Salt Kiss

Lyonesse #1

by Sierra Simone

Tristan Thomas is lost.

After leaving the Army, the young former soldier is in limbo. Until, that is, he’s hired by Mark Trevena, the owner of Lyonesse—DC’s ultra-secret club—to be Mark’s new bodyguard. He’s drawn into Mark’s dark, seductive world of power and desire, and slowly drawn to Mark himself, even though Mark is everything Tristan knows he shouldn’t want: cruel and wicked and shamelessly amoral.

But protecting Mark isn’t Tristan’s only duty: soon, Mark asks him to guard his soon-to-be bride as she travels home from Ireland on Mark’s yacht. Tristan is jealous—and hurt to learn that the object of his obsession is engaged—but the soldier in him is made to obey orders, and he goes to fetch Mark’s bride for him.

Isolde Laurence is nothing like Tristan expected, however. Young, quiet, and sharp, she’s being pushed into this marriage by her family, and as the two travel back to America, Tristan finds himself fascinated with Isolde and the glimpses he gets of the lonely but determined woman behind her reserve. And the fascination is mutual: one night, while sailing under the cold stars, they share a searing kiss.

From there, it’s a fast fall into the forbidden.

But in Mark Trevena’s world, the fall is only the beginning…

The Lyonesse trilogy is a queer, kinky contemporary retelling of the legend of Tristan and Isolde, set in the same world as the New Camelot series. Readers will not have to read New Camelot to enjoy Lyonesse, although readers who enjoyed New Camelot will find all the things they loved about the trilogy here: MMF ménage, plenty of the angsty forbidden, and a sweeping retelling of a familiar story.

Genres: Romance, Dark Romance, BDSM, M M F, M M Romance, Audiobook, Contemporary

354 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 12, 2023

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

anyone: “I want spice.”

Sierra Simone: “hold my beer.”

LAWRD HAVE MERCY.

That was hot.

And that ending?? Excuse me, I need the next one pronto. It’s going to be just as good.

This was absolutely addicting, a page turner, got me feeling flushed, and was just absolute perfection. I loved Mark, Tristan and Isolde and I cannot wait for more. I need more. I crave it. Lol

[Nikita Navalkar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread (audio, 08/23/2025-08/31/2025):

This motherfucker Mark hasn’t needed a bodyguard a day in his life, the sneaky diabolical manipulative lethal Devil. I love him so much. 😩 Every time I read these books, Mastermind by Taylor Swift plays in my head on loop because it’s Mark Trevena’s theme song. I will be taking no arguments at this time. And Tristan? Mark maybe cryptic and Machiavellian but Tristan is the biggest drama queen and I adore him for it. The angst! The pining! Poor bb just wants to be loved 🥹

***

She’s an icon, she’s a legend, she is the Moment.

RTC

***

Never mind I’m dropping this review right now coz I do what I want 😆

***

Hello, welcome to a Sierra Simone book. Come for the profoundly sexy smut, stay for the pretty turns of phrase and the occasional philosophical discussion. Or is it the other way round? Anyway whatever you came for be rest assured you will find it and more. The woman knows how to snare your senses with beautifully woven word tapestries cleverly disguising stories of exquisite pain and torture and sex and sorrow and heart squeezing joy underneath. Is it any wonder I’m obsessed with her word magic?

Coming back from that tangent, with this foray into the Lyonesse world, Ms Simone is back within her favored hunting grounds of DC and international politics, secret agency shenanigans, moody Cornish cottages, and elegantly dirty high society kink. A combination no one else can pull off with such panache. I know I said this in my Salt in the Wound review, but it bears repeating, this series feels like returning home to my Camelot loving heart, even though it’s not at all like Camelot other than for the obvious connections. And yes, do not directly jump into this book, reading SitW first is mandatory to make it make sense. While SitW gave us the first taste of the dynamic between Mark and Isolde and the tiniest hint of Tristan, Salt Kiss lets us sink our teeth in the other relationships of the series. And they are ~fraught~ you guys.

Bebe Tristan is in deep deep shit, falling first for his step uncle slash boss and then for said boss’s fiancé. And that’s not even the half of it. The boss is Mark Trevena, enigmatic former spy now kink club owner extraordinaire, and his affianced is Isolde, platinum spooned (and haired hehe) banking heiress with religious aspirations tempered with a penchant for blades and pain. And bb Tristan is the cinnamonest of rolls. With an edge, but still the goldenest of retrievers. All he wants is love, the poor puppy. Must proteccc at all costs. Ironic, since he’s the bodyguard, but lord sneaky and lady stabby are the ones wanting to do the protecting.

