Twelve years ago my mother disappeared into the fog-shrouded moors of Thornchapel.I left her memory there, along with the others. Of my childhood friends, playing in the woods. Of the crumbling, magical world we found, and of the promises we made beneath the wild roses. I moved on, building a life as a librarian in America, far away from the remote manor where my mother was last seen alive. And … alive.
And then the letter arrives.
A single word, in her handwriting, calling me back to England. Followed by a job offer I could never refuse, from a person I never could resist: Auden Guest. The new owner of Thornchapel, the seductive, elegant man I met as an imperious little boy when we were both children. Inside his private library, I begin to uncover the ancient secrets of the house–and the ones hidden inside my heart.
It’s so very easy to be drawn back into the world of Auden’s friends . . . and into the world of his worst enemy, St. Sebastian Martinez. The beautiful and brooding St. Sebastian is as irresistible as he ever was, and the three of us can’t seem to unknot ourselves from each other. From the hasty promise we three made all those years ago.
As Thornchapel slowly tightens its coil of truths and lies around us, our reluctant threesome starts unravelling into filthy, holy pleasure and pain. Together we’ve awakened a fate that will either bloom like a rose . . . or destroy us all.
From the author of the USA Today bestselling New Camelot series comes an original contemporary fairy tale full of lantern-lit rituals, hungry desire, and obsessions that last for lifetimes…
A Lesson in Thorns is the first book in the Thornchapel Quartet.
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A Lesson In Thorns is divine erotica. Breathtaking prose and stunning story. It’s gorgeous and brilliant, and you’ll never want it to end. I sure didn’t.
The most incredible writing. It killed me. I’m dead now.
It’s no secret that I’m a huge….. HUGE……H-U-G-E fan of sierra. She’s not in any league, but has her own league.
Her writing, as always is poetic, engaging and utterly hypnotic.
The village of Thorncombe has a crumbling Thornchapel which holds a mysterious crumbling altar. It has a heavy ominous presence of a bygone secret. It’s resounding with whispers and alive with hushed entities calling on all of six inhabitants of the Jacobsen House Of Auden Guest
The Dreamer – Proserpina Markham
The Heir Auden Guest
The Priest Becket Hess
The Saint St. Sebastian Martinez
The Socialite DelphineDansey
The Genius Rebecca Quartey
The story is enclosed in a magnetic bubble. Characters have an aura around them which gets stronger as they cross fog filled moors and go to the altar.
SOMETHING binds them, calls to them, pulls them to revisit the ancient site desperate to uncover it’s secrets to all six.
we are the wafers being transfigured, all six of us, we are being made something other and better and sanctified as we stand in a circle and act out the ancient human ache for renewal and spring.
It was an engrossing, seductive, sensual read. Sex scenes are carnal and enticing. All six love each other and their flesh craves for each other, it’s an orgasmic feast – buffet style.
I enjoyed it, though it got too complicated at times, it’s allure doesn’t lose shine at all.
4 stars for convivificat
A gothic mansion, ancient rituals, and a mysterious door, add in kinky sex among five friends and angsty characters, and you have a great read by Sierra Simone that will immerse you in their world. This is a deep dive into a twisted love story—technically a romance—that will leave you turning the page and yelling at (some) characters to
“embrace who you are.”
This book is Sierra Simone doing what she does best. A Lesson in Thorns has a poetic gothic tone with a delicious erotic edge. It’s completely mesmerizing, and the kind of intelligent story that makes you think while reading. I truly appreciate that no detail is missed in the world that’s created within these pages.
I love the depth of the characters, and the detail that’s woven into their history. These are people with secrets I can’t wait to discover!
It’s hard to pick a favorite, but St Sebastian might be it for me. He seems to have the most to hide, the most to lose…but we shall see!
HO.LY.THORNS.
This was my first Sierra Simone book, and all I can say is WHY DID NO ONE YANK ME OUT FROM UNDER THIS ROCK SOONER?! Holy cannoli, Batman. I LOVED THIS. It was so dirty, so well-written, so angsty and packed with tension. I was squirming the entire time I read it, and I couldn’t devour it quick enough. Just… INCREDIBLE!
There is so much to love about this book. I don’t want to spoil a thing and honestly, I hope you go in blind like I did. I didn’t know what to expect, and I was sucked in from the very first page. The way Simone writes, it’s haunting and brilliant. The setting is ALIVE — the manor, the chapel, the little town, the weather. It all plays together in this beautifully orchestrated symphony to weave one of the most intoxicating reading experiences I’ve ever had. Truly a masterpiece!
I cannot wait for the next installments. I HIGHLY recommend this book and this author.
