Thank you to #netgalley for the ARC of this taboo romance! Hot Under His Collar releases on July 20, 2021 by Berkley.

Normally, taboo romances aren’t my thing and organized religion is DEFINITELY not my thing, but this book was great. Before I started, I secured my spouse into being my “Catholic Correspondent,” since he went to a Catholic HS and his family is pretty Irish Catholic, but I didn’t need him! Though the MC, Sasha, has fallen for hot Father Patrick and his vows to God are a major part of his internal struggle, I was never mired down in Catholic minutiae.

Since this was a romance, I never worried if these two would get together, just how?! I was along for the journey completely and the HEA.

Now, I’m sure you’re worried about how much sex could possibly be in a book about a frocked priest. That was a big concern of mine as well. I’m here for the smut, after all. Anyone who’s read a million books knows, that somehow Patrick would need to leave the church for them to be together and that is pretty climactic, so would they break his vows and sex it up before he was laicized (I did have to look that one up, it means being de-frocked by the church) or after. If it’s after, that doesn’t leave many sex scene opportunities…well fear not my friends, because the characters very early on hook up without touching and it’s semi-public and it’s HOT.

Am I into taboo romances now? Oh my god. I might be into taboo romances, now. Good job Andie Christopher (with additional support by Katee Roberts - read our review of Neon Gods for ALL THE SMUT)!

Character Trope Breakdown:

Sasha - Black Sheep of rich family, lots of privilege but aware of it, romance reader

Patrick - Stern Brunch Daddy, academic (nerd alert!), gets that bod by running

If I had one criticism it’s that Sasha has a biological imperative to have babies. I do not have that. I would rather keep my spontaneous napping schedule. But I recognize that those milestones are very important to people and she was very confident and assured that parenthood was for her.

This was a great and quick read. I had an enjoyable time. Be prepared for a lot of lusting at a distance, but it’s interspersed with action at appropriate intervals. Andie Christoper did a masterful job at plotting out the sexually tense moments! -Ford

POSTED ON JULY 17th

Andie J. Christopher is definitely an auto read author for me. I LOVED her first novel which was a 10 Things I Hate About You retelling! I really liked her second novel too but this one i just liked. I didn’t really see the chemistry between Patrick and Sasha and the romance ended up kind of “insta-lovey.” There were some aspects I really enjoyed about it, such as how involved their families were with the story and getting to see the characters from the other books. This is one I would recommend reading if you’ve already read the other books in this series!

Hot Under His Collar
By: Andie J. Christopher

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟/5

Quote: “If I’d get a women who looked like you visiting me, I might have to consider the priesthood.”

Thanks NetGalley and Berkley Books for the gifted e-Arc in exchange of an honest opinion!

I didn’t know this book is the #3 in The Nolas Series, but as in all the Romcom series, you don’t need to read the first two to understand this one. Hot Under His Collar is about a forbidden love, and I’m here for it. I don’t know if it is the fact that I studied at a Catholic School, but I really enjoyed this book!

Sasha is cool having a crush on a hot priest, Father Patrick, but when they have to work together to raising funds for a church program, everything changed.

I understand why this book is hard for some people, but the fact that a priest is going to leave the priesthood for love is kind of off. I always remember that my church’s priest always told us that he was happy with his life decision, but if he ever fall in love, he will leave the celibacy vote.

I really enjoyed the book, but would liked more spicy scenes 😂. Overall, it was a great book!

My first ever, Andie J. Christopher and I really enjoyed Hot Under His Collar. The passion, banter, tension between our heroine and hero, was just so consuming. I also loved the internal dialogue that the characters had between themselves. I loved Hot Under his collar and I can't wait to read more from Andie J. Christopher

My Review:⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 5 stars

The ex Catholic school girl in me just had to read this - I had not read the other two books in the series, but these could all be read as standalones. Father Patrick Dooley, a Catholic priest at St. Bartholomew’s church has been doubting his true calling. He became a priest as a fulfillment to his mother’s dying wish and an escape from grief and heartbreak from a doomed relationship. Enter Sasha, an event planner who is trying to help the church raise money for their Pre-K program. They immediately have an attraction and they both appear to be like horny teenagers in their minds, even in their late 20’s/early 30s. Patrick has a much more interesting back story with his vows of chastity and abstinence - and fighting natural human urges. Sasha has strict, bitchy parents who boss her around using money as a weapon. He definitely had much more to lose. The steamy scenes between were great and the characters have electrifying chemistry - but parts of the story kept repeating and there seemed to be a lot more filler. Similar in vibes to the Bromance Book club series, it is a light-hearted, mildly steamy contemporary romance.