Speaking of the devils, Simone has created a truly delightful morally corrupt antihero in Mark Trevena, ruthlessly cold and diabolical. Machiavellian mastermind. Unlike her usual heroes, who tend to be ultimately noble and good even when they’re freaky sadists in the sheets, Mark is none of those things (except for a sadist) and therein lies his appeal. Basically Mark can pull my hair and step on me, and I’ll say thank you. Not that we know any of his motivations or plans yet, he’s one sneaky daddy dom. Isolde too, is all restrained elegance and silken strength, but we already know she’s hella diabolical. Isolde can also step on me. Bebe T has his work cut out for him.

Can you believe I’ve written half a paper on this book and not even mentioned the 🌶️ content? Ms Simone is a legend among her peers, and a poet among (erotic) writers. No matter what dirty and depraved activities she’s writing about, reading it feels more sacred than prayer, and more transcendent than meditation. Never tell me romance is just porn. Ms. Simone is as skilled at edging her readers as Mark Trevena is his subs, and that’s saying something, because we are brought enticingly close to confirming theories and proving speculations but then you’re already at the edge of that cliffy and all I can do now is wait for March so I can be relieved from my misery and longing. And SO CAN THEY! They will be right, Ms Simone?! RIGHT???

CW:
Cheating (ish) but they all like each other so it’s fine don’t worry about it, mentions of PTSD and war (in the past), bdsm (I don’t think this needs to be a warning but if you need it) this is a kinky book okay

*I received an arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own*

***

Post bonus scene musings:

This scene is a thing of beauty. In that you can absolutely go about your life without it and you won’t be missing critical info. But at the same time it teases and baits and foreshadows and will overall enhance your reading experience of the series. So you should go read it anyway. And yes, it’s wonderfully smutty

[Jenn (The Book Refuge) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could NOT put this down. I am HOOKED. I cannot wait for what comes next. These 3 are gonna be messy and I'm gonna grab my popcorn.

Sierra Simone is one of the few authors I would let bring me down a road like this. But here we are.

Tristan is in deep and the life vests have been thrown away.

Isolde is more dangerous than she seems.

Mark is just twisting everyone in knots but he's sexy as hell and I love it.

5 stars
4.5 on the spice scale

CW: PTSD

[Lana ❇✾DG Romance❇✾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 STARS

I want two people. I’m not able to have either of them.

GAWD but I missed Sierra Simone's writing and this book made me want to go an binge on her backlist all over again because WOW. How this woman is able to combine eroticism with a beautifully framed story that will make you squirm and obsess is beyond me but I hope she never stops.

I’m in love with her fiancé, and I’m hard underneath her.

This book pulled me in from the very first chapter and kept me in a complete chokehold until the end.

Tristan Thomas is impossible not to immediately fall in love with. There's just something about this lost soul that called to me. He's fresh off a war and still fighting the memories that wake him up in a cold sweat. When he gets the opportunity to be a bodyguard for Mark Trevena, in spite of his father's best wishes. Mark is Tristan's new uncle-in-law, previous CIA, and the enigmatic owner of the ultra secret club, Lyonesse. What Tristan isn't prepared for is the raw and electric attraction to his new boss.

I need to be his. On my knees, on my back, humiliated, bruised, used. Whatever he wants me to be, I want it too.

Tristan is the innocent lab to Mark's devious desires. But although he's inexperienced, he still knows what he wants, and it's to be used by his new boss.

When I tell you that the chemistry between the two of them is incendiary, I mean I was entirely enthralled with them. Mark's dark mystery to Tristan's sweet romantic heart was addictive to read about. But nothing prepares the reader for when Tristan comes face to face with Mark's fiancé and immediately is drawn to her.

When I tell you I read this book with bated breath, I mean it was impossible to put down. The pacing was flawless, the characters layered and unique, and the romance sizzling. There were moments where the pacing slowed down a bit and I wanted more, but all of that blurred in comparison to how much this story sucked me in. And that cliffhanger? I'm not even sure how I'll survive the wait until the next book.

ARC courtesy of author in exchange for an honest review

Find me on:

[Grace Btrs · Rating 4 out of 5]

🌶️ Spice, spice, baby
Not for the faint of heart, and certainly not for you if you’re not in a spicy, smutty mood and ready to be “on” the entire time you’re reading/listening.
Open this book at your own peril.

