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Lyonesse #2
Honey Cut
Isolde Laurence thought she knew the perils that came with loving a devil and his angel of a bodyguard. She never realized that the most perilous thing to befall her would be them falling in love with her back…This is Book Two of the Lyonesse trilogy. Full blurb to come.
406 pages, Paperback
First published June 18, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,710 reviews
November 28, 2025
For some reason my brain had me convinced that this was the final book? But nooooo. There’s another one coming in 2025 and I was not prepared for that wait time.
(Upon rereading, it should have been obvious this was the middle book of a trilogy. There's a good bit of filler.)
This is exactly why I shouldn’t start trilogies until they’re finished. I am not patient about my books.
(Upon rereading, it should have been obvious this was the middle book of a trilogy. There's a good bit of filler.)
This is exactly why I shouldn’t start trilogies until they’re finished. I am not patient about my books.
June 20, 2024
2.5
Let me just start off by saying the last couple of chapters were hot asf & maybe if the book was more like that then I would have given it five stars….
I do plan to read the third book and hope that this was just a slump in the middle
Anyways,
This wasnt what i was expecting or what I wanted after loving salt kiss
I gave mark too much credit in the previous book . I genuinely thought that he was this conniving, manipulative freak dom who was orchestrating this throuple for himself but ,somehow, he turns into the victim?
Like 90% of this is told from Isoldes boring repetitive,religious pov where we are supposed to believe this girl is a hardened killer? Im not buying it
The majority of the book Tristan is ignored emotionally/ physically while Mark and isolde just continue to bang & flaunt their relationship and Tristan has to watch???? I’m not kidding. The entire middle of the book is just them having sex while he just stands there .
Dont piss me off they treat him like a dog they just knew wouldnt go anywhere it was making me wish he would just up and leave them
i wanted Mark to put in effort to maintain the relationship we spent the entirety of salt kiss building but it felt like their connection was nonexistent?? there’s like six chapters straight where they don’t even have one on page interaction. If u can ignore him for that long while ur in close proximity u clearly don’t care that much about him.
If ur a fan of isolde you might enjoy this,maybe??. If youre a fan of Tristan ( Or primarily read MM ) probably not
Mark does not get a POV in this book but will in the final book
Mmf more like
Mf & a guy who can do better 🤨
Let me just start off by saying the last couple of chapters were hot asf & maybe if the book was more like that then I would have given it five stars….
I do plan to read the third book and hope that this was just a slump in the middle
Anyways,
This wasnt what i was expecting or what I wanted after loving salt kiss
I gave mark too much credit in the previous book . I genuinely thought that he was this conniving, manipulative freak dom who was orchestrating this throuple for himself but ,somehow, he turns into the victim?
Like 90% of this is told from Isoldes boring repetitive,religious pov where we are supposed to believe this girl is a hardened killer? Im not buying it
The majority of the book Tristan is ignored emotionally/ physically while Mark and isolde just continue to bang & flaunt their relationship and Tristan has to watch???? I’m not kidding. The entire middle of the book is just them having sex while he just stands there .
Dont piss me off they treat him like a dog they just knew wouldnt go anywhere it was making me wish he would just up and leave them
i wanted Mark to put in effort to maintain the relationship we spent the entirety of salt kiss building but it felt like their connection was nonexistent?? there’s like six chapters straight where they don’t even have one on page interaction. If u can ignore him for that long while ur in close proximity u clearly don’t care that much about him.
If ur a fan of isolde you might enjoy this,maybe??. If youre a fan of Tristan ( Or primarily read MM ) probably not
Mark does not get a POV in this book but will in the final book
Mmf more like
Mf & a guy who can do better 🤨
July 18, 2024
⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
From the moment Mark Trevena walked into Isolde’s dojo in the must-read prequel Salt in the Wound, I was enraptured. And, like the young and impressionable then 17-year-old, I had a thousand questions and no hope of receiving any answers because obfuscation is Mark’s m.o.
Two and a half books later and I can scarcely say I know this character. Because like the queen she is, @thesierrasimone offers us crumbs.
But my god, are those crumbs *delectable*
Mark refers to Isolde as his shadows-and-glass girl; a description so apt and a phrasing so unique I gasped when I heard it. In a moment of rare candour, Mark admits that he recognises the fragility she so desperately attempts to hide because he is much the same.
In contrast, we are also given Tristan, whose sweet guilelessness sends him rushing repeatedly towards two proverbial burning buildings—Mark and Isode—even when he is still nursing emotional burns.
Is it any wonder that Tristan’s term of endearment for Isolde, Honey, reflects both his temperament and hopeless optimism, even when dogged by ghosts from his past? I don’t think so.
This is the brilliance of Sierra Simone.
Honey Cut has all the ingredients Simone fans love: it’s taboo, kinky, queer, (moderately) angsty, and written in her signature prose.
You’ll be left parched. Whether from the heat of the explicit scenes or a yearning to be in Mark’s head, where we’ll finally see the whole scheme instead of piecemeal, it is up to you to find out.
↦NOTES ON THE AUDIO↤
I was overjoyed to receive the ALC, which did not disappoint. Oscar Reyes & Isabelle Ruther return as the voices of Tristan and Isolde. I couldn’t put it down and I have no doubt I’ll be listening to it again before the end of the year.
I can only hope that Mark’s casting will be as impeccable. I truly cannot wait.
(Paperbacks were all purchased by me, ALC was provided to me by mustloveaudio in exchange for an honest review)
-----------
When the Queen of god-tier, queer, kinky smut and lyrical writing summons us, we come running.
Counting down the weeks 📅
From the moment Mark Trevena walked into Isolde’s dojo in the must-read prequel Salt in the Wound, I was enraptured. And, like the young and impressionable then 17-year-old, I had a thousand questions and no hope of receiving any answers because obfuscation is Mark’s m.o.
Two and a half books later and I can scarcely say I know this character. Because like the queen she is, @thesierrasimone offers us crumbs.
But my god, are those crumbs *delectable*
Mark refers to Isolde as his shadows-and-glass girl; a description so apt and a phrasing so unique I gasped when I heard it. In a moment of rare candour, Mark admits that he recognises the fragility she so desperately attempts to hide because he is much the same.
In contrast, we are also given Tristan, whose sweet guilelessness sends him rushing repeatedly towards two proverbial burning buildings—Mark and Isode—even when he is still nursing emotional burns.
Is it any wonder that Tristan’s term of endearment for Isolde, Honey, reflects both his temperament and hopeless optimism, even when dogged by ghosts from his past? I don’t think so.
This is the brilliance of Sierra Simone.
Honey Cut has all the ingredients Simone fans love: it’s taboo, kinky, queer, (moderately) angsty, and written in her signature prose.
You’ll be left parched. Whether from the heat of the explicit scenes or a yearning to be in Mark’s head, where we’ll finally see the whole scheme instead of piecemeal, it is up to you to find out.
↦NOTES ON THE AUDIO↤
I was overjoyed to receive the ALC, which did not disappoint. Oscar Reyes & Isabelle Ruther return as the voices of Tristan and Isolde. I couldn’t put it down and I have no doubt I’ll be listening to it again before the end of the year.
I can only hope that Mark’s casting will be as impeccable. I truly cannot wait.
(Paperbacks were all purchased by me, ALC was provided to me by mustloveaudio in exchange for an honest review)
-----------
When the Queen of god-tier, queer, kinky smut and lyrical writing summons us, we come running.
