What I’m reading

Priest: A Love Story By Sierra Simone

Alright, so, this will probably be one of those books that will either offend you or it will open your eyes.

Obviously Tyler is a priest. He’s taken a vow of celibacy, and this is a romance book. If him breaking that vow makes you grasp your pearls and scoff, then yeah, turn away now and go find a sweet romance where the sun rises and falls with a sweet, summertime kiss.

Tyler is one boss of a priest. He’s dedicated his entire life (well, several years) to his parish where he tries his damndest to make up the sins from someone else’s past. After the tragic death of his own sister, he wants to make his small town believe in God again. Such a noble goal.

Insert a stranger at confession.

Poppy is looking for…something. Anything that matters. Something that makes her feel alive after so many years of being stifled. A whim finds her at the elaborate door of a priest’s confession, and for the first time she’s able to talk about anything she wants, anonymously, without the world judging her. And better then that, she gets real advice, not the whole, ‘keep your head up!’ charade. Tyler is the first person who actually listens to her since her excruciating breakup, and his voice becomes her solace.

Only problem is Tyler is really hot. Hotter than any priest should be.

I’m not going to go ruining the whole plot by telling you everything that happens, but needless to say, there’s a whole lot of steam where there should have been cool detachment. Tyler finds himself in love, and torn between his marriage with the Lord and his newfound love with Poppy. Most of the book is mostly back and forth, and Tyler doesn’t make up his mind until the end, but there were a few points I wanted to touch on.

Poignancy. This book is filled with it.

While there are tons of books in the world about priests that are all taboo and good-to-be-bad, this one is about the spiritual journey as well as the physical. Sierra has weaved a beautiful tale of right, wrong, and a whole lot of grey area. God told us to love, so why is it so wrong for a priest to love?

And while yes, there’s a whole lot of steam that was, well, sticky and sweaty and sweet, there was a lot more than that, too. Tyler and Poppy are parallels for so long, but when they eventually collide, it’s masterful.

Final thoughts.

I loved it. I loved every single mushy, taboo, heart-wrenching part of a man torn in two by love of God and a woman that eventually makes him whole. I loved every part of Poppy, learning to trust and finding something bigger than herself which eventually gave her purpose when before, she had none. They are real, they are the up and down you’d expect from a good romance, and they give you the HEA that you desperately need after a book with as many twirls and loopty-loos as this one has.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐-5 stars from me. It’s a definite must-read if darker love stories are your jam.