Unfortunately, Amaretto has one last loophole up her evil little sleeve and decides that while Feyre technically fulfilled the bargain, she never promised when everyone would be released.

Then she proceeds to absolutely destroy Feyre.

And while Tamlin is apparently still tying his fucking shoes, Rhysand is the one repeatedly throwing himself at Amaretto, trying to protect Feyre, even though he knows he cannot win.

Feyre dies.

Tamlin finally gets up, kills Amaretto, and the seven High Fae give Feyre pieces of themselves to bring her back.

Except she doesn’t come back human.

Feyre is now High Fae.

And just when we think Sarah J. Maas might let everybody go home and process the approximately 47 years of therapy they now require, Feyre follows a mysterious tug to Rhysand.

They say goodbye.

He looks at her.

Something shocks the absolute shit out of him.

And then he disappears.

Excuse us?

This week, Just the Tip has very little to do with actual spice because apparently Sarah J. Maas has decided we must earn that later.

Instead, we’re talking about survival, identity, trauma, and what happens when someone goes through something so massive that they cannot possibly return to the person they were before it happened.

Feyre entered the human world.

She leaves the High Fae.

But the physical transformation is only part of it.

She survived psychological torture, made impossible choices, killed to save others, died, and came back carrying pieces of seven powerful beings inside her.

The question going forward isn’t whether Feyre has changed.

It’s whether the relationships and life she fought so hard to return to still fit the person she has become.

G-Rex finishes A Court of Thorns and Roses with 4 out of 5 stars. The beginning dragged for her, but once Feyre went Under the Mountain, she was locked in. Watching Feyre’s intelligence and survival instincts take over completely changed her experience of the book.

She also connects deeply with Feyre’s butch-leaning provider energy while simultaneously watching the story through the eyes of an older lesbian and mental health advocate—which means she spent a significant portion of this book wondering why a traumatized 19-year-old was sacrificing herself while several extremely powerful, emotionally constipated fae men made questionable decisions around her.

Dirty Skittles finishes the book deeply invested in where Feyre’s story is going, increasingly suspicious of everything happening between Feyre and Rhysand, and completely over Tamlin’s inability to communicate or act when it matters most.

Nacho refuses to give the spice a respectable rating because, in their world, reciprocal payoff matters. They are, however, completely here for Feyre’s evolution and extremely entertained by watching G-Rex unknowingly make predictions about what might happen next.

And then there’s the official G-Rex Red Flag Report:

Tamlin: 7/10 red flags — protective, secretive, controlling, and increasingly irritating

Rhysand: 12/10 red flags — walking HR violation and suspiciously compelling

Lucien: 4/10 red flags — mostly sarcasm, trauma, and questionable friendship choices

Feyre: 6/10 red flags — will absolutely run directly toward danger after being specifically told not to

Basically, everyone needs therapy.

Subscribe so you never miss an episode of Paperback Confessions, and rate and review us wherever you listen.

Every review helps more confessors find our messy little book club.

Visit www.paperbackconfessions.com for episodes, bookish chaos, morally questionable fictional people, and everything else we probably should not be saying into microphones.

We survived A Court of Thorns and Roses.

Barely.

But Feyre is no longer human, Tamlin is still sitting comfortably atop G-Rex’s red-flag leaderboard, Rhysand just had one hell of a mysterious reaction to Feyre, and there is still that tiny little matter of one week every month in the Night Court.

Next up, we’re diving into A Court of Mist and Fury.

G-Rex thinks Feyre and Tamlin’s relationship is about to get worse.

She thinks Feyre and Rhysand have more in common than either of them realizes.

And somehow, despite having no idea what is actually coming, she has already called Rhysand “suspiciously compelling.”

This should go well.

The huntress survived Under the Mountain.

Now we get to find out who the hell she becomes afterward.

#PaperbackConfessions #ACOTAR #ACourtOfThornsAndRoses #SarahJMaas #FeyreArcheron #Tamlin #Rhysand #Lucien #Amarantha #UnderTheMountain #NightCourt #HighFae #FaeRomance #FantasyRomance #Romantasy #SpicyBooks #BookTok #Bookstagram #BookPodcast #RomancePodcast #MorallyGray

Website: https://www.paperbackconfessions.com

Instagram: @paperback_confessions

Paperback Confessions is the feral sister podcast to the award-winning Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads, where we normalize conversations about mental health through honest stories, laughter, and real connection.

Discover more at: https://goesoninourheads.net

Heads up, confessors: this is a SPOILER-HEAVY episode. We’re going Under the Mountain for Part 3 of our deep dive into A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, and the slow burn has officially been replaced by deadly trials, psychological torture, fairy wine, dangerous bargains, and Feyre going full G.I. Jane.

If you haven’t read A Court of Thorns and Roses, turn back now because we are absolutely not holding shit back.

Welcome back to the feral little sister of Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads.

Feyre heads Under the Mountain after Alis gives her some very simple advice: don’t drink the fairy wine, don’t make deals unless your life depends on it, and don’t trust anyone.