Counting down the weeks 📅
June 18, 2024
Me before Honey Cut:
Me after Honey Cut:
No, but for real: Honey Cut is perfect. It's everything I wanted and so much more. I knew I was going to love this book but, my god, it's even better than anything I could conjure up in my wildest imaginings.
The tension, the angst, the messy love triangle that borders on obsession, the smut (don't get me started on the smut!)...
Everything is simply on point, no beats missed.
This is Sierra Simone at her best; her sexiest, filthiest book yet. Period.
Loved every second.
Thank you NetGalley/Bloom for the ARC (need book 3 yesterday btw).
Me after Honey Cut:
No, but for real: Honey Cut is perfect. It's everything I wanted and so much more. I knew I was going to love this book but, my god, it's even better than anything I could conjure up in my wildest imaginings.
The tension, the angst, the messy love triangle that borders on obsession, the smut (don't get me started on the smut!)...
Everything is simply on point, no beats missed.
This is Sierra Simone at her best; her sexiest, filthiest book yet. Period.
Loved every second.
Thank you NetGalley/Bloom for the ARC (need book 3 yesterday btw).
May 23, 2024
Mind has been BLOWN. I can’t believe I was so fool to believe this book could have any trace of happiness in it taking into account Lyonesse is a trilogy, but I did and the wake up call was not nice. My heart has been crushed but oh I loved it.
This book is a mess of lies, cheating, pain and regret and Sierra made sure that we could feel everything. This writing was so beautiful and poetic, and also dense but it’s exactly what I expected from her. I love Tristan, Mark and Isolde and I think I love them more than I did Green, Ash and Embry in New Camelot. The angst cannot be matched. I can say I expected the ending but it still took me by surprise and I will trust Sierra’s note in the acknowledgments because I need a HEA for them.
I don’t know what to expect in book 3 romance wise, but I do know what I want to expect in other aspects and it’s Mortimer’s suffering, and I hope it comes from Isolde’s hand! Book 3 could be a thousand pages long and I would happily devour it.
TW: Clerical sex abuse
Rating: 5/5
Steam level: Open door, +5 scenes, high level of detail
ARC provided by Bloom Books and Edelweiss. Opinions are my own!
This book is a mess of lies, cheating, pain and regret and Sierra made sure that we could feel everything. This writing was so beautiful and poetic, and also dense but it’s exactly what I expected from her. I love Tristan, Mark and Isolde and I think I love them more than I did Green, Ash and Embry in New Camelot. The angst cannot be matched. I can say I expected the ending but it still took me by surprise and I will trust Sierra’s note in the acknowledgments because I need a HEA for them.
I don’t know what to expect in book 3 romance wise, but I do know what I want to expect in other aspects and it’s Mortimer’s suffering, and I hope it comes from Isolde’s hand! Book 3 could be a thousand pages long and I would happily devour it.
TW: Clerical sex abuse
Rating: 5/5
Steam level: Open door, +5 scenes, high level of detail
ARC provided by Bloom Books and Edelweiss. Opinions are my own!
June 30, 2024
Sierra Simone owes me child support after getting me pregnant with that throne room scene.
September 5, 2024
I LOVE SMUT WITH PLOT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
October 25, 2024
Please do yourself a favor and:
1. Get an ice pack to sit on while you read
2. Make sure the toys are at full battery and the house is empty… you will need both for this one!!
5⭐️ 5🌶️
“I am a saint of the Church who is yoking herself to a fallen angel, and with each step forward in my fairy-tale shoes, I offer desperate, agonized prayers to God.
Please let me survive Mark Trevena.”
MOTHER HAS DONE IT AGAINNNNN
I truly cannot understand, even to this date, how someone who looks as cute and innocent and is as sweet as Sierra MF Simone is can write such depraved filth!!! Just when I think I’ve seen, read, and heard it all and there is no way she could top her previous spice… she comes in swinging, breeding kink in hand, and knocks my ass back into a chair so hard I needed aftercare. This is Sierra’s spiciest/filthiest book to date in the sense the kink is very on page and there’s soooooo many different spicy chapters. LORD HAVE MERCY WHEN THE BONUS CHAPTER GOES PUBLIC BC HOLY SHIT!! I don’t think I can look at a sauna the same ever again 🥵🥵
The longing, the tension, the mystery, the way she just completely trampled poor Tristan’s hears AND MINE… Jesus fuck I was not ready and it’s taken me months and a reread to gather my thoughts and be able to put more than 3 sentences (not about how many times I had to open my nigh-stand) together as a formal review.
Honey cut is the second novel in the Lyonesse Trilogy, dual POV— Tristan and Isolde’s and we get to find out (kind of because I am still so fucking confused Sierra seriously what the actual fuck) what happens after the cliffhanger from Salt Kiss and whether Mark knew. Ish. This is a slow burn in the sense of them going from Tristan & Isolde and Mark & Isolde to the three of them together and it was done so freaking well! Sierra likes to say this is dark New Camelot and I have to agree because the throuples in both series have a lot in common but where the New Camelot trio needs each other to balance the relationship out, this Lyonesse trio is fundamentally woven together in a much deeper way. I think having them be kind of couples individually to then be a throuple gave much more depth to the relationship.
I love how Mark’s character is getting set up for his POV in book 3 and I am simply dying to know everything and to be inside this man’s head and to know wtf is up with Ys and what he’s known all this time and his secrets and just how obsessed he is with the both of them!!! Tristan and Mark have this obsessive behavior in common and I think that is simply so precious. Ugh this was just such a good freaking book. She brought her poetry back and there’s some lines that simply left me reeling for hours!! Isolde has had such good character development from the time we meet her in SITW to Honey Cut and to see her feelings for Mark evolve was just amazing.
THAT ENDING THO?? 🤺🤺🤺 Sometimes I hate her but it never lasts long cause I crave the pain just like Isolde 😮💨
============================
PLEASE LOOK AT HER!!! I WOULD LET HER WALK ME LIKE A DOGGGGGGGG
==================
WATER MY PLANTS MOTHERRRRRRRRR 🧎🏻♀️🧎🏻♀️🧎🏻♀️🧎🏻♀️🧎🏻♀️
1. Get an ice pack to sit on while you read
2. Make sure the toys are at full battery and the house is empty… you will need both for this one!!
5⭐️ 5🌶️
“I am a saint of the Church who is yoking herself to a fallen angel, and with each step forward in my fairy-tale shoes, I offer desperate, agonized prayers to God.
Please let me survive Mark Trevena.”
MOTHER HAS DONE IT AGAINNNNN
I truly cannot understand, even to this date, how someone who looks as cute and innocent and is as sweet as Sierra MF Simone is can write such depraved filth!!! Just when I think I’ve seen, read, and heard it all and there is no way she could top her previous spice… she comes in swinging, breeding kink in hand, and knocks my ass back into a chair so hard I needed aftercare. This is Sierra’s spiciest/filthiest book to date in the sense the kink is very on page and there’s soooooo many different spicy chapters. LORD HAVE MERCY WHEN THE BONUS CHAPTER GOES PUBLIC BC HOLY SHIT!! I don’t think I can look at a sauna the same ever again 🥵🥵
The longing, the tension, the mystery, the way she just completely trampled poor Tristan’s hears AND MINE… Jesus fuck I was not ready and it’s taken me months and a reread to gather my thoughts and be able to put more than 3 sentences (not about how many times I had to open my nigh-stand) together as a formal review.
