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Unholy
Magdalena, a forty-eight-year-old cloistered nun, has two days to stop the Apocalypse.
After she recruits Ana, a sex shop owner and domestic violence survivor, the duo set out to infiltrate the sex cult that will host the Antichrist's birth.
Magdalena's faith and determination are put to the test as she embraces her more sinful and sexual needs during the infiltration and second-guesses her childhood encounter with an archangel. Meanwhile, atheist Ana's worldview collapses at the realization of God's existence and the fact that an omnipotent being allowed the brutal murder of her eight-year-old daughter.
As they fall for each other, they will face the Would the Apocalypse be so bad after all?
J.V. Gachs, author of Epiphany and the forthcoming Spooky Lovers, brings readers her signature brand of Spanish religious horror in Unholy.
After she recruits Ana, a sex shop owner and domestic violence survivor, the duo set out to infiltrate the sex cult that will host the Antichrist's birth.
Magdalena's faith and determination are put to the test as she embraces her more sinful and sexual needs during the infiltration and second-guesses her childhood encounter with an archangel. Meanwhile, atheist Ana's worldview collapses at the realization of God's existence and the fact that an omnipotent being allowed the brutal murder of her eight-year-old daughter.
As they fall for each other, they will face the Would the Apocalypse be so bad after all?
J.V. Gachs, author of Epiphany and the forthcoming Spooky Lovers, brings readers her signature brand of Spanish religious horror in Unholy.
- GenresHorrorLGBTUrban Fantasy
164 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 25, 2025
2 people are currently reading
114 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 25, 2025
Out today!
I'm really surprised but how much story Gachs managed to fit in so few pages. It was my first time reading here work in a stand alone format but I hope it will not be the last as she well and truly proved that she's not just a short story kind of author.
This novella has a lot of charm and humor but it's also tender and bleak in some regards, it has all the ingredients to give it this earnest feeling that's often lacking to recent "sploitation" numbers. The characters were great and it was easy to get invested in them and to feel for them. With the book being so short you might expect character building to be lacking but it was actually where this book really shined.
The imagery was also great, there was just enough about the spaces where the story took place to really get a sense of the space which I really enjoyed.
Many thanks to Mad Axe Media for providing me a digital review copy of this book.
I'm really surprised but how much story Gachs managed to fit in so few pages. It was my first time reading here work in a stand alone format but I hope it will not be the last as she well and truly proved that she's not just a short story kind of author.
This novella has a lot of charm and humor but it's also tender and bleak in some regards, it has all the ingredients to give it this earnest feeling that's often lacking to recent "sploitation" numbers. The characters were great and it was easy to get invested in them and to feel for them. With the book being so short you might expect character building to be lacking but it was actually where this book really shined.
The imagery was also great, there was just enough about the spaces where the story took place to really get a sense of the space which I really enjoyed.
Many thanks to Mad Axe Media for providing me a digital review copy of this book.
February 3, 2025
Wooowee 🥵
Provocative and thought inducing are major descriptors for this one, folks.
This story has the heat and spiciness you are expecting, but also the existential part I wasn’t. I mean, a nun and a sex shop owner battle to save the world? I knew this sounded AMAZING but I wasn’t ready for the amount of reflection and thinking this one made me do.
Bravo, JV Gachs!
Thank you to the author and Mad Axe Media for the eARC!
Provocative and thought inducing are major descriptors for this one, folks.
This story has the heat and spiciness you are expecting, but also the existential part I wasn’t. I mean, a nun and a sex shop owner battle to save the world? I knew this sounded AMAZING but I wasn’t ready for the amount of reflection and thinking this one made me do.
Bravo, JV Gachs!
Thank you to the author and Mad Axe Media for the eARC!
April 10, 2025
¡Me ha encantado este libro! Salvaje, irreverente, antirreligioso... Y salpimentado de orgías, una historia de amor y mucha, mucha sangre.
El final me ha parecido épico y lo he disfrutado muchísimo.
Además, la ambientación en Vetusta, y más concretamente en "el agujero", añade una capa extra de locura a toda la trama. Una de mis mejores lecturas del año.
Creo que se publicará en español en enero, pero si lees en inglés, ¡no esperes!
El final me ha parecido épico y lo he disfrutado muchísimo.
Además, la ambientación en Vetusta, y más concretamente en "el agujero", añade una capa extra de locura a toda la trama. Una de mis mejores lecturas del año.
Creo que se publicará en español en enero, pero si lees en inglés, ¡no esperes!
April 3, 2025
Unholy va más allá de su premisa, sobre una monja y una dependienta de sexshop que deben frenar el Apocalipsis, para dar forma a una historia con dos mujeres (Ana y Madgdalena) maravillosas, que meten un montón de temas e ideas interesantes entre mensajes divinos, cultos y fluidos varios.
Es guarrilla, violenta, divertida, te ríes, lloras un ratito y deja un sabor de boca magnífico.
Estará en castellano en algún punto del futuro; no dejéis pasar una novela corta tan valiente, lésbica, reivindicativa, con dos mujeres protas de mediana edad, que pone el amor (sano) en su justo lugar y atiza a lo que tiene que atizar (hablo de partes del cuerpo y de comportamientos o instituciones, de todas esas cosas).