Naturally, Feyre eventually breaks most of those rules.

She finally meets Amarantha, forever known here as Amaretto, learns just how bad things really are, and discovers that saving Tamlin means surviving three deadly trials or solving a riddle she absolutely cannot figure out.

The first trial finally gives us the Feyre we’ve been waiting for. She stops trying to overpower the threat, starts thinking like the huntress she is, and uses her environment to survive a giant murderous worm.

Then Rhysand enters the equation in a much bigger way. When Feyre is badly injured and facing death, he offers to heal her in exchange for one week every month in the Night Court.

She makes the bargain.

And suddenly this whole story starts feeling very different.

This week, Just the Tip is less about spice and more about survival.

Feyre’s trials show how resilience can look messy, uncomfortable, and deeply personal. The first forces her to adapt physically, while the second targets the thing she is most ashamed of: her inability to read.

That second trial hits hard because Amarantha isn’t attacking Feyre’s body, she is attacking her sense of worth.

And Feyre keeps going anyway.

G-Rex: “It was a fucked-up, R-rated Disney movie.”

G-Rex: “She was a tiny gnome butch. Kind of like me. I’m more of a flutch though.”

Dirty Skittles: “Beauty and the Beast if the Beast, Tamlin, was Gaston.”

Dirty Skittles: “As it turns out, she rubs shit all over herself.”

Nacho: “So what, Lucien’s Lumière?”

Nacho: “Where the fuck were you, beefcake? Get the fuck outta my face. I was dying.”

G-Rex is fully Team Feyre at this point. This is the version of her she has been waiting for, strategic, stubborn, resourceful, and willing to adapt when brute strength is not enough.

Dirty Skittles loves seeing Feyre reclaim the huntress she was at the beginning of the book, but her opinion of Tamlin keeps getting worse.

Nacho is finally getting the payoff they wanted after a very long setup and is paying close attention to every bit of Rhysand foreshadowing.

We all agree on one thing: Feyre may have gone Under the Mountain to save Tamlin, but the woman surviving these trials is becoming someone very different.

Subscribe so you never miss an episode of Paperback Confessions, and rate and review us wherever you listen.

Every review helps more confessors find our messy little book club.

Visit www.paperbackconfessions.com for episodes, bookish chaos, morally questionable fictional people, and everything else we probably should not be saying into microphones.

The final challenge is here, and Amaretto is done testing Feyre’s strength.

Now she’s testing her humanity.

Three hooded figures. Three lives. And when the final hood comes off, Feyre has to decide what she is truly willing to sacrifice.

This episode proves one thing: the huntress is officially back.

#PaperbackConfessions #ACOTAR #ACourtOfThornsAndRoses #SarahJMaas #FeyreArcheron #Tamlin #Rhysand #Lucien #Amarantha #UnderTheMountain #NightCourt #FaeRomance #FantasyRomance #Romantasy #SpicyBooks #BookTok #Bookstagram #BookPodcast #RomancePodcast #MorallyGray

Website: https://www.paperbackconfessions.com

Instagram: @paperback_confessions

Paperback Confessions is the feral sister podcast to the award-winning Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads, where we normalize conversations about mental health through honest stories, laughter, and real connection.

Discover more at: https://goesoninourheads.net

Heads up, confessors: this is a SPOILER-HEAVY episode. We're back in Prythian for Part 2 of our deep dive into A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, and we're getting into the Spring Court, Calanmai, a very memorable neck bite, and the moment G-Rex officially declared "fuck Tamlin" too.

If you haven't read A Court of Thorns and Roses, go finish crossing that wall before you press play, because we are not holding back.

Welcome back to the feral little sister of Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads.

In Part 2, Feyre starts settling into Tamlin's estate — if you can call being glamoured, kept behind gates, and lied to about who else lives there "settling in." We meet Lucien (RIP to a real one; he catches every stray in this book), fall down the Tamlin-and-Lucien-are-definitely-a-couple rabbit hole, and unpack the fire festival Calanmai, where Feyre disobeys a very clear warning, meets a devastatingly hot stranger named Rhysand, and ends the night with Tamlin's teeth in her neck.

We also dig into Tamlin's tragic backstory, Lucien's tragic backstory, Feyre's suriel-delivered prophecy to "stay with the High Lord," and the introduction of Amarantha — sorry, Amaretto — the reason this whole curse exists in the first place. By the end, Tamlin sends Feyre home for her own "safety," she finds out her family's been living off his money the whole time, and Nesta — never glamoured, never fooled — cracks something open in Feyre that sends her right back across the wall.

Tamlin is officially past probation. He is in handcuffs.

Keywords: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, ACOTAR, ACOTAR spoilers, Feyre Archeron, Tamlin, Rhysand, Lucien, Nesta Archeron, Prythian, Spring Court, Calanmai, fantasy romance podcast, fae romance, romantasy, Beauty and the Beast retelling, spicy book podcast, BookTok fantasy, Paperback Confessions

This one basically pairs itself: an amaretto sour, because we cannot say Amarantha's name correctly and we're not going to start now. G-Rex is bringing the amaretto, Nacho's supplying the felt for the Amaretto doll craft project we did not plan to start mid-episode.

