I’m an outcast and a loner, named for death itself. Fate wasn’t supposed to have plans for me.But then she came back–the girl I once kissed in a thorn-covered chapel in the woods. She came back, and I could no more resist her than I could pry out my own heart. And by some trick of fate, she wants me as much as I want her. The only problem? She also wants the man who owns Thornchapel, Auden Guest. Auden Guest.
And so do I.
Eight years ago, I did something to Auden, something terrible. He hurt me back the only way he knew how, and so here we are: our hatred seasoned with pain and my loneliness seasoned with longing. The only thing we can agree on is Proserpina Markham, and she wants us to find a way to be together–all three of us.
If Auden wants to earn her as his submissive, then he has to earn me as well.
But with the discovery of bones behind the altar and the carnal revel of Beltane fast approaching, it’s becoming clear that Thornchapel’s secrets are much deeper and older than any of us could have ever guessed. And no matter how bright and merry a feast of sparks may be, it’s always followed by ashes.
And darkness.
Feast of Sparks is Book Two in the Thornchapel series.
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Five burning stars! This book is magic laced in filthy lust… Erotica at its best!
My heart is burned. My soul is burned. All of me is burned. There are only ASHES left. And the guilty of this is queen Sierra Simone! She has outdone herself with Feast of Sparks. NOTHING prepared me for such agony and bittersweet angst. I’m ruined. I’m raw. I’m in shock. I’m a total mess. This book was an enticing experience that called to my soul like no other book before (well maybe A Lesson in Thorns did it too).
In Feast of Sparks, the second instalment in the Thornchapel Series, Sierra Simone’s writing waves from mythology to perversion and back to magic. A potent game that have readers at the edge of insanity. Stepping into Thornchapel is like opening Pandora’s Box which is full of secrets, desires, bones, forbidden, taboo, ancient magic, discovery, sexual hunger and wild intimacy.
This masterpiece focuses on St. Sebastian. We get the background of his relationship with Auden. We know from book one that their relationship crossed the thin line of hate and love and it is laced with distrust. Is in this book we get the why! It is bittersweet the way Saint evolves as a character. From the meaning of his name to the complex feelings intoxicating his heart. We also see how his relationship with the others grows deeper but sometimes the issues with Auden geopardize his claiming on Poe. At times it seems impossible for them to make things work but everything changes and more secrets are revealed, finding out more about Thornchapel that seems to have bewitched them.
The saint. The heir. The dreamer. The priest. The genius. The socialite. Five souls finding their roles in a polygamous relationship. Five thorned hearts beating at the same time. Five people building an unconventional relationship that will tie them in filthy and scorching hot lust!
The plot and concept is enchanting and very intriguing. This book is unique. It is erotic, mystical and very addictive. This is how EROTICA and TABOO should be. It is filled with a brilliant prose that seduces all your senses. All preconceptions are broken. The storyline is unique and swirls between profane and sacred, religion and mythology, mystery and BDMS, complex love and raw lust. Sierra Simone is the only author that tells filthy beautiful stories with raw sensuality and carnality that make you blush like a virgin.
Sierra Simone is a magisterial story teller. She is the only author that can take mythology and religion to the filthiest and sexiest level! It amazes me the way her stories grab you and don’t let you go.
I won’t say anything more about this book because I want readers to enjoy it blindly.
I have mixed feelings about this book. While it is entrancing, with a fantastic cast of characters and brilliant prose, I had an ick feeling from the fact that there are six friends in this story and everyone has sex with everyone else within the group. Parts of the book felt like a sexathon, but eventually, the plot, the sex, the pagan rituals, all mixed together and made a cohesive story for me.
In the first book, this group of friends lived a pagan like experience when they were young and it stayed with them. Even though they went their own ways, the experience stayed with them and brought them together again. We read about their interest in pagan rituals when they perform an Imbolc ritual. From that ritual, Porsephina and Auden are established as a couple and we know there’s unfinished business between Auden and St. Sebastian. Delphine and Rebecca also have something going on, and Beckett continues with his strong faith and adoration of his religion and God.
In this book, we have dual timelines: the past, where we read about Auden’s and St. Sebastian’s history and their fight, and the present time, where they deal with their issues. The story is also told in different POV’s, which I loved because I got to see how each character felt.
