Ummm yes, so much yes. I loved this book! I loved that there was plot with the perfect amount of spice- it touched in real issues such as the ptsd and Made you fall in love with the characters and their relationships as they develop. And that ending…. I am (im)patiently waiting for the second installment to see what happens next. Definitely recommend this book!

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and author for allowing me to read this book in exchange for a review - well worth it!

Ooooh? An MMF based on a medieval chivalric romance set in modern times? Yes, Please.

This messy, chaotic romance is just what I needed.

Tristan is the main character, and his story follows two very different relationships. With Mark, Tristan is his bodyguard with outside forces driving them apart. With Isolde, the relationship is about healing and finding peace. Oh, did I mention that she’s engaged to Mark? Hello, Plot Twist.

This salty, messy, and super spicy romance will not leave you disappointed.

Let me start by saying that you should stop right now and go read/listen to Salt in The Wound before getting to this one.  The free prequel to this story sets up a lot of the politics and machinations you don't want to miss. In that one, Marl Trevena, former CIA and now owner of an exclusive kink club in NYC and Isolde Laurence, his reluctant bride-to-be, are introduced.

Now, enter Tristan Thomas. Former Army soldier, who's lost. Deemed a hero for something that basically cost him his soul, he is in an existential limbo. Then Mark Trevena, whose sister just married his father, offers him a job as his bodyguard. Soon he's drawn into Mark's world of power and desire and he finds unexpected things about himself. He never expected to share his boss's bed when he vowed to protect him

When Mark asks Tristan, who's completely enamored of him, to guard his fiancée on a trip from Ireland to NY aboard his luxury yacht, Tristan is heartbroken and jealous. But when he meets the delicate and demure Isolde, he's smitten, fascinated. The fascination is mutual and after one unexpected intimate moment, they fall into the forbidden. Now he has to hand over the woman he's falling for to the man he already loves.

But in this dark and twisted world, no one and nothing is what it seems....

This book is unputdownable! And you'll be screaming when you get to the ending because the queen of edging leaves us panting for what comes next as it ends in a doozy of a cliffhanger. We know Mark is devious but so is sweet and apparently docile Isolde....

Very spicy and interesting story line. But the beginning was a bit slow and took a while to get into the book.

Didn’t love the love triangle aspect. But great writing and love Sierras ability to write spicy romances that chemistry jumps off the page.

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.

5/5 Stars

Thank you to Bloom Books for providing me with an arc.

I love Sierra Simone’s books and this one definitely is one of my favorites from her. This is a spicy queer and kinky retelling of the legend of Tristian and Isolde set in the same world as the New Camelot series. This will become an mmf relationship but for this book it was mainly mm and mf separately. I will say read the novella Salt in the wound before Salt Kiss, it is optional but it adds a lot of context for Isolde’s history. Also the blurb for the book I feel reveals a little too much but do check trigger warnings as this has a lot of BDSM throughout the book.

This book follows Tristian as our main character after he has left the army and gets a job as Mark’s bodyguard. Mark Trevena is the owner of Lyonesse, a very exclusive kink club that deals in dangerous secrets. Tristian feels a spark with Mark that he can’t ignore for long but it complicates his job has Mark’s bodyguard. Diving quickly into the world of forbidden acts Tristian gives into his feelings for Mark but outside forces keep trying to drive them apart.

I really liked Tristian and I liked seeing him start to deal with what happened while he was in the army and try to adjust to life outside of it. I also really like Mark and I can’t wait to hopefully get a POV from him soon because that man is up to some shit and I need to know more. Mark is a very complex character and he is morally iffy and makes questionable choices throughout the book. Tristan and Mark are fiery and intense during their relationship, when they decide to pursue it, they go from 0 to 100 really quick. I also really liked Tristian with Isolde but that is towards the end of the book, I liked that they understood each other easily and they were so emotional together and the perfect opposite to Mark and Tristian.