Honey cut is the second novel in the Lyonesse Trilogy, dual POV— Tristan and Isolde’s and we get to find out (kind of because I am still so fucking confused Sierra seriously what the actual fuck) what happens after the cliffhanger from Salt Kiss and whether Mark knew. Ish. This is a slow burn in the sense of them going from Tristan & Isolde and Mark & Isolde to the three of them together and it was done so freaking well! Sierra likes to say this is dark New Camelot and I have to agree because the throuples in both series have a lot in common but where the New Camelot trio needs each other to balance the relationship out, this Lyonesse trio is fundamentally woven together in a much deeper way. I think having them be kind of couples individually to then be a throuple gave much more depth to the relationship.
I love how Mark’s character is getting set up for his POV in book 3 and I am simply dying to know everything and to be inside this man’s head and to know wtf is up with Ys and what he’s known all this time and his secrets and just how obsessed he is with the both of them!!! Tristan and Mark have this obsessive behavior in common and I think that is simply so precious. Ugh this was just such a good freaking book. She brought her poetry back and there’s some lines that simply left me reeling for hours!! Isolde has had such good character development from the time we meet her in SITW to Honey Cut and to see her feelings for Mark evolve was just amazing.
THAT ENDING THO?? 🤺🤺🤺 Sometimes I hate her but it never lasts long cause I crave the pain just like Isolde 😮💨
============================
PLEASE LOOK AT HER!!! I WOULD LET HER WALK ME LIKE A DOGGGGGGGG
==================
WATER MY PLANTS MOTHERRRRRRRRR 🧎🏻♀️🧎🏻♀️🧎🏻♀️🧎🏻♀️🧎🏻♀️
June 17, 2024
Yeah.. I'm broken.
Sierra Simone doesn't play around.. except when she's playing with my heart. Her characters reach in and get a grip on me and they don't let go. How am I supposed to wait until 2025 for my HEA??? She is an evil mistress but I'm a willing submissive to her plans.
Things start off twisty and naughty and they don't let up through this whole novel. Since it is the second of the trilogy, I know there was only so much relief I could expect from this would be thruple, but man... I couldn't look away. I read my physical copy and I also listened to an ALC and I already want to dive in again. This book is going to stick with me for a long time.
Tristan and Isolde and trying to hide their feelings for each other, all the while falling deeper in love. But neither of them can escape Mark's allure, nor do they want to. He's the obstacle between them and also the magnet that pulls them together. There will be consequences for that but they kind of passion they have won't be denied.
I find it intriguing that we still haven't had Mark's POV. I know he is playing his cards close to the vest, but I hope with how this book ended, it will allow for us to get into his head for Bitter Burn. I have a feeling I will enjoy him even more.
I loved all the revelations and I anticipate the answers to the questions I have. But honestly, I'll be bleeding a little until I get to see these three in the relationship they deserve... we got SO CLOSE.. but there is still a final act to go.
As I said, I reread this with an ALC and it was lovingly narrated by Oscar Reyes and Isabelle Ruther. They gave me chills and thrills galore.
Until next time.. Adieu!
6 stars
5 on the spice scale
CW: instance of clerical SA and religious trauma, also... some murdering.
*Thank you to Must Love Audio & Sierra Simone for an ALC of this title.*
Sierra Simone doesn't play around.. except when she's playing with my heart. Her characters reach in and get a grip on me and they don't let go. How am I supposed to wait until 2025 for my HEA??? She is an evil mistress but I'm a willing submissive to her plans.
Things start off twisty and naughty and they don't let up through this whole novel. Since it is the second of the trilogy, I know there was only so much relief I could expect from this would be thruple, but man... I couldn't look away. I read my physical copy and I also listened to an ALC and I already want to dive in again. This book is going to stick with me for a long time.
Tristan and Isolde and trying to hide their feelings for each other, all the while falling deeper in love. But neither of them can escape Mark's allure, nor do they want to. He's the obstacle between them and also the magnet that pulls them together. There will be consequences for that but they kind of passion they have won't be denied.
I find it intriguing that we still haven't had Mark's POV. I know he is playing his cards close to the vest, but I hope with how this book ended, it will allow for us to get into his head for Bitter Burn. I have a feeling I will enjoy him even more.
I loved all the revelations and I anticipate the answers to the questions I have. But honestly, I'll be bleeding a little until I get to see these three in the relationship they deserve... we got SO CLOSE.. but there is still a final act to go.
As I said, I reread this with an ALC and it was lovingly narrated by Oscar Reyes and Isabelle Ruther. They gave me chills and thrills galore.
Until next time.. Adieu!
6 stars
5 on the spice scale
CW: instance of clerical SA and religious trauma, also... some murdering.
*Thank you to Must Love Audio & Sierra Simone for an ALC of this title.*
September 14, 2024
DNF @45%
I just don't like any character other than Tristan and he is basically being emotionally abused the entire book. I'm supposed to believe that both he and Isolde have all this love for Mark when he has not shown a single ounce of personality or reason why both of them would want him so much so I just end up rolling my eyes at any intimacy.
It was also hard to get past the premise when it's 100% of Isolde's internal dialog. You're telling me that someone who wanted to be a nun had to be sold to the owner of a kink club... for Jesus? It's just such a stretch and I'd probably be able to get past it had it not been brought up every 2 seconds.
Isolde's only personality traits were how pious she was and how much she was obsessed with serving the church. Also she's super murdery but also very fragile. I just could not accept her as a realistic character or one that I liked so much that I could suspend my disbelief.
As usual, Simone's writing is technically adequate, I just could not get past feeling like I was being beaten with a bible while reading about a throuple and a kink club.
I just don't like any character other than Tristan and he is basically being emotionally abused the entire book. I'm supposed to believe that both he and Isolde have all this love for Mark when he has not shown a single ounce of personality or reason why both of them would want him so much so I just end up rolling my eyes at any intimacy.
It was also hard to get past the premise when it's 100% of Isolde's internal dialog. You're telling me that someone who wanted to be a nun had to be sold to the owner of a kink club... for Jesus? It's just such a stretch and I'd probably be able to get past it had it not been brought up every 2 seconds.
Isolde's only personality traits were how pious she was and how much she was obsessed with serving the church. Also she's super murdery but also very fragile. I just could not accept her as a realistic character or one that I liked so much that I could suspend my disbelief.
As usual, Simone's writing is technically adequate, I just could not get past feeling like I was being beaten with a bible while reading about a throuple and a kink club.
June 13, 2024
4.5⭐️5🌶️
Sierra Simone and the woman you are!! This book was soooo good and I was invested in the plot from the very moment it started! And the spice?! OMG!!! INSANE!!! So kinky!
I love this series and I’m am unbelievably sat for the next book, literally on edge waiting for what’s to come.
GENUINELY COULDN’T RECOMMEND THIS SERIES MORE!! Would highly recommend if you love a spicy read with that comes along with the meat and potatoes (character vulnerability and plot)
He’s the bodyguard who falls for not only his boss but for his bosses wife too, ooopsies
Sierra Simone and the woman you are!! This book was soooo good and I was invested in the plot from the very moment it started! And the spice?! OMG!!! INSANE!!! So kinky!
I love this series and I’m am unbelievably sat for the next book, literally on edge waiting for what’s to come.
