Priest

I'd heard so many good things about this book that I knew I wanted to read it. This book is wonderful, I don't know what I was expecting but I'm pretty sure it wasn't a book filled with emotion, conflict, love and steamy sex. It completely blew me away.

Father Tyler Bell has committed his life to the church, to turning around his community's opinion of the church and building strong relationships with his parishioners. He loves his work, even though his own family doesn't approve of his vocation...with good reason. His commitment is to God and God alone, that is until Poppy Danforth steps into his confessional booth. Can he resist the temptation of her?

Poppy Danforth is lost, not in location but in life. She doesn't know what she's doing and wanders into Tyler Bell's church looking for something, she's not really sure what. One conversation with Father Bell is enough to put her on a path of spiritual guidance. If only she could stop fantasizing about him.

I loved the plot of this story. The majority of the book is told from Father Bell's POV. A priest falling in love, it was simply beautiful. You really get to see his inner conflict, the religious aspects of the book were handled intelligently and made an impact in the scenes they were part of. The emotional aspects of the book are what really makes this a standout book.

Let's talk about the characters. Sooooooo, I'm in love with Tyler Bell, don't judge me! He is a wonderful man struggling to do the right thing. The emotional rollercoaster that Sierra put him on was tough. Poor guy! I loved his struggle; his head and heart were in such conflict, seeing that play out and how he came to the conclusions he did was just beautiful to experience. I really liked his family too, they're all dealing with their grief in the best way for them, the interactions with Tyler were sweet, comical and at times heartbreaking.

I really liked Poppy, I felt bad for her over some of the things she was dealing with, she was clearly very conflicted over her feelings and her place in the world. There is one scene when Father Bell apologises for taking advantage of her and well, she lets him have it. Her speech was fantastic and the perfect example of the type of person Poppy is, she is strong and independent and capable of making her own decisions. I wanted to hate Sterling, I truly did, and I did for a time. But towards the end of the book, like Tyler, I started having empathy and feeling bad for the guy. He was still a jerk though.

Let's talk a little about the relationship. Wow! The chemistry between this couple was off the charts from their first meeting, and it just got better, and hotter. They're both struggling with their own demons and gradually they help one another realise what they need, what is missing from their lives. Experiencing the development of their feelings for each other and the lengths they go to in order to protect each other was beautiful and captivating. I'll admit at one point I threw my hands in the air and shouted “No! This is NOT how it's supposed to happen!!” (In all honesty, I may have used a curse word or two).

The book has some of the BEST sex scenes I've ever read, and there are plenty of them! This isn't a complaint, they were extremely well written, sexy and had a place in the story. I found myself blushing more than once.


Warning: Do NOT read to this in public, it is steamy hot. The book is about a priest, who falls in love – who knew with that title, right? Lol. Anyway, if you're upset by the idea that a priest has the urges of a man, or sexual acts being performed in a religious setting, please don't go any further. This is not the book for you.

Full audiobook review will be on the blog tomorrow.