🗡️ My knight with a dagger lodged in his heart
This is told from Tristan’s POV alone.
But don’t worry, our narrator is hot, his voice is like warm honey poured over gravel (soothing yet dangerous), and he had me craving my next listening session.
Our sweet, sweet Tristan is a hopeless, desperate romantic, and somehow still entertaining to live inside his head.
I actually enjoyed him more than Isolde in book 0.5, though it’s impossible not to feel for her and see how much she’s changed since those events.
What really surprised me: Tristan’s internal dialogue occasionally makes you stop and actually ask yourself questions. A spicy book with introspection? We stan.

🍷 The curse… or the kink?
In the original legend, Tristan and Isolde accidentally drink a love potion.
In this retelling, Tristan calls it a “curse”: he falls in love and attaches immediately to people.
Now, I don’t know about curses, but if being under that spell means Tristan would describe me the way he describes Mark and Isolde (their minds, their hearts, their… everything), then curse me a hundred ways through Sunday and make me beg for more.
The mouth on this man.🫠
Even sexier? Him just thinking all these things.
Mothers, I want to rot inside his brain.
That alone should tell you how spicy and kinky this book is. But I’ll let you venture those waters yourself.
(Also, let me know if you want advice on what type of “care package” to prep before diving in ~ just saying)📦

📚 Yes, it’s erotica. No, it’s not brainless.
Even though this could be classified as erotica, Sierra keeps the plot alive and balanced with the spice.
Her lyricism and romantic writing style shouldn’t be discounted just because this book is drenched in heat.

♂️ Dear Sierra, my girl…
We need to talk about the male figures — and father figures — in your life. If I thought the religious trauma was evident before, this book just said, “hold my wine.”
But thank you for sharing your worlds with us. We love and appreciate you for it.

--
Pre-read:
I know I am setting myself up, but: make me sweat.😏
Tristan and Isolde retelling, à trois.🎧

Recommended for my 25 from 25 for 2025 by my beautiful Sandy.

[Wobilba · Rating 3 out of 5]

This entire book is about Tristan getting down and dirty with Mark and falling in love & repeating it with Isolde. The End! Nothing major happens 🙄 i probably would’ve enjoyed it more if I cared about Tristan but I don’t. I just want Mark & Isolde and I got nothing…just a teeny tiny crumb at the very end 😭
But I take comfort in the fact that this was smut goodness 🥵

**************************************

I’m in my Sierra Simone smutfest era 💋🥵

[Andrea ☾ [is inconsistently consistant] · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ⭐️ Great intro - Shouldn't have been a separate book.

This entire book is literally just the blurb. All of it. The blurb -aka what you read so it can get you hooked on the story and you want to learn more- tells you the ending. I've spent the last two days reading about a sweet, tortured man fall in love twice... and that's it. He falls in love. No one else. He's not in a relationship with either of the people he's fallen for. They don't fall in love with him. He's nothing to anyone. And it's so f*cking sad.

For reference this is the book's blurb (don't read if you want to read this book anyway):

After leaving the army, the young former soldier is in limbo. Until, that is, he's hired by Mark Trevena, the owner of Lyonesse―DC's ultra-secret club―to be Mark's new bodyguard. He's drawn into Mark's dark, seductive world of power and desire, and slowly drawn to Mark himself, even though Mark is everything Tristan knows he shouldn't want: cruel and wicked and shamelessly amoral. But protecting Mark isn't Tristan's only duty: soon, Mark asks him to guard his soon-to-be bride as she travels home from Ireland on Mark's yacht. Tristan is jealous―and hurt to learn that the object of his obsession is engaged―but the former soldier in him is made to obey orders, and he goes to fetch Mark's bride for him. Isolde Laurence is nothing like Tristan expected, however. Young, quiet, and sharp, she's being pushed into this marriage by her family, and as the two travel back to America, Tristan finds himself fascinated with Isolde and the glimpses he gets of the lonely but determined woman behind her reserve. And the fascination is mutual: one night, while sailing under the cold stars, they share a searing kiss.

From there, it's a fast fall into the forbidden for all three of them.