GENUINELY COULDN’T RECOMMEND THIS SERIES MORE!! Would highly recommend if you love a spicy read with that comes along with the meat and potatoes (character vulnerability and plot)
He’s the bodyguard who falls for not only his boss but for his bosses wife too, ooopsies
October 10, 2025
🖤
I am depraved. Feral. Unhinged. Perverse. Gagged. Sick. Sinful. Wrong. Disturbed. Hot. Depraved (again, for emphasis).
And I would gladly be a speck of dirt on any of these three characters’ shoes just to witness one scene up close.
No, I did not book a therapy appointment.
Yes, my therapist already knows.
And yes, she approves.
I read this book for the yearning. 💄
LMAO who am I kidding?
The yearning made me cry just as much as the smut made me reconsider my moral compass.
or maybe confirm what we already know, but who's keeping track anyway.
📖 The plot? Oh, it’s great. I am incredibly serious.
But let’s be honest… none of us came here for the plot.
Bye.
--
Pre-read:
Mark said: "Come along, Tristan. There's much to discuss."
So normally I ran to book 2.🏃🏻♀️
And I would gladly be a speck of dirt on any of these three characters’ shoes just to witness one scene up close.
No, I did not book a therapy appointment.
Yes, my therapist already knows.
And yes, she approves.
I read this book for the yearning. 💄
LMAO who am I kidding?
The yearning made me cry just as much as the smut made me reconsider my moral compass.
or maybe confirm what we already know, but who's keeping track anyway.
📖 The plot? Oh, it’s great. I am incredibly serious.
But let’s be honest… none of us came here for the plot.
Bye.
--
Pre-read:
Mark said: "Come along, Tristan. There's much to discuss."
So normally I ran to book 2.🏃🏻♀️
Want to read
September 13, 20239/12/2023- I'll just sit here and (very unhappily) wait for the resolution of that cliffy! Keep me on the edge of my seat, why don't ya! It will be worth it, though, Sierra Simone always delivers!
September 13, 2024
****4.5 Stars ****
I've sampled countless books this year, and most of them? Boring me to death. Weak, repetitive, and utterly forgettable. So when I find something like this series that is not perfect, but still grabbed me and kept me hooked over 3 books back to back, I feel it deserves high praise.
For that reason, I'm overlooking the occasional eye-roll moments brought on by the OTT plot.
At this point, when it is so bloody hard to feel engaged and invested in a story I couldn't care less.
What matters is that this series delivers:
🍿Incredible characterization,
🍿 A gripping wicked and dirty storyline,
🍿An off-the-charts chemistry between the characters. MM/MF/MMF
🍿Sizzling and intense tension.
I feel like I’ve hit the jackpot with this series.
The bad news is that the next book will be out only in 2025 and it is such a bummer!
📣📢 But hey!
In case you missed the memo. 📢📣
Mark.
Fucking.
Trevena.
made quite an impression and I will be here for the closure.
I've sampled countless books this year, and most of them? Boring me to death. Weak, repetitive, and utterly forgettable. So when I find something like this series that is not perfect, but still grabbed me and kept me hooked over 3 books back to back, I feel it deserves high praise.
For that reason, I'm overlooking the occasional eye-roll moments brought on by the OTT plot.
At this point, when it is so bloody hard to feel engaged and invested in a story I couldn't care less.
What matters is that this series delivers:
🍿Incredible characterization,
🍿 A gripping wicked and dirty storyline,
🍿An off-the-charts chemistry between the characters. MM/MF/MMF
🍿Sizzling and intense tension.
I feel like I’ve hit the jackpot with this series.
The bad news is that the next book will be out only in 2025 and it is such a bummer!
📣📢 But hey!
In case you missed the memo. 📢📣
Mark.
Fucking.
Trevena.
made quite an impression and I will be here for the closure.
July 11, 2024
SIGHHHHHH Dis tew much
July 14, 2024
3.25 stars
This wasn’t as good as I thought it was going to be 😅. I think too much time was spent on Tristan/Isolde wondering if Mark knew about them being together and not on the building the actual MMF relationship between the three of them. It added almost no tension between all three of them and it came off annoying at times. Also how did this world class spy/assasin not figure out his bodyguard was with his wife? When he literally had a bunch of cameras everywhere and they were making googoo eyes at each other 🫡.
The wedding felt really rushed too, which was a big let down since I was really looking forward to that. Especially after how good the wedding and wedding night was in her New Camelot series.
The sex scenes were good, but that’s about it. I’ve struggled with Simone’s books in the past where the erotica/sex scenes were good, but the plot around them was almost always very weak.
My biggest issue with this series too is that we see Mark with other people and he pretty much professes in this book that he’s still in love with his ex-CIA partner (who’s dead). Also his partner was a big man hoe who wasn’t that into Mark, but Mark was and is still obsessed with him, to the point where he’s going on a huge revenge quest for this guy (I thought this was really dumb). He’s obsessed with Tristan and Isolde, but he’s also not. I just get big “everyone’s together because they’re kinky and lonely” vibes from this book and not because they actually are in love with each other.
I’m really hoping book 3 builds on Mark’s character more because that’s really going to make or break this series for me.
This wasn’t as good as I thought it was going to be 😅. I think too much time was spent on Tristan/Isolde wondering if Mark knew about them being together and not on the building the actual MMF relationship between the three of them. It added almost no tension between all three of them and it came off annoying at times. Also how did this world class spy/assasin not figure out his bodyguard was with his wife? When he literally had a bunch of cameras everywhere and they were making googoo eyes at each other 🫡.
The wedding felt really rushed too, which was a big let down since I was really looking forward to that. Especially after how good the wedding and wedding night was in her New Camelot series.
The sex scenes were good, but that’s about it. I’ve struggled with Simone’s books in the past where the erotica/sex scenes were good, but the plot around them was almost always very weak.
My biggest issue with this series too is that we see Mark with other people and he pretty much professes in this book that he’s still in love with his ex-CIA partner (who’s dead). Also his partner was a big man hoe who wasn’t that into Mark, but Mark was and is still obsessed with him, to the point where he’s going on a huge revenge quest for this guy (I thought this was really dumb). He’s obsessed with Tristan and Isolde, but he’s also not. I just get big “everyone’s together because they’re kinky and lonely” vibes from this book and not because they actually are in love with each other.
I’m really hoping book 3 builds on Mark’s character more because that’s really going to make or break this series for me.
September 13, 2025
I want to run my fingers through the platinum waves of Isolde, the golden strands of Mark, the dark, luscious locks of Tristan. I want them all. I am so greedy.
My puppy, my saint. My wife, my honey. My Sir.
It is no secret that I love how Sierra Simone writes. The combination of mythology and modern retelling takes my breath away.
I am breathless.
Bring me a golden knife with rubies and honeysuckle and pretty shoes decorated with flowers that are fit for a wedding. I want thrones bedecked with forbidden fruit and crowns of bone. I want to live in this world.
Every book she writes she has me throbbing for more. More Mark. More Isolde. More Tristan (especially him). My safe word is bluebell but I don’t plan on using it. Bite me!
I am throbbing.
Re-read done to get my ready for Bitter Burn. My engines are revved and I’m gagging for it.
My puppy, my saint. My wife, my honey. My Sir.
It is no secret that I love how Sierra Simone writes. The combination of mythology and modern retelling takes my breath away.
I am breathless.
Bring me a golden knife with rubies and honeysuckle and pretty shoes decorated with flowers that are fit for a wedding. I want thrones bedecked with forbidden fruit and crowns of bone. I want to live in this world.