For a Calanmai-coded cocktail, go with something fire-toned — a spiced rum and blood orange situation with a cinnamon-stick garnish. Nonalcoholic confessors can stick with a spiced cider or a virgin amaretto sour (yes, that's a thing, look it up).

In Just the Tip, we get into whether Tamlin ever actually loved Feyre, or just loved what she could do for him.

Dirty Skittles' theory: he has a heart of stone and was never capable of loving her — just the idea of her, and the curse she could break.

Nacho pushes back a little, arguing Tamlin isn't intentionally controlling at first — he's doing what he thinks protection looks like, and it curdles the more Feyre pushes back.

G-Rex lands somewhere in the middle: fighter, not a lover, kind of a narcissist, but she gets why some readers — depending on how they were raised — might actually vibe with the "provider" thing he's selling.

On our Halos to Handcuffs scale, Tamlin is fully in handcuffs now. He glamours her, hides an entire population of people from her, locks her in during Calanmai "for her safety," and then sends her away the second she becomes inconvenient. He also tells her he loves her while actively trying to get rid of her. Sir. Ma'am. Whoever you are. This is not it.

G-Rex sees Tamlin exactly for what he is — a fighter, not a lover, and more than a little narcissistic — while admitting that if she'd been raised differently, the "let me provide for you and lock the gate behind you" energy might have landed differently. It doesn't for her.

Dirty Skittles came in hating Tamlin and leaves hating him more, convinced he's never once thought about what Feyre needs, only what he needs from her. Lucien, on the other hand, gets nothing but love — loyal to a fault, catching strays for a friend who doesn't deserve him.

Nacho holds a little more grace for early-Tamlin, arguing he's not trying to be controlling on purpose — he just doesn't know how to stop once Feyre stops fitting the shape he needs her to be. That grace runs out fast once Calanmai happens.

We agree on this much: Tamlin sent her away not to protect her, but to protect himself and the fantasy he built her into. And Nesta — messy, guarded, never glamoured Nesta — might be the one who actually gets through to Feyre.

Subscribe so you never miss an episode of Paperback Confessions, and rate and review us wherever you listen.

Every review helps more confessors discover our messy little book club.

Visit www.paperbackconfessions.com for episodes, bookish chaos, questionable fictional men, and everything else we probably should not be saying into microphones.

In Part 3, Feyre goes back across the wall — and straight Under the Mountain. We're getting into Amarantha's trials, Rhysand's real game, the true cost of loving someone with a heart of stone, and whether Feyre saves Tamlin or finally starts saving herself.

The masks are coming off. The curse is running out of time. And we are just getting started.

Yes, bitch.

#PaperbackConfessions #ACOTAR #ACourtOfThornsAndRoses #SarahJMaas #FeyreArcheron #Tamlin #Rhysand #Lucien #NestaArcheron #ElainArcheron #Prythian #SpringCourt #Calanmai #FaeRomance #FantasyRomance #Romantasy #BeautyAndTheBeast #SpicyBooks #BookTok #Bookstagram #FantasyBooks #BookPodcast #RomancePodcast #FuckTamlin #HeartOfStone #Amaretto

Website: https://www.paperbackconfessions.com

Instagram: @paperback_confessions

Paperback Confessions is the feral sister podcast to the award-winning Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads, where we normalize conversations about mental health through honest stories, laughter, and real connection.

Discover more at: https://goesoninourheads.net

Heads up, confessors: this is a SPOILER-HEAVY episode. We are beginning our three-part deep dive into A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, and we are discussing everything—including Feyre’s dysfunctional family, Tamlin’s suspicious version of the treaty, and G-Rex’s painfully slow journey to Chapter 35.

If you have not read A Court of Thorns and Roses, save this episode and come back after you have crossed the wall and developed at least one emotionally complicated opinion about a fictional faerie.

Title: A Court of Thorns and Roses

Welcome back to the feral little sister of Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads.

In Part 1, we meet Feyre—a starving huntress carrying an entire family that seems perfectly comfortable letting her do all the work.

After killing a suspiciously large wolf, Feyre is confronted by Tamlin and forced to choose between death or living in the faerie realm. Because apparently “come with me or die” qualifies as a choice in Prythian.

We unpack Feyre’s parentification, her deeply frustrating family, Tamlin’s questionable treaty, and G-Rex’s immediate conclusion that Feyre has serious butch badass energy.

Keywords: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, ACOTAR, ACOTAR spoilers, Feyre Archeron, Tamlin, Nesta Archeron, Elain Archeron, Prythian, fantasy romance podcast, fae romance, romantasy, Beauty and the Beast retelling, spicy book podcast, BookTok fantasy, Paperback Confessions

Pair this episode with a glittery Night Court cocktail made with lavender, butterfly pea tea, vodka, lemon, and tonic water.

