This was hot but not my favorite of Sierra's sadly!! But it was very hot. I think once I read the rest of the series I will have a deeper appreciation of this one.

🖤 TROPES & THEMES 🖤
✔️ Bodyguard romance
✔️ MMF 👀
✔️ Tristan & Isolde loose retelling
✔️ Spicyyyyy 😎
✔️ Forbidden romance 🤌🏽
✔️ Age Gap

This book was hotttt!! And like idk who the end goal couple is, but tbh I’m not even mad. 🤣 for sure a great page turner. Spice with plot. Enjoy the ride, you won’t regret it. 😈

Very addicting and compelling romance! If you are a fan of The New Camelot series, you will love this. I found the main leads (Mark, Tristan, and Isolde) to be quite gray and complex characters, which I really appreciate. There's depth to them. Flaws. Imperfections, But all worthy of love.

Wow. This book I was not prepared for but I sat down and devoured it in one sitting. Sierra creates such complex characters in Mark, Tristen, and Isolde. And the ending left me wanting for the next book in the series now! Sierra Simone never disappoints.

Um lol, I did not expect to like this book this much, the author has definitely written very compelling characters and relationships! That being said, I do advise you to look up content warnings before reading (they definitely helped me to be ready for the possible darker aspects of this romance) - I don't think I can do a good job of accurately summarizing the TWs, I would suggest you look at other GR reviews for them!

I can't wait for the next book, ahh

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

I have conflicting feelings regarding Salt Kiss. I don't know where to start. I can say that Salt Kiss is definitely a spicy romance read. Like really spicy romance. All of my spicy romance readers and dark romance readers are going to love it. I literally devoured this book so much. But that's not my problem with this book.

While I enjoy the spicy romance part of Salt Kiss, my conflicted feelings regarding this book mainly focus on the characters actions. Let's start off with the two main characters at the beginning of the book.

Before going any further, I will say that this review will contain some spoilers. If you don't want any spoilers, then avoid reading any more of this review.

Why I Am Conflicted With These Main Characters:

-Tristan: Oh, sweet O'Tristan. My sweet old boy—well, my sweet, grown male. He is literally so sweet and adorable while he tries to recover from his PSTD. He never expected to fall in love with his boss, Mark, so I kind of forgive him when he discovers Mark's betrayal and starts falling for his fiancé, Isolde. I don't blame him. He loves Mark, so he takes a hit when he discovers that he is engaged to someone else. The angst of that betrayal leads him to a whole new perspective in Mark's world.
-Mark: I swear, goodness, I want to cause physical harm to you. You are literally the definition of a hole. Your behavior was so terrible. I don't understand why. And I don't want to either. You literally knew from the beginning who Tristan was, and you didn't care for his feelings at all. You truly knew that he would fall for you, but instead of taking that into account, You blinded him with your expected betrothal. And you act surprised that he falls for your fiancé, Isolde. Excuse me, but make it make sense.
-Isolde: I don't know how I feel about you. I understand your situation. No one wants to be in that situation where you are forced to get married. But you knew that Tristan had feelings for Mark, so why start something with him? That's very selfish to do. I have suspicious feelings that you have hidden motives and are being selfish. I don't like it. I especially don't like it that you are playing with Tristan's feelings.

Personally, I enjoyed Tristan more than Mark and Isolde. And that's terrible to say since this is the first in the trilogy. I don't know if I will continue reading the series. My conflicted feelings overwhelmed the joy that I had while I read the spicy romance parts.

This was very steamy and I do want to read the next in the series. I have mixed feelings about the leads, which I think is the point, but right now it's hard to root for anyone

Spoiler free // book review

Holy smut! I was reminded that Sierra Simone is truly the queen of spice.

This romance was mysterious and hot!
The story follows Mark, a spicy club and Tristen, his new bodyguard.

This is a forbidden romances on many levels. If you loved the New Camelot series, I highly recommend this one. This will be an MMF romance, but the first book focuses on Tristan’s relationships first and is told through his POV.

I can’t wait for the next book in the trilogy to come out because I’m so invested in these characters. I feel like there’s a lot of mystery and secrets to be discovered.

