"Did you really think that by wearing a collar every day you would stop being a man?"

Priest was one of my most anticipated reads but also one of my most disappointing. Tyler Bell, 29, is a priest who has committed himself to fight sexual immorality in the church in honor of his sister, Lizzy, who took her own life after falling victim to systemic abuse by the clergy. Poppy Danforth moves to town seeking some sort of spiritual enlightenment but finds herself drawn to Tyler, the feelings mutual. When Poppy and Tyler give in to their attraction, Tyler struggles with conflicted feelings, warring internally with his self-discipline and control, riddled with guilt, shame and regret over breaking his vows.

Dirty, filthy sex predominates throughout this book but there wasn't much of anything else. Character development was lacking with both Tyler and Poppy unlikable and I had no investment in their relationship. I didn't feel a true connection between them at all. Tyler was insanely obsessed with Poppy and I had no sympathy when he cried. I thought his motivations for adhering to his vows would have been stronger considering his dedication to Lizzy. Poppy seemed manipulative and only interested in sex, taking advantage of Tyler's goodness, and I didn't like her from the start. I love a steamy, smut filled read but I was honestly so bored during this one. All sex, no story. And even though Tyler felt himself falling in love, there really was no love, only lust.

I admit that I love the newly redesigned discreet cover as well as the idea of a forbidden romance but there was so much more potential with the story. Grief and guilt inspired Tyler's intentions and I would have liked to see that explored more deeply. Issues of trust needed to be pushed closer to the forefront, further examining the trust between a priest and his parishioners as well as the trust within an intimate relationship. I wanted to see how it would all play out but I just couldn't find it in myself to care.

* DNF at 52% *

** Special thanks to Sourcebooks / Bloom Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. Available March 15, 2022. **

dnfed at like 40%

overalll the plot was lacking in a lot of areas and i was kind of creeped out with some of the inner dialogue going on. also tyler literally had no fight whatsoever when it came to walking away from her

This is the second book I've read by Simone, and I don't know if it's just a coincidence or if all her books have stories where the profession of the MMC is inappropriate. I have nothing against a story about a priest who breaks his vow of celibacy, hell I don't think priests should be celibate, but this felt icky. I'm not a Catholic, but even I felt that some parts of the book were incredibly offensive.

First of all, I didn't like how they were getting off by fucking in a church. It just made the guilt that Tyler felt afterwards a little unbelievable. How are you going to compare sex with Poppy to worship as you're fucking on the literal alter of the church where you work, and then post-orgasm cry about how you've forsaken your vows but don't regret it. Also, the use of the sacred oil... I get it, it's taboo which makes the smut all the better, but it just felt disrespectful and wrong.

I wish Simone had alternated the POV because Tyler's internal dialogue was far too woe-is-me. We get it, you feel guilty. Also his reason for becoming a priest doesn't make sense. I don't see the correlation between Tyler's sister being molested by the last priest and committing suicide as a result, and Tyler becoming a priest and going to work in the exact church which his sister was molested in. If anything that would make me turn away from faith altogether.

Overall, I liked the story. I don't know how popular the priest trope is but it was different from anything I've ever read. I'll probably read it again, but this book is definitely porn with a bit of plot so don't expect greatness.

Unfortunately, i didn't enjoy the book as much as I hoped i would. Priest is written from the perspective of Tyler Bell, a priest, who struggles with his celibacy after meeting Poppy.

Instead of a love story, this was more lust than love. Tyler was constantly horny and it felt like the book was more about him wanting to have sex with Poppy, than anything else. The way their sex was described as something religious and with god being there was weird for me.

I am unsure wether i should try the next book in the series after not liking Priest that much.

Priest

by Sierra Simone

Earc: NetGalley
Publisher:Bloom Books
Publication Date:15 March 2022
Genre :Romance

Tyler Anselm Bell is sharing his confession as a presit. For the past three years, Father Tyler Bell has served as a priest. Young and attractive, he had never considered abandoning his celibacy vow before Poppy entered his church and was prepared to confess. Tyler begins to experience difficulties, especially as Poppy enters his life on a regular basis. His duty to his flock conflicts with his passion for her. Is the risk involved in this forbidden relationship worth it?


#NetGalley #bookstagram#bookreview #goodreads #18+ #romance #erotica #priset #sierrasimone

It was a good book but it moved way faster than I thought it would. Loved the chemistry between Poppy and Tyler but it went a little too was between them. Like their first time having sex was less than 20% in. Kind of disliked Poppy at the end.

Rating: 4 / 5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Sierra Simone for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wowwwww did I eat this up! Very steamy, but also truly enjoyed the full story behind it. It shows true romance and sacrifice. I really felt the character struggles - it felt real as I was reading it. Such a good forbidden romance, and definitely quite steamy!

I couldn't finish this. The spicy scenes were definitely hot, but I didn't feel invested in it at all. I need a tiny bit of plot investment to read this long of a novel. This falls under Not For Me, but I hope others will enjoy it.

I am so glad this book got a discreet cover! There is a lot of food for thought in this book in addition to spice for the mind. The book is meant to be incredibly smexy and it very much is but also provides great and deeply complex characters.

Oh gosh. This was not what I was expecting. Steamy romances aren't usually something I am interested in. However, I liked the way Tyler was portrayed as a character. It seemed much more relatable then what I was expecting after first beginning the book. There were a lot of triggers in this book however so future readers be warned.