We are led through the characters’ investigation of a new pagan ritual, Belthane, and their plans to re-enact. We also read as Poe, Auden and St. Sebastian deal with their issues, learn their past history, and learn some more about a murder that occurred in the Thornchapel. The writing is brilliant, there are beautiful parts where the characters interact and the love story between the three of them develops. It’s mystical and ethereal, sad and tragic too. They go through losses and heartbreak and are fighting the way to each other and it’s a joy to read. I loved the devotion and caring Poe has for Auden and Saint, love Auden’s protectiveness to Saint and Poe, and hurt for Saint, who feels outside of the circle and years to be inside. He yearns for love and acceptance from Auden, and carries a huge sense of guilt. Honestly, these characters carry your heart in their hands as they go through their motions.
The parts where they discuss the Belthane rituals, their plans and their investigations were utterly boring to me as this is not a topic of interest for me. Over time, the ick factor went away and all I saw was love going around and around between all six friends and a plot twist that left me hanging and desperate for the next installment.
I AM A MESS!
Okay being a bit dramatic but this book is full of it!
My cherry heart has exploded into a million pieces and then some.
Soo much good drama, sexy, dark secrets revealed & still unanswered.
It took me a couple of days to regroup after reading this book because Author Sierra Simone delivers such a powerful page turner of a story.
This series is killing me in a very delectable way and I am loving every minute of it.
You must read book 1, Lesson in Thorns first in order to understand this series fully.
Be prepared to have sparks flying off the page as you devour this book!
Gripping memorable characters that will keep you emotionally vested in their stories.
Go One Click it!
4.5popped!
As the second book in this series, Feast of Sparks picked up where the story left off on A Lesson in Thorns. After accidentally finding her mother’s bone at the very altar where they have performed a ritual for Imbolc night, Poe was left with need to uncover the mystery of Thornchapel. However, it seemed that they will never be the same after that night. The Thornchapel had a hold on them that they couldn’t shake off.
If book one gave me one heck of painfully sweet sexual tension due to the pull that Auden, Poe and Saint felt (there was some sort of relief but still) and left me screaming for them to just get it on, not more so on this one. Ladies, you will be in for simmering, unquenchable thirst that these three had. Boy, was it hot, hot, hot!
To wrap it up, I’d say that the pace of the story is the same just that there is more heat. I love me some of it but I kind of miss the angst of the slow build from book one. I felt that it is a self discovery and unraveling of some kind for its characters too. Also, I hope I’m wrong but I have a bad feeling of history is repeating itself, in some aspects. With that ending, I’m dying to know how this will all pan out.
That ending though…I mean I suspected something especially in Ms Martinez words to her son in the end but…WHAT did I just read. Book 3 come on I need you like tomorrow!!!
Reading it felt like taking part in some Gothic history, it is so good. Now I want to go research some of these customs. Only Sierra Simone can make reading a novel feel like a historical poem that has one feeling every bit of emotion.
I wonder if the parents will ever shed some light into what they were doing all those years ago. Will the other main characters reveal more of themselves – Rebecca!!!
Book 3 I am waiting…
This is the second book in the Thornchapel Series. We learn more about the Thornchapel and the mystery and secrets. Poe, Auden and St. Sebastian are interesting characters. The storyline is dark, very hot, twisted, and I repeat, very hot. This erotica tale ends with an unpredictable cliffhanger. The first book in the Series was my favorite, and maybe, maybe, I shouldn’t have read this second book.
Let me start by stating the obvious … not a standalone .
This story continues to be ridiculously captivating and erotic!! Every single page. Every single moment. I was on edge the entire time I read. It continues to be charged with energy that is so difficult for me to describe exactly. I felt the story. When I began to read, it was as if I hadn’t had months between Lessons in Thorns and now. The story is a perfect combination of eroticism and mystery all cloaked in a spiritual fog, if you will. It is gloriously unique and impossible to put down.
I am continued to be awed not only by this story-line, but the author herself. It is damn impressive how she unfolds a story and then blows it all up LOL I await patiently for the continuation of Thornchapel ……
Sierra can paint a picture with words like no one else. It is really sexy poetry. Her words are intoxicating. I fall head over heels for each one of her characters and the Thronchapel Six are no different. Her stories are intelligent, erotic, emotional and fascinating.
