Terms &
Conditions

The Sinful Spine is a UK-based bookshop and online bookstore specialising in romance, romantasy, paranormal, LGBTQ+, dark romance, pitch black romance and related genres. We sell books, book-related products, gifts, merchandise, event tickets, subscriptions, bundles and other products through our website and, where applicable, through our physical store, pop-ups, events and other sales channels.

You must be at least 18 years old to purchase products containing mature, explicit, dark, erotic or adult themes.

Some books and products sold by The Sinful Spine may include adult content, strong language, sexual content, violence, dark themes, trauma themes or other mature material. By purchasing such products, you confirm that you are legally able to do so and that you are responsible for deciding whether the content is suitable for you.

We reserve the right to refuse or cancel orders where we reasonably believe the purchaser does not meet the relevant age requirement or where a product is not suitable for sale to a particular customer.

You agree to use our website lawfully and responsibly. You must not:

• Use the website for fraudulent, unlawful or harmful purposes.
• Interfere with the security, operation or availability of the website.
• Attempt to access customer accounts, systems or information without permission.
• Copy, scrape, reproduce or commercially exploit our website content without permission.
• Upload or transmit viruses, malware, spam or harmful code.
• Use false information when creating an account or placing an order.

We may suspend or restrict access to the website where we reasonably believe these Terms have been breached.

We aim to ensure that product descriptions, prices, images, availability and other details are accurate. However, errors may occasionally occur.

Product images are for illustrative purposes only. Cover designs, editions, sprayed edges, bonus content, exclusive features, formatting, publisher details, dimensions, colour tones and packaging may vary from the images shown unless specifically stated.

Where a product is listed as a special edition, signed edition, exclusive edition, pre-order, limited edition, damaged copy, mystery item, subscription item or bundle, additional terms may apply as stated on the product page.

We reserve the right to correct errors, update product information, change prices, withdraw products or cancel orders affected by obvious mistakes.

All prices are shown in pounds sterling.

Prices may change at any time, but changes will not affect orders already accepted by us unless there has been an obvious pricing error.

Payment must be made at the time of order unless we expressly agree otherwise. We may accept payment by debit card, credit card, digital wallet, gift card, store credit or any other payment method made available at checkout.

Your order is not accepted until we confirm acceptance by email or dispatch the goods, whichever happens first. A payment confirmation alone does not mean your order has been accepted.

If your payment is declined, reversed, disputed, charged back or suspected to be fraudulent, we may cancel your order, suspend your account or recover any unpaid amounts.

After placing an order, you may receive an order acknowledgement. This confirms that we have received your order, but it does not guarantee acceptance.

We may refuse, cancel or limit an order where:

• A product is out of stock or unavailable.
• There is a pricing, stock, description or system error.
• Payment has not been received or has failed.
• We suspect fraud, misuse, reselling or abuse of discounts.
• Delivery restrictions apply.
• The order contains age-restricted or mature content and we have concerns about eligibility.
• We are unable to fulfil the order for reasons outside our reasonable control.

If we cancel an order after payment has been taken, we will refund the amount paid for the cancelled item.

Pre-order products are charged at the time of purchase unless stated otherwise.

Estimated release dates and dispatch dates are provided in good faith but may change due to publisher delays, supplier issues, shipping delays, production changes or circumstances outside our control.

If your order contains both pre-order and in-stock items, we may hold the full order until all items are available unless we offer split shipping.

You may cancel a pre-order before dispatch unless the product is personalised, made to order, specially sourced, digital, event-related or otherwise excluded from cancellation by law or by these Terms.

Where we offer subscriptions, book boxes, memberships or recurring orders, the specific subscription terms will be shown at the time of purchase.

By subscribing, you authorise us or our payment provider to take recurring payments at the frequency shown at checkout.

You are responsible for keeping your payment details, delivery address and account information up to date.

You may cancel a subscription in accordance with the cancellation instructions provided on the website or in your account. Cancellation will stop future renewals but will not automatically cancel boxes, items or orders already processed, packed, dispatched or reserved for you.

Subscription contents may vary each month. Images, themes and previews may be examples only unless expressly confirmed.

We deliver to the locations shown at checkout. Delivery options, estimated timescales and charges will be displayed before you place your order.