4.5 ⭐️ 4 🌶️

Is this the spiciest book I have ever read?
I think it might be (and I read a lot of smut) 😂🥵🔥🔥

The story:-
After Tristan leaves the Army, he is hired as a bodyguard by ex-CIA operative, Mark Trevena, who now runs an exclusive kink club , The Lyonesse.
Tristan, who wears his heart on his sleeve, soon becomes devoted to his new boss.
Mark is a dangerous and secretive man with very specific tastes, and when he starts taking a special interest in Tristan, Tristan falls head over heels in love with him!

Until he finds out that Mark is engaged and he is tasked with escorting Isolde, Mark's fiancee, back home!

Tristan steels himself for what he expects will be a difficult and emotionally gutting journey! However, Isolde is not what he expected, and to his amazement, Tristan finds himself battling his attraction towards her!

What I loved:-
I am a sucker for bodyguard romances and this was a bodyguard romance on steroids!!
To be honest, I thought the Mark and Tristan story was darker , edgier, more passionate and emotional.
Isolde and Tristan bring in their fair share of fireworks, but their relationship seemed to be driven more by proximity and need!

Tristan is the emotional core of the book - without him being who he is, this would probably just have been another kinky story !

The book ends on a cliffhanger and for once I was almost sorry that this is an ARC and I have to wait a long time for the next book. 😄

This book released on September 12th.

Sexy, angsty, complicated and messy are hallmarks of any Sierra Simone novel. Salt Kiss is the beginning to her new series which draws inspiration from the classic tale of Tristan and Isolde. Simone has a way of manipulating a classic story into something that tests the readers understanding on what makes a relationship Simone's writing is rich and beautiful. Her characters are full of depth and layers. There is a push and pull to the relationships as they grow and change and open up to each other. This romance is fully character driven and gives us and in-depth exploration of one of the main players as it is told in first person. This novel is extremely high heat, but in a way that shows the readers how the interactions and power play give the characters the opportunity to be vulnerable and true.

If you love a high heat, character driven romance, than Salt Kiss is a must read. Simone will take you on an emotional rollercoaster, she will make you question what you know and believe, and she will test your morals and understanding of the world around you. Salt Kiss is the beginning of this journey, that will grow and shift throughout the next two installments. There is a prequel novella-Salt in the Wound, which I would highly recommend reading before diving into this novel.

This was such a page turner for me, I could NOT put it down!
I enjoyed the characters, Tristan is such a cutie, and when he falls, he falls hard!
I just wish there's was more Isolde in this one. She came way too late in my opinion (no pun intended). And the last part of the book felt rushed.
But that ending got me so excited for the sequel, I don't know how I'm going to make it till June '24!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I don't know how to start this review.

This book was so weird for me to understand my feelings... I was bored, yet it read so fast it was fine? There was some points I was not bored.. idk.

This book is not MMF yet, maybe the series will be, but the premise really gives you a different look on what this actually is. You start out at a wedding being introduced to one of the males and it seems to promise danger and morally grey, but again you don't see it yet.

I read Priest by her as well and remember liking it but having something about it holding me back. This gave me the same vibes sadly, but I think lots of people will enjoy!

I could NOT put this down. I am HOOKED. I cannot wait for what comes next. These 3 are gonna be messy and I'm gonna grab my popcorn. A devastating tour de force. Magnetic, achingly sexy, and pouty passionate perfection. Five stars aren’t enough.

This was classic Sierra Simone. After reading the prequel Salt In The Wound I was definitely interested in picking up Salt Kiss. I was slightly disappointed to find out that Salt Kiss was not narrated by our FMC Isolde, but instead is narrated by Tristan who is hired on as Mark’s new body guard. But as I read more, I began to feel sadness for Tristan and the situation Mark has put him in.

Tristan begins falling in love with Mark, who is his step Uncle by marriage. His father married Marks older sister. This was taboo from the start and I was intrigued. Mark lives up to being a morally corrupt antihero, and truthfully seems uncaring about anything and everyone. I think I hate him, but I’m not sure yet. I really enjoy Isolde, even though we only see her for a short time. And Tristan, so new to this world, fresh out of the military and suffering greatly from PTSD. You just want to hold him and tell him that everything is going to be okay. Especially when he falls in love twice with no reciprocation.

