A review by tibbarasden
Priest by Sierra Simone

challenging dark medium-paced

3.0

I don't think I have ever actively not wanted the characters of a romance to get together. At least not until now. Even when I dislike characters, I still root for them. In this case, I was praying (pun intended) that maybe the author didn't plan on these characters actually having their romance book happy ending. These characters are so toxic and immature. It wasn't the taboo nature of the book. It wasn't the smut scenes or the kinks the characters had, even though a lot of them really weren't my kind of thing. It was Poppy not only lacking in the communication department but then making toxic choices around the struggles that come with having an affair with a priest. On top of that, I don't think the author writing her that way really honored the character she created in the first place, who was open and honest about her past and the things she wanted. Then we have Tyler. His darker urges and his recognition of his toxicity within those urges didn't make those things less toxic or not okay. It was like in his mind since he recognized those things he could just apologize and move on. Also, some of the smut just didn't feel believable. I get the duplicity of him having this darker side along with his love for God. But giving in to his carnal desires does not mean he needs to have such a lack of control. He is almost 30 for crying out loud. Then we have the back story of his sister and what happened with the priest before him. I wish that aspect had been done better. It was almost like it was added just to make him seem like he had this big life calling and to add to his conflicting emotions, but nothing is actually happening, and it doesn't really matter in the end. It had moments where the struggle of being a priest and a man, along with wanting to make an impact in the vocation, was really engaging. There were characters I really liked. Overall, the writing was easy to read and get into. The way the characters were handled just wasn't it for me. I could almost root for them if this had been the back story for a second chance romance as Tyler at least had some growth at the very end. I also think it would have worked better if it was dual pov, so we got some insight into Poppy's choices, though even if we had had that, I doubt I could have gotten behind this character.
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