Thank you to Berkley Books and Netgalley for the advanced e-copy in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you @berkleyromance for a copy of this book. I love the idea of this forbidden romance between a priest and one the parishioners. The chemistry between Stella and Patrick was off the charts!! I love how the story showed how torn both were about the attraction. I also appreciated the author highlighting the old ways of the Catholic Church and the need for change. Even though this book was predictable, I enjoyed the journey both took to realize their love for each other.

Hot Under His Collar was a great read, I really enjoy it!It follows event planner Sasha who has a year-long crush on Father Patrick Dooley.I've loved Sasha and Patrick's characters , I felt connected to them through the story.
This book had me hooked and I could not put it down.It was fast paced mostly and there were some steamy moments.My only complain is the ending felt rushed and there were momments I struggled through the story but overall it was a great read.
I love this series and her writing so I cannot wait to see what she will have for us next!

2..5 Stars

Father Patrick Dooley needs some assistance with a fundraiser for one of his church’s program. He pairs up with Sasha Finerghty to accomplish the mission. The problem is that Sasha is a wild card in his life. Patrick has already been fighting the growing desire to do something different with his life and a woman like Sasha doesn’t make it easy.

Sasha is a mixed bag. She is funny, smart, sexy and loving. She is wedding planner so she has already met Father Dooley and admire him from a far. He is off limits. A man of the cloth and a wild child like herself are not destined to be together but the sexual tension fly between them as they plan the fundraiser.

I went into this story thinking that it was going to be an angsty kind of forbidden romance. There is some angst just not enough to carry the story. Sasha and Patrick’s story start off perfectly fine. There is tension, humor and sparks flying all around. However, it didn’t help because they kept getting in the way of their own romance. Sasha didn’t want to jeopardized Patrick’s reputation and life’s mission. He didn’t know if he could offer Sasha all that she wanted in life. The cyclical emotional baggage started to weigh down the story and make it boring.

I think if Patrick was a little more believable as a priest, I would have liked him more. It would have also helped the forbidden part feel more authentic. Instead, I felt as though there was no connection to him and the religion aspect of the book. Granted, he only became a priest because his mother wanted him to do so but he didn’t even fit the bill for me.

This is a part of a series which I didn’t know. I read the first book which helped me know some of the characters in the book.

Overall, if you want a light and quick romance, this is perfect.

~ Samantha

Andie J. Christopher consistently surprises me with her books! I usually am not the biggest fan of her tropes but she really pulls them off! I loved the characters and how their relationship developed!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

I was excited to try something new with this one, as it isn’t usually something I’d pick up. Unfortunately, this just wasn’t my thing. The whole priest vibe was a bit skeevy for me but might be great for someone else!

I have read the first two Nolans book by Andie and I have to say this one may be my favorite so far! Clearly, she employs the hot priest trope which may be controversial for people, but is right up my alley. As a woman who grew up Catholic my first instinct is to balk at a frocked priest finding love but as an adult I am here for it.

I adored Sasha and Patrick's story. It was so intense and intimate and fiery compared to the other books. It was all stolen glances and heated stares and some covert fantasizing. The characters were magnetic, they couldn't stay apart from each no matter how hard they tried. I enjoyed seeing cameos made by the characters from the first few books and the updates into their lives. It was also a breeze to get through, very quick to read and kept me up at night. And the scene in the bar!!! IYKYK!!

I would've loved to see more page time spent on Patrick's growth with his family, past, and decision to join the priesthood, mostly at the end of the book. It's talked about of course, but I feel like it needed to be more at the end. There was plenty of time spent with Sasha and her family but Patrick was more glossed over in my opinion.

**Thank you to Berkley Publishing and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review**

4.5 Stars. This is the first book I have read by Andie and oh my gosh can she write a steamy/sexy scene! The banter, chemistry and tension between Sasha and Patrick was just perfect. I found the storyline quite original and fascinating, but realize it could possibly be taboo for others. It also really made me want to re-watch Fleabag. Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for the ARC.

This book could have been a one-note capitalization of the moment in pop-culture (Fleabag) or played very much into the taboo (see Sierra Simone's excellent Priest). Instead this story felt completely grounded in reality with a couple I could see myself meeting and totally buying their relationship story. Both characters could easily have become caricatures but their choices and struggles felt real and how I would expect people I know and respect to behave in a difficult situation. The author's style can stay a little too long in internal monologuing (especially true for Patrick), but Sasha's was nicely tempered by sessions with her therapist (yay for accurate mental health rep in romance). Once I got into the story (25% in), I was bothered less by this. If you have read the previous books with interrelated characters, you'll enjoy seeing them pop up, but this completely stands on it's own and I didn't feel anything missing by not having read the previous two.

