If you want a quick and enjoyable read where the point is the “romance” (and here we mean sex), then this book is a great read. The chemistry between the characters is five-star, the forbidden romance trope is handled without being trite and the troubled pasts are realistic and relevant to the plot. There is enough backstory and plot to keep the book moving, but the focus is this particular relationship and that really streamlines the narrative a lot. The circulating topic of the church, and the role it plays in the community and the world, is handled with a fairly deft hand given the material. This book will make a hot summer read because it is exactly what is on the label: a sexy story of forbidden love that gets the HEA treatment.

We meet Sasha and Patrick when they are already “in their feelings” but there is still a build up and a lot of tension as their friendship develops and they circle around one another. Both characters are caught between doing what is expected versus what they want and what feels right. Some good chemistry once they start interacting more and interesting to see how things played out in the end.

I have odd feelings on this book. I really wanted to enjoy this book but at times I had to push myself to finish it. The middle part of the book lagged for me, but it does get better after that. I didn’t get that they knew each other for years and now have feelings that developed between them like it’s a big surprise. The relationship between them was too quick for Patrick to question his feelings, and I thought Sasha was inappropriate towards him as a priest. I was very uncomfortable with how she pushed herself towards him at times. Now that being said, I actually was rooting for them along the way. I didn’t know how it would work out and I have to state that it turned out beautifully in the end.
I didn’t like Sasha’s family members. I wanted maybe more of a better resolution on her parents. I liked the friends and his dad, but they were sparse in the book. Overall, it was a cute book that I truly believe if you enjoyed her other books you will enjoy this one.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book is a a romance between Patrick, a Catholic priest, and Sasha, an event planner from a dysfunctional, wealthy family. The strongest part of this book for me was Patrick's struggle with his faith and vocation. He recognizes the major institutional failures in the Church, but still wants to do good and represent what he feels is the truth of the faith. I found his struggle relatable and interesting. Unfortunately, the actual romance in this book was difficult for me. When the book begins, Patrick and Sasha have a mutual attraction. The reader is constantly reminded that they are attracted to/infatuated with each other. The problem is that this isn't really backed up. When they interacted with each other, I didn't see those sparks. I didn't see them growing closer and falling deeper and deeper in love. It feels like they fell in love off-page. It also irritated me that Sasha was dating another man for 3/4 of the book (despite admitting at every opportunity that she was not at all interested in him). It felt like the whole book was devoted to Patrick and Sasha convincing themselves that they can't be together, and very little time was devoted to convincing the reader that they actually should be together.

Forbidden romance trope for the win!!

Who doesn't love something forbidden? It's just so exciting and intriguing to read and this book is all about that and a bag of chips. From the moment Andie J. Christopher announced that Father Patrick Dooley was getting a book, I was jumping for joy all around my room, and getting my wish granted?? That was the cherry on top of the carrot cake with cream cheese frosting!

We all know that religion is a fickle subject and should be handled as such and I love how Andie J. Christopher approached the subject. This book had me hooked and I could not put it down, it was addictive. I had to set up a reward system in my head that for whatever work I finished I could read a chapter of this book! It was un-put-downable, the story was so easy to get lost in and time just flew by, I finished it in a day since I literally couldn't stop reading it, and the chemistry was AMAZING!!

I hope Chris gets a story soon! Grumpy characters that become softies while falling in love is always a joy to read!

Show to watch if you enjoyed this book: Second season of Fleabag (you will LOVE it!)

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing group for the earc and for granting my wish!

I've really enjoyed the previous 2 books by her, but this was a bit of a disappointment.
1) several places in the book felt as though they were out of order--the bake sale idea, lots of bake sale prep, and THEN finalizing the bake sale as an fundraiser? i stopped in confusion at that point, wondering if the book was wrong somehow. And then later, when she cuts her hair, they talk about it the second time he sees her, as though it's brand new. that could easily have been solved with a line or two--"i didn't have the chance to before, but i wanted to say X about your hair"

2) he leaves the church just for her. but it isn't just for her, it's because of his problems with being a priest overall, which is talked about throughout the book. She should have been the final straw for the decision even if she's the most important to him, but at that point everything else is gone, and it's just her. I wouldn't like a woman in a romance being so starry eyed, i don't like it in him either. and with very little additional details it could have been clearer that it wasn't 'for her' but for the better person he wants to be that is also with her--a plan for his next career, for example so it's not 'i threw away everything for you hope our love is enough.' Its in the book, but never followed through! He could have talked to others about his future, considered possibilities like non catholic priesthood, looked up some grad programs, run into someone outside of love--a mentor or role model--that made him think/plan about the rest of the after-church life other than just her.