And this book literally ends where the "from there" should begin. There is nothing 'from there'. It's a deliciously torturous beginning to what I'm sure will be a torturous romance. But this isn't it. I wish more than anything that I would've waited to pick up this book until the series was done being published, because this should've been a very long book, not a series. Why make two spare books? The cliffhanger is not even a cliffhanger, is just the beginning of the MMF story. Because the book was half MM bdsm romance and a quarter MF k!nk erotica (the other quarter is just introductions and us getting situated into the story).

This book is NOT -I repeat- it's not MMF! Which is a huge disappointment, since it's targeted as such. The second part of this series, I'm sure, will be MMF. This one is NOT.

The story itself is a great time. I probably would've given it over 4 stars if the story was whole. I really liked the writing and Tristan's portrayal, his personality, his struggles. I was really good. It's plenty dark and the level of degradation k1nk here is through the roof. It's very, very intense, and I surprisingly loved it. I'm not a person that tends to enjoy reading books with degradation -if I'm honest I've actively stopped myself from reading books I know I'd otherwise enjoy because I knew they had degradation in them. What I've realized, though, is that my problem with degradation is that it's always MALE Doms, and the female subs are the ones being degraded. Women being degraded by men is a tad too close to the unfortunate cruelty of the world for me to enjoy as a fantasy. Men being the subject of degradation, however... that I apparently like, because I enjoyed reading Tristan's POV so much. The whole book is narrated from his side of things, and although at first I was skeptical I shouldn't have been. Seeing everything through his eyes, reading about his feelings and experiences is what carried this book. His lack of experience made everything new and exciting.

The protagonist here is Tristan, a 29 year old v1rgin soldier whose life lacks structure and meaning - and he finds it all in Mark. Which I would've liked way more if I could understand why Tristan falls in love with Mark to begin with. Mark is cruel and cold and unfeeling, and I understand that since Tristan's into degradation he would desire someone like Mark... but fall in love with him? Tristan falling for Isolde, sure, that I get. But Mark? That was one of my biggest issue with this book. That and the fact that I kept waiting for the 'F' in this 'MMF' to show up, only for her to make a couple of small cameos and then - curtain- the end.

I really did enjoy this... but it feels like it's missing half of the book. I would not recommend reading this until book #2 is out. You will be very disappointed otherwise.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ /5
🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶 / 5*

Thank you so, so much Net Galley for providing me with an eARC of the book!!

*I think this is only the second or third time I've given all 5 spicy peppers to a book. Seriously, beware of the heat cause it will melt your face off... I loved it!

[mina reads™️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

utterly insane, soooo sexy, and wildly entertaining. i do think sierra simone is tapped into a certain eroticism and beauty in her spicy romances that just puts her leagues above her peers in many ways.

[TrippyBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly hot . Finished in one day.

Mark and Tristan had some really good chemistry and I was a little nervous how i would feel once tristan met isolde but I should have known better than to doubt sierra Simone . Mark is a nasty manipulative man . I love him tho 😈😂

This is the first full book in a trilogy and the next book doesnt drop until june 2024 . This leaves on a cliffhanger so if i were u id wait cuz im DEVASTATED

In my opinion,? Her books are best as audiobooks they are always done well.

[‎lis☾⋆˙✩ · Rating 5 out of 5]

a nun, a prom king, and a dom walk into a bar….

Salt is bright and light on my tongue as I brush my lips over hers.

i devoured this book. i loved it. the plot was plotting and the smut was smutting. the majority of this book is mark x tristan, with isolde making her appearance ~70%. tristan is mark’s nephew in law (the son of his sisters new husband) that he hires as a bodyguard and asks to go fetch his betrothed for him. it is a tristan x isolde retelling so we somewhat know where this is going. what we don’t know is mark’s true intentions with both isolde and tristan, and vice versa…

Mark might think he could move Tristan Thomas across the board like a pout-mouthed little knight, but Tristan himself might have other plans. This mysterious future wife of Mark's might have other plans too.

**make sure to read salt in the wound first!

[Celeste Raine · Rating 5 out of 5]

SOMEONE DUMP MY BODY IN ARCTIC OCEAN BC I AM SO HOT AND BOTHERED FROM THIS BOOK JFC 🥵😮‍💨

- This is typical Sierra Simone lyrical, poetic writing
- Metaphors and similes that make me WEEP
- Historical referencing (Tristan x Isolde retelling)
- Crossovers from her other books
- The best spice I have ever read in my life

There’s nothing wrong with this book. It’s thrilling.
The distrust that Sierra has woven through the story.. well, it made me question absolutely everything that was occurring throughout the plot and it is superb!

