Priest (Priest, 1)

Rating: 5 Stars

"But there would be no end to the things I wanted to do to this little lamb, no matter how many times or how many ways I had her."

He's a priest, and here is his confession. There are many rules a priest can't break. A priest cannot marry. A priest cannot abandon his flock. A priest cannot forsake his God. Tyler Bell has had no problem playing by the rules for the last three years after a family tragedy set him on the path to priesthood. That all changes when the delicious, sultry voice of Poppy Danforth sinks its claws in him through the screen of his confessional booth, and he can't get her sins out of his head. It should be easy to put his impure thoughts of her to rest, considering the vows Tyler has taken. It should be nothing to overcome what the sight and sound of her does to him, when his life with the Church means everything. But once he has his first forbidden taste of those red lips, Tyler can't help but break all his rules for Poppy--no matter what it might cost them both.

This was one that I wasn't sure would live up to all the hype that surrounds it, but I was insanely mistaken. It lives up to the hype and then some. I mean for one it is a beautiful story. It's well written and the characters are easy to love, especially Father Bell. I really enjoyed that most of the book was from Father Bell's perspective, with just a few inserts from Poppy, because I don't feel like we get enough of this in romance novels. Father Bell was giving off some serious vibes basically as soon as the book started. And, can I just say I was not expecting the level of spice this book had. I loved it. Like I adored it. I loved that Poppy owned who she was and her sexuality and didn't let anybody make her feel guilty about it.

I loved that it wasn't just a romance with no consequences either, like the entire time we see Tyler struggling with himself, his beliefs, his role and what he desires. It was amazing to watch that process and even though I knew some inevitable obstacle was going to arise, I didn't expect it when it came, which made me love it even more. I liked that yeah it was a steamy romance, but it also dealt with real issues and made the characters seem so real. I really can't do anything but gush about how great this book was, I look forward to reading the others!