Father Tyler Bell is committed to his vows of priesthood... that is, until he meets Poppy when she comes for confession. Their connection and chemistry is undeniable, and once the rules are broken, it's hard to not keep breaking them...

This book undeniably leans into its taboo nature. Everyone reading it knows what they're getting: a spicy novel about a Catholic priest breaking his vows of celibacy to be with a woman. If that makes you uncomfortable, well, then, you've come to the wrong place. But in addition to being deliciously steamy, this book is also beautifully written. Simone's prose, and the way she writes about both intimacy and religion, is breathtaking at times. It's truly a well-crafted story about two individuals who seem destined to be together. Simone pushes the envelope in the best way and we're rewarded for it.

I had read this book once before from the library, when it was indie, and was then provided an eARC by Bloom. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 10/10

This one was a slow start but as soon as I finally got into it I couldn’t stop. This book was amazing and I can’t wait to read the rest of the series.

2.5 stars

CW: SA, mentions self-harm, the death of a family member, etc. Please research a full list of triggers.

I was really excited to try this incredibly hyped (and "taboo") series. However, unfortunately, it wasn't for me.

The blurb is intriguing and I can understand the appeal and why some readers really loved Priest. It had many steamy scenes and the insta-lust elements are there in full force. But when it came to the characters, I struggled somewhat to connect with them--mainly Poppy, though.

I found that keeping a single POV from Tyler was interesting and I wonder if seeing Poppy's POV might have helped me connect with her more. Although, that might not have made much of a difference. This book focuses more on the smut/steamy scenes and less on character growth or storyline, and I think if it were a shorter read (e.g. novella), I would've given it another star.

So, if you enjoy erotica and want a spicy taboo story with minimal plotline, check out this book! While the characters didn't entirely work for me, the spicy scenes were exactly that--spicy.

I never got to this when I had it as an ARC, I kept it on my to read list. It gave me what it promised, tons of holy spiciness. Father Tyler Bell is hot, there's no doubt about that. Occasionally there was a scene where I was rolling my eyes on how ridiculous it was. I did request the entire series for my library, so clearly it wasn't that far fetched.

Spice level was 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥! I really enjoyed the story line as well as the spice. There were some points where I felt blasphemous reading, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I can't wait to read the rest of the series about the other brothers.

A fabulous, really enjoyable read.
I would highly recommend to family and friends.
4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I thins book was nothing like I thought it would be. I knew it would be about a print falling for a certain young woman and that they would engage in an illicit affair but this was way beyond my expectations. Tyler is the priest in question and I happened to like his character a lot. He had lots of grief and trauma that he carries with him which causes him to start on this journey of celibacy and joining the church. He meets Poppy and pretty much from first sight he know he's in trouble. They start this affair and Tyler is fighting it and seems to have an abundance of turmoil over he relationship with his faith, Poppy, and his family-- in regards to his sister's death. I was surprised by the author's approach on the taboo aspect of this story but I did enjoy this novel. I am a huge fan of erotic romance novels and I don't think a book has ever had me squirming or questioning anything as much as this book didn't for me. I am now enraptured and I'm looking forward to reading more form this author.

I think I probably would have liked this book more of we had gotten more of Poppy's perspective. It felt weird and like I was missing things reading it entirely from Tyler Bell's perspective. The spice was decent, but there were a few moments were the timing felt odd and forced (I get it's a spicy novel but a moment of pure romance can be nice too). I also wasn't a huge fan of Tyler in general. To start with, his reason for being so strictly celibate and not wanting to openly date Poppy was based on a previous abuse of power in the church that was an entirely different situation. He was often whiny (for lack of a better word) and hypocritical and was so worried about past hurts and the possible "betrayal" of his flock that he wound up repeatedly hurting Poppy instead.
While it was nice to see the guy obsessing and pining over a girl for a change, I found the miscommunication trope to be a bit overused in this one. I also could not get over the startling description of his sister's suicide in the very first chapter because it was so unexpected, and it was difficult to relate to a lot of the more religious aspects as a non-christian.
On the other hand, I happened to actually really like Poppy. She was bold and unashamed of her past and her desires, and I loved her confidence and drive to go after what she wanted while still remaining incredibly kind and compassionate.