Every book she writes she has me throbbing for more. More Mark. More Isolde. More Tristan (especially him). My safe word is bluebell but I don’t plan on using it. Bite me!
I am throbbing.
Re-read done to get my ready for Bitter Burn. My engines are revved and I’m gagging for it.
May 25, 2025
This is fulfilling all of my love triangle desires, however this ends on a bit of a cliffhanger and it’s absolutely indecent that book 3 is not yet out. Following on from Salt Kiss which mostly features Mark, Tristan and many desks we now get multiple different combinations between Mark, Tristan and Isolde as they work out their murdery little threesome. With less desks and more rooftops, fountains and thrones..things get interesting. There is a lot of tension and waiting for revelations and betrayals to come to light and I can’t wait to find out what happens next.
I listened to this on the last day of my Libby hold (and the wait to re-borrow it was 8wks) so I absolutely sped through it at 2.0 speed but I might need to relisten at some point just to fully appreciate Mark calling Tristan puppy.
MM/MF/MMF
I listened to this on the last day of my Libby hold (and the wait to re-borrow it was 8wks) so I absolutely sped through it at 2.0 speed but I might need to relisten at some point just to fully appreciate Mark calling Tristan puppy.
MM/MF/MMF
November 12, 2025
WHAT? The ending pissed me off but whatever, onto the finale. I need answers, QUICKLY.
April 27, 2024
I don’t know what I wanted…. But it certainly wasn’t this.
June 29, 2024
I don’t know why I’m still reading this series. Not when, to me, the characters are insufferable, Mark somehow is an oblivious idiot (totally thought he knew about them being together the whole time until he’s flinging glasses and being all haughty and acting betrayed like he didn’t lie/withhold some serious truths to his “two pretty things” for monthsssss — like, whyyyy was it made out like Mark was aware of it the whole time, like when he would say things that made it seem like he knows, plus the times he acted like he was trying to out them, or let on that he knew about it all, by having Tristan do things like undo Isolde’s dress, or send Tristan off with his naked wife; idk, I was just surprised and lowkey disappointed by Mark somehow not knowing they were hooking up and, after he had his fit about it, I only got more annoyed with him acting like he wasn’t just fucking others months ago. Considering all the shit he put them through, he has no room to talk. Sorry for basically the worst run on/idek type rant I just typed. I don’t feel like going back and editing it to make more sense, or to make it read better lol.), and idk, I could continue to list things that should make me DNF this series, but this is one of those books/series for me that’s like a dumpster fire that you can’t look away from….I just can’t stop reading it, and NOW I have to wait for the next book when I thought the series was complete 😭😭😭 I’m so dumb sometimes. It took me the entire book to realize there’d be another book. I’m sick.
February 8, 2025
“It is lovely to have you together. My bodyguard and my bride. My two pretty things.”
the first part of this one felt a little slow. but lots of lore was dropped and, i suspect, a lot of foreshadowing. despite the very serious and mysterious nature of the plot, the writing had me laughing, sierra put some unserious zingers in there lmao.
i feel for tristan and am extremely nervous for what is going to happen in the last book. he is now caught up in whatever dangerous game that mark and isolde are playing, and i have a feeling it will blow up in his face as well as theirs.
I want to keep him safe from Mark’s games. From my own. I want that goodness inside him to stay good, no matter how much I also want to eat it from its source.
the first part of this one felt a little slow. but lots of lore was dropped and, i suspect, a lot of foreshadowing. despite the very serious and mysterious nature of the plot, the writing had me laughing, sierra put some unserious zingers in there lmao.
i feel for tristan and am extremely nervous for what is going to happen in the last book. he is now caught up in whatever dangerous game that mark and isolde are playing, and i have a feeling it will blow up in his face as well as theirs.
I want to keep him safe from Mark’s games. From my own. I want that goodness inside him to stay good, no matter how much I also want to eat it from its source.
June 15, 2024
Thank you Sourcebooks, Bloom books for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
holy moly!! 🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵 someone call the fire department cause this book was HOT and STEAMY!! this is my first ever Sierra Simone book and i was not prepared for what went down in this book!! I loved the story and I loved the spice! I enjoyed that it was not just pure spice but there was an interesting storyline as well that kept me intrigued.
I did not read the first book in this series but after reading this, I will definitely check it out! If you're looking for a spicy novel with a good plot, please check this book out!
Honey Cut: ★★★★☆ (4) 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ (5)
Pub date: June 18, 2024 - preorder yours now!
holy moly!! 🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵 someone call the fire department cause this book was HOT and STEAMY!! this is my first ever Sierra Simone book and i was not prepared for what went down in this book!! I loved the story and I loved the spice! I enjoyed that it was not just pure spice but there was an interesting storyline as well that kept me intrigued.
I did not read the first book in this series but after reading this, I will definitely check it out! If you're looking for a spicy novel with a good plot, please check this book out!
Honey Cut: ★★★★☆ (4) 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ (5)
Pub date: June 18, 2024 - preorder yours now!
November 27, 2024
This story was good. The scenes were hot. I liked it more with Tristan and Isolde. Mark is bossy but I guess that comes with those he wanted to be his submissive. Also, he's mean for making Tristan doing on his shoes. All the swallowing Mark made Isolde and Tristan do gross me out. Some scenes that caused the choking are too intense for me.
This story followed Isolde and Tristan. They developed a fondness for each other after the yacht trip. Isolde was to marry Mark, as an arranged marriage but Isolde's feelings grew. Tristan was left pining after both of them. Isolde has a secret side job and when she was told to complete her last task, she hesitated. Mark's enemy, at one point, was a person Isolde was sent to deal with. But Mark was there first and Isolde was saved from taking that task on. In the end, Mark figured out what Isolde was up to and they had a dual moment where either one of them could killed or be killed.
Thank you Bloom Books for the opportunity to read and review. I listened to an audiobook via Libby App.
This story followed Isolde and Tristan. They developed a fondness for each other after the yacht trip. Isolde was to marry Mark, as an arranged marriage but Isolde's feelings grew. Tristan was left pining after both of them. Isolde has a secret side job and when she was told to complete her last task, she hesitated. Mark's enemy, at one point, was a person Isolde was sent to deal with. But Mark was there first and Isolde was saved from taking that task on. In the end, Mark figured out what Isolde was up to and they had a dual moment where either one of them could killed or be killed.
Thank you Bloom Books for the opportunity to read and review. I listened to an audiobook via Libby App.
September 14, 2025
Reread (09/2025, audio):
I don’t say this about a lot of books, and when I do I mean it from the depths of my soul, but I fear Honey cut might be the perfect book (to me). Sierra achieved a balance between Machiavellian machinations of Mark and the mystery and the action and the emotion and the sheer sex of it all with the precision of an Old Master putting his imagination on canvas. I mean that interlinking trio of the dress fitting-post dress fitting-dinner scenes with each of them having their moment? Utter perfection. And don’t tell me it’s just a sex scene because it is so much more. It is plot and character development and emotion and strategy and…I’m sorry but I’ll never be able to do justice explaining it. You just have to be there. And Sierra sure takes you there. And then the crushing pain of the climax (no pun intended)? Breathtaking.
I always enjoy Oscar Reyes’ rendition of the quintessential sad boi ™️ and the other parts as well (his Mark is surprisingly sharp (slightly older and sexy sounding). Isabel Luther’s Isolde is solid but her male parts (especially Mark) aren’t my fave. Regardless, I was so immersed in the story I could not care less. I’m so fucking ready for Jacob Morgan’s Mark to obliterate me in Bitter Burn.