Nacho recommends a Patron margarita made by Lisa the Lesbian, while G-Rex suggests an espresso martini—because she probably should have consumed several while trying to stay awake until Chapter 35.

Nonalcoholic confessors can cross the wall with lavender lemonade, sparkling water, butterfly pea flower tea, or coffee strong enough to survive several hundred pages of world-building.

In Just the Tip, we ask whether Feyre’s removal from the human realm is imprisonment, freedom, or one deeply fucked-up combination of both.

Dirty Skittles believes Tamlin may have manipulated the ancient treaty to force Feyre into his lands and help break his curse.

Nacho sees Feyre’s departure as the final way she can directly protect a family that has always expected her to sacrifice herself for them.

For G-Rex, leaving home may give Feyre her first opportunity to stop parenting everyone else and begin living for herself.

On our Halos to Handcuffs scale, Tamlin is already drifting dangerously close to handcuffs. He threatens Feyre, glamours her family, refuses to answer her questions, knocks her unconscious, and carries her across the wall.

Sir, this is not romance yet. This is a magical abduction with nice landscaping.

G-Rex sees Feyre as a butch lesbian survivalist trapped inside a fantasy romance. She respects Feyre’s strength but remains deeply unimpressed that the story took six months and approximately 35 chapters to get moving.

Dirty Skittles appreciates the world-building but becomes suspicious of Tamlin almost immediately, especially after examining his extremely convenient interpretation of the treaty.

Nacho values the character development and recognizes that Feyre’s family has become so dependent on her strength that they no longer consider what their dependence is costing her.

We agree that Feyre has been parentified, emotionally neglected, and forced into a role that should never have belonged to her.

We also agree that her family needs to get off its collective ass.

Feyre has crossed the wall.

Tamlin is already on probation.

And G-Rex is still waiting for the fucking spice.

Subscribe so you never miss an episode of Paperback Confessions, and rate and review us wherever you listen.

Every review helps more confessors discover our messy little book club.

Visit www.paperbackconfessions.com for episodes, bookish chaos, questionable fictional men, and everything else we probably should not be saying into microphones.

In Part 2, Feyre wakes up in Prythian and begins navigating life inside Tamlin’s estate.

We are getting into the Spring Court, Lucien’s attitude, Tamlin’s terrible communication skills, growing attraction, magical danger, and whether an elaborate mansion can distract us from the fact that Feyre was brought there against her will.

The masks are staying on.

The red flags are multiplying.

And we have officially entered the fairy smut.

Yes, bitch.

#PaperbackConfessions #ACOTAR #ACourtOfThornsAndRoses #SarahJMaas #FeyreArcheron #Tamlin #NestaArcheron #ElainArcheron #Prythian #SpringCourt #FaeRomance #FantasyRomance #Romantasy #BeautyAndTheBeast #SpicyBooks #BookTok #Bookstagram #FantasyBooks #BookPodcast #RomancePodcast #ButchBadass #LiteraryEdging #FuckTamlin

Website: https://www.paperbackconfessions.com

Instagram: @paperback_confessions

Paperback Confessions is the feral sister podcast to the award-winning Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads, where we normalize conversations about mental health through honest stories, laughter, and real connection.

Discover more at: https://goesoninourheads.net

Heads up, confessors, this is a SPOILER-HEAVY episode. We are crossing The Finish Line by Kate Stewart, the final book in the Ravenhood Trilogy, and we are discussing everything—including the secrets, the showdown, the emotional damage, and the ending.

If you have not read Flock, Exodus, and The Finish Line, save this episode and come back after Kate Stewart has emotionally run you over with a French luxury vehicle.

The Book

Title: The Finish Line

The Confession

Welcome back to the feral little sister of Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads.

In Part 2 of The Finish Line, Tobias’s dangerous past in France finally catches up with him—but Cecilia proves she has been several steps ahead of the Frenchman the entire time.

While Tobias keeps secrets and tries to control the danger alone, Cecilia investigates the threat, calls in Ravenhood resources, and builds her own plan to protect them both.

We unpack Cecilia’s massive mic-drop moment, Tobias’s redemption, his surprising connection to the President, the lasting grief surrounding Dominic, and whether Tobias truly earned his way back into Cecilia’s life.

Underneath the mobsters, guns, French secrets, and federal backup, this episode is about agency, accountability, vulnerability, trauma, and learning that love does not mean facing everything alone.

Keywords: The Finish Line by Kate Stewart, Ravenhood Trilogy, The Finish Line spoilers, Tobias King, Cecilia Horner, Dominic King, Sean Roberts, second-chance romance, dark romance podcast, spicy book podcast, BookTok romance, morally gray romance, Paperback Confessions

The Pour

Pair this episode with gin and tonic, expensive French wine, bourbon, herbal tea, or enough Smartwater to recover from whatever the hell Nacho was drinking.

Bonus points for anything flavored with juniper berries—because apparently Cecilia has been walking around smelling like Tobias’s favorite addiction this entire time.