This book is killing me!! It’s so sexy and deliciously written and compelling. OMG.
It took me longer than usual to write the review for this book. Mainly because I couldn’t piece together my thoughts in a way others might make sense of. I read A Lesson in Thorns the first time in one sitting. Then I read it again the next day. And again a couple days later. And now, a couple weeks after I received it I can’t stop thinking about it. But it’s not the book, it’s the characters that have me entranced.
Delphine with her curves and her brand. Rebecca tough and strong. Auden and Saint: broken, battered, bruised. Poe, who is the main POV for this book is beautiful. She is loving and sweet and kinky and wonderful. And my favorite, Becket who I think will reveal more of himself as the series progresses.
This world where sex, love, religion, kink, all of it twine together into an ode of acceptance and understanding. Ms. Simone creates a world us mere mortals can only dream to live in. Only dream to be accepted by.
And now I wait impatiently for the next book. I can’t wait to fall in love with these characters all over again.
OMG…WOW….JUST WOW…
I don’t know how to start this review, because I am left with no words. This book was everything. It left me breathless and craving for more. I was so addicted to it.
I loved and devoured every single word in there. And to be honest I didn’t want to finish it. I loved when every time I opened my kindle to read it that I was immediately transfered into this magical and kinky and beautiful and so unique world of Thornchapel. I loved every single charecter in this story. I am going to miss them so so much that I already want a reread.
Sierra Simone once again gave us unforgettable story that will stay with us for a very very long time.
I love this woman so much and I love her dirty dirty dirty mind. It was so stunningly erotic that I felt every word with my body. She can seduse you so good with her writing and make you begging for so much more. How can you just not love her.
You guys all HAVE TO read it. Like right the fuck now.
I love love love this story with whole my heart and soul and some other body parts. I can’t wait for the next book in the series. “A Lesson in Thorns” by the amazing @thesierrasimone
is now available.One of the best books I have read so far. READ IT!!! 5 beautiful kinky stars from me.
5-Mind-fuckingly-Beautiful-Stars
Jesus Christ… She’s done it again.
I really don’t even know where to begin.. I don’t actually know what to begin with, without giving too much away.
What I will say is you have to go into this book with an open mind, be prepared for the unexpected, because like most Sierra Simone books, this will throw you through so many twists and turns, but they aren’t your normal types. This series is a beautiful mind-fuck, a screwed up fairytale… I think that’s a pretty accurate way to describe it.
It’s about six young people who met when they were only children after spending a summer at one of the kids’ parents estate in England. They stumbled upon a dark, hidden, wild place that would ultimately change their lives forever.
Fast forward 12 years and they all end up back at this estate after one of the young boys (Now adult) inherits it.
I’m not about to dive deep into this plot, I don’t want to give ANYTHING away, to be honest, but I do want to tell you that it’s like nothing you will have read before. The romance between these people, the lust, the secrets, the sins, the lies and so much more is beyond amazing… Literally 90% of the book I sat there with my jaw hitting the ground.
It’s all consuming,
It’s captivating,
It’s intense,
It’s mind-fuckingly beautiful,
It is a work of art
And seriously, it’s like nothing I have read before. Even with all that goes on in just book one, the author still manages to pack the heat. Which is exactly Sierra Simone’s way. It’s what she is known for and this book was no exception, it was smutty and delicious and I fucking LOVED IT! This was an experience like nothing else, and I’m so eager to find out what Ms. Simone has in store for us next, I have no doubt in my mind that it’s going to be just as epic as book one!
Get comfy, make sure you have a fan close by, maybe a bottle wine or three, and be prepared for the ride of your life. Once you start this book, you will not stop until you’ve reached the end.
And that ending?…. GAHHH… NO WORDS!
NEED BOOK TWO NOW!
Merged review:
5-Mind-fuckingly-Beautiful-Stars
Jesus Christ… She’s done it again.
I really don’t even know where to begin.. I don’t actually know what to begin with, without giving too much away.
What I will say is you have to go into this book with an open mind, be prepared for the unexpected, because like most Sierra Simone books, this will throw you through so many twists and turns, but they aren’t your normal types. This series is a beautiful mind-fuck, a screwed up fairytale… I think that’s a pretty accurate way to describe it.
It’s about six young people who met when they were only children after spending a summer at one of the kids’ parents estate in England. They stumbled upon a dark, hidden, wild place that would ultimately change their lives forever.
Fast forward 12 years and they all end up back at this estate after one of the young boys (Now adult) inherits it.
I’m not about to dive deep into this plot, I don’t want to give ANYTHING away, to be honest, but I do want to tell you that it’s like nothing you will have read before. The romance between these people, the lust, the secrets, the sins, the lies and so much more is beyond amazing… Literally 90% of the book I sat there with my jaw hitting the ground.