Not sure why this was being reissued as a new release, since it technically came out years ago. I'm assuming because of the new covers? Regardless, I have to admit I enjoyed this one. I don't read a ton of romance/erotica, but was curious after seeing a friend's review. Pretty solid, and pretty sexy!

This is my first story by Sierra Simone, and it will not be my last. I love the insight to the struggle a man can have, especially one who in his twenties decided to become a priest. Father Tyler Bell is passionate about his parish, his people and helping them to grow and trust in the church. Poppy is a struggling young woman from an affluent family and home but has left it all behind for a quieter life. It was interesting to see the struggle between them to ignore the attraction, the chemistry knowing to have these feeling are wrong. I feel this is a story of love and sacrifice as they come to terms of what their relationship is and where they want it to go. Poppy doesn’t want to stand in Tyler’s way or pull him from God’s calling, she knows she should give him up. Tyler struggles with his decisions, his sin and his love for Poppy. This is an emotional story of two people who meet, who fall in love, but do they have too many obstacles in their way to overcome. Will Poppy make the ultimate sacrifice and run away from the man she loves? Can Tyler live without Poppy in his life? Can he true to himself and to what God’s mission is for his life? What is his true calling? I’ve voluntarily read and reviewed this excellent story.

Father Tyler Bell has settled into his priesthood career. For the first time since he joined the order, he is tempted by a new parishioner to break his vows. Poppy comes to him one day for confession, and he is immediately drawn to her. Father Bell knows that resisting his urges around Poppy will be the biggest challenge he has had as a priest but it doesn’t stop him from testing his boundaries.

HOT DAMN!!! This will go down as one of the hottest books I have ever read. The sex scenes in this book were jaw-droppingly good! So much taboo and naughty steaminess mixed together makes for a very enthralling read. You’ll see below that I give this 4.5 on the steam level. A level 5 story for me is erotica with lots of sex and lacks a real story. This book was very steamy but it also had a good story with some depth to it.

I’m going to be honest, I was wary of reading this book. I thought the priest/parishioner trope might be too predictable for me, but I was wrong. This romance had an interesting story and the connection between Poppy and Tyler was more than just the sexual connection. I liked that the story humanized Tyler and priests. As Poppy points out in the book, sometimes people forget that priests are men with human feelings and flaws.

If you are looking for a super steamy read, pick this one up!

Steam level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥½
⚠️ grief, mention of suicide & sexual molestation

After seeing @maya_reads_spice gorgeous picture of Sinner I was drawn in to this series but I wanted to start with book 1 because I knew Erin had really enjoyed it.

I decided to try the audiobook for this one. It’s the first audio I’ve listened to where I haven’t already read the book and I’m unsure what kind of an impact that had on my enjoyment of the story.

The forbidden aspect of this totally pulled me in and I loved how Tyler and Poppy came to meet one another. I’ve never read a book based around a priest before so I found the information from Tyler’s routine to his clothing really interesting. The taboo aspect of their relationship is almost immediate within the book and prevalent throughout. It definitely added to the spiciness of this book!

I really enjoyed Poppy’s character and I found her reactions to Tyler and his job really authentic. They have explosive chemistry and I loved the feeble resistance they put up initially. However after they’d had sex on almost ever available surface the story got kind of repetitive.

Tyler’s dirty mouth was definitely enhanced by the audio experience, Jacob Morgan did a really great job with the narration. Erin’s enjoyed Jacob’s narration of other titles by this author so if you’re looking for more definitely check out Hot Cop or P*rn Star.

This was definitely an intriguing start and I’m keen to try the rest in the series.

I really liked this book! It pulls you in right away, keeps you on the edge of your seat, and had several twists that I would have never guessed were coming. I highly recommend it!!

I had such high hopes for this book after hearing so many people talk about it. The beginning was great and made me want more... but I never felt like I got much more. The middle and ending fell flat for me. I didnt feel the chemistry between Poppy and Tyler.

This is a good book if you want something spice driven, but if you want a good plot. Then this is not the book for you.

I received this book as an ARC through net galley***

Priest follows Tyler, a small town priest, and Poppy, a new resident and fellow church go-er. Sierra does a great job at navigating this taboo topic, and the spice is SPICY!!! I didn't love Tyler as a lead and wasn't necessarily rooting for Tyler and Poppy as a couple, but overall the plot and book was well written! This book is a single POV in Tyler's perspective which was interesting since most romance books are either dual POV or primarily in the females POV. I think this was the reason I wasn't a huge Tyler fan & I do wish we got more from Poppy's POV. I do like the new cover art for this series as well.

Overall rating: 7.5/10
Spice rating: 4/5

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for giving me this free ARC in exchange for an honest review! This book is such a great time if all you’re looking for is really amazing smut!! I honestly didn’t expect to love the priest storyline as much as I did but Sierra definitely changed my mind about that! Also, the new covers are TO DIE FOR!!

The way this book talks about religion, trauma, sex, and sexuality is beautiful.
Did I root for Tyler and Poppy as a couple not so much, but still enjoyed this book overall. For a more in-depth review and book breakdown just out podcast episode for Priest.

Priest & Midnight Mass podcast episode - https://open.spotify.com/episode/6YAP1mlblRHlIEbU1F7RWi?si=ef384bce855b479c

I'm just gonna come out and say it - this is my favorite smutty book I've ever read.
I loved the characters, the setting, and the spicy scenes were fantastically written. The plot had a lot to it as well, which sometimes can take a back seat in this kind of novel. Ten out of ten, so excited for book two!