Summary:

A romance inspired by Tristan and Isolde; Tristan Thomas feels aimless after being discharged by the military. He agrees to work as a personal bodyguard to Mark Trevena, his step-uncle and owner of Washington DC's premiere kink club, the Lyonesse. Soon, he's Mark's submissive and falling in love, only to find out Mark is engaged. Despite this, he agrees to bring Mark's fiancée Isolde back from Ireland. What he does not count on is falling for her as well.

My review:

As per Sierra Simone's usual, this book was gorgeously written, sexy and emotional in equal measure. It's written entirely from Tristan's perspective so there's this underlying sense of melancholy through much of the book as Tristan grapples with PTSD and falling for two people who are taken. He admits early on that he tends to fall in love very easily, which feels like such a rarity for a contemporary romance hero, but it tracks as far as characters in chivalric romance-inspired stories go.

Listen, there was a lot of hype in the lead-up to this book about how *dastardly* Mark Trevena is (and a lot of that hype was from Mark Trevena himself, as he constantly told Isolde in Salt in the Wound), but I've yet to see the full scope of his dastardliness. I'm not complaining; we're only one book into the trilogy, and what we do see of Mark's extracurricular activities is pretty hysterical, like when he blows the whistle on a weighted blanket company, or when he breaks into a senator's house to put gastroenteritis on his toothbrush. You know, classic DC political shenanigans.

Most of this book centers around Tristan and Mark's relationship. Tristan misses the regimented structure of the army where he was constantly told what to do, so it's no surprise he's immediately curious about the kind of submission that takes place in a kink club. Ultimately, he makes the first move on Mark (well, the first explicit move... there was definitely some teasing on Mark's part beforehand), and after that, all bets are off.

Isolde only comes into the picture around the 70% mark when Tristan is sent to retrieve Isolde and bring her back on Mark's yacht. It's insta-love on Tristan's part, even if he feels a little outclassed by her rich-girl persona (interestingly, Sierra Simone calls Isolde a "monster" in her acknowledgements and I'm curious to know if it goes further than her penchant for knives). There's a lot of erotic sparring, followed by a brief, passionate affair that has a looming deadline. Ultimately, the book ends on a cliffhanger in more ways than one.

The sex:

To no one's surprise, Tristan Thomas is a virgin because if there's one thing Sierra Simone excels at writing, it's a sadsack virgin. He's lonely and touch-starved (I nearly cried when he asked for a kiss from Mark), so being with someone like Mark is (almost) everything he needs. As for Mark Trevena, I'd say he's a little less sadistic compared to Ash Colchester, or even Auden Guest, and more insatiable (well, I suppose there's a certain sadism in that) so Tristian is perpetually well-used when they're together. Here are some standout moments:

a) This book changed my perception on what can be classified as a breeding kink (as in, Tristan gets off being on both ends of the "breeding").

b) A very hot wax play scene

c) there is an m/m face-sitting scene, which made me wonder how I haven't read one before

d) I was curious to read Tristan and Isolde's sexual dynamic— my take is, it's closer to St. Sebastian and Poe than Embry and Greer. Isolde is a masochist, and Tristan is willing to provide that pain for her, but not as a Dominant. Instead, the vibe is more hungry and animalistic than anything because they've agreed to fuck as long as they're on the yacht and nothing further (Tristan really keeps emotionally torturing himself huh).

e) Of course they fuck in a chapel. Of course they do.

Overall:

I adore Sierra Simone and will never not recommend her books. This is yet another solid start to an erotic romance series that intertwines legend and religion (of course) with kink and queerness, and I look forward to the upcoming books in the Lyonesse trilogy and getting Isolde and Mark's POVs.

Thank you to Bloom Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.

I thought it took entirely too long to get Tristan and Isolde together but once we got there I loved it. I just felt like I was reading a really long novella. I feel like she was writing in a lot of details and world  building that I felt really didn’t need to be there but also the writing style in this book, I’m not sure if she did something different, but it wasn’t my favorite, It feel like I was reading third person point of view.(If that makes any sense) but I usually really like her writing. I’m trying to figure out what it is about this one. I don’t know if it’s the format I read it in, I don’t know it’s because I felt like it dragged, and we really didn’t get to the good stuff until the end, don’t get me wrong. I’m definitely going to continue to read the rest of the series. Just don’t think this is my favorite though. 