Just the Tip

In Just the Tip, we ask whether Tobias genuinely earned Cecilia back—or whether Kate Stewart simply made us emotionally vulnerable enough to forgive him.

Dirty Skittles believes Tobias earned his redemption by stepping completely outside his comfort zone and creating the ordinary, meaningful memories Cecilia had always wanted.

Nacho loves watching Tobias become vulnerable but makes it clear that fantasy forgiveness and real-life forgiveness are two very different things.

For G-Rex, the hottest part of the entire book is Cecilia refusing to give Tobias access to her without accountability.

On our Halos to Handcuffs scale, this book lands closer to a halo. The romance is intimate and emotional, but the real heat comes from Cecilia claiming her agency and Tobias finally learning that love does not mean control.

Favorite Chaos Moments

Our Final Rating

G-Rex gives The Finish Line a five out of five for emotional damage. Her final spice rating is four out of five, not because of the explicit scenes, but because Cecilia finally brings agency, strength, and accountability into the relationship.

Dirty Skittles places the book closer to the halo side of the scale. It is sweet, sexy, and focused more on enduring love than lakeside threesomes.

Nacho gives the spice a PG to PG-13 rating but appreciates the emotional roller coaster, Tobias’s vulnerability, and Cecilia’s refusal to remain the powerless 19-year-old she once was.

We agree that Dominic sacrificed the most throughout the trilogy—his happiness, his future, his relationship, and ultimately his life.

The ending gives us weddings, family, healing, and enough happiness to begin closing the emotional wounds Kate Stewart spent three books violently opening.

Love wins.

We are still mourning Dom.

And G-Rex will not be accepting questions at this time.

Subscribe, Rate & Review

Subscribe so you never miss an episode of Paperback Confessions, and rate and review us wherever you listen.

Every review helps more confessors find our messy little book club.

Visit www.paperbackconfessions.com for episodes, bookish chaos, questionable fictional men, and everything else we probably should not be saying into microphones.

Coming Up Next

We survived the Ravenhood Trilogy, which means it is time to abandon emotionally damaged Frenchmen and make some terrible decisions with faeries.

Next season, we are diving all the way into Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses series.

Prepare yourselves for fae politics, magical trauma, shadow daddies, Tamlin-related rage, and G-Rex examining the entire series through the eyes of an older lesbian mental health advocate who is already suspicious of everyone.

We are getting deep into the fairy smut.

Yes, bitch.

#PaperbackConfessions #TheFinishLine #KateStewart #Ravenhood #RavenhoodTrilogy #TobiasKing #CeciliaHorner #DominicKing #SeanRoberts #TheFrenchman #DarkRomance #SecondChanceRomance #SpicyBooks #BookTok #Bookstagram #RomanceBooks #BookPodcast #RomancePodcast #MorallyGrayMen #EmotionalDamage #ACOTAR

Website: https://www.paperbackconfessions.com

Instagram: @paperback_confessions

Paperback Confessions is the feral sister podcast to the award-winning Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads, where we normalize conversations about mental health through honest stories, laughter, and real connection.

Discover more at: https://goesoninourheads.net

Heads up, confessors, this is a SPOILER-HEAVY episode. We are diving into The Finish Line by Kate Stewart, the final book in the Ravenhood Trilogy.

If you have not read Flock and Exodus, save this episode and come back after Kate Stewart has emotionally wrecked you, too.

Title: The Finish Line

Welcome back to the feral little sister of Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads.

The Finish Line was too chaotic for one episode, so we are breaking the Ravenhood finale into two parts.

In Part 1, Cecilia is older, stronger, and no longer willing to let Tobias control the relationship. She still loves him, but she makes it clear that wanting him does not mean surrendering herself.

Tobias trades his expensive suits for Wrangler jeans, starts bussing tables at Cecilia’s diner, asks strangers for relationship advice, attempts to cook, and slowly learns how to love her without taking over her life.

We also unpack Sean’s continued protection of Cecilia, Tobias and Dominic’s childhood, Cecilia’s mother secretly helping the boys, and the grief that still connects everyone to Dom.

Underneath the sex and Frenchman chaos, this episode is about boundaries, accountability, PTSD, self-worth, and choosing someone without losing yourself.

Keywords: The Finish Line by Kate Stewart, Ravenhood Trilogy, The Finish Line spoilers, Tobias King, Cecilia Horner, Dominic King, Sean Roberts, second-chance romance, dark romance podcast, spicy book podcast, BookTok romance, morally gray romance, Paperback Confessions

Pair this episode with expensive French wine, bourbon, or something strong enough to survive Tobias King destroying a kitchen.

In Just the Tip, we ask whether Cecilia and Tobias’s emotional reunion is hotter than the infamous lakeside threesome.

After 27 chapters of tension, boundaries, and emotional buildup, Cecilia finally gives Tobias the green light on her terms.

For G-Rex, the sex started long before Chapter 27. It started the moment Cecilia set her boundaries and made Tobias respect them.

