The Milkyway Hotel (epub)

A sapphic tale of Christmas, swoon-worthy chocolate, and blessings in disguise - 2025 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards finalist & Indieverse Awards finalist

The day she loses her job and her apartment, a third surprise awaits Celeste Dorin: her great-aunt left her a hotel in a tiny town in the mountains. Is the universe nudging her—not very subtly—in a new direction? For the first time in years, Celeste ignores her anxiety and rushes to the French Alps. To Montlouis, where she has refused to go back since she was a child.

Rose Beauvoir has two passions: chocolate and the stars. Or three, if you count Montlouis. The arrival of the clumsy Parisian disrupts her well-oiled routines, and she’d lie if she said she doesn’t enjoy the blast of fresh air.

As Celeste learns about life at high altitude and Rose shares her love for her hometown and its surroundings, the two women can’t deny the attraction blooming between them. The shift from Celeste’s boring yet comfortable life as a paralegal in the city to that of a hotelier in the mountains isn’t for the faint of heart, however. Will the beautiful scenery, the welcoming townies, and the deceptively reserved chocolatier convince her to stay?

The Milkyway Hotel is a slow-burn, low-angst, heartwarming, cozy sapphic romance about taking charge of your own life, and finding love—and yourself—on the way. With chocolate.

"If you love slow sweet romances set in beautiful mountain towns, where you are welcomed with open arms by all, you will definitely enjoy this book, because all of that and more is here. The descriptions of everything from the chocolates Rose makes, to the hotel, the town, the Observatory, the book sets you down in the middle of it all and requests your presence. If you love someone finding their North Star, willing to make a significant change in their life to go towards the familiar but unknown, it is the right book for you."

The Lesbian Review

"Life has been a lot lately, but this cozy read really helped get me in the holiday spirit! After years of reading beautifully written reviews from Jude Silberfeld-Grimaud, I am not shocked that their debut novel, written with their wife, Marguerite Grimaud, is so heartfelt and charming."

The Sapphic Book Review

"Montlouis feels like a character. I love stories where you feel like you’re there, you can imagine the layout of the town and I think it does a really good job with vivid details… They go snow shoeing out in the area around. This book is just really, really, really cute.’

Tara Scott, Queerly Recommended