***
ARC review.
This book is in my blood and bones and I’m physically incapable of holding back my review any longer. We are not worthy of the brilliance that is Sierra Simone that is all.
***
I have a fever of the brain. I think I might be ruined by this book. By ink on paper. Or by ink on kindle, in this case. I’ve spent the last few hours with Tristan and Isolde and Mark, and I’m annoyed that I have to now leave them behind (until the next book) and venture out into the real world. I was already obsessed with these 3 and their dirty, messy, messy story, and now I’m even more so after this book. And when I tell you I’m obsessed with Mark, I mean I’m in ridiculously unhealthy love with this cruel, diabolical man. And I’d let him do heinous things while walking all over me and then say THANK YOU SIR MORE PLEASE!
Mark, this man, this GOD, gives morally grey a whole new definition and I love every single thing about it. And what do you mean he actually likes his “arranged” wife and step nephew bodyguard and wants to both respect them while utterly degrading them in the most depraved of ways? How inconvenient. And scandalous. And fckn hot. Idc I SUPPORT MARK’S WRONGS.
Said wife and bodyguard for their part are also marinating in pain and guilt and general misery while having said depraved things being done to them. But they love the pain it’s fine. Them being unable to keep their hands off each other (and Mark) while marinating in abject misery is also fine. LET THEM CHEAT IT IS FINE.
Isolde is still the devout assassin she’s been raised to be (groomed let’s be honest) while fighting her feelings for both the men in her life (fighting is a stretch) but her beliefs are being shaken and her choices getting harder as her romantic and kinky situation gets further tangled. She and Mark are two sides of the same coin, morally umm, flexible but with their own codes of honor. Ruthless but with a secret soft core. Okay Mark’s is like super secret. Tristan on the other hand, is all softness and light and pure love. Bb bodyguard is fierce but his two fire breathing dragons are fiercer and would go to any lengths to protect their man. With liberal doses of hurt of course.
This book is classic Sierra Simone in full form. On steroids. With a touch of magic. Her writing is always an exquisite, but in this one? It’s pure art. I had to stop and marvel at so many passages most of my kindle is now highlighted. The prose is evocative, breathtaking, tortured poetry. Both Ms Simone and Mark are freaking wordsmiths, playing with our hearts and minds until we are but putty in their hands. Yes I won’t stop talking about Mark MAKE ME.
*I received an early copy from the author and chose to read and review it. All opinions are my own*
I don’t say this about a lot of books, and when I do I mean it from the depths of my soul, but I fear Honey cut might be the perfect book (to me). Sierra achieved a balance between Machiavellian machinations of Mark and the mystery and the action and the emotion and the sheer sex of it all with the precision of an Old Master putting his imagination on canvas. I mean that interlinking trio of the dress fitting-post dress fitting-dinner scenes with each of them having their moment? Utter perfection. And don’t tell me it’s just a sex scene because it is so much more. It is plot and character development and emotion and strategy and…I’m sorry but I’ll never be able to do justice explaining it. You just have to be there. And Sierra sure takes you there. And then the crushing pain of the climax (no pun intended)? Breathtaking.
I always enjoy Oscar Reyes’ rendition of the quintessential sad boi ™️ and the other parts as well (his Mark is surprisingly sharp (slightly older and sexy sounding). Isabel Luther’s Isolde is solid but her male parts (especially Mark) aren’t my fave. Regardless, I was so immersed in the story I could not care less. I’m so fucking ready for Jacob Morgan’s Mark to obliterate me in Bitter Burn.
***
ARC review.
This book is in my blood and bones and I’m physically incapable of holding back my review any longer. We are not worthy of the brilliance that is Sierra Simone that is all.
***
I have a fever of the brain. I think I might be ruined by this book. By ink on paper. Or by ink on kindle, in this case. I’ve spent the last few hours with Tristan and Isolde and Mark, and I’m annoyed that I have to now leave them behind (until the next book) and venture out into the real world. I was already obsessed with these 3 and their dirty, messy, messy story, and now I’m even more so after this book. And when I tell you I’m obsessed with Mark, I mean I’m in ridiculously unhealthy love with this cruel, diabolical man. And I’d let him do heinous things while walking all over me and then say THANK YOU SIR MORE PLEASE!
Mark, this man, this GOD, gives morally grey a whole new definition and I love every single thing about it. And what do you mean he actually likes his “arranged” wife and step nephew bodyguard and wants to both respect them while utterly degrading them in the most depraved of ways? How inconvenient. And scandalous. And fckn hot. Idc I SUPPORT MARK’S WRONGS.
Said wife and bodyguard for their part are also marinating in pain and guilt and general misery while having said depraved things being done to them. But they love the pain it’s fine. Them being unable to keep their hands off each other (and Mark) while marinating in abject misery is also fine. LET THEM CHEAT IT IS FINE.
Isolde is still the devout assassin she’s been raised to be (groomed let’s be honest) while fighting her feelings for both the men in her life (fighting is a stretch) but her beliefs are being shaken and her choices getting harder as her romantic and kinky situation gets further tangled. She and Mark are two sides of the same coin, morally umm, flexible but with their own codes of honor. Ruthless but with a secret soft core. Okay Mark’s is like super secret. Tristan on the other hand, is all softness and light and pure love. Bb bodyguard is fierce but his two fire breathing dragons are fiercer and would go to any lengths to protect their man. With liberal doses of hurt of course.
This book is classic Sierra Simone in full form. On steroids. With a touch of magic. Her writing is always an exquisite, but in this one? It’s pure art. I had to stop and marvel at so many passages most of my kindle is now highlighted. The prose is evocative, breathtaking, tortured poetry. Both Ms Simone and Mark are freaking wordsmiths, playing with our hearts and minds until we are but putty in their hands. Yes I won’t stop talking about Mark MAKE ME.
*I received an early copy from the author and chose to read and review it. All opinions are my own*
February 7, 2025
WOW - I would give anything to get my hands on book three RIGHT NOW. THAT ENDING HURT SIERRA IT HURT MY HEART.
Did you think the ending of book one was bad? HA! That was child's play compared to this story.
In Honey Cut we are able to follow the storyline from the perspective of Tristan and Isolde which made the story ten times more enjoyable. We were able to experience multiple feelings at once. You will be anxious, sad, and frustrated. (In a good way)
This book picks up right where the cliffhanger for book one left off. Tristan and Isolde's love story takes a turn, becoming even more complicated. Their love, while passionate, is entangled with the mystery of Mark, adding a layer of intrigue that kept me flipping pages.
Mark is a master at thinking ten steps ahead. He brought Tristan and Isolde into his life for a reason, and the entire time, you are simply trying to figure out the WHY.
Why is Mark the way that he is?
Why would Mark want both of them in his life?
What does he gain at the end of the day?
This storyline is addicting, and I cannot wait to see how it develops. The spice was phenomenal, like always, and even though we get some answers to questions that have been around since book one, we do not get all of the puzzle pieces that one would want to understand what the future holds in store.
Did you think the ending of book one was bad? HA! That was child's play compared to this story.
In Honey Cut we are able to follow the storyline from the perspective of Tristan and Isolde which made the story ten times more enjoyable. We were able to experience multiple feelings at once. You will be anxious, sad, and frustrated. (In a good way)
This book picks up right where the cliffhanger for book one left off. Tristan and Isolde's love story takes a turn, becoming even more complicated. Their love, while passionate, is entangled with the mystery of Mark, adding a layer of intrigue that kept me flipping pages.