It wouldn’t be a Sierra Simone book if there was not a spicy scene in a church setting, and she did not disappoint. Those scenes between Isolde and Tristan were 🌶️🌶️🫠.

This book didn’t have much of a plot, I feel like it was setting up the rest of the series. But I will be giving it 4 stars simply because the ending leaves you wanting more. I NEED book 2 asap 👏🏻

Overview:
- love triangle (kind of)
- forbidden
- MM/MF
- spicy 🌶️ 🌶️🌶️
- mentions of PTSD/war

This book was absolutely phenomenal! It was so hot and I could not get enough! I can do wait for the next books to come out in the series! I fell in love with all of the MCs and cannot wait to see where their journey goes!

When Sierra Simone is the author, I know the novel will be a wild ride! Salt Kiss centers around Tristan, a former soldier, who takes up a job as bodyguard for Mark. Tristan is drawn to the mystery and darkness that Mark emits. This leads to an interesting relationship between Mark & Tristan that is even further complicated when Mark assigns Tristan to bring his wife-to-be, Isolde, to him.

As always Sierra Simone guarantees spicy encounters and interesting pairings that keep the readers invested all the way through!

Thank you Sourcebooks for the eARC!

It is my understanding that this book could be a retelling of the myth of Tristan and Isolde, tho, I will do my research about said myth. All I know, really, are the names of the characters.

I had heard about the author's writing and this, being the first book of hers that I read, did not disappoint.

The characters and their development during the plot, the plot, and the pacing are just amazing,

And the spicy scenes? Let me tell you something! The spice is extra spicy!

Watch out for the trigger warnings.
Can't wait for the next book!

Wow. Wow. Wow. Salt Kiss is another absolute banger from Sierra Simone.

So, silly me, found this book while poking around on NetGalley and Ms. Simone is one of my favorite authors, so I decided to dive right into this one, only to quickly realize I really should have read Salt in the Wound first. It had been languishing on my TBR because I knew it tied into this one, and while this one technically could be your starting point in the series, you miss out a lot on the subtilties of Mark, his machinations, and how Isolde may nor may not be as much of a monster as her fiance.

Other reviews can take you through the plot, the moral and ethical questions posed, and even the kinky shenanigans. I'm just here to tell you that YOU NEED THIS SERIES IN YOUR EYE HOLES RIGHT THIS SECOND.

No, really, stop reading this review and go read the books.
That's an order.

If you are into mostly raunchy books then this is for you, but it just was not my cup of tea.

Tristan starts working as a Bodyguard for Mark at his kink club. Tristan seems to go from 0 to 60 super fast, virgin to being Mark's submissive.

Later on he meets Mark's fiance Isolde and is into her too and causing some conflict in emotions due to relationships with Mark. Other than that, there isn't much plot besides following Mark or Isolde around. The ending left me scratching my head too, thinking hmm was that it? I did read from beginning to end, but maybe just not my style.

Thank you to Sourcebooks and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this ARC for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for providing me with an eARC of Salt Kiss in return for my honest opinion.

If you like dark and spicy books with a lot of spice and a little bit of plot this book is definitely for you! As this book is quite dark, I would definitely recommend reading the trigger warnings prior to commencing it. While I do feel that this book could have had more plot, I do think we at least get an insight to the depth of our intriguing an multi-layered 3 main characters. Outside of these characters there isn't a whole lot of story yet, but I feel like this first book has really set up the relationships and may develop the plot further in the second book.

This book is MM and MF, with an assumption that it will develop into MMF in the next book? Tropes in this book include: Bodyguard romance, ex-militarily romance, arranged marriage, he falls first (both times), forbidden romance, age gap romance and a lot of different kinks.

Warning this book does end in a pretty juicy cliff hanger, so please be warned that if you don't like cliffhangers or prefer to wait for a completed series, I would recommend waiting to start this one!