It’s all consuming,
It’s captivating,
It’s intense,
It’s mind-fuckingly beautiful,
It is a work of art
And seriously, it’s like nothing I have read before. Even with all that goes on in just book one, the author still manages to pack the heat. Which is exactly Sierra Simone’s way. It’s what she is known for and this book was no exception, it was smutty and delicious and I fucking LOVED IT! This was an experience like nothing else, and I’m so eager to find out what Ms. Simone has in store for us next, I have no doubt in my mind that it’s going to be just as epic as book one!
Get comfy, make sure you have a fan close by, maybe a bottle wine or three, and be prepared for the ride of your life. Once you start this book, you will not stop until you’ve reached the end.
And that ending?…. GAHHH… NO WORDS!
NEED BOOK TWO NOW!
I should start by asking, What is it that Sierra Simone can’t write?
If a writer is capable of make you daydream just by reading the well chosen and captivating words written on paper, you know for sure that you have found one of the best. That’s exactly how I think at the moment.
I never imagined that these six invaluable characters were going to mark my life in such a way that, just by remembering their names, you feel how your thoughts are taken over by the presence of each one of them. Oh!!! but don’t think Sierra is done with them.
Every line, every well detailed scene between Saint, Auden and Proserpina was like those mythical moments that over the years have been able to change the course of history. And now we see them reflected as passional romances that only good books can deliver.
I can’t choose which one is my favorite character, but I’m going to say that there’s a reason they are the way they are. How they’ve grown, how they were almost reborn in this magnificent place, is a complement for this extraordinary story.
It is almost a sacrilege to remove your eyes from the pages, because there is no way to stop reading, since each chapter takes you deeper into this world full of mysteries, lies, passions, love and deceptions that have been very well sculpted by Sierra Simone
So, be patient. The best is yet to come.
This is, for sure, just the beginning.
Seduced by Thornchapel!!!
Six young people.
They’ve known each other since that summer they spent together at Auden’s family’s estate in England – their parents were friends…. or something.
Now, twelve years later we’re back at that house.
Librarian Poe is telling us their story.
(Even though we get some pages from the other five’s POV too!)
Poe came from Kansas to work for Auden. He inherited the house and is updating everything – including the huge library.
St. Sebastian is there too. Even though Auden seems to hate him for some reason.
But still, those three have this deep connection. Ever since they got married in the estate’s old crumpled secret chapel when they were only ten years old.
Rebecca, Becket and Daphne are there too.
Six friends who love (and hate) each other. Who lust after each other. Who might not tell each other all the secrets and dreams that are in their hearts. Six friends who share and are about to uncover mysterious secrets we can’t even begin to understand yet – and maybe not even by the end of this first book!
Grab a huge mug of tea/coffee/whiskey, settle down in front of the fireplace on a rainy night and get ready for an amazing story …
(insert this creepy whaaahahaaaaa laugh from Halloween comedies!)
WHAT WiLL HAPPEN TO OUR SIX DARLINGS?
READ THE BOOK TO FIND OUT!
Well. What can I say?
I was thinking of not doing my typical longish review. Just a short thingy like:
READ THIS AMAZING, BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN BOOK ASAP!
But I can’t have you running to amazon without a bit more detail. Well, not more detail – I don’t want to spoil anything. I don’t think I could spoil anything anyway. I still don’t know what happened here.
I LOVED THIS STORY!!!!
So hard!
I had no idea what I was getting into when I started reading.
I thought, ugh, six people? How will I keep all those names apart and how can I remember who did what and who and how and ugh. BUT! Sierra tells us about them and bam – eff you booksalzheimers! I remembered all six names. What they do. How they look. Who loves whom.
The reader is immediately in love with all of them. We want all of them to get their happily ever after with the love or the loves of their lives. But of course it’s not as simple as that.
We have a huge-ass story to survive first!!
A story so full of ALL THE THINGS!
Lust and Hope and History and Love and Pain and SO MUCH MORE!
And then we get a cliffhanger!!! Whaaaaaaaaat!???
And there will be FOUR books in this series!!!
Can’t wait to get my hands on Feast of Sparks!!!
IS IT JUNE YET?????
A LESSON IN THORNS was such a beautiful & poetic New Adult Love Story! I can’t even pick a genre for this book. Mystery. LUST. Love. Hate. Suspense. Pain. Submission. Past. Future. SEX. Passion. Hope. SECRETS. Parents. Myths. Ugh. It’s a book so full of THINGS! You just have to read it to fall in love with the three girls and three boys and their house and their chapel and their story like I did!! Hurry to your nearest amazon for your own SIX! They’ll be sold out in no time!