Mark is a master at thinking ten steps ahead. He brought Tristan and Isolde into his life for a reason, and the entire time, you are simply trying to figure out the WHY.
Why is Mark the way that he is?
Why would Mark want both of them in his life?
What does he gain at the end of the day?
This storyline is addicting, and I cannot wait to see how it develops. The spice was phenomenal, like always, and even though we get some answers to questions that have been around since book one, we do not get all of the puzzle pieces that one would want to understand what the future holds in store.
June 25, 2024
3.5 stars
I don't even care that this plot don't make sense. I thoroughly enjoyed myself reading this and I can't wait for the next book. 2025....ugh!!!!!!
I don't even care that this plot don't make sense. I thoroughly enjoyed myself reading this and I can't wait for the next book. 2025....ugh!!!!!!
April 4, 2025
5/5. Releases 6/18/24.
vibes: WEAPONIZED LONGING, the perfect angst recipe, the man Lana Del Rey was singing about but much better, We Can’t Discuss Our Feelings Because My Feelings Are Hard
Heat Index: 10/10
The Basics:
Isolde Laurence is in a bind (literally, at points). She’s about to marry Mark Trevena (the cold, dangerous man who deflowered her and promptly crushed her heart) in an arrangement that will enable her to seduce him and offer his secrets to her uncle, a high-ranking cardinal. However, on her way to do so, she’s fallen in love with Mark’s romantic, pining bodyguard Tristan. And Tristan–who very much loves her back–is also in love with Mark, thanks to a preexisting whirlwind affair he put a stop to upon finding out about the engagement. Isolde is determined to, if nothing else, guard her heart against her new husband. And, for personal and practical reasons, honor the agreement they made years ago: once they exchange vows, they’ll be faithful to each other.
Easier said than done.
But Isolde herself is deadlier than she seems, and in the midst of a thorny triangle, she may end up crushing not only Tristan’s heart, but her own… and maybe even Mark’s. If he has one.
The Review:
Well, this was my most-anticipated release of the year, and BY GOD did it live up to expectations. This is an ongoing series (you must read Salt Kiss before starting this one, and in my opinion? You should ABSOLUTELY also read the prequel novella, Salt in the Wound, as it lays the groundwork for Mark and Isolde’s relationship) and of course, I don’t want to count chickens before they hatch, but… If Sierra pulls the ending off–which I totally believe she will; she’s yet to let me down–this could end up being her best series yet. And that is a LOT coming from me, someone who worships at the altar of New Camelot (and Thornchapel, for that matter).
The thing about the way Sierra writes triads–and nobody does it better–is that they all feel unique. You might think that Mark, Isolde, and Tristan would have a lot in common with New Camelot’s Ash, Greer, and Embry. They’re MMF, they’re based on Arthurian myth, these people literally know each other (Sierra: I owe you my life for that cameo). But the dynamic is completely different–and in this installment especially, quite darker. I didn’t see Mark’s darkness as much in Salt Kiss (Salt in the Wound… perhaps more so, which gives you some insight into the differences between his individual dynamics with Isolde versus Tristan) but here? Um. She portrayed the conflict within him and his ruthlessness perfectly… While also letting us even further into the vulnerability she hinted at in Salt Kiss.
Mark can be a difficult character for readers to humanize, I think, because we haven’t had his POV yet. It’s easy to sort of dismiss him as this frosty, stern alpha who doles out pain while also dealing with plenty of his own (on the inside, because Mark is clearly very uncomfortable with feeling a feeling). Where she makes it brilliant is through these moments of BOYISHNESS. We got sneak peeks of boyish Mark in Salt Kiss, but here? Oh my god. The grins, the poking at Tristan, the GOOFY HOT FACETIME SEX WITH ISOLDE??? It’s so human, and dropping those sneak peeks in makes his pain even more palatable.
And the thing is that you do get that pain. Because Sierra also doesn’t shy away from the agony of a love triangle and, yes, cheating in this book. I often find that MMF is used in a sort of like… “Why choose? Heehee it’s all okay because everyone wants each other” get out of jail free card. Sierra really doesn’t do that ever, but this is the hardest she’s gone in on “these people are cheating, and it HURTS the person they’re cheating on, and it HURTS them”. No punches are pulled here. This is one of the angstiest books I’ve read, and as an angst hound, I loved every second of it.
The ending? I am going to be in actual PAIN until Bitter Burn (out early next year, SHIT). There was a moment in the last few pages of this book that made me gasp. In part because I really didn’t think she’d go there on multiple levels. This is a book of huge swings, and for me, every single one worked.
Quick Takes:
–I have been very vocal about how much the one time Mark called Tristan “puppy” in a cut scene (Beg Me, which you should absolutely read if you can–I think it’s on Sierra’s website) has not left my head since. Guess what? It’s just a regular nickname now. He says it SEVERAL times in this book, in prime moments. And I was extremely happy.
–You can for sure read this series on its own, but I will say that this book in particular “spoils” a good bit of New Camelot. In the same way that any romance in the same universe or series of standalones sort of spoils others, but if you want to read chronologically without any giveaways, you should read that series first. And in general, read it even if you do read Lyonesse first. Because it’s gorgeous.
–I can’t emphasize enough how happy Isolde and Mark’s dirty Facetime calls made me. Like. At the end of the day, Mark is just like any other man with a hot young wife, desperately trying to get a peek over his phone. While someone else peeks, perhaps.
–Isolde’s such a fantastic heroine. Broken and devoted to God and maybe lowkey a zealot, while also craving physical and emotional pain and release and Tristan’s soft heart and Mark’s cold one all at once. She’s the kind of heroine we very rarely get to read about in romance. If I’m being honest, I was a little worried about how the dynamics would balance here, as so much of the last book was Mark and Tristan on their own, and then the remainder was Tristan and Isolde on their own. (Which is another reason why you should read Salt in the Wound first, in my opinion.) But God. The dynamic of the three, the dynamic between Mark and Isolde, just blew me away. Two black cats circling each other, Mark perhaps a little more reticent to open up to Isolde than Tristan because he recognizes something of himself in her.
While at the same time, I found that Tristan and Isolde’s relationship deepened. I always fully believed in their agonized love for Mark, and their desire to stay loyal to him. Yet I also completely believed that they couldn’t possibly stay away from each other, not permanently.
–Mark’s backstory? I foresaw some surface level stuff, but not the parts that mattered. Those kind of blew my mind.
The Sex:
I mean, it’s Sierra Simone, so it’s creative and very much a part of the character development. One of the sex scenes in this book was so… it was really one of the best she’s ever written. But also? DEVIOUS. Sierra, you did not have to do us like that. However, I’m glad you did.
There are so many different “flavors” of sex in this book–super kinky, kinda vanilla (or as vanilla as these people can get), happy, angsty, sad, passionate, light, funny.
Look, dude. Read this book if you’ve read the other books. If you haven’t read the other books, read those and then read this book. I can’t recommend it enough. This is angsty, passionate, heady romance at its best. Hot and emotionally complex and well-written. Sierra’s prose! It’s what romance should be; she sets the pace, and we all must chase it.