Heavy on the smut, not so much on the plot. More like character development for future books. Overall it's an okay read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Bloom for the E-ARC

Book Releases September 12, 2023

All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

I love Sierra Simone’s novels so I’m incredibly biased. I loved the New Camelot, The Bell Brothers, and now I’ll love the Dark Camelot trilogy as well.

Quick Synopsis: In the novella Salt in the Wound we meet Mark and Isolde and learn their story. Salt Kiss follows those events, building on the relationship between Mark and Tristan, who becomes Mark’s bodyguard after retiring from the military. Also Mark’s nephew-in-law, Tristan quickly becomes entranced by the sex club owner and the two embark on an affair, until Tristan discoves Mark is engaged to Isolde. As luck would have it, some plans go awry, and Tristan has to go on the 3 week long cruise from Ireland to the US to bring Isolde back to Mark in time for the wedding and he’s not happy about it.

Going into this, I would recommend you understand that you’re essentially reading 2 novellas, and 3 if you add Salt in the Wound. The first novella, Salt in the Wound, is about Mark and Isolde; the first 60% of Salt Kiss is a novella for Mark and Tristan; and the last 40% is a novella for Tristan and Isolde. I wasn’t crazy about the fact that it read that way, but the author had to provide all the background before getting them all together.

Be warned it does end on a cliffhanger, so we have to wait until the next book is released to learn more, but I’m so unbelievably excited. While this book was kind of choppy given the nature of all the background info we needed to know, the writing was still beautiful, the smut was still incredible, and I am more hooked than ever on these three characters. I love an omniscient, super strategic character, which we get in spades with Mark. I need to know everything possible about this man. The fact that he is now paired with Isolde, whose real strengths and intentions are as yet undefined, and Tristan who is about as doe-eyed as it gets, is such a juxtaposition in characters that you can’t help but be intrigued.

Altogether I loved it and I need more.

Thank you to Bloom Books and NetGalley for the arc
3.75

The smut was really good. However, this book by itself is such an unfulfilling book I understand it's going to be a part of a trilogy however this is still a novel it should still give some sense of ''Oh this was a book and it had a plot'' this was more like character introductions and smut. If you like a lot of smut, mm, and fm content this is for you.

Okay....where to even start with this one. This novel is more SMUT driven then plot driven and if you go into this book with that in mind I think you'll have a better understanding of the book and a better reading experience. Our main man, Tristian, falls for both his boss Mark, and Mark's wife Isolde. This book is full of tension, desire, lust, and kink play. Ends on a cliffhanger which ugh...

MM and MF Romance
Bodyguard Romance
Forced Proximity
Unfaithfulness

Check the Trigger Warnings before reading.

this was great! went into this blind and while it took a minute to understand the dynamics surrounding mark and his business (i probably should have read the novella first), i really enjoyed it. tristan is so eager to please, both inside the bedroom and outside of it. he has amazing chemistry with mark and isolde individually which really feeds into this forbidden love triangle that the story ends on. the journey these three characters will go on together looks promising (and heartbreaking at some point im sure) - im so excited for this series and cannot wait for book 2!

When picking up a Sierra Simone book, we have ideas of what it’s going to be yet Salt Kiss feels completely unique. The book begins with Tristan Thomas who is hired by his stepmother’s brother to be his new bodyguard. The brother is Mark Trevana who was featured in the New Camelot series and owns a kink club called Lyonesse.

While things seem innocent enough at first, it’s clear Tristan is attracted to Mark. Eventually, he decides to act on his attraction and the two start up an incredibly intense relationship. Mark is extremely dominant and possessive of Tristan. We watch their relationship flourish both in and out of the bedroom with both of them taking care of each other including when Mark is injured towards the mid-point of the story.

Tristan can’t stop his feelings and starts to fall in love with Mark before finding out the harsh truth that he’s engaged. Tristan is obviously hurt and ends things but not before Mark tasks him with picking up his blushing bride-to-be. Upon meeting Isolde, Tristan can’t stop his attraction towards her so from there, it becomes a cat-and-mouse game between Isolde and Tristan to resist each other and be faithful to their promises to Mark.

As always, the spice in these books is amazing because Sierra Simone is the smut queen. She knows how to write a good sex scene. The way she writes them showcases the relationship and connection between the characters which I adore. I also loved Tristan’s character as he was so tender-hearted and did things even knowing that he’d likely be hurt in the end.

Then there was the choice to add Isolde in the end. It was such a smart move and honestly, makes me even more excited for book 2. Considering how Salt Kiss ended, I hope we don’t have to wait much longer for the next one.