As I slip back into the world of Thornchapel I am immersed in this beautiful tale of some kinky romance wrapped around some folk lore. The relationships between Auden, Poe, Saint, Becket, Rebecca and Delphine become more complex and erotic. The bulk of the story revolves around Auden, Saint and Poe. We learn about Auden and Saint’s teenage years that fill in some mysteries from A Lesson in Thorns. We also are left with some shocking discoveries.
“If you feel need, then I must feel it a thousand-fold. If you’re suffering, then I’m being torn apart. And yet, there’s something inside me, like…thorns. It always feels like thorns.”
It was with great trepidation that I started reading Feast of Sparks, the second book in the Thornchapel series, knowing I would be gobsmacked before I finished it. And I wasn’t wrong; this ending literally took my breath away. FoS is intense and you’ll run the gamut of emotions. I didn’t know if I was horrified or just in awe, but I was left at a loss for words and pondering what the eff I had just read! This story did not disappoint, I’ve come to expect great things from this evocative author and she hit it out of the ballpark with this story.
“I want more than lasting. I want endless. I want forever. And I’m going to earn it,
no matter what you ask of me.”
This book IS NOT a Standalone, and there will be many more books to come before the story reaches a conclusion. I’m sure there will be people who will hate this story, due to their moral judgement (believe me, there’s a LOT that will offend some readers) due to the subject matter, and others who will understand it’s a beautifully written work of fiction and appreciate the love story, such as it is. I fall in the latter category, I relished Feast of Sparks! Do not doubt this is a love story, one between multiple partners, I realize the subject matter may offend some readers. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, I know and acknowledge that, pervert that I am. Meanwhile, I’ll be anxiously waiting for the next installment.
“He looks like a king who’s about to make war not because he has to, but because he wants to.”
This story picks up exactly where A Lesson In Thornes left off, with the discovery of Prosperpina’s mother’s bones at the altar of Thornchapel. It feels like St. Sebastian and Auden’s story, though everyone is involved and just as important. We find out the reason Auden and St. Sebastian have hated each other for so many years, and their backstory, at this point be sure to have tissues at the ready! There are more D/s scenes, and they’ll have you squirming in your seats. And while some secrets are slowly revealed, there are so many more yet to be discovered!
“She looks up at him like he’s just given her the moon, and it makes me want to give her the sun instead.”
With a full cast of characters, don’t discount one as being less important than another; each has an integral part in this tale. Just a little reminder of who’s who:
Auden Guest—heir of Thornchapel. Architect. Dominant. Bisexual.
Proseperpina ‘Poe’ Markham—historical librarian with a master’s degree. Submissive/Masochist. Bisexual
St. Sebastian Martinez—works at the local library/handyman. Submissive. Bisexual
Rebecca Quartey—landscape architect. Dominant. Bisexual
Delphine Dansey—heiress/social media darling. Submissive. Auden’s ex-fiancée. Experimenting-Lesbian
Father Becket Hess—Catholic priest. The peacemaker of the group. Bisexual
“But I love him as much as I love her—even if that love has been so thoroughly poisoned that even calling it love feels like a disservice to all the torment it’s endured—and I hate seeing him hurt.”
5 Feasting, sparking stars.
After reading A Lesson In Thorns(Book1 of the Thornchapel series) I knew that ths story was going to be just as amazing as the ‘New Camelot’ trilogy was. But having finished with book 2, Feast Of Sparks, I do believe I was wrong. It’s not just as amazing. It’s more, so much more. It’s dark and seductive, twisty and gritty. The kink and sexual undertones that pervade every little thing is so deliciously compelling, I couldn’t put this down even if I’d wanted to. Which I didn’t.
Auden learning his way, Poe and Saint helping and the other three always on the periphery for most scenes. This book is scorching hot, and I loved it. I wanted to join in the fun those guys were having and lets just say, it was pretty filthy fun. But that Sierra Simone for you. Her writing is always top notch and this was on a whole new level.
I was left gaping in disbelief at the end. Sooo not what I wanted and we have to wait until early next year for the next book. I don’t know if I can wait that long!!