The entire time, I couldn’t tell when or if Mark was ever genuine. But holy shit is he HOT. Controlling. Possessive. King Dom.
Tristan is a touch starved, beautiful man.
Isolde is a badass woman.
And they ALL need therapy.

This book gives House of Cards political thriller with a little bit of magic and a butt load of spice. As in 5x🌶️ spice.

AND THAT CLIFFHANGER! I’m reeling.

[✩ Yaz ✩ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️

There are no words for what I do. Even obsession doesn’t capture the swiftness and intensity with which I can fall in love. And like an infection, my obsession needs only the tiniest cut, the shallowest scrape to take root. A single glance, a kind word as I’m handed a cup of coffee.

With Sierra Simon, you're always in for an erotic literary spectacle when it comes to her books and Salt Kiss was no different—it unfurls the beginning of a deliciously forbidden MMF love triangle which features a bodyguard whose heart belongs to not only his boss but also his boss's soon-to-be bride.

While I liked the book in general but I guess it still felt an incomplete book to me. I wish we had more of Isolde in this one. Maybe because I read the Novella Salt in the Wound before reading this so I got attached to her. The last quarter also felt rushed so I didn't get enough but I guess that's why there is a sequel.

Sierra is one of the very few authors who I can trust to write an interesting sub/dom dynamic and include different kinks that feel organic to the characters and their desires. It doesn't feel forced. The angsty tension between Tristan and Mark was delightful but what I really needed was to get into Mark's head.

I think the book would've benefitted from adding Mark and Isolde's POVs and not just rely on Tristan sole first-person narration because I did get bored being in his head sometimes.

Tristan is an utter cinnamon despite being an ex-soldier and once he falls, he falls hard.

I have to say THAT ENDING has me excited for the sequel Honey Cut and things are indeed about to heat up for those three!

Content warnings: features graphic sexual content and character dealing with PTSD.

[Emmyreads444 · Rating 5 out of 5]

all I want for Christmas is the next damn book in this series to drop because I’m so fucking impatient and this series is so good

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the Kindle version of this book last year and I listened to the audiobook this time to remind myself of the plot before going into Bitter Burn. As always, my honest thoughts and opinions are directly below.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

This book follows Tristan Thomas, son to Mark Trevena's sister's husband, as he is offered the exclusive job of being Mark's bodyguard. What he was not intending was to fall in love with his boss.

What he also wasn't expecting is that his boss is marrying Isolde Laurence, which ends any thought of a happy ending that Tristan may have had. He wasn't expecting to fall in love with Isolde as well, which puts him in even worse of a situation when he is asked to take her back to Mark from Ireland.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

I still feel bad for both Tristan and Isolde because I know the heartbreak they are both going through since they both love Mark. I feel bad that they have to live with the guilt now of knowing they broke Mark's trust by having sex with each other.

I've already read the book so nothing that happened was a shock to me but the fact that Sedge knows what happened still filled me with dread. I still shudder at the thought that he could tell his boss what had happened on the yacht at any time.

I know Tristan and Isolde struggle with that very consequence throughout "Honey Cut" and I'm not looking forward to that. Mark really put Tristan in a very hard place to be in and I'm still convinced that he did it on purpose.

I think Mark planned for everything from the very start and I think he put Tristan in that difficult place to test his loyalty but that's just my suspicious nature speaking more than anything else. I think I'm just paranoid about other people's motives more than I thought when I started the book.

I'm obviously hoping Tristan and Isolde have a happy ending but I don't know how the original story plays out so I'm not holding out any hope. I have a feeling it ends similarly to Macbeth, in that they don't get a happy ending, but we'll see what Sierra does.

I am definitely looking forward to continuing the trilogy and will be listening to "Bitter Burn" with my lip between my teeth. I have to be careful with the intimate scenes in the book, though, since I'm listening to the audiobooks, especially in public. lol

One of the pitfalls of being a reactive reader, I guess. lmao I obviously would recommend this book and the trilogy in general since I have enjoyed everything I've read or consumed by Sierra Simone thus far. I can't wait to see how the trilogy plays out!

[K.A. Linde · Rating 5 out of 5]

A devastating tour de force. Magnetic, achingly sexy, and pouty passionate perfection. Five stars aren’t enough.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jeepers, I’m full on body shaking.

I don’t know how I can go on with my life right now.

I feel like I’ve just run a marathon, and can’t get my breath. Holy shit!

