Salt Kiss by Sierra Simone (Review by Sara D’Onofrio)

Rating: 4.4/5 

As I was reading this book, I found myself thinking ahead to what my rating might be at the end. MM is not typically what I enjoy reading, and it’s not a trope that I find myself seeking out. However, there I sat finding myself all hot and bothered! Man, oh man, can Sierra Simone write an intimate SCENE! MM, MF, MMF, etc., it does not matter for this author. She knows how to make the sexual tension palpable through the pages. You can feel the character’s desire and connection so strongly that you forget you are reading. This storyline has me very intrigued as well. Obviously, there is some kind of manipulation going on behind the scenes, and while I have my theories, the author has done an incredible job of making it a true mystery. The cliffhanger?? You better believe I immediately googled when the next book in the series was coming out. There were just a few things that knocked the rating down for me slightly. First, I found Mark and Tristan’s first intimate scene a little unrealistic. Tristan had never been we ANYONE before, and then he is just able to take Mark with barely any prep or pain? It did not feel like a scene with a virgin, and the fact that it was able to continue so many times over the next few days, I felt like there could have been more attention paid to what a monumental moment this was between them. With how obsessed Tristan was with Mark, especially with him being his first sexual partner, I found it improbable how quickly he fell in love with Isolde. His obsession was so intense, and all-consuming, but 3 weeks on a boat with a woman he JUST met, and that obsession goes away enough that he can fully focus on someone else. I understand that he gets attached easy, but it seemed like a stretch how fast his connection with Isolde grew. Overall, I really enjoyed this read, and I’m looking forward to book #2!