The Nora Theory

*this review contains spoilers for Salt Kiss*

I had an actual psychotic Joker smile on my face when Honey Cut hit my Kindle. I had finished the book I was reading not five minutes before this anxiously awaited sequel arrived on my device. It was perfect. Sierra Simone’s latest installment in the Lyonesse trilogy did not disappoint.

The Lyonesse trilogy, of which Honey Cut is book two, is a contemporary erotic retelling of the Celtic legend of Tristan and Isolde. In this rendition, Mark is the seemingly all-powerful owner of a sex club that deals in secrets as much as it deals in kink. Tristan is a former soldier, and Mark’s bodyguard and former submissive. Isolde is set to marry Mark, in an arranged marriage organized by her father, but has fallen hard for Tristan after Mark ordered him to collect her from Ireland and bring her back to him for the wedding.

When we left off with these three at the end of Salt Kiss, a member of Mark’s staff has just told Tristan that there was video footage of his affair with Isolde on the yacht journey home from Ireland. There’s also the would-be assassin that stabbed Mark still on the loose, and a whole Catholic church conspiracy going on. It wouldn’t be a Sierra Simone novel without some Catholic drama.

There is agonizing sexual tension between these three throughout the book. It’s almost tangible, which is a wild accomplishment for a book that is absolutely not a slow-burn in terms of the sexual activity. Angst abounds within these pages, and no one comes out unscathed.

The first book is entirely from Tristan’s perspective, but Honey Cut adds Isolde’s point of view. Through that new lens, we get a much better understanding of the characters, not only Tristan and Isolde but Mark through Isolde’s eyes as well. And the more I learn about these three, the more fascinated I am.

Honey Cut, just like Salt Kiss, is absolutely filthy in the best way. The spice levels are off-the-charts, which is pretty much Sierra Simone’s modus operandi. This series is not for beginners unless those beginners are very brave. Or just a kinky book baddie who hasn’t discovered the glory of romance novels yet.

This book went in an unexpected direction, and it kept me well and truly hooked. I only put it down to sleep for a few hours and picked it right back up again first thing in the morning to read it through until the end. It was nearly impossible to put down.  

I feel that this series is headed in a similar direction to the New Camelot books, not in plot, but in tone. Whether it does or doesn’t go that way, I have to trust in Sierra Simone to bring us all a happy ending for this dreamy trio with its roots in ancient legend. But I think she’s going to rip our hearts out first. I love it. 

Honey Cut concludes with a hell of a twist and a hell of a cliffhanger. I audibly gasped. The final book in the series, Bitter Burn, is coming in early 2025 and I am starving for it. This series is simply stunning.

Spice: 5

Writing: 5

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