On our Halos to Handcuffs scale, the handcuffs are finally being used with communication, consent, and a little emotional maturity.

Dirty Skittles: “Welcome back to Paperback Confessions, bitch.”

G-Rex: “The sex for me didn’t start in Chapter 27. It started when she began setting boundaries.”

Nacho: “Don’t mistake my desire for surrender.”

G-Rex: “We need that on a T-shirt.”

Dirty Skittles considers the Chapter 27 reunion one of the hottest scenes in the trilogy because of the emotional buildup behind it.

Nacho loves seeing Cecilia establish boundaries and make Tobias prove that he deserves a place in her life.

G-Rex connects deeply with Cecilia, realizing that she deserves kindness, respect, and love without sacrificing herself.

So far, The Finish Line is giving us redemption, emotional maturity, devastating backstory, and domesticated Frenchman chaos.

But Tobias is still keeping secrets.

Of course he fucking is.

Subscribe so you never miss an episode of Paperback Confessions, and rate and review us wherever you listen.

Every review helps more confessors find our messy little book club.

Visit www.paperbackconfessions.com for episodes, bookish chaos, and everything else we probably should not be saying into microphones.

In Part 2, Tobias’s remaining secrets begin crawling out of the shadows.

Will Cecilia’s boundaries survive another betrayal?

Will Tobias finally tell the whole truth?

And can this trilogy cross the finish line without emotionally running us over?

Probably fucking not.

#PaperbackConfessions #TheFinishLine #KateStewart #Ravenhood #RavenhoodTrilogy #TobiasKing #CeciliaHorner #DominicKing #SeanRoberts #TheFrenchman #DarkRomance #SecondChanceRomance #SpicyBooks #BookTok #Bookstagram #RomanceBooks #BookPodcast #RomancePodcast #MorallyGrayMen #EmotionalDamage

Website: https://www.paperbackconfessions.com

Instagram: @paperback_confessions

Paperback Confessions is the feral sister podcast to the award-winning Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads, where we normalize conversations about mental health through honest stories, laughter, and real connection.

Discover more at: https://goesoninourheads.net

Heads up, confessors, this is a SPOILER-HEAVY episode. We are finishing Exodus by Kate Stewart, Book 2 of the Ravenhood Trilogy, and nothing is safe.

If you have not read Flock or Exodus, save this episode and come back after Kate Stewart has emotionally destroyed you, too.

Title: Exodus

Welcome back to the feral little sister of Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads.

In Part 2, Cecilia is officially done with everyone’s shit. Tires are slashed, a garage is burning, bags are packed, and she is finally fighting back.

Then Dominic walks through the door holding a gun, and the entire story changes.

We unpack Dominic’s devastating sacrifice, Cecilia fleeing Triple Falls covered in blood, and the six years she spends trying—and failing—to move on.

When she returns, Cecilia is older, stronger, wealthier, and no longer willing to quietly accept Tobias King’s secretive bullshit. She forces him to face her, claims her place in the company, and begins taking back the power everyone stripped away.

We also dig into Sean moving on, Tobias losing control, the truth about Dominic’s parents, Cecilia’s mother’s role in the tragedy, and Tobias building his revenge around the wrong person.

Under all the sex, grief, violence, and chaos, this episode is about trauma, unfinished love, consent, power, forgiveness, and the difference between moving forward and actually healing.

Keywords: Exodus by Kate Stewart, Ravenhood Trilogy, Exodus spoilers, Tobias King, Dominic King, Cecilia Horner, Sean Roberts, dark romance podcast, spicy book podcast, BookTok romance, morally gray romance, secret society romance, Paperback Confessions

Pair this episode with bourbon, whiskey, dark red wine, or something French and dangerously smooth.

You may want to keep the bottle nearby because Dominic’s final scene still hurts.

In Just the Tip, we ask whether Exodus is truly spicy or whether the emotional trauma simply makes everything feel hotter.

Cecilia and Tobias bring angry sex, possessiveness, power struggles, and chemistry that refuses to die. Tobias also brings several moments that had us questioning consent, boundaries, and why nobody in Triple Falls has heard of healthy communication.

On our Halos to Handcuffs scale, the handcuffs are present—but somebody needs to find the key, establish a safe word, and call a therapist.

Dirty Skittles: “Soldier up, buttercup. Get the fuck out of here.”

Nacho: “The heart or the clitoris?”

G-Rex: “I need some more of that Frenchman dick.”

Nacho: “He maintains dick energy.”

G-Rex: “The book needs a safe word more than they needed group therapy.”

We highly recommend Exodus, but you absolutely need to read Flock first.

G-Rex gives the spice 17 Hail Marys and four Our Fathers, plus a recommendation that Tobias check himself into sex therapy.

Nacho keeps the spice at PG-13, but gives Kate Stewart goddess-level credit for creating an emotional roller coaster filled with unforgettable characters.

Dirty Skittles also finds the spice surprisingly mild because the grief and emotional destruction overpower nearly everything else.

