-
Five-Star Reads for October 2025
Note: Reviews are listed alphabetically by author’s last name. Like my reviews? Lines Drawn Abrianna Denae & Leigh Kenzie (Crimson Bonds #5) The authors kept warning that the worst was yet to come, that this might be the book that broke their readers…and they might be right. We tend to call the leads of romance novels…
-
Book Review: Salt in the Wound (Lyonesse #0.5) by Sierra Simone
I adored Simone’s New Camelot trilogy, which was a fascinating take on Arthurian legend set in contemporary American politics. References are made to the full cast in this modern setting, and I was instantly intrigued by what this author would do when bringing the Mark/Isolde/Tristan saga to the foreground. Of course, Tristan doesn’t appear until…
-
Book Review: The Fae Queen’s Captive (Peculiar Tastes) by Sierra Simone
I’m traveling on Halloween this year, so I’ll admit that I’m not as hyped for the holiday as I usually am. Reading this unexpected dark romance changed all that in a heartbeat. The opening events are the perfect welcome to the spooky season, evoking horror tropes of the final girl while simultaneously instilling a sense…
-
Book Review: Sherwood by Sierra Simone
At the time this blog post is published, this novella is available for free. Simone’s New Camelot series wrecked me as a reader in all the best ways, often leaving me in tears and leading to some virtual flailing at a fellow fan via text. The journey was worth every bit of the angst, and…
-
Book Review: Priest Series by Sierra Simone
This post includes reviews of the books in the Priest series: Priest (#1) Sinner (#2) Saint (#3) Priest (Priest #1) I enjoyed this book a lot more when I stopped thinking about it as a romance. I have very little patience for the religious angst of white guys, especially when it involves a religion with…
-
Review: “Sanguine” by Sierra Simone
Simone packs a wallop into two short chapters in this excellent paranormal romance story. It appears pretty self-explanatory on the surface: vampire and priest meet, and sexy shenanigans ensue. However, Simone puts her own twist on how vampires work, the priest is not quite a priest, and the shenanigans are surprisingly humorous and sweet (along…
-
Review: Door of Bruises (Thornchapel #4) by Sierra Simone
Read my reviews of the previous Thornchapel books: A Lesson in Thorns Feast of Sparks Harvest of Sighs I waited six months for the finale of this fantastic series, and every moment was worth it. Simone continues to raise the stakes in both reality and the bits of fantasy elements that seep into this world,…
-
Review: London Lovers Series by Sierra Simone
“The Seduction of Molly O’Flaherty” (Book 0.5) After meeting these characters in Simone’s Markham Hall series, I was intrigued enough to follow them to London for their romance saga. Like it says on the tin, this story is not necessary for the following books. However, it does an excellent job of introducing Molly and Silas…
-
Review: Markham Hall Series by Sierra Simone
The Awakening of Ivy Leavold (Book 1) Here’s the old-school Gothic erotic romance I expected when I started Simone’s Thornchapel series! An innocent young woman finds herself helpless and adrift in a new home, at the mercy of a mysterious and figure who instantly captivates her attention. Despite Simone’s effortless narrative that elevates the interactions…
-
Review: “American Squire” (New Camelot #5) by Sierra Simone
This short story ties together the worlds of New Camelot and Thornchapel by following a former White House assistant on a mysterious errand to England. The actual interactions portrayed between Ryan and Sidney are both sexy and sweet, as appropriate, and I’d happily read more about their burgeoning relationship. What elevates this story from sexy…
-
Review: Cards of Love: The Moon (New Camelot #4) by Sierra Simone
This short and sexy follow-up to the New Camelot trilogy does much to explain Merlin’s role in the whole situation. It portrays two very different relationships across time in a way that also shows off how Simone uses point-of-view to amplify her storytelling. I do have some questions about the off-screen events that bring Merlin…
-
Review: American King (New Camelot #3) by Sierra Simone
I honestly did not expect this book to affect me as much as it did. I tore through it in a single afternoon, enjoying the spring air on my front porch, and had to go inside for fresh tissues twice. At about the 90% mark, I texted a friend to rage about what I assumed…
-
Review: Harvest of Sighs (Thornchapel #3) by Sierra Simone
All books have a dark moment, right before things get better. This book, the third in the Thornchapel series, ends in the ultimate dark moment. Relationships were not great during this book. They were intense and hopeful and painful and tragic, making me fall in love with each of the characters. And now so many…
-
Review: American Prince (New Camelot #2) by Sierra Simone
I like Greer Galloway. She’s an okay character. She’ll do well as the First Lady (once she ever gets to fulfill the role). Her history(ies) with Ash and Embry were intriguing and their future will, I’m sure, be equally so. But she’s got absolutely nothing on Embry Moore. The history between Embry and Ash is…
-
Review: Feast of Sparks (Thornchapel #2) by Sierra Simone
I devoured books 2 and 3 in this series in a single day (plus a few hours because it was VERY late when I finally went to bed). On the one hand, tangling apart my thoughts of each book might be difficult. But this book ends in a stunning revelation, a different sort of pain…
-
Review: American Queen (New Camelot #1) by Sierra Simone
I adore Arthurian literature, but not all of it. Lancelot has especially never been a particular favorite, for much the same reason Simone explains in this book: He’s a fanfic self-insert by the French so they could play with chivalry in a set of tales too old for such a relatively modern social construct. I…
-
Review: A Lesson in Thorns (Thornchapel #1) by Sierra Simone
I bought this ebook months ago, and for the life of me, I couldn’t remember why. The cover description was intriguing, but not my typical fare. It seemed a bit too throw-back Gothic for me. So, I glanced at a few online reviews, and one of them complained about bisexual characters. Who cares why I…