I can’t wait to continue the series as I know it will be messy and spicy as hell. I definitely plan on reading the New Camelot series as I really liked mmf from Sierra Simone and I’ve heard good things about it.

Talk about a wild ride!!! This book at me at the edge of my seat with the trill of what would come next. It’s so well written you will absolutely fall in love with the characters. 10/10 recommend.

All hail Sierra Simone, reigning champion of smut that makes you reach for a glass of water because you are thirsty.

I loved this book. I was introduced to Simone through her series with Julie Murphy, which I also loved, but just got obsessed with the tone in this book. Perfect characters, an incredible voice, and scenes that had me pausing and rewinding to make sure I heard what I heard.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was so unexpectedly good and I ate every moment of it up!! It was such a page turner and no part of me ever wanted to stop reading, so imagine how sad I was when it ended. I need to next book STAT! Oh my lordy the spice literally served so hard in this!!! Sierra writes some of the best smut and she also does it almost poetically, I just love it so much! But for real this book had me blushing!! I loved all the characters in this and I absolutely can’t wait to see where this series goes!

What to expect:
Forbidden romance (his boss& his bosses soon to be wife)
MMF
Angsty & tension
SPICY AF!!!

There is also the salt in the wound novella that tells Mark and Isolde story that you can read for free before reading this one 🤭!!!!

We have to wait until June 2024 for the next book?! Ahh I could not put this book down. I loved it and loved Tristan, Mark, and Isolde! Ugh I knew I should have waited to read this until book 2 was done. Oh and all the freaking spice!!!!!

This book was not for me. I really wanted to like it, but I just couldn't get into it. I was disappointed that I couldn't enjoy it as much as others seem to, but I know that everyone has different tastes and preferences when it comes to literature

WHAT?!? holy crap I didn’t know this ended on such a cliffhanger!!! Fml!!

Super good book though, I really liked the character’s motivations and personalities. The spice was excellent, of course! And both Mark and Isolde are excellent and fascinating love interests. I’m so excited to see how the three of them mesh! 4.5 rounded up.

🌈 Queer rep: MC is bi/pan, in an MM relationship. FF side characters briefly mentioned. MMF poly relationship to come, but it doesn’t happen in this book yet!!

I wasn't sure what to expect with this modern Tristan and Isolde retelling, but I was compelled to finish this book as fast as possible. Sierra Simone continues to write the extremely captivating romance. Both the kink and power dynamics in this book are handled with expert care, and the authenticity and attention to detail make for very steamy scenes. Tristan is the perfect POV for this book, and his growth throughout the book is fascinating to watch. I look forward to seeing what happens next.

This is a first for me where its MMF and it was surprisingly addictive! It's not my cup of tea usually but the way Simone wrote the characters just had me hyper focused on them and next thing I know, I've read the whole thing and it's 4 am. Oops. But seriously, Tristan, Mark, and Isolde were addicting. A forbidden love between a bodyguard and his boss AND his boss's bride to be!!!! LIKE?!?!!!

Whew! This was exactly what I expected from a Sierra Simone book. I couldn't put it down, extremely spicy, quick read. Simone fans won't be disappointed.

Super hot from the very beginning. I knew how the story was supposed to unfold, but it still surprised me along the way. What a great read!

Tristan and Isolde was one of my favorite stories growing up. Love this queer take on the tale. Sierra Simone is a master of spice and kink and she absolutely delivered with this book. Mark is one of the most well developed, psychologically intense characters I’ve ever met and I ADORE HIM. I’m positively feral for the next one.

Sierra Simone writing is incredible and never ceases to amaze me!

Salt Kiss was absolutely perfect.

Sweet and Steamy

This series is my new obsession.

I cannot wait to see what happens next!

This one was not what I was expecting but I did enjoy it. I do really like this authors writing style and will continue to read all they write!

Sierra Simone never ceases to amaze me! This book was absolutely perfect. So hot and steamy, but also so deliciously sweet. I am obsessed with these characters and I cannot wait to see what happens next!