I only really have two complaints about Salt Kiss. First, the book felt too slow-paced in the middle. I wish we would have gotten more action or something to help bring up that mid-point slump. Second, I didn’t really love Mark as a character and his relationships with Tristan and Isolde. Maybe it’ll get better in the next book but he never really wowed me.

As a new-found Sierra Simone reader and lover, I’m happy to have read Salt Kiss. I think this has the potential to be another huge hit for her. Plus it’s another retelling which Sierra Simone does great at. It was everything you love in a Sierra Simone book while also being something fresh and new.

She has done it again! Sierra Simone is truly a wonder with words. I immediately was captivated by this story and I cannot wait to see more from Tristan, Isolde, and Mark.

Sierra Simone has done it again! Dark Romance that gives you all the feels and such character depth. I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 only because for me personally, there was a lot of military/war explanations and references that I just skipped over. Potential spoiler alert - I didn’t pay attention to know that this was a series and I cannot, cannot wait for the next one! It left it on such a cliffhanger that I kept going to turn the page because I couldn’t accept I would have to wait to get more of the Lyonnese world!

This was my first book I have read by Sierra Simone.
Let me just tell you I am OBSESSED.
What a book🥲
I am absolutely in love with these characters and the writing!!
I need more 😭🫶🏻

⤷‧₊˚4.5⭑
„I want two people. I’m not able to have either of them.“

the tension got me right in the beginning i was so hooked that i finished it in one row i just couldn't stop reading. Tristan reminded me so much of embry which made me love him even more.
The smut was like always in sierra simone books top tier.

i'm usually not a love triangle fan but when sierra simone writes it i'm suddenly a fan of it.

it's so cruel that we have to wait for the next book..🫠

thank you so much for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

5⭐️ ♾️🌶️

WOW… WHAT A BOOK 🫠🫠

This was the perfect start to this series. It is so so different from prior Sierra books but even tho this is much darker and the characters (minus Tristan) are very morally gray, there is still such poetry to it! I think this is going to be a fan favorite because of it’s darker nature. While this is not a dark romance, I believe it will be an excellent read for dark romance fans.

LETS GET STARTED 👏🏻👏🏻

Here are some tropes you can find in the story:

- Step nephew/step uncle
- Virgin MC
- Crawl to me
- Breeding & praise kink
- Wax Play
- Morally gray MMC/FMC
- Bodyguard
- Tortured, golden retriever MMC
- Church is the best place to fuck
- Forbidden romance
- Forced Proximity
- Arranged Mareiagw

We are returning to the kinkiest club in the history of the United States and to its even kinkier owner— Mark Trevena. This is set in the same world as New Camelot but reading New Camelot is not a requirement to do this series. Although, I will say, the mentions and tiny appearances here and there make it even better if you’ve known and loved the NC characters.

Salt Kiss is book 1 of Lyonesse and it’s a contemporary, super spicy/kinky Tristan and Isolde retelling with SO👏🏻MUCH👏🏻TENSION IT COULD BREAK A WALL!! Seriously… the tension was so good and delicious. We have what Sierra writes the best, complicated characters and my second favorite MMF romance. There is such palpable chemistry between all 3 of them that have me so excited for the next two books in the trilogy.

Since this was book 1, we have a lot of background and establishing the plot for the rest of the series. I have some questions that went unanswered and I can’t wait to prove if I’m right or not with my guesses when book 2 is out next year. We get to meet Tristan in depth and get a good look into his character and who he is, how he ended up working for Mark and you will specially call in love with his tortured, golden retriever, Embry-Coded personality. Tristan is just so freaking adorable I want to wrap him in a bear hug and never let go. I will have to agree with Sierra that Mark and Isolde are monsters in their own ways. Their relationship will be flames and lightning and I hope I get burned with it.

The kink and spice in this story was EXCELLENT!!! We get more kink than we did with New Camelot and it makes sense given the settings and who Mark is. But seeing this through the eyes of a character that has zero experience with sex, let alone kink was a whole new experience for me and so freaking well done. I wanted to be consumed by it and consume it did. Towards the end tho, Sierra reversed uno me and all of a sudden I was gasping for air and clenching my thighs so hard I am currently sore.

The speed at which I read this book would get me a big fat ticket from highway patrol. I need it to be March already so I can have Honey Cut in my hands!!!!!

It was easy to read and follow. I didn’t find myself personally gripped and stopped after chapter 1.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC.