I devoured this book. I studied every page, took in every nuance, and contemplated every action. The descriptive writing creates a world of play mixed with otherworldly, symbolic practices. There are five essential characters, who we follow. There relationships continue to evolve in this second book in this series. I fell deeper and deeper into the rabbit whole of Thornchapel.
“You and Poe are like air and water, and he’s earth. He’s fire.”
The intricate relationship between St. Sebastian, Proserpina (Poe) and Auden continues to evolve. For St. Sebastian and Auden to claim Poe they must find it within themselves to forgive. We learn more about St. Sebastian and Auden’s past. The story toggles between present day and eight years ago when St. Sebastian and Auden where just boys coming into their own. Just when there’s resolution, the author throws in a humdinger of a surprise. Leaving us another (expected) cliffhanger. Such a sadist! 5 Stars
Just when you thought Thornchapel couldn’t get any more intriguing….
This story is so addictive. There’s so many twists and turns, so many secrets that you’ll never see coming – so many truths you’ll learn that will leave you with more questions than answers. And if you’re looking for more insight into St. Sebastian and Auden, you don’t have to wait any longer. I’m so in love with these two (and Becket too).
The heat level in this book is astronomical compared to the first, and if you’ve read A Lesson in Thorns, then you know how hot that book was. This one is raw, passionate, sensual, and sometimes downright dirty. In short, it’s fantastic and not for the faint of heart.
This second book of the series will pull you in, break your heart, mend it together again, and upend EVERYTHING you thought you knew about these six friends. For every secret Thornchapel reveals, several more replace it. This series is simply brilliant so far and I can’t wait until all of Thornchapel’s secrets are revealed. I can’t even begin to imagine where Sierra Simone will take us next.
I read this slow and devoured every single word. I honestly don’t have the words to relate just how good this book and series are. I’m speechless, intrigued and down right tongue tied on this.
The whole concept of this read is so refreshing and different then anything I’ve read in a very long time. And these characters….. these characters are everything, absolutely everything.
If you’re looking for something different and extremely hot check this out. It’s definitely one of my favorites this year and I am totally biting my nails waiting on the next book. Absolutely outstanding!
*Review by Michelle
I read this slow and devoured every single word. I honestly don’t have the words to relate just how good this book and series are. I’m speechless, intrigued and down right tongue tied on this.
The whole concept of this read is so refreshing and different then anything I’ve read in a very long time. And these characters….. these characters are everything, absolutely everything.
If you’re looking for something different and extremely hot check this out. It’s definitely one of my favorites this year and I am totally biting my nails waiting on the next book. Absolutely outstanding!
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I was really looking forward to this book. The first book A lesson in Thorns kept me on the edge of my seat. This book does the same.
The story line is complex. There are so many characters and stories that need to be told. The author weaves them together perfectly to create a truly beautiful tale.
This book contains so many sexy scenes and Sierra Simone knows how to lift up those pages!
“We’ll never get close enough until we’re crawling inside of each other, and even then there will be no squeeze too hard, no thrust too deep, no tears too scalding, because nothing will be enough until we’re twined tighter than the thorns around the chapel. So tight that God himself couldn’t pry us apart.”
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I’M STILL NOT OVER THIS BOOK!!!!
I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS BOOK!!!
AUDEN & ST. SEBASTIAN OWN MY SOUL!!!
THESE ANGSTY MOODY BOYS GAVE ME LIFE THROUGH OUT THE BOOK THEN KILLED ME BY THE END!!!
I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING HOW Harvest of Sighs WILL PLAY OUT BECAUSE, HELLOOOOO THAT ENDING!!!!!!
I just really loved this book!
The Thornchapel series is my newest reading addiction. With an intriguing storyline and characters I’ve come to adore all enveloped in a cloud of mystery Feast of Sparks made for a fascinating and riveting read.
This story definitely sizzled but there was so much emotional depth woven throughout that I found myself captivated and reading in any spare moment I had. I enjoyed the different points of view and flashbacks that gave more insight into Auden and Saint’s turbulent relationship. I’ve had such a soft spot for Saint from the beginning and he completely stole my heart with this book.
This series has quickly evolved into something unlike anything I’ve read before. From nudging my boundaries to making me examine things from a completely different perspective Feast of Sparks was a truly fantastic and unique read that I couldn’t pull myself away from. I can’t wait to see what’s in store next at Thornchapel.