DNF. I'm never going to yuck someone's yum but this was not for me. I've seen a lot of love for it on booktok so I think I went in with high expectations but I couldn't even finish it. I have been told since choosing to not finish that the next books in the series are better. Fingers crossed.

so sexy and made me want to rewatch fleabag again to get more of the hot priest vibes - i did like the way Simone engaged with the complexities and disparities one feels with their religious upbringing and the institutions and its relationship to love and sexuality in a world of order and regulation on these terms

I fully understand that I will go to hell for rating this so high. But damn, did I enjoy the trip this brought me on.

I did not like this one bit. The spice was good but I could not get over the fact that they were essentially doing it in a church. Listen, this book was just not geared for me.
Also, the romance between the two main characters was not believable. All they did was have sex and that was pretty much it. Sure, they opened up to each other but as a reader, you could not convince me that they were in love.
I will not be continuing with the series.

I like this cover very much. I had not previously read Priest, so this was my first time experiencing it. I thought it was good story, very engaging, very fast-paced. Some of the more technical religious aspects were kind of glossed over, when I felt they should have been more at the forefront of the narrative, and would have added to it. But overall, and enjoyable, bingeable read. I understand why BookTok went feral over it.

This book was definitely interesting. I was intrigued when I heard the concept of the book from all corners of Tik Tok. I found the concept of the book fascinating, but it took itself a bit too seriously for my own taste. I can see why a lot of people love this book, but it was not my personal favourite. I look forward to reading more of Sierra Simone's work in the future and hopefully enjoying it more than this one! I think there is potential here, ti just didnt speak to me this time specifically.

Priest is a super steamy, forbidden romance story that was heavy on the smut but unfortunately the plot left much to be desired.
The forbidden/taboo aspect was what drew me to this book in the first place but in the end I just could not connect with the characters or their instalove story. There was no build up to their relationship and it was missing all of the angst I was hoping for.
Overall, this was an enjoyable read but I don't think I will continue with the series.

When I first read Priest I was just starting to dip my toe into taboo reads and BOY did this ever jump-start my love of taboo reads.
Sierra Simone is one of my go-to authors and she always writes the stuff that makes me question myself, "why do I love this so much?" " What is wrong with me?"
Father Bell is a damaged man and he turns to the priesthood. He believes his vows and loves his god, but he is still a man.
Poppy, has moved to his congregation, and both of their interest are sparked. He fights it and she feels guilt for the feelings she has.
This is a story of push and pulls and right vs. wrong but what happens when the pull is too much? When the grey area is becoming the only area you want to live in?
I still really love this story and always will.

This book single handedly jumpstarted my faith deconstruction and a year after my first read of it, felt like healing. Sierra is a brilliant writer who writes taboo stories in a way that are heartbreakingly beautiful and do not feel wrong at all. Actually, they feel so right. This remains one of my favourite stories by Sierra.

I read this book years ago when it first came out but decided to re-read it in anticipation of picking up reading Saint. Happy to report it was still as hot as when I read it the first time and made me want to pick up Saint ASAP. Simone someone manages to write a compelling and surprisingly heartfelt story while keeping the sex scenes hot. Highly recommend for erotic romance fans!

Spicy, romantic, heartbreaking and intense. Sierra Simone delivers a compelling story about a broken women and a priest with tragedy in his past coming together to heal but it’s also dirty and super spicy and not for the faint at heart

This book is too tame from my liking and what I thought it would be. I came to this book thinking that it would be really steamy and just a feel-good, campy erotic romance, but this is not that. The book had a more serious atmosphere and vibe, and it is just too real for me that I find the relationship between Tyler/Father Bell and Poppy to be really disgusting. This book also made me know that I don't like and will never read another book about someone who is a religious authority having relationship with a devotee/church-goer. I find that dynamics to be very predatory and I find myself getting triggered every time Father Bell and Poppy are being intimate. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone whose like me and have some form of religious trauma (spiritual, sexual, etc.). I didn't know that am triggered by the subject matter in this book until I have read this.

It is not entirely a bad book, hence the 2 stars. I can still recognize some parts that I know some readers will like and the depth with the plot. However, for personal reasons and my own enjoyment, I just can't give this book a higher rating than that.