Tristan is lost after leaving the military until he is hired by Mark, the owner of Lyonesse – DC’s ultra-secret club as his bodyguard. Tristan is drawn to Mark; in ways he shouldn’t want. When he is tasked to guard Mark’s fiancée as she travels home from Ireland on Mark’s yacht. Tristan is jealous to learn the object of his obsession is engaged, but he is set on obeying orders.

Isolde is nothing like Tristan expected, she’s young, quiet and sharp. Tristan finds himself fascinated by her and he learns its mutual. One night they share a searing kiss, and from there, things take a turn.

I loved this book. The first half was my favorite, and while I didn’t enjoy the second half as much, I still really enjoyed it overall. This is my favorite forbidden romance book that I have read this year. It did give me American Queen vibes, but in the best way possible. I really enjoy how Sierra Simone writes her love scenes and this one was a lot of fun with all the kinks brought in. It was done really well with the inclusion of a high-end club like Mark has. I also found it interesting how the business works. It was also fun to find little references to Sierra Simone’s other books! Love those little references. Sierra Simone continues to showcase just how talented she is, and she truly shines in this one.

If you are looking for a smutty MM romance, then check this one out. You will not be disappointed.

Thank you so much to @read_bloom and netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was REALLY good! Especially the first half. It was a really interesting love story. The second half was definitely rushed, but it’s a great start to the trilogy! Tristan’s jealousy is extremely relatable (at least to me)

Salt Kiss is the first book of the Lyonesse series and can’t be read as a standalone…and I highly recommend reading Salt in the Wound first! Wow, this book…I’m not even sure what to say. It is a beautifully written forbidden romance between Isolde, Tristan and Mark. Tristan is hired as Mark’s bodyguard…who is also his step uncle! He starts falling for Mark but then learns he is arranged to be married to Isolde. He ends up escorting her to America for the marriage and Tristan starts having feelings for her as well. When I say this relationship is complicated, it truly is! And the spicy was so well written! This is a kinky book and I loved the whole d/s dynamic! This one does end on a cliffhanger and I’m not sure how I’m going to make it until next year for more!

“I want two people.
I’m not able to have either of them.”

Omg I am legit obsessed with this book and series! I devoured the prequel novella, Salt in the Wound, a few months ago and was so excited to get an ARC of this first book. I wasn’t even sure how this book would start after how the prequel ended, but I really loved the direction it went in!

We follow Tristan as he becomes Mark’s new bodyguard. We see the complex feelings he starts to feel for Mark and the relationship they start to form. It isn’t until months later that Tristan even learns Mark is engaged to Isolde and to say things get complicated, well this quote sums it up perfectly…

“I’m just a bodyguard, and she’s engaged, and I’m in love with her fiancé.”

I loved seeing Tristan with Mark, I loved seeing Tristan with Isolde. We have Mark, a former CIA agent, Tristan the virgin bodyguard, and Isolde the badass woman who wanted to become a nun but was put into an arranged betrothal with Mark. We get BDSM, play with submission and pain, and everything is just delicious. This MMF Tristan and Isolde retelling is already off to a fantastic start and this series is my fav from Sierra Simone yet!

I received an ARC, all thoughts in this review are my own! Salt Kiss has a pub date of September 12, 2023.

Sierra Simone is an absolute ICON and QUEEN!

“Because you are mine all the time”

“She makes me”

Salt Kiss is a tale so forbidden, and by God if it’s not sweeter than sin.

Reading a retelling of Tristian and Isolde wasn’t on my 2023 bingo card. Yet, Salt Kiss utterly tore through me like a hurtling bullet and left me devastated.

Air? What’s that? Simone has me questioning every decision I’ve ever made in life. Mainly, why am I not a main character in one of her fictional worlds? At the very least, when is it my turn?

Salt Kiss is the book of 2023. It’s the fortieth book I’ve read, and it ranks number one!

If you need any more convincing to read this book, here is a text message between my friend:

I just finished Salt Kiss! I am deceased. I am astral projecting. I cannot possibly be on the mortal plane of existence. HOLY SHIT! 🔥💀♥️

If Salt Kiss isn’t on your TBR, you need to add it NOW! My heart was pulsing and that ending!

I was giggling, kicking my feet, blushing, and screaming! It’s not a want, it’s a NEED.

Ultimately this book was just ok for me. In my opinion, Sierra’s writing in this book flows and reads much better than her “Priest” series. The smut scenes were pretty good, but the story was just not engaging enough and I couldn’t connect with a single character in any way. The plot also didn’t keep me gripped in my seat. All in all, not my cup of tea.