Priest: A steamy, forbidden romance of secrets and temptation (Priest, 1)

This was my second read, plus listened to some of it because who doesn't want to hear Jacob Morgan's voice, but it still hits so hard. The pain that leads to the moment they can meet, the discovery and struggle of figuring out love and sacrifice, the decisions that are not easy. Yes this is spicy (more in terms of number of scenes than the types of scenes, but it hits so well). But if you grew up in purity culture/ religious expectation/ even just WASP-y you will probably relate with how many moments of turmoil and struggle exist in this. And it is a ride that will leave you breathless through the epilogue.

Overall: 3.75/5Plot: 3/5Spice Level: 4/5Recommended: MaybeI read a lot of mixed reviews going into this one, and I can understand why. There wasn't necessarily a ton of plot, and the plot that was there was predictable. That being said, holy hell was this a spicy one. If you are needing some good, dirty smut, this may be the book for you. My biggest gripe that really brought down my rating was with the ending. I wanted to punch Poppy right in her dumb face. Overall, I enjoyed this one until I got to the end. It is definitely more smut than plot, so just keep that in mind. I do plan to read the rest of the series once I'm done being pissed at this one.

3.5 STARSReviewed by Sharon Thérèse Nuttall on behalf of Kindle Friends ForeverFirst and foremost, it never crossed my mind to review this read. All I wanted to do was sit back wherever; enjoy, and see what all the noise was about. Righty ho…I will admit that the taboo factor swayed me to one-click. And even though it is generally known that one should never judge a book by its cover, this one just happens to be lusher than lush. So not only did my curiosity get the better of me, but my capacity for visualising a priest without his clerical apparel was also an important aspect.Despite having a vague idea about where this novel was going to lead, the subject and its protagonists sucked me into to the pages and I really felt I had something to sink my teeth into. If there were ever a book more open for discussion, there is no doubt that this one has left the doors wide open for a damn good debate. And I would be the first to argue the doctrines of the Catholic church. However, in its absurdity, the book is really well written. The grammar freak that I am couldn’t find fault. Flow it has and colourful vocabulary abounds. What I had trouble coping with was the leading lady’s stance which caused me a huge amount of frustration. She irritated me no end and I really didn't like what she did just over halfway into story. I felt that there was a huge lack of communication on her part and she could have handled things better regardless of her feelings.Father Bell’s faith is tested in the name of Poppy Dansforth. Tyler Anselm Bell never envisaged crossing paths with a woman that would make him question his beliefs or his calling. Obviously she did though. I also questioned why he was called to the church. Where was the attraction for such a drop-dead gorgeous and a supposedly young virile player in a family ambience of believers; but not exaggeratedly so, to become a priest? Why he even wanted to repent for a tragedy that wasn’t of his doing or in his control was for me, quite unfathomable. This road to celibacy and priesthood he’d chosen at such a young age needed a tad more development and argument which would have made the storyline so much more solid.Whom confesses has the sacramental seal of confidentiality. Their sins will be forgiven by the priest with absolution. In the case of Father Bell, listening to Poppy’s confessions wasn’t a matter of forgiving or telling his confessor to do ten Hail Marys; it was a matter of pray, tell me more! Turn on to the aircon because the degree of absolute confessional hotness is without a doubt, scorching! And that folks, is where I have to say hold your horses! I don’t really want to go into the church's rules and regulations, but one who is not of the Catholic faith can take communion, but cannot confess. I’ll let this detail pass though as I was unconditionally being more and more drawn into this original story of sinful love in the eyes of you know who!Poppy Danforth desperately needs to tell someone her secrets and innermost thoughts. Someone trustworthy. Ooh Lord! And does she tell! Generous of heart, blonde and beautiful, she is apparently not his type of woman. Hmph... I did ask myself whether he should even be having a type of woman at all. Blinking heck, we’re talking about an infatuated priest here who has such a dirty mouth. Get ready for hotter than hot scenes which will leave your mouth wide open…and not to mention where they took place! Now Poppy drove me up the wall. Her character wasn’t up to my standards by any means. Even though she tries her best to become involved in her new surroundings, I felt she needed a bit more spirit in her, excuse the intended pun!To sum up this story of total conflict between the love of the church; the love of lust, and the love of two people who can’t live without each other isn’t easy. Their wrongdoings bring home hard truths, what the Catholic church should or should not stand for. Whether we think the Catholic church’s doctrines are fitting with the day and age we live in or not, is beside the point. Have an open mind, skip the twisted facts, and ignore reality. Enjoy the hottest “Priest” in town. I found him freaking marvellous when he went on his daily jogs around the town stripped to the waste and listening to music. Yes, images of him are easily conjured up as the descriptive writing is extremely well done. I just wished Poppy's character had clicked more but there you go, you can't love 'em all.I really did appreciate the author's foreword regarding her intentions not to offend or provoke. Ms. Simone, I will most definitely be reading more of your works.

I wasnt sure how this book would go for me, I havent read or finished many stories with this type of trope. But my holy goodness Sierra Simone just knocked this out of the park and this on my reread list for sure! Father Bell, 😜🔥🌶️⛪️ my goodness, this book could have been 10 more chapters and I would have eaten it up just the same! So incredibly good, spicy beyond spicy and a must read! I highly recommend! #fatherforgiveme 🫣🙃

Now I can see why some people may have an issue with this book being Catholic myself but let’s look past this for a moment and just take it for what it is…a forbidden romance!No matter how you slice it, it’s a forbidden romance! Something that should never have been but there were other plans put into place by the powers that be and brought two unsuspecting souls together. A path that led them to where they were always meant to be!Warning - if you are a devoted Catholic or any type of religious person, this book may not be for you.