…. Plus also – I’m pretty sure Netflix is already waiting ’round the corner to grab this!!!
I have been wanting to listen to this series for almost 2 years. But I needed to wait for all of the audiobooks to be released before I started. Just finished listening to A Lesson in Thorns. Wow, wow, wow. It took me almost the whole book to wrap my head around all of the characters & how they all fit together. Not even sure how to accurately describe this book. The book is hot and ended with a cliffhanger. So be prepared to read/listen to Feast Of Sparks right away. Sara Ormenyi did a great job of narrating this book on her own. She’s a new to me narrator! All Sierra Simone fans need to read this series. So, so good!
A Lesson in Thorns is about six characters that are connected to Thornchapel. Thornchapel is a church, almost like a temple in a myth or a castle in a fairy tale. It holds secrets and ritualistic meaning and purpose. The chapel is covered in thorns thus how it got its name Thornchapel.
Meet Auden Guest, the lord of Thornchapel. He lives in an ancient house within a wooden valley. Delphine lives with him in the house. St. Sebastian lives nearby as the outcast and loner. Sebastian is not part of the group because of Auden’s hatred towards him. Proserpina Markham aka Poe is the academic librarian that Auden hires to catalog the library. She’s reckless, curious, and hopeful as her mind, body, and soul is torn between two guys. Rebecca is a landscape architect who Auden hires to redesign the gardens. Becket is an unorthodox priest.
Sierra Simone is an amazing storyteller. I easily got swept up into her world. There’s a fantastical history to Thornchapel. She intricately weaves sexual innuendos. As Sierra identifies each character she also writes how each one struggles to identify the sexual need within them.
A common theme in most Sierra Simone books is sexual promiscuity in the form of non specific labelling regarding sexual preferences. Her books are taboo and unconventional in nature. Sierra likes to create characters that lean towards being bisexual, homosexual, and poly relationships. Add in Catholicism, nonbelievers, and other religious beliefs and you have yourself a cocktail of delicious fun and entertainment,
The skill with which Sierra formulates words into sentences is a work of art. She teases her readers with erotic scenes having you craving more. She adds just the right amount of sex to not overdo it. The balance is ideal for the storyline.
Narrator:
Sara Ormenyi is the solo female performer of all six characters in A Lesson in Thorns. Sara began her voiceover career in 2014. Since then she’s recorded hundreds of projects. Sara’s performance was stunning. I was transfixed by her voiceover acting skills. The way she went from male to female character voices was exquisite. It’s rare to find a solo performer who can achieve the perfect sound and tone of both male and female characters. Sara proves her voice talent is worth the listen. Her voice was absolutely sinful. The lust and desire she evoked in those sex scenes was brilliant. This was my first audiobook experience by Sara but not my last.
This is an Unabridged audiobook. Audible provides the highest quality audio and narration experience. Overall listening time is 10 hours 15 minutes. I prefer a listening speed of 1.8x therefore reducing the listening time.
The story takes place in London. Sara performs each cast of characters with a unique blend of British dialect helping to distinguish each character as there own.
so hot!
Sierra’s lyrical writing paints a picture of both characters and setting that are breathtaking and unforgettable. It reminds me of a literary fiction/erotica mashup. Highly recommend
While an erotic novel filled with ménage and bdsm, makes the characters, their histories, their relationships with each other, and their development more important and intriguing than the raunchy bits.
Okay, so I fell in love with Sierra Simone’s writing in Sinner, which blew me away and was my favorite (of any genre) book of 2020.
This book is weird. Not that I didn’t enjoy it! But it’s…weird. And the author is the first one (in her acknowledgements) to admit this.
It’s a bit like a fairy tale, a bit erotic romance, and some serious content about faith and God and religion and ceremonies.
The writing is brisk and excellent and the sensual content kept me turning the pages, wondering who was going to end up with whom.
If you’re looking for something original, that’s part spooky, part mystery menage and MM/FF/MFM mashup, you will love it!
I’ve become a fan of this author and I was really curious about this series for a long time so I thought it was time to finally read it.
I loved the characters; they are all so different but they all complete each other. This series keeps making my brain tangled with all the secrets, mystery and development.
Oh lordy. Where do I begin? I have never read a book like this before. The premise is so unique. A librarian going back to the home of a childhood adventure, meeting up with her childhood friends, and they all have carnal relations with each other in a strange and wonderful religious ritual that I’ll be thinking about for a long time.
But of course there’s so much more. Sierra Simone writes books meant to be devoured, then reread slowly and worshipped. I feel like I can’t even write a review to do this book justice. As it’s book 1 of 4, it does end on a cliffhanger