I feel the need to read this book again and again and again. I want to create a shrine to it with lots of candles, magnolia petals, and butterfly shaped salads. I want to kneel at it’s feet whilst wearing an emerald green gown. I’m writing it into my will that I be buried with it. Actually I’ll probably be cremated because this book made me burn. It’s that good.

Oh Tristan Thomas, I knew I would fall in love with you. Such a sweet little puppy who can calmly kill would be assassins. I want to run my fingers through his luscious, silky locks whilst he kneels at my feet. Or I could kneel at his. I would let him choose.

Honestly,I wasn’t sure about Isolde. She had seemed a bit cold in Salt In The Wound. I got to the chapter where she’s about to meet Tristan for the first time and I went back to re-read Salt In The Wound to get a better grip of timelines. I warmed to her in Salt Kiss. My beautiful pearl haired maiden. I definitely recommend you read SITW either before or during reading Salt Kiss.

And Mark? Unffffffffffffff. I can’t cope with his sexiness. Why does his wrist watch turn me on so much?

I’m groaning with impatience for the next book. If it’s as delicious as this one, I may need to warn the husband to start trying to build up his stamina. Definitely need batteries or toys on full charge. Or both. Both is good.

Update - Re-read done in readiness for Bitter Burn. Oh my goodness, the candles! I’m on fire.

[Christi (christireadsalot) · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I want two people.
I’m not able to have either of them.”

Omg I am legit obsessed with this book and series! I devoured the prequel novella, Salt in the Wound, a few months ago and was so excited to get an ARC of this first book. I wasn’t even sure how this book would start after how the prequel ended, but I really loved the direction it went in!

We follow Tristan as he becomes Mark’s new bodyguard. We see the complex feelings he starts to feel for Mark and the relationship they start to form. It isn’t until months later that Tristan even learns Mark is engaged to Isolde and to say things get complicated, well this quote sums it up perfectly…

“I’m just a bodyguard, and she’s engaged, and I’m in love with her fiancé.”

I loved seeing Tristan with Mark, I loved seeing Tristan with Isolde. We have Mark, a former CIA agent, Tristan the virgin bodyguard, and Isolde the badass woman who wanted to become a nun but was put into an arranged betrothal with Mark. We get BDSM, play with submission and pain, and everything is just delicious. This MMF Tristan and Isolde retelling is already off to a fantastic start and this series is my fav from Sierra Simone yet!

I received an ARC, all thoughts in this review are my own! Salt Kiss has a pub date of September 12, 2023.

[Kirstie · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 ⭐️
4.5/5 🌶️

Read if you like:
- Forbidden Romance
- Forced Proximity
- Morally Grey Characters
- Virgin MCs
- Arranged Marriage
- BDSM Themes
- Breeding and Praise Kink (honestly so much more, this book was so kinky)

holy fuck this was hot and so, so good. Sierra is undeniably THE queen of spice. She NEVEEERRR misses. I just know this series is going to be my new Roman Empire after The New Camelot trilogy 😩

And that cliffhanger at the end? The last sentence? BRUH I’m gonna need the next one ASAP! This was so addicting, I could not put it down.

(Edit - Mar. 2) Also, I definitely recommend listening to the audiobook 😘

[Vanessa Booked Up · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars!

Loved it. Obsessed. Going right into Honey Cut immediately!

[✰ Bianca ✰ BJ's Book Blog ✰ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tristan + Mark + Isolde

Mark is a former CIA agent who now owns a very exclusive and elite private club in Washington. You don't pay a member fee, you pay in information.
Tristan is the son of the new husband of Mark's oldest sister.
And now he's also his new step-uncle's personal bodyguard.
And he's very interested in that body. Preferably naked.
But Mark is not sure if Tristan is ready for what that would mean.
Being HIS. In all the ways he would need him to be his.
But Tristan is still very interested.
Until he finds out that Mark is engaged. To a girl!

LET THE FUN TIMES BEGIN!

══════════════════




If you've read the free prequel novella you already know a bit more about Mark and his future wife and the whys and hows.
But this first full-length book in the series is all about Tristan. It's all his POV. How he comes to work as Mark's personal bodyguard. About how he has been in the military forever and he's been through a lot. So being Marks sub is not scaring him away like Mark thinks it does or should.
But they can never be together, right? Not really. Not when Mark is getting married soon. Or can they?
We'll find out soon. Well, maybe not soon-soon - because we get three books - LOL!