I had mixed feelings about this book. Honestly, for the first half, I was not really buying the chemistry between the characters. I'm not sure why, but it felt like there was a lot of telling and not enough showing; their inner monologue would tell me about their attraction to each other, but I had no evidence of it otherwise. I think it was even harder for me to grasp because they didn't have a meet cute; they met long before the start of the book through mutual friends, and at the start of the book, they're both apparently very into each other but we don't know why or how or when it happened. Patrick and Sasha both seemed somewhat underdeveloped as characters for a large portion of the book, too. I will admit that I somehow missed the second book in this series, so if there was any development there, then I didn't have that background, but I couldn't really see much personality at all beyond "cool priest" and "woman with rich family who has expectations." At about the 50% mark, it got steamier and I started to see some chemistry, but I really wanted to see it in their small interactions before that. Sasha was always thinking about her family and how her parents want her to marry the "right" type of person and have babies and apparently do nothing else with her life, but even that was a lot of telling and no showing until the *spoiler* very end of the book when they show up and give her an ultimatum. I understand some drama needs to happen, but her parents seemed a little too much like cartoon villains, and the ending felt very unresolved somehow. It's fine if the rich girl moves in with her boyfriend above a bar! But based on my impression of these characters, that seems like a conflict that would have challenges on its own. It should have happened way earlier so they could work through it together instead of being the apparent HEA at the very end. Also, I am not usually one to complain because I know everyone has different preferences, but there is nothing that I like about this cover. The previous two covers in this series were fine, but I don't have a clue what's going on here. Why is he gigantic? Why is she tiny and on his shoulder?

Father Patrick is a catholic priest. Sasha struggles with her families expectations. Sasha admires Father Patrick from afar and Patrick admires Sasha from afar. They become close when Sarah helps Patrick save the pre-k program at the church. As his feelings for Sasha explode, he needs to decide what he's going to do.

This book was everything. From Catholic guilt, to passion, to wit. I've loved all of Andies books so far and this one is the same. I'm typically hesitant to read books with religion involved, but this one was hilarious, accurate and tastefully done. Run, don't walk, to get your copy!

Thank you NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Pub Date: July 20, 2021

#NetGalley #HotUnderHisCollar

Unfortunately, this one just wasn’t for me. I’ve read my fair share of taboo storylines and a few of the priest with someone outside if the church stories, and enjoyed them, so I can’t say it was the subject matter that was an issue for me.

I think in the end, the story plot points were just too contrived for my taste and the characters felt like “characters” rather than people. Maybe it was the writing style or a combination of other things, but the execution just didn’t endear me to this one.

I think this would work for some other readers, and it was a personal perspective.

Thank you netgalley for the advance reader copy.

I have been looking forward to reading this book so much that AS SOON AS I got the notification that my “wish” was granted and I received access to the ARC I started reading. I did not put it down until I was done.

This book focuses on Patrick, a priest, and Sasha an event planner. Patrick is struggling with his attraction to Sasha and his decision to become a priest over ten years ago. The attraction between Patrick and Sasha is definitely mutual, but we see them dance around each other, neither one sure how, or even if, to make a move without hurting themselves or each other. They're thrown together when Patrick needs to raise funds for the Pre-K program he helped establish through the church and they can't seem to stay away from each other.

The book is really good! It also gives us some updates on the other characters in the series which is really nice, I only wish we got to see a little bit more of Bridget and Nick. This book was definitely hotter than the rest in the series and so fun to read! I think the author did really well in addressing issues within the Catholic Church as well as people’s dedication to religion but not the institution. I enjoyed the book a lot and would recommend it to anyone interested!

Thank you for the opportunity to review!

Review Posted Today March 30th:
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/26213123-brittany-e

Father Patrick has been a priest since his mom died and a girl broke his heart when he was just out of college. He has put all his energy into helping his church, which includes the Pre-K program that he just discovered needs more money in order to run next year. Sasha and her friend Hannah run a party planning business and have decided to help Patrick raise the money he needs to keep the Pre-K open. Sasha puts all her energy into helping Patrick while trying to keep her crush for him a secret. A crush on a priest would be considered a giant scandal if her controlling Mother found out. The two work closely together and Patrick starts to have a little crush on Sasha as well. The both start to question their life choices about being together.

I absolutely loved this. I did have a bit of a hard time with Patrick's inner dialogue. Hearing those thoughts from a priest made me question why priests can't have relationships to begin with. But I like how the awareness was brought to the cause that Priests should have relationships and the church should be more accepting. I highly recommend this story to everyone.

Phew, this one was spicy. I was worried about how Andie was going to approach religion, but I do appreciate that at the end, faith is still important to Patrick. Anyways, my absolute biggest issue with this book was Sasha's family. What - I...what? Do mothers like that actually exist? Sisters? They all felt like caricatures and stereotypes.

I also really do not like the cover. For one, I thought Patrick had longer, dark hair and Sasha was blonde? And why is she so tiny and sitting on his shoulder? It gives off a fairly creepy vibe and I think there's a much better cover design out there that would show off this book in a fun and accurate way.

Overall, I enjoyed this! The characters were well thought out and I liked them each individually, and together. Which is important to me. I'm not Catholic, so I can't speak as to how this might read to a Catholic person, but I do think the religious stuff was handled well!

I have been waiting eagerly for this book, and am pleased to report that it was more than worth the wait! Patrick and Sasha are both great characters, and the situation they find themselves in--and the very real dilemma it entails--were handled with sensitivity and compassion. Also, while not as focused on the erotic elements, as, say, Sierra Simone's PRIEST, the sex scenes were really hot. :) Andie J. Christopher is a relatively new-to-me contemporary romance author (I only discovered her when her second novel from Berkley came out last year), but HOT UNDER HIS COLLAR confirms her place on my auto-buy list from now on!

Wow. I don't know what I was expecting with this book, but I was blown away as soon as I finished it. I figured Sasha would be a trope-y character, but she was multi-dimensional and very relatable. Same goes for Father Patrick, who would have thought??

TRULY, I enjoyed this book so much! I don't know why it's taken me this long to find Andie J. Christopher, but now I'm going to finish her entire collection.