Casi un cierre de una trilogía impía formada por "Epifanía" y "Amantes Espeluznantes", tratando temas similares desde ángulos distintos y complementarios.
Es guarrilla, violenta, divertida, te ríes, lloras un ratito y deja un sabor de boca magnífico.
Estará en castellano en algún punto del futuro; no dejéis pasar una novela corta tan valiente, lésbica, reivindicativa, con dos mujeres protas de mediana edad, que pone el amor (sano) en su justo lugar y atiza a lo que tiene que atizar (hablo de partes del cuerpo y de comportamientos o instituciones, de todas esas cosas).
Casi un cierre de una trilogía impía formada por "Epifanía" y "Amantes Espeluznantes", tratando temas similares desde ángulos distintos y complementarios.
February 21, 2025
Unholy by JV Gachs is a love story about destiny and sacrifice set against a coming apocalypse. That's not all it has women in their 40s, lesbianism, religion, fate and pain oh pain. It sucked me in quickly with it's urgency, manages to be erotic in the face of a possible apocalyptic and painful ending. The pain is relatable and sharp.
March 21, 2025
I can honestly say that I've never read a book in which a sex shop owner and a nun infiltrate a sex cult to stop the birth of the antichrist and prevent the apocalypse.
But now I have and it was absolutely incredible.
What made UNHOLY so good was the characters. The writing goes between the POVs of Ana and Magdalena, giving the reader a chance to get to know the two women in the deepest and most intimate ways. Between tragedy, faith, and fear, these two women are developed in such a beautiful and insightful way that I miss them now that the book is over.
The plot is explosive in so many ways- cults, demons, and pilgrimages really come together in this religious horror that really left me thinking about existential questions all night long.
UNHOLY is a quick read with really short chapters, making it perfect for a weekend read.
Thank you to the author and Mad Axe Media for the eARC!
But now I have and it was absolutely incredible.
What made UNHOLY so good was the characters. The writing goes between the POVs of Ana and Magdalena, giving the reader a chance to get to know the two women in the deepest and most intimate ways. Between tragedy, faith, and fear, these two women are developed in such a beautiful and insightful way that I miss them now that the book is over.
The plot is explosive in so many ways- cults, demons, and pilgrimages really come together in this religious horror that really left me thinking about existential questions all night long.
UNHOLY is a quick read with really short chapters, making it perfect for a weekend read.
Thank you to the author and Mad Axe Media for the eARC!
April 8, 2025
I read Unholy in one sitting—it was gripping and unsettling. It combined horror, theology, and desire in the best way. Magdalena, a nun, and Ana, a sex shop owner, join forces to stop the birth of the Antichrist.
Magdalena and Ana are both burdened with heartache. Their relationship is layered and charged, shifting from distrust to something far more vulnerable. As they move deeper into the cult they’re meant to dismantle, the lines between faith, doubt, and desire cross over in haunting ways.
This is a Share.
Magdalena and Ana are both burdened with heartache. Their relationship is layered and charged, shifting from distrust to something far more vulnerable. As they move deeper into the cult they’re meant to dismantle, the lines between faith, doubt, and desire cross over in haunting ways.
This is a Share.
December 20, 2025
This was a super quick read and I loved the idea of the story itself which is why I picked it up. But I felt at times the author would try to be fancy with the writing and other times felt like they didn’t care to try…
The overall story was good but some parts seemed to be thrown in for no reason or there wasn’t enough explanation at times.
The ~spicy~ parts were great though.. could have totally used more of that 😅
The overall story was good but some parts seemed to be thrown in for no reason or there wasn’t enough explanation at times.
The ~spicy~ parts were great though.. could have totally used more of that 😅
February 15, 2025
What a wild ride! A nun and a sex shop owner fighting together. Really interesting story. Really enjoyed the writing style and the way the story came to life. Will worn there is some mention of self harm, sexual content, among other things, so if that makes you feel uncomfortable, this may not be for you. Overall, I enjoyed this book.
January 25, 2026
Content warnings: explicit sexual content, domestic abuse, blood, gore, dismemberment, dead children, graphic depiction of birth
If you watched the entirety of the Criterion Channel's nunsploitation collection and want one in book form, definitely pick this up. It's got everything: blood, gore, lesbianism, graphic depictions of women reclaiming their bodily autonomy. I loved it.
If you watched the entirety of the Criterion Channel's nunsploitation collection and want one in book form, definitely pick this up. It's got everything: blood, gore, lesbianism, graphic depictions of women reclaiming their bodily autonomy. I loved it.
March 9, 2025
Thank you Mad Axe Media for providing me with an ARC.
Reading spicy stories is not my thing which almost caused me to skip this transgressive and provocative book. I am so glad I gave it chance.
The writing style is beautiful, the characters fully fleshed out, the ending left me craving more. I came to care so much about these women and all the pain they carried with them.
Reading spicy stories is not my thing which almost caused me to skip this transgressive and provocative book. I am so glad I gave it chance.
The writing style is beautiful, the characters fully fleshed out, the ending left me craving more. I came to care so much about these women and all the pain they carried with them.
March 29, 2025
So a sex shop owner and a nun walk into a sex cult … this was a novella chock full of grief, flames, blood and debauchery. Thank you so much Joey for sending me an ARC. This one is available now from Mad Axe Media!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews