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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This was my first Sierra Simone book. I chose it instead of her more popular series because the premise was more original (not “like” something else that’s been written/popular) and I wanted to see what she did with that. It did not disappoint at all. The writing is so incredibly rich, do yourself a favor and don’t rush it. We tend to fly through books these days (at least I know I do), but this one is meant to be savored. So much emotion and sensory input, and by the time I finished I knew and loved all the characters and am looking forward to reading the next installment. But no worries – this isn’t one of those annoying serials where one big book is chopped into multiple novellas. This first book is full length, and it appears the rest of those in the series are as well. It’s hard to describe this book. It feels Goth Victorian mystery despite the contemporary erotic setting/characters, and the combination works splendidly.
I’m in awe. And at a loss for words. JUST READ IT.
An amazing first book in an intriguing series. I could not put it down and now I’m devouring Book 2.
Oh wow, this is such an amazing book, I absolutely loved it, this characters really do get to you, every single one, it’s steamy it’s mysterious and you just can’t stop reading.
An intriguing and breathtaking first in an all new series by Sierra Simone. It vividly and masterfully captures the emotions of the six unique individuals and the stunning vista that has a hold on all of them. It started with a summer spent together, exploring and enjoying the beauty and marvels that Thornchapel is known for until that summer was over and life went back to what it used to be. Except the stirrings and feelings that were awakened that day they found a hidden Chapel have never gone away. And for some, like Auden, Saint and Poe, they never will. What has been awoken will not be ignored, and none of their lives will ever be the same. Thornchapel holds many secrets, some of them ancient, and they are slowly being revealed. Wicked chemistry and insane attractions and bonds that are forged in blood and thorns have captured my heart and making this an undeniable five star read.
Six children play a game in the old ruins of a chapel. A game that seems to pull at them their whole lives. A place that calls to them.
Six children grow up to reunite and awaken who they are.
There is an undercurrent you can almost feel with the pages. The tensions, the need, and the desires that are held at bay in agony. Sierra makes you want as strongly as her characters.
The people are delivered in such a way that you become them. The mysteries are deep and answers are hard-won. But, Thornchapel is deep in mystery. A Lesson In Thorns is the appetizer that leaves you needing more.
This is the first book in the Thornchapel Series, and my first book from this author. This erotica tale has an original and gripping storyline. Poe, Auden and St. Sebastian are interesting characters. My favorite is St. Sebastian. This story is dark, captivating, very hot, addictive, and twisted.
This is probably one of the weirdest books I have ever read but I loved every minute of it! If I were to sum up the story it is basically a cult with bdsm and then mystery to top it off. There is just so much going on in this story and I loved how we got to see it from each characters point of view. Can’t wait until the entire story is unraveled and we hopefully get closure as to what Thornchapel is hiding.
While this story took me a bit to get into, once things got going, I was all in! Boy, what a ride it was! I was not ready for all the twists and turns this book took me on!
This was my first book by this author and it will not be my last. Her way of storytelling surprised me in all the best ways. I’m so glad I went into this story blind and I highly recommend you do the same.
This book is so inclusive and I haven’t read something like this, ever! It pushed my boundaries while opening my eyes at the same time. This was such a sexy romance with the perfect addition of a fantasy-like mystery. I can’t get enough!
AHH! The ending killed me. I’m so glad I can dive right now, into book 2.
Grateful to have received a complimentary ARC copy to honestly review.
I had this book for a while and I just savored the fact that It sat on my kindle. I would look to make sure it was still there and I started planning the best time to read. I know this sounds ridiculous, but if you have read the first book in this series I think you will understand I needed to prepare. This series like all
Of Sierra’s, is honestly just breathtaking. The writing is of course flawless and the flow brilliant. The fantasy she creates is something that we don’t usually get. Her characters are real and haunting they jump off the page into your soul and truthfully just live there. Poe, Saint And Auden are such a sensual unit This is a poly relationship that will have you holding your breath and falling in love. This is an erotic book but the story is so much bigger. There are difficult situations so be aware. If you want to read a series that is rich with its characters and the beauty of their love this is it. Now there are twists and turns that put you on the edge of your seat situations, but this just makes this work of art more spectacular. You will Love, laugh and cry so get yourself settled so you can retreat into Chaple Hill!! Fantastic love story!!
I’ve been hearing amazing things about this book so I’m so glad that I finally had the chance to sit down and read it…..devour it to be more specific. It was sexy, seductive and beautifully written. Full of twists & turns that kept me guessing every time.
This felt like reading poetry, history and erotica all in one. It is so well written you can only keep turning the pages to find out what will happen next.
Six kids who met one summer where they had an unforgettable time at a chapel on the property of one of the kids’ parents (Auden). They meet again years later and try to recreate that summer, but was it really a good unforgettable or bad?
Only Sierra Simone can draw soon many emotions out in writing.
Part one of a four book series.
If you know Sierra you already know the ability she has to create worlds. And this is not the exception. You will be suck into this little old town, when six friends will explore, find, and grow into the adults who they were destine to be.
Thornchapel calls them, it has something that keeps them for leaving the town, the feel the need to be there and explore what happen there and the feelings they seem to have for each other.
A truly page turner and attention grabber can’t wait for the next one.
The first in a new series, the story introduces us to six friends. They begin as children then pick up again 12 years later.
Intrigue, mystery, suspense, secrets… so many secrets. Some remain hidden, and others leave a trail of breadcrumbs and little hints here and there.
I loved piecing together the little details of who each of the six are today and what brought them there. I have no doubt we’ve only just scratched the surface and look forward to uncovering each and every one of the secrets they carry deep inside… that includes discovering Thornchapel’s secrets as well.
Ok I read this for an ARC when it first came out and I can honestly say, you want to go into this blind, assuming you’re ready for some effed-up-ness. I’d say there’s some suspense wrapped in here and it’s just amazing. You don’t know what to expect and that’s the best part!
I am completely enamored by this story. Every single last word of it. It just steals my breath. This story is like no other for me. Is it possible to be in love with someone’s words? Because that’s what this feels like. I just want to cry at how beautiful it is. My heart is aching for more. It’s written in a way that you can feel every emotion, every physical touch, as if it were you feeling it at that very moment. Nothing I say can convey the brilliance of this book. Just read it. You need to read it.
How does she do it?
How does this author manage to up her game with every book she comes out with?
My only answer to this is that she is a master storyteller with a wicked mind that is only capable of coming up with plots that are uniquely satisfying and delectably delicious.
I have yet to read anything like this and I can’t wait to see what else unfolds in the books to come.
Six friends come back to Thornchapel (for their own individual reasons) after twelve years. Following that, the envelope is pushed in every direction possible…..all I’m going to say about that.
It is so well written with fantastic dialogue and several plot lines that are just fluid.
The kink we all know and love from this author is delivered flawlessly and pushes some boundaries-even when you think you have none.
Lust, mystery, magic, sexual awakening and self discovery are all journeys these characters are set up to take with some angst and love thrown into the mix.
This is a full length novel that sets the tone for what is going to be an amazing collection of yumminess. It climbs the steps of sexiness for sure, but I have a feeling we have only made it midway on the staircase.
The cliffhanger has knocked me senseless and I need the next book to come quickly to revive me.
I would absolutely recommend this book and any other book from this author.
Her words are beautifully addicting!
Wow, this book really took me by surprise. I didn’t read the blurb, I went in blind and I’m glad I did. This is a twisted, very sexy, dark story. I won’t say much because I don’t want to give away the plot.
This is a tale of six kids who had an experience and end up back together at the same enchanted location 12 years later.
This was an all nighter for me because I had to know the outcome of every intense, sexy, sordid twist.
Sierra Simone has a way with words that enamored me, beautifully crafted in a way that took me a minute to catch up and realize how dark & dirty this book could get.
I didn’t realize this was the first of four books, so when I came to the end of the book I practically wept. I am the first to admit I can be quite impatient while waiting for the next book in a series……lol
Oh my! Sierra did it again!! Her last series sucked me in with the romance, unfairness of life and majesty. This one, even only started, has grabbed me with the intrigue, intensity of the characters and well, the kink is always a plus. I am so pre-ordering the next one….can’t wait to see what happens with Poe, Auden and Saint!
Sierra Simone is pretty much the queen of the forbidden romance. Taboo subject? Check. Edges blurred? Check. Boundaries crossed? Check, check, check! I had an idea of what I was in for when I started A LESSON IN THORNS, the freaking awesome first book in Sierra’s new Thornchapel series, but, man, what a wild, wild ride.
Sierra does a beautiful job of setting the stage in A LESSON IN THORNS. The characters, the scenes, the plotting, are so perfectly done. The sensual eroticism, along with the edge of the paranormal, made for a book like nothing I have read before, and I cannot wait to see what’s in the offing for Poe, Auden, and company. These characters are inextricably intertwined, and big things are about to happen for each and every one of them.
I’m going to say that this book will definitely not be everyone’s cup of tea, but, if you’re a Sierra fan, if you’ve read her other books, or are at all intrigued by the synopsis of A LESSON IN THORNS, you’ll want to give it a go. I could not put it down, and FEAST OF SPARKS (Book 2) can’t get here quickly enough. Forge on, brave readers, you’re in for a bumpy ride…