I really enjoyed reading this book and I can't wait to see where the next two books will take us with those three! Why is March 2024 so far away??!

Tiny PS. I'm not a huge fan of the kinky BDSMy submissive thing. But it didn't bother me too much here.
It's all very kinky and sexy but there's so much more in this book too. Funny moments. Heartbreaking moments. Exciting and suspensy and mysterious moments....

Great book! Great start for this new series! Hurry up March! I need book #2 asap!

SALT KISS was a very sexy and slightly secret-agenty start to this new trilogy! I loved it!
Run to your nearest book dealer for your own Tristan, Mark and Isolde!


💜 💜

[Laurens.Little.Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

As my friend Dani so perfectly put, Salt in the Wound and Salt Kiss read like three novellas:

⟶Salt in the Wound - Introduction to Isolde + Mark
⟶Salt Kiss (first half) - Introduction to Tristan + Mark
⟶Salt Kiss (second half) - Introduction to Isolde + Tristan

Even when much wasn't happening I was enthralled, especially with the mystery that is Mark mf Trevena, the ruthless enigma we witness through Tristan's eyes.

Salt Kiss is a little less potent than Salt in the Wound, with slight bumps in the pacing and the tension never ratcheting as high between Tristan and his lovers as what we got in the (free) novella.

Even still, it's a spicy, kinky-as-hell novel that, when paired together, perfectly sets up Simone's new series.

Counting down the days until Honey Cut is in my hands...

[Natasha Niezgoda · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE. LAST. SENTENCE.

OH SHIIIIIIIT!!!!!! I called it, but still… SHIT!

3.75 ⭐️

[Miccaeli · Rating 3 out of 5]

I open every Sierra Simone book thinking 'how is she going to expand on the horny catholic agenda this time' and in this book she puts a chapel on yacht purely so two people can have sex in it. and the queen stays queen

[DJO · Rating 1 out of 5]

This got a glowing review on the Joyfully Jay blog (opening statement: “Salt Kiss is easily the best book I’ve read so far this year”) and has many stellar reviews here on GR. Clearly, it works for a lot of folks and I am wayyy in the minority, but I just don’t get it. I’m 25% in and am so, so very bored and rolling my eyes every other paragraph. I don’t like the writing, I don’t like the OTT BDSM, and none of the characters read remotely like real people. If it wasn’t for the male narrator I would swear that the MC is a woman. The way he talks and thinks…how is this guy a hardened former Marine? So much poetic and romantic gobbledy-gook going through his head, it's disorienting. Speaking of the narrator, he is not helping matters. I can think of other narrators who, if they were reading this, might be able to keep me engaged. Not this guy. I def have FOMO dipping out like this, but it feels like too much work to stick with it.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't really feel the chemistry between Tristan and Mark but the momentum was building with Tristan and Isolde when they FINALLY met. I especially loved when he was ready to hate her and then when he met her, he couldn't help but be a little obsessed... but it was anticlimactic when he ended it with her and proclaimed his love for Marc...

Then we have Isolde, who did nothing but cry in this one... where was the backbone she was supposed to have?

I am still looking forward to Book 2 because i am still holding out hope that this gets better between them.

The chemistry between Tristan and Isolde is ten times better than Tristan and Mark...

[Clarice · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars: I really liked it, but didn't feel the romance between Tristan/Mark/Isolde as much as Greer/Ash/Embry. The action scenes and plot were a million times better. I hope the romance develops more as the series goes on. Also I love how Mark is basically bdsm John Wick.

[Siobhan Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED, LOVED, LOVED. Can't wait for book two!

[Mer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Omg this was SO good!!! Sierra Simone is the queen of spice🥵 loved it.

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you’ve read as many dark romance books as I have, the formula for the love story becomes expected. And while I don’t mind that, whenever I come across a book that totally surprises me, I go absolutely FERAL.

I have NEVER been as conflicted about a man as I am about Mark. His intentions are blurry and very much still unknown at this point. He’s a puzzle I’m itching to figure out. The plot in this is so different and unique for Sierra. I genuinely don’t know what direction she is taking this series, and it’s thrilling.

Also it wouldn’t be a Sierra Simone book without spicy time in a church. Yes it was hot. Obviously.

P. S. Yes you must read Salt In The Wound first. DON’T SKIP IT.

Spice:

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

**** 4.5 stars ****

What waz that?!



I couldn't be more invested in this scorching hot tale.
Bring on the next!