Shel: Whattheeverlovingfuck, SIERRA SIMONE. I am shooketh. The end of Feast of Sparks, y’all.
Oh My God Omg GIF
Shel: And now we have to wait until …. not soon enough to get more answers?!?!?!! I’m gonna tear that book up when it hits my Kindle because OHMYGOD this book was so good and the ending was that good!!! I mean I suspected but to have what I suspected confirmed?! So good. Court: Girl, sames. I keep thinking I can’t be any more blown away by Sierra Simone’s writing and how she has the most beautiful ability to weave a very intricately thought out story and then I read the next book, and she one-ups herself. It is amazing how deep and intriguing this series is. I cannot get enough.
Shel: To back track a little, Feast of Sparks picks up immediately after A Lesson in Thorns and takes us up to the very next ritual. While the main focus is on the history of St. Sebastian and Auden, Poe, Delphine, Rebecca and Becket are never too far from the narrative and each have chapters that continue to delve into their characters more. And like the first book in this series, Feast of Sparks weaves mythology and religion and the various seasonal rituals and rights together in a way that enhances and mimics the stories of these characters. It’s just a guess but I bet the middle books in the series can be challenging to write because they’re not the beginning or the ending; this book didn’t feel like that. It didn’t lag or feel unnecessary. It furthered the plot and deepened the characters and continued to build on the broodiness of the first book. Court: It did. The web is even more tangled now, and the setting…the setting being this living and breathing thing that makes the characters acknowledge it is amazing too. I love all of these friends, and as we get to know them more and more and get more and more of the past to blend with the present and get a few answers and even more questions, just gah. So. Great.
Shel: The atmosphere is at times moody (I wanted it to be winter so that I could curl up with some tea and a roaring fire) and full of desire and by the end it’s full of hope and spring and it’s shiny and fresh and new and then you get to the last page and BAM! Court: Dude. Moody is a good word. As is mind blowing. This one sticks with you with their hurts and pleasures and successes and secrets. All wrapped up. Whew.
Shel: the novel kicks it up a notch and now you have to wait and suffer through wondering what Sierra Simone has up her sleeve to torture these characters with next. I CANNOT WAIT to see where she goes next. I know it’ll be so good and I feel like it’s gonna have some angst! Court: Lots of angst, and for once in my life I am welcoming it with open arms. Nothing is easy with these characters, and honestly…that is a good thing!
Shel: Sierra Simone did not tell a lie when she said she put St. Sebastian through hell (as well as Auden, while also sexually frustrating Poe). This poor guy is owed a huge HEA and I cannot wait to see how that goes down. Court: Living up to his name and his life has not been easy has it…I love how much in his head we are for this one. It’s exhilarating.
Shel: If you’re new to this series, grab book one and throw all your plans to the side–because you won’t do anything but read once you start. Court: Agreed. I highly recommend it as soon as possible!
Sierra Simone writes some of my favorite freaky steamy reads. Feast of Sparks was everything that I expected it to be and more. I’m not even going to tell you what to expect. Just go read it. That’s how good it is.
The magic runs still potent in this lavish, revealing continuation of A Lesson in Thorns.
From the tragic discovery Proserpina made at the end of the first book, we are plunged right in in the emotional aftermath that brims with Bdsm intensity and scorching hot intimacy. I admit I have to skip certain passages when the character pairings are not to my liking, but the scenes are always beautifully narrated and break all preconceptions. Even if Thornchapel wasn’t suffused in its own kind of ancient magic, these people who share raw feelings and their bodies certainly are.
I marvel at the complexity and delicate intricacy of the prose. It unearths and gives word to all the unspoken sensibilities we hide or just are unable to voice out loud. The carnal and lewd, yes, but also the tender and needy. I loved Saint Sebastian’s inner thoughts, his pain and his flaws.
This coven of friends explore not only their bonds, but also the mystical influence of Thornchapel. Small pieces of the puzzle are being put together. Hatred becomes truth, rituals are enacted to their most uninhibited core.
It ends indeed with a feast of avid, frenzied, primitive, profane and sacred. And one final spark of ruin. It’s going to be too much to wait for the next Pandora’s Box.