Collectively, we agree that Exodus is darker, heavier, and more emotionally brutal than Flock.

We loved it.

We hated parts of it.

We wanted to throw it across the room.

And naturally, we kept reading.

Subscribe so you never miss an episode of Paperback Confessions, and rate and review us wherever you listen.

Every review helps more confessors find our messy little book club.

Visit www.paperbackconfessions.com for episodes, bookish chaos, and everything else we probably should not be saying into microphones.

We have officially survived Exodus.

Barely.

Next, we are heading into The Finish Line, the final book in the Ravenhood Trilogy.

Who reaches the finish line?

Who finishes first?

And will Kate Stewart give us one peaceful moment?

Probably fucking not.

#PaperbackConfessions #Exodus #Ravenhood #KateStewart #DarkRomance #SpicyBooks #BookTok #Bookstagram #RomanceBooks #TobiasKing #DominicKing #TheFrenchman #RavenhoodTrilogy #BookPodcast #RomancePodcast #MorallyGrayMen #EmotionalDamage

Website: https://www.paperbackconfessions.com

Instagram: @paperback_confessions

Paperback Confessions is the feral sister podcast to the award-winning Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads, where we normalize conversations about mental health through honest stories, laughter, and real connection.

Discover more at: https://goesoninourheads.net

SPOILER WARNING

Heads up, confessors, this is a SPOILER-HEAVY episode. We are deep into Exodus by Kate Stewart, Book 2 of the Ravenhood Trilogy, and we are not holding shit back. If you have not read Flock or Exodus and want to go in blind, save this episode and come back when you are emotionally prepared.

The Book

The Confession

Welcome back to the feral little sister of Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads. In Part 1 of our Exodus discussion, Dirty Skittles, Nacho, and G-Rex return to Triple Falls, where the secrets are bigger, the stakes are messier, and Tobias King officially enters the chat.

If Flock was the temptation, Exodus is the consequence.

We talk about Cecilia’s heartbreak after Sean and Dominic disappear, Tobias showing up with full mafia suit energy, and why this man is somehow scary, sexy, possessive, and a walking red flag all at once.

This episode gets into the angry sex, the questionable consent moments, the garden scene, Sean and Dominic’s audacity, Cecilia finally standing up for herself, the Ravenhood tattoos, and the theories that made us question who is really pulling the strings.

Under all the spice and chaos, we also dig into abandonment, loneliness, betrayal, self-worth, manipulation, possessiveness, and what happens when someone is expected to wait forever with no answers.

Exodus Part 1 is messy, spicy, emotionally brutal, and full of men who need therapy, honesty, and maybe a group timeout.

Keywords: Exodus by Kate Stewart, Ravenhood Trilogy, Kate Stewart Exodus, Exodus spoilers, Ravenhood spoilers, Tobias King, The Frenchman, The Wolf, Cecilia Horner, Sean and Dominic, dark romance podcast, spicy book podcast, romance book podcast, BookTok romance, morally gray romance, secret society romance, Paperback Confessions

The Pour

This episode pairs well with something dark, strong, and a little dangerous.

Think whiskey, bourbon, red wine, or whatever drink helps you survive Tobias walking into the story like he owns the whole damn room.

Just the Tip

In our spicy segment, Just the Tip, we get into the rage-filled, emotionally messy, and very complicated chemistry between Cecilia and Tobias.

This is not soft romance. This is angry sex, power plays, possessive energy, and a whole lot of “that was hot, but should we be concerned?”

On our Halos to Handcuffs spice scale, this one is definitely leaning toward handcuffs, but not without a serious conversation about consent, control, and red flags that only work in the book world.

What We Get Into

Favorite Chaos Moments

Dirty Skittles: “If Flock was the temptation, Exodus is the consequence.”

Nacho: “No, go read the book and then listen to the other one.”

G-Rex: “He’s kind of a scary motherfucker.”

Nacho: “Such a dick.”

G-Rex: “Just be fucking honest. Like, it’s so fucking shady.”

Dirty Skittles: “Fuckery is afoot.”

Our Rating

We do not fully land on ratings in Part 1, because Exodus is still actively emotionally assaulting us.

But this much is clear: Book 2 is darker, hotter, messier, and way more emotionally damaging than we were prepared for.

Kate Stewart knew exactly what she was doing, and once again, we walked right into the trap.

Subscribe, Rate & Review

If you had as much fun spiraling with us as we did, please subscribe so you never miss an episode. Then rate and review us wherever you listen.

Every review helps more confessors find their way to our messy little book club, and honestly, it makes our whole damn week.

Coming Up Next

We are not done with Exodus.

Part 2 is coming, and based on where this conversation is headed, the emotional damage is only getting worse.