Thanks to Candi Kane PR for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
vibes: WEAPONIZED LONGING, the perfect angst recipe, the man Lana Del Rey was singing about but much better, We Can’t Discuss Our Feelings Because My Feelings Are Hard
Heat Index: 10/10
The Basics:
Isolde Laurence is in a bind (literally, at points). She’s about to marry Mark Trevena (the cold, dangerous man who deflowered her and promptly crushed her heart) in an arrangement that will enable her to seduce him and offer his secrets to her uncle, a high-ranking cardinal. However, on her way to do so, she’s fallen in love with Mark’s romantic, pining bodyguard Tristan. And Tristan–who very much loves her back–is also in love with Mark, thanks to a preexisting whirlwind affair he put a stop to upon finding out about the engagement. Isolde is determined to, if nothing else, guard her heart against her new husband. And, for personal and practical reasons, honor the agreement they made years ago: once they exchange vows, they’ll be faithful to each other.
Easier said than done.
But Isolde herself is deadlier than she seems, and in the midst of a thorny triangle, she may end up crushing not only Tristan’s heart, but her own… and maybe even Mark’s. If he has one.
The Review:
Well, this was my most-anticipated release of the year, and BY GOD did it live up to expectations. This is an ongoing series (you must read Salt Kiss before starting this one, and in my opinion? You should ABSOLUTELY also read the prequel novella, Salt in the Wound, as it lays the groundwork for Mark and Isolde’s relationship) and of course, I don’t want to count chickens before they hatch, but… If Sierra pulls the ending off–which I totally believe she will; she’s yet to let me down–this could end up being her best series yet. And that is a LOT coming from me, someone who worships at the altar of New Camelot (and Thornchapel, for that matter).
The thing about the way Sierra writes triads–and nobody does it better–is that they all feel unique. You might think that Mark, Isolde, and Tristan would have a lot in common with New Camelot’s Ash, Greer, and Embry. They’re MMF, they’re based on Arthurian myth, these people literally know each other (Sierra: I owe you my life for that cameo). But the dynamic is completely different–and in this installment especially, quite darker. I didn’t see Mark’s darkness as much in Salt Kiss (Salt in the Wound… perhaps more so, which gives you some insight into the differences between his individual dynamics with Isolde versus Tristan) but here? Um. She portrayed the conflict within him and his ruthlessness perfectly… While also letting us even further into the vulnerability she hinted at in Salt Kiss.
Mark can be a difficult character for readers to humanize, I think, because we haven’t had his POV yet. It’s easy to sort of dismiss him as this frosty, stern alpha who doles out pain while also dealing with plenty of his own (on the inside, because Mark is clearly very uncomfortable with feeling a feeling). Where she makes it brilliant is through these moments of BOYISHNESS. We got sneak peeks of boyish Mark in Salt Kiss, but here? Oh my god. The grins, the poking at Tristan, the GOOFY HOT FACETIME SEX WITH ISOLDE??? It’s so human, and dropping those sneak peeks in makes his pain even more palatable.
And the thing is that you do get that pain. Because Sierra also doesn’t shy away from the agony of a love triangle and, yes, cheating in this book. I often find that MMF is used in a sort of like… “Why choose? Heehee it’s all okay because everyone wants each other” get out of jail free card. Sierra really doesn’t do that ever, but this is the hardest she’s gone in on “these people are cheating, and it HURTS the person they’re cheating on, and it HURTS them”. No punches are pulled here. This is one of the angstiest books I’ve read, and as an angst hound, I loved every second of it.
The ending? I am going to be in actual PAIN until Bitter Burn (out early next year, SHIT). There was a moment in the last few pages of this book that made me gasp. In part because I really didn’t think she’d go there on multiple levels. This is a book of huge swings, and for me, every single one worked.
Quick Takes:
–I have been very vocal about how much the one time Mark called Tristan “puppy” in a cut scene (Beg Me, which you should absolutely read if you can–I think it’s on Sierra’s website) has not left my head since. Guess what? It’s just a regular nickname now. He says it SEVERAL times in this book, in prime moments. And I was extremely happy.
–You can for sure read this series on its own, but I will say that this book in particular “spoils” a good bit of New Camelot. In the same way that any romance in the same universe or series of standalones sort of spoils others, but if you want to read chronologically without any giveaways, you should read that series first. And in general, read it even if you do read Lyonesse first. Because it’s gorgeous.
–I can’t emphasize enough how happy Isolde and Mark’s dirty Facetime calls made me. Like. At the end of the day, Mark is just like any other man with a hot young wife, desperately trying to get a peek over his phone. While someone else peeks, perhaps.
–Isolde’s such a fantastic heroine. Broken and devoted to God and maybe lowkey a zealot, while also craving physical and emotional pain and release and Tristan’s soft heart and Mark’s cold one all at once. She’s the kind of heroine we very rarely get to read about in romance. If I’m being honest, I was a little worried about how the dynamics would balance here, as so much of the last book was Mark and Tristan on their own, and then the remainder was Tristan and Isolde on their own. (Which is another reason why you should read Salt in the Wound first, in my opinion.) But God. The dynamic of the three, the dynamic between Mark and Isolde, just blew me away. Two black cats circling each other, Mark perhaps a little more reticent to open up to Isolde than Tristan because he recognizes something of himself in her.
While at the same time, I found that Tristan and Isolde’s relationship deepened. I always fully believed in their agonized love for Mark, and their desire to stay loyal to him. Yet I also completely believed that they couldn’t possibly stay away from each other, not permanently.
–Mark’s backstory? I foresaw some surface level stuff, but not the parts that mattered. Those kind of blew my mind.
The Sex:
I mean, it’s Sierra Simone, so it’s creative and very much a part of the character development. One of the sex scenes in this book was so… it was really one of the best she’s ever written. But also? DEVIOUS. Sierra, you did not have to do us like that. However, I’m glad you did.
There are so many different “flavors” of sex in this book–super kinky, kinda vanilla (or as vanilla as these people can get), happy, angsty, sad, passionate, light, funny.
Look, dude. Read this book if you’ve read the other books. If you haven’t read the other books, read those and then read this book. I can’t recommend it enough. This is angsty, passionate, heady romance at its best. Hot and emotionally complex and well-written. Sierra’s prose! It’s what romance should be; she sets the pace, and we all must chase it.
Thanks to Candi Kane PR for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
June 18, 2024
Tristan + Mark + Isolde
Book #2 - Isolde's book.
Tristan and Isolde have arrived in New York - where Mark and Isolde will get married soon.
Tristan is in love with both of them - he doesn't know if he'll be able to watch them get married - even though he knows that it's all fake.
But is it really all fake?
And what is with all of those secrets? They're all out-secreting each other with very dangerous things.
What will happen to our three darlings?
Read the book to find out - a little bit at least...we'll get a third book! LOL!
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Well.
The second book was just as crazy weird and erotic as the first one(s).
And of course it was so full of secrets. Ugh how I hate secrets!
I'm not a fan of the kinky BDSMy submissive stuff. And I hate religion so much - so... no idea why I keep reading these books!? But I love them anyway.
This was a really mysterious and secretive and verry sexy MMF book. I can't wait to see how it will all end with those three.
With everyone having secrets and whatnots - it won't be easy to get a Happily Ever After - but we'll hope for it anyway!
HONEY CUT was another very erotic and mysterious and secretive and dangerous book in this great trilogy! I need book #3 asap please!
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
CLICK >HERE< TO PREORDER THE BOOK if you can't click the buy-links ↓
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August 7, 2024
this book is just ... bad
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