Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “A Lesson in Thorns (Thornchapel, #1)” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

A Lesson in Thorns

(Thornchapel #1)

Sierra Simone (Goodreads Author)

3.86 · Rating details · 6,800 ratings · 1,459 reviews

When librarian Poe Markham takes the job at Thornchapel, she only wants two things: to stay away from Thornchapel’s tortured owner, Auden Guest, and to find out what happened to her mother twelve years ago. It should be easy enough—keep her head down while she works in the house’s crumbling private library and while she hunts down any information as to why this remote mano ...more

Get A Copy

Kindle Edition, 343 pages

Published March 19th 2019

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about A Lesson in Thorns, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Most Anticipated Romance Novels of 2019

934 books — 3,381 voters

March 2019 Most Anticipated Romances

148 books — 1,020 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 3.86 ·

Rating details

· 6,800 ratings · 1,459 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of A Lesson in Thorns (Thornchapel, #1)

Mar 16, 2019 Alex ✰ Comets and Comments ✰ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arc, panty-dropper, what-the-actual-fuck, erotica, pop-that-cherry, sexual-tension, angst-with-a-capital-a, never-forget, thin-line-between-love-and-hate, all-time-favorites

“The realization that everyone right now is probably throbbing with the need to come shivers over me, and I have a brief fantasy of all of them—every last one of them—using my body to sate themselves with. My mouth and my tight cunt and everything, until every last person is spent and loose.”

description

Ms. Simone, you filthy, dirty, brilliant woman...

description

_______________

After several cold showers...
I don't really know where to even begin with this beautifully screwed up story. This was so enraptur ...more

flag 414 likes · Like · see review

Jun 18, 2019 chai ♡ rated it it was ok

Shelves: bipoc-rep, adult-contemporary, adult, lgbtq-bi-pan, 2019-releases, lgbtq-sapphic, fiction, lgbtq-rep, read-in-2019, lgbtq-achillean

Me, making the conscious decision to read erotica knowing damn well this is firmly outside my circle of interests and immediately regretting it: I didn't sign up for this. I mean. Technically, I did sign up for this. I just...didn't read the fine print. [incoherent mumbles] Fine. I did read the fine print. And I still signed it.....[inhales] Why did I sign it.

This is a glaringly obvious case of "it's not you, it's me." It is me. I'm really just too asexual for this.

That said, the book is defini ...more

flag 332 likes · Like · see review

Jun 06, 2019 Chelsea Humphrey rated it really liked it

Recommended to Chelsea by: Alex ✰ Comets and Comments ✰

Shelves: kindle-deals, smutty, bookstagram-made-me-do-it, favorites, recommended

Reread, because I'm going to finish out this series in 2021 one way or another."

********************

"In the faint moonlight, the grass is singing
Over the tumbled graves, about the chapel
There is the empty chapel, only the wind's home.
It has no windows, and the door swings,
Dry bones can harm no one."
-T.S. Eliot, The Waste Land

Ok, wow, so hold up one minute. I feel the need to preface this review for my regular readers because this is a very different type of book than I typically pick up. If you ...more

flag 198 likes · Like · see review

Aug 18, 2019 chan ☆ rated it liked it

Shelves: 2019, contemporary-romance, damaged-heroes

not as wild as people say

pros
- real kink shit
- lots of bi rep

cons
- poe was annoying
- saint was whiny
- auden was a pretentious lil cuck
- every sex scene or reason to justify the ritual sex felt like watching a bad porn

flag 175 likes · Like · see review

Jul 21, 2020 Virginia Ronan ♥ Herondale ♥ rated it really liked it

”He dreamed and he burned.
Thornchapel waited.
And in a clearing in the woods, in a church ruined by thorns and time, something stirred.
Something called all six of them by name.”

Ahh hell! This was so dark, sexy, delicious, mysterious and alluring! I have no idea how Sierra Simone did it but boy, was this good! I’ve read plenty of smut in my life, I’m no stranger to breaking taboos and the idea of BDSM certainly doesn’t cause me to leg it, so nothing that was written on the blurb of this book made ...more

flag 122 likes · Like · see review

Jan 21, 2019 Lana ❇✾DG Romance❇✾ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: auto-buy-authors, erotic, erotic-romance, unforgettables, faves, favorite-authors, keeper-shelf

5++++ STARS

The place claims you, it knows your name and the crooked corners of your heart, and you’ve pledged yourself to it before you’ve even realized what’s happening.
Thornchapel knows my name and the crooked corners of my heart, and it wants me to make promises that I’m going to keep.”