#PaperbackConfessions #Exodus #Ravenhood #KateStewart #DarkRomance #SpicyBooks #BookTok #Bookstagram #RomanceBooks #TobiasKing #TheFrenchman #TheWolf #RavenhoodTrilogy #SmutMasters #BookPodcast #RomancePodcast #SpicyReads #BookClub #ReadToEscape #BookishPodcast #MorallyGrayMen #SecretSocietyRomance

Website: https://www.paperbackconfessions.com

Instagram: @paperback_confessions

Paperback Confessions is the feral sister podcast to the award-winning Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads, where we normalize conversations about mental health through honest stories, laughter, and real connection.

Discover more at: https://goesoninourheads.net

Heads up, confessors — this is a SPOILER-HEAVY episode. We are deep into Flock by Kate Stewart, and Part 2 does not hold back. If you have not read the book and want to go in blind, save this episode and come back when you are emotionally prepared. Otherwise, pour a drink, settle in, and turn the page with us.

Welcome back to the feral little sister of Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads. In Part 2 of our very first Paperback Confessions episode, Dirty Skittles, Nacho, and G-Rex return to finish unpacking Flock by Kate Stewart, and let’s just say… things get messy fast.

This episode is full of theories, chaos, questionable logistics, and emotional damage. We talk about the infamous lake scene, the floaty-versus-dock debate, and why Chapter 25 had us rereading, rewinding, and wondering how three people made that scene work when Leo could not even fit on the Titanic door.

We also dig into Cecilia’s relationships with Sean and Dominic, the sunny-days-and-rainy-days dynamic, the Ravenhood secrets, and the moment everything starts to feel much bigger than a spicy summer romance. There is the garage scene that made us furious, the reveal that Cecilia may have been “the secret” all along, and that cliffhanger with the Frenchman that made us want to throw a Kindle across the room.

Under all the spice and ridiculousness, we also get into the deeper stuff: loneliness, self-worth, manipulation, chosen family, red flags, consent, power, and what happens when a young woman with very little support gets pulled into a world she does not fully understand.

Part 2 is chaotic, funny, spicy, emotional, and honestly a little rude — just like the ending of Flock.

Keywords: Flock by Kate Stewart, Ravenhood Trilogy, Kate Stewart Flock, Flock book discussion, Flock spoilers, Ravenhood spoilers, dark romance podcast, spicy book podcast, romance book podcast, why-choose romance, Sean and Dominic, Cecilia Flock, Ravenhood theories, Exodus Kate Stewart, BookTok romance, spicy books, smutty book club, spoiler-heavy book podcast, Paperback Confessions

This episode pairs well with whiskey, something smoky, or whatever drink helps you survive Chapter 25 and that ending.

Last week, we poured a Dominic-inspired Smoky Old-Fashioned, and honestly, that still feels right. Dark, complicated, intense, and probably a little dangerous.

In our spicy segment, Just the Tip, we talk about the hottest scene in the book — and yes, we are absolutely talking about the lake scene.

Was it a raft? A floating dock? A giant lake air mattress? A water bed with main-character energy? We may never know. What we do know is that Cecilia, Sean, and Dominic somehow made it work, and we had thoughts. A lot of thoughts.

On our Halos to Handcuffs spice scale, G-Rex gave the scene a full handcuffs rating because sometimes a book scene is hot enough to make you go back and read it more than once. No shame. That is literally why we are here.

Dirty Skittles: “Dad, if you’re listening, now is the time to fast forward.”

Dirty Skittles: “Why couldn’t we get Leo on that raft in the ocean, but Cecilia, Sean, and Dominic somehow manage to have a threesome floating in a river?”

G-Rex: “I’m 62 years old. I don’t have time for edging.”

G-Rex: “Cecilia’s not stupid. She’s just young, lonely, and under-informed.”

Nacho: “I would be following my dick.”

G-Rex rated Flock a 4.5 based on the spice and the emotional chaos.

Nacho and Dirty Skittles agreed that the book is absolutely worth the read, even if the spice level depends on where you are in your own smut-reading journey. For some readers, this is a gateway drug. For others, it is just the opening act.

Either way, Kate Stewart knew exactly what she was doing.

If you had as much fun as we did, please subscribe so you never miss an episode. Then rate and review us wherever you listen.

Every review helps more confessors find their way to our messy little book club, and honestly, it makes our whole damn week.

We are heading into Exodus, Book 2 of the Ravenhood Trilogy, and based on how much emotional damage is already happening, we are not okay.

The secrets are getting bigger. The stakes are getting messier. And apparently, Chapter 25 remains a problem.

#PaperbackConfessions #Flock #Ravenhood #KateStewart #DarkRomance #SpicyBooks #BookTok #Bookstagram #RomanceBooks #WhyChooseRomance #EnemiesToLovers #SmutMasters #BookPodcast #RomancePodcast #SpicyReads #BookClub #ReadToEscape #BookishPodcast #RomanceReaders #SlowBurn #Exodus #RavenhoodTrilogy

Website: https://www.paperbackconfessions.com

Instagram: @paperback_confessions

Paperback Confessions is the feral sister podcast to the award-winning Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads, where we normalize conversations about mental health through honest stories, laughter, and real connection.

Discover more at: https://goesoninourheads.net