Delivery times are estimates only and are not guaranteed unless expressly stated. We are not responsible for delays caused by postal services, couriers, customs, adverse weather, strikes, incorrect addresses, missed deliveries or events outside our control.

You are responsible for providing a complete and accurate delivery address. If an order is delayed, lost or returned because the address provided was incorrect or incomplete, we may charge additional postage to resend it.

Risk in the goods passes to you once the goods have been delivered to the address provided, left in a safe place requested by you, collected by you, or received by a person at the delivery address.

Ownership of goods passes to you once we have received full payment.

Postage and packaging charges are calculated at checkout based on factors such as delivery location, parcel size, weight, shipping method and order value.

We may offer free delivery above a certain order value, during promotions or on selected products. Free delivery offers may be withdrawn or changed at any time and may not apply to pre-orders, heavy items, international orders, subscriptions, event products or excluded items.

Where an order qualifies for free delivery and you later return part of the order, we may deduct the original delivery cost from any refund if the remaining order value would not have qualified for free delivery.

Where international delivery is available, you are responsible for any customs duties, import VAT, handling fees, local taxes or other charges imposed by the destination country.

We are not responsible for delays caused by customs checks, import restrictions or local postal services.

You are responsible for ensuring that products can legally be imported into your country. We may cancel international orders if we believe delivery would breach legal, shipping, customs or courier restrictions.

Where click and collect is offered, collection times, locations and requirements will be shown at checkout or in your confirmation email.

You may be asked to provide your order confirmation, name, ID or payment card before collection.

If you do not collect your order within the stated collection period, we may contact you to arrange collection, cancel the order, refund the order, or return the item to stock.

If you are a UK consumer buying goods online, you normally have the right to cancel your order within 14 days after the day you receive the goods, without giving a reason.

If your order is delivered in multiple parcels, the 14-day cancellation period runs from the day after you receive the final parcel.

To cancel, you must tell us clearly that you wish to cancel. You can do this through the contact form on www.TheSinfulSpine.com or by replying to your order confirmation email.

After telling us you wish to cancel, you must return the goods within 14 days.

You are responsible for the cost of returning goods unless the goods are faulty, not as described, or we have agreed otherwise.

Goods must be returned in a resaleable condition, with any packaging, inserts, extras, bonus items or gifts included where applicable. You are responsible for any reduction in value caused by handling the goods more than necessary to inspect them.

Your right to cancel may not apply to certain items, including:

• Personalised, customised or made-to-order products.
• Sealed products that are not suitable for return for health protection or hygiene reasons once unsealed.
• Digital content once download, access or streaming has begun with your consent.
• Event tickets, workshops, signings or dated bookings where cancellation rights are excluded by law.
• Perishable items.
• Gift cards once redeemed.
• Mystery boxes, blind-date books or surprise bundles where the item has been opened or the nature of the product means it cannot reasonably be resold.
• Newspapers, magazines or periodicals, except subscription contracts where cancellation rights apply.
• Items clearly sold as damaged, imperfect, sample, final sale or clearance, unless faulty beyond the condition described.

This does not affect your statutory rights if goods are faulty, not as described or not of satisfactory quality.

To return an item, please contact us through www.TheSinfulSpine.com or reply to your order confirmation email with your order number, name, item details and reason for return.

Unless we provide a prepaid return label, you should return items using a tracked or proof-of-postage service. We are not responsible for returned items lost or damaged in transit.

Returned items should be securely packaged to prevent damage.

We may refuse or reduce a refund where returned goods are damaged, used, missing parts, missing packaging, affected by smoke, perfume, pet hair, stains, marks or otherwise not in the condition in which they were supplied, except where the item is faulty.

Where you cancel an eligible online order within the legal cancellation period, we will refund the price paid for the returned goods and the standard delivery cost, where applicable.

We do not have to refund extra delivery charges if you selected a more expensive delivery option than our standard delivery.

Refunds will usually be made to the original payment method.

We may wait until we have received the goods back or until you provide evidence that you have returned them, whichever is earlier.

Refunds are normally processed within 14 days of receiving the returned goods or receiving evidence that you have sent them back.

If your item arrives faulty, damaged or incorrect, please contact us as soon as possible with your order number, details of the issue and photographs where relevant.

