For a story that was the literal definition of sin, it was a pure love story that was sadly and beautifully told. ~ Leigh – Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews
Synopsis:
When the bottom finally falls out of Tressa Torrado’s life and she’s given an eviction notice for her one-bedroom walk-up, she lands at the first place that’ll have her–and the last place she’d expect to find herself.
Father Bastien Castaneda is trained to heal the wounded of his flock, his warrior strength and mysterious moral fortitude as intoxicating as any superpower. Soon they’re working side by side together–chemistry simmering to a boiling point as two desperate hearts find the will to live again while forbidden love lights like lighter fluid in their hearts.
But it isn’t long before secrets so explosive come to light it torches the very foundations of their belief, and only time will tell if theirs is a love strong enough to survive the inevitable fall.
Note: Rebel Priest was first written as a novella in 2013 in the Forbidden Fruit V. 2 Anthology under the name Sins of the Flesh, and then as a full-length standalone titled Rebel Saint in 2018. Minor characters, situations, and scenes have been added to enhance the story.
Rebel Priest was a different book than what I expected. It was most certainly a forbidden romance due to the stations occupied by Father Bastien Casteneda and parishioner Tressa Torrado, but it didn’t truly have a taboo feel. Strangely enough, for a story that was the literal definition of sin, it was a pure love story that was sadly and beautifully told.
Reminiscent of The Thornbirds, Tressa and Bastien’s story was not one of throwing caution of the wind in a moment of passion, but rather a lifetime of grappling what it meant to love. Tressa and Bastien’s connection may have come on quickly, but their relationship to one another wasn’t one that was taken lightly. It came with the struggle to understand how God fit in to their union, and I found it ran the spectrum from sad and frustrating to introspective and emotional. I adored Father Casteneda and the battle he waged between his honest desire to be a selfless example to his entire flock, and his desire for one woman.
I did find that I had some problems with the imagery in the writing at times. While I appreciated the feel created by the almost prose-like style, there were times where I was lost in details of what happened. I missed actual actions that took place because I was confused by the metaphoric terms and assumed something else had taking place. Tressa’s backstory also slowly developed, and at times I thought I should know more about it than I did.
But, despite this, I enjoyed this story that was nothing like what I anticipated and more focused on the love and visceral emotions than it was on the true taboo.
4 stars
Purchase from
