Tonight's book is one that has been on my iBooks since June. It's Priest by Sierra Simone. I've been waiting to read this book since it came out, but I was so stuck in Outlander mode that I've just now gotten around to it. Warning: DO NOT READ if you are easily offended by descriptive sex scenes or fetish/taboo concepts. Priest is one of those stories that just goes there. You either have to be prepared for the ride, or just skip it to move on to something else. If you're willing to walk into a story with an open mind and take an adventure, do yourselves a favor and give this a go. Yes, it's pretty gritty and dirty, but there is more to the story. I promise you.
Taboo, erotic, spiritual, holy, sexy, controversial. These are just a few thoughts I had going through my head as I flipped through the pages. Needless to say, I could not put this book down. My eyes are burning a bit, but this was so worth it. Priest may very well be the sexiest book I've ever read. Father Bell wins the prize for filthiest mouth.
Poppy Danforth, the wasp-y daughter of privilege is in a new town and starting over after some unfortunate events came her way. In an attempt to re-gain some control of her life, she finds confession, a new religion, and a very handsome (and sympathetic) priest. Father Bell has been dealing with his own demons for years, and while a very generous and giving soul who cares immensely about his parishioners, he is beyond temped by Poppy.
As someone who was raised Catholic, this was not a story I was fully prepared to read. I saw the spoilers on social media and knew I was beyond excited to have this book arrive on my ibooks app. The church proceedings and the priesthood has always been boring to me, and I'm not a Catholic who attends mass regularly. It's not something I personally put all of my faith into anymore, but Father Bell did make me see things with fresh eyes.
Don't get me wrong, there is a LOT of sexy scenes in this book (shocker: the priest gives in to his temptress.. that's the point of the story for most of it), but there was also more. Bell, and even Danforth, believe in their God. They believe there's more to life than money and materialism. They both want to find purpose in giving to others, in helping for a greater good. They give into their baser animal instincts while Bell is still with the priesthood (enter the "taboo), but more comes of it. Poppy and Tyler learn from each other on life and love. They both enjoy languages, academics, literature, missionary work, travel, and the spirituality they seem to be teaching each other as the days go by.
There's conflict and confrontation. Poppy's past comes back to haunt her, and Father Bell is consumed constantly with his guilt for breaking his vows and wondering what God's greater plan is for his mortal soul.
I loved seeing Bell as a normal person. Yes, he did his priestly duties, but I liked reading about him sitting home alone eating his Cup of Noodles and watching Netflix while trolling The Walking Dead forums. I've never thought of priests as your average Joe, so reading about one dealing with the every day aspect of life was refreshing and reminded me of how human he was and why he struggled so much with his affections for Poppy.
It was heart-wrenching, but the climactic events of the book made the journey very real. Love doesn't come without struggle, and these two prove it time and again. I really respected them for the emotional and spiritual journey they went on, together and apart. They piqued my interest in religion again, so, bravo, Simone.
My Final Rating: five of five stars
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