You may be entitled to a repair, replacement, refund or price reduction depending on the circumstances and the time that has passed since delivery.

Damage caused after delivery, normal wear and tear, accidental damage, misuse, poor storage, or damage caused by handling beyond what is necessary to inspect the item will not be treated as a fault.

Minor cosmetic variations, small printing differences, publisher changes, slight colour differences, natural paper variation, page edging variation, or small imperfections that are normal for books and printed products will not usually be treated as faults.

Where a product was clearly sold as damaged, imperfect or discounted due to a specific defect, you cannot return it because of that disclosed defect, but your statutory rights still apply if there is a different fault.

For purchases made in-store, at events, at pop-ups or in person, you do not automatically have the same change-of-mind cancellation rights as online customers.

We may offer a discretionary returns policy for in-person purchases, but this does not affect your statutory rights where goods are faulty, not as described or not of satisfactory quality.

Any in-store returns policy will be subject to proof of purchase and the item being returned in accordance with the conditions stated at the time of purchase.

Gift cards and store credit may be used only with The Sinful Spine and cannot be exchanged for cash.

Gift cards may have an expiry date, which will be stated at the time of purchase or issue.

Lost, stolen, deleted or misused gift cards may not be replaced unless we are legally required to do so.

If an order paid partly or fully with a gift card is refunded, the gift card portion may be refunded back to gift card balance or store credit.

Gift cards must not be resold, copied, altered, transferred for value or used fraudulently.

Discount codes, sales, offers, free gifts and promotions are subject to availability and may be withdrawn or changed at any time.

Discounts cannot usually be used with other offers, gift cards, subscriptions, event tickets, pre-orders, sale items, shipping charges or excluded products unless expressly stated.

Only one discount code may be used per order unless the website permits otherwise.

We may cancel orders, remove discounts or suspend accounts where we suspect misuse, fraud, reselling, duplicate accounts, code sharing, technical abuse or breach of promotional terms.

Free gifts are subject to availability and may be substituted or withdrawn. If you return an order that qualified for a free gift, the gift must also be returned unused, or we may deduct its value from your refund.

We may sell tickets or spaces for events, workshops, book clubs, signings, launches, community evenings or other experiences.

Event details, including date, time, location, access requirements, age guidance and ticket conditions, will be provided at the time of booking.

Tickets are subject to availability and may be non-refundable unless the event is cancelled, significantly changed, or we agree otherwise.

We may refuse entry or remove attendees who behave abusively, unlawfully, dangerously, disruptively or in a way that affects the safety or enjoyment of others.

We may change event details where reasonably necessary, including timings, guest appearances, venue, format or schedule. If a major change occurs, we will contact affected ticket holders where possible.

Photography and filming may take place at events. Where practical, we will make this clear at the event. Please tell a member of staff if you do not wish to be photographed or filmed.

We may provide content warnings, genre labels, spice levels, trope descriptions, age guidance or other reading notes to help customers make informed choices.

These are provided for general guidance only and may be subjective, incomplete or based on publisher information, reader feedback or our own interpretation.

You are responsible for deciding whether a book or product is suitable for you or the intended recipient.

We are not responsible for distress, offence or dissatisfaction caused by themes, tropes, endings, character behaviour, author choices, spice level, darkness level or content that was not specifically guaranteed by us.

You may be able to create an account on our website. You are responsible for keeping your login details secure and for all activity under your account.

You must provide accurate and up-to-date information.

We may suspend or close your account if we believe it has been used fraudulently, unlawfully, abusively, for reselling, to misuse promotions, or in breach of these Terms.

You may request account closure by contacting us. Closing your account will not affect orders already placed, legal obligations, payment obligations or records we are required to keep.

If you submit reviews, comments, photographs, social media tags, testimonials or other content to us or to our website, you confirm that:

• The content is honest, lawful and your own original content.
• You have the right to submit it.
• It does not infringe anyone else’s rights.
• It is not defamatory, abusive, obscene, discriminatory, misleading or unlawful.

You grant us permission to use, display, edit, quote, repost and share that content for business, marketing, social media and website purposes, unless you tell us otherwise.

We may moderate, remove or refuse to publish user content at our discretion.

The Sinful Spine is intended to be a welcoming, inclusive and respectful space for readers.