This is hard for me to rate. I really had a fun time reading this hot priest book until about 70%. The heroine had a crush on the hot priest and it turned out he had a crush on her. They tried to do what they thought was right until they had to think about what was really right for them. I loved the friendships seen throughout the book. I felt engaged in the story. At 70% they started talking to other people about how they loved the other person. I know they lusted for each other. I didn’t feel like they really had gotten to know each other on a deep level yet. I paused the book and later came back and finished. And it wasn’t bad. I just wished it felt like their connection was a little deeper than surface level. I really do like Andie J Christopher and I plan on reading more from her.


I voluntarily read an early copy.

Thoughts: This is one of the most unique romance novels I've read all year. This gave me total Fleabag vibes at times and I was here for it! Father Patrick is not your typical priest, bucking the system a bit to be more inclusive when it comes to his congregation and less rigid when it comes to the services his parish offers to the community, even if it's frowned upon by his superiors. Sasha was a little less of an original character but was interesting and relatable nonetheless, and I really liked the chemistry between Sasha and Father Patrick. There was plenty of soul-searching on both characters' parts and it's clear a lot of thought went into how this plot would play out, especially the ending. There are a few criticisms of the institution of the Catholic church itself, but not necessarily the religion, just an fyi... I thoroughly enjoyed this story and while I had hoped Sasha would have more character depth, Father Patrick has plenty of depth to keep readers interested and their dynamic is funny, passionate, and endearing, making them a couple that romance readers will root for.

This is a pretty taboo subject, and that's why I asked to review this book (thank you Berkley Books and NetGalley). I wanted to see where it went and I was pleasantly surprised. I really liked this story and the tension between Patrick and Sasha, as well as the tension of the situation. I liked the slow-burn romance and the will they/won't they aspect. I think the reasons Patrick entered the priesthood and why he left are legit. I wish Sasha's family drama had been fleshed out a little more, and that there had been more closure. But overall, I really liked this.

Heat Factor: The cloud of shame over the sex really cast a pall on everything that went on.

Character Chemistry: Mostly based on them separately processing their naughty feelings.

Plot: Catholic guilt + disillusionment with Catholic doctrine

Overall: This book probably succeeds on the “processing Catholic identity as a progressive” front, but that didn’t necessarily make for a super satisfying romance.



I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

Hot Under His Collar by Andie J. Christopher was an interesting read. It’s the story of Father Patrick Dooley who is having doubts in his faith and purpose. He believed he did the right thing by following his mother’s dying wish, but lately it does not seem right. Sasha is trying to handle her crush on Father Patrick, but when they start working together on something, the sparks fly. The book is a bit forbidden with steamy chemistry and a connection, but what does that mean?

I am not Catholic or even particularly religious, but I found myself a little anxious going into this book. I love Andie J. Christopher, which is why I requested it, but as a pretty committed rule-follower, I had a feeling I was going to struggle with a priest who was violating his vows. It ended up being okay - to be clear, he does break his vows, but not in the way I was worried about - I had visions of him like, having sex in his church. I thought Christopher handled his crisis of faith pretty well, and I liked a lot about the female lead (Sasha) as well. They were both strongly influenced by how they were raised to make life choices that they now, as adults, aren't so sure about. I still felt a little squicked out by a priest having what is clearly an illicit and boundary-pushing relationship, but I was satisfied with how the whole thing played out. Not my favorite of the Andie J. Christopher's, but still solid.

Sometimes a book comes into your life at the perfect time, just when you need it. That was this book for me. I've been in a major mental health downswing for the past couple months which led to a big reading slump. I picked up this book to attempt to read it before pub day and got so much more out of it than I expected. Depression sucks. But this book consumed me, gave me a place to recharge before facing the depression and anxiety and stress again, and honestly just made me so giddy. This book is sweet and tender, sexy and exciting. I am so grateful to this book for being just what I needed right when I needed it.

This is by far my favorite of Andie's books I've read. I really enjoyed Not The Girl You Marry and Not That Kind of Guy, but this one stole my heart and never gave it back. Plus we get plenty of Bridget, Matt, Hannah, and Jack appearances :) Thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for the ARC!