We do not tolerate harassment, abuse, discrimination, hate speech, threats, intimidation, bullying, sexual harassment, doxxing, stalking, spam, fraudulent behaviour or conduct that makes customers, staff, authors, creators or community members feel unsafe.

We may refuse service, cancel orders, remove event attendees, block website accounts or restrict participation in our community where we reasonably believe these standards have been breached.

All website content, branding, logos, product photography, graphics, text, design, layouts, marketing copy, social media content and other materials created by or for The Sinful Spine are owned by us or licensed to us.

You may use our website for personal shopping and browsing only.

You must not copy, reproduce, distribute, modify, sell, publish, scrape, commercially exploit or use our content without written permission.

Book covers, author names, publisher names, trademarks and third-party materials remain the property of their respective owners.

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, payment providers, delivery services, social media platforms or other external services.

We are not responsible for the content, availability, privacy practices, terms, actions or failures of third parties.

Your use of third-party services may be subject to their own terms and policies.

We handle personal data in accordance with our Privacy Policy, which explains how we collect, use, store and protect your information.

By using our website or placing an order, you acknowledge that your personal data may be processed for purposes including order fulfilment, payment processing, delivery, customer support, fraud prevention, legal compliance, marketing where permitted, account management and website operation.

If you sign up to our mailing list, you agree to receive marketing emails from The Sinful Spine.

You can unsubscribe at any time using the unsubscribe link in our emails or by contacting us.

We may still send non-marketing emails relating to your orders, account, events, legal notices or service updates.

We aim to keep the website available and operating properly, but we do not guarantee uninterrupted or error-free access.

We may suspend, withdraw, update or restrict access to the website for maintenance, security, technical, legal or business reasons.

We are not liable for loss or inconvenience caused by website downtime, technical issues, payment provider errors, stock system errors or internet failures, except where the law says otherwise.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability where it would be unlawful to do so, including liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, fraudulent misrepresentation, or breach of your statutory rights.

We are not liable for:

• Losses that were not foreseeable.
• Business losses, loss of profit, loss of revenue, loss of opportunity or loss of goodwill.
• Delays or failures caused by events outside our reasonable control.
• Your misuse of products.
• Minor differences between product images and actual products.
• Subjective dissatisfaction with a book’s content, genre, themes, writing style, ending or tropes.
• Losses caused by incorrect information provided by you, including delivery address errors.

Our total liability for any order will not normally exceed the amount paid by you for that order, except where the law requires otherwise.

We are not responsible for delays or failure to perform our obligations where caused by events outside our reasonable control, including postal delays, courier disruption, strikes, severe weather, supplier issues, publisher delays, customs delays, power outages, internet failures, illness, fire, flood, pandemic, changes in law, civil unrest, technical failures or other circumstances beyond our control.

If such an event affects your order, we will contact you where reasonably possible and take reasonable steps to reduce the impact.

Products are sold for personal use unless we agree otherwise.

We may refuse or cancel orders where we believe products are being purchased for unauthorised resale, bulk buying, market manipulation, misuse of limited editions, abuse of promotions or other commercial purposes.

If you are unhappy with your order or experience, please contact us through www.TheSinfulSpine.com or reply to your order confirmation email.

Please include your name, order number, contact details and a clear description of the issue.

We will aim to respond fairly and within a reasonable time.

We may update these Terms from time to time to reflect changes in law, business operations, website functionality, products, services or customer processes.

The version in force at the time you place an order will apply to that order.

Continued use of the website after changes are published means you accept the updated Terms.

If any part of these Terms is found to be invalid, unlawful or unenforceable, the remaining sections will continue to apply.

If we do not immediately enforce a right under these Terms, this does not mean we have waived that right.

We may transfer our rights and obligations under these Terms to another organisation, provided this does not materially affect your rights.

You may not transfer your rights or obligations under these Terms without our written consent.

These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales.

If you are a consumer living in Scotland or Northern Ireland, you may also bring proceedings in your local courts where applicable.

For customer support, order queries, returns, cancellations, complaints or legal notices, please contact The Sinful Spine through www.TheSinfulSpine.com or reply to your order confirmation email.

These Terms apply to The Sinful Spine Ltd, trading as The Sinful Spine, operating through www.TheSinfulSpine.com.