Hypnotizing.
Captivating.
Spell binding.
All enrapturing.
Those are just some of the words that were running through my overly sensitized brain as I was reading this book. No. Not reading. EXPERIENCING. ...more

flag 114 likes · Like · see review

Jun 12, 2019 Chelsea (chelseadolling reads) rated it it was amazing

Recommended to Chelsea by: Melanie

This took a while to actually get going, but once it did? God tier smut. Have MERCY.

flag 111 likes · Like · see review

Mar 29, 2019 Kim rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, kindle-store, contemporary, hawt, read-in-2019

I'll start with the positive things: I liked the cover, writing, I learned a lot of new and difficult words, I adored St. Sebastian (who is the reason for the second star, otherwise I wouldn't have made it to the end because of all the ridiculous stuff I have to wrestle myself through) and I liked the idea of the setting (the house, the maze, the chapel,...). That being said... this book... -sighs-

To sum it up: convenient. The entire plot is convenient. They even added some bad weather (without I'll start with the positive things: I liked the cover, writing, I learned a lot of new and difficult words, I adored St. Sebastian (who is the reason for the second star, otherwise I wouldn't have made it to the end because of all the ridiculous stuff I have to wrestle myself through) and I liked the idea of the setting (the house, the maze, the chapel,...). That being said... this book... -sighs-

To sum it up: convenient. The entire plot is convenient. They even added some bad weather (without really saying anything else about it, aside from it being cold and the roads being bad) as a reason for all of them to spend the night together. Like I said: convenient! So here comes the bad stuff and the spoilers.

(view spoiler)[First of all: If the main character is called Proserpina, and she needs a shorter nickname because who the fuck wants to read a difficult name like that 86 times... Why would Poe be the the chosen name? Why not Prose or Rose (both would have be so much more fitting) or Ina for all I care? It makes no sense.

Second of all: this book should have been called "A Lesson in Convenient And Weird Plot Devices That Make Absolutely No Sense At All". Or: What's the fastest way to get 6 almost strangers to get it on in a sex ritual, just for fun? (straight ahead apparently).

The 6 main characters have spent one summer together as kids (They were around 10 years old if I'm not mistaken?), at Thornchapel, and now, while the group didn't really keep in touch (at least not all of them), they are all back at Thornchapel, all for completely bogus reasons. Even that felt forced and completely unnatural. Other things that felt forced and unnatural: Everybody, and I do mean everybody (aside from maybe the maid and the dog, I don't know) is bisexual. The entire group of 6 people, even their parents (one of them even had a lovely chat about how her dad was once in love with another guy and that he also loved kinky stuff, I never cringed harder in my life because who the fuck talks casually about sex with men and women like that with their dad??? ), and all those people are also really into BDSM and kink (apparently it's a genetic thing then? I had no idea)

And to top it off: out of the 6 20-something people, 3 of them were virgins and 1 of them didn't really have sex yet because she was raped. One of them is a sub, and one of them is a domme, the rest don't know what they are yet (but trust me, it doesn't take long for them to realize what they like). The most ridiculous thing I read was when I found out that Poe had been into BDSM for as long as she could remember, but she'd never had sex. She needs an orgasm a day to function. But she's never had sex. She thinks about sex constantly and is on the verge of humping the nearest leg at all times, but she's never had sex. REALLY??? (Probably because most rituals require a virgin. How convenient.)

To get things going, we never really have bonding moments, no we just go straight to a game of spin the bottle, where very quickly, Poe is on a dude's lap with her ass in the air, panties down and she is getting 35 hard slaps to "earn" a kiss from the person who had the bottle. I don't know about you but hey, whenever I'm around friends and people I don't really know, I just love that fun part of the evening where you start spanking the living daylights out of somebody's ass while playing spin the bottle. NOT weird at all. No, that scene was an eye opener to all of them for some reason, where everybody just went from a fun spank evening to LET'S DO SOME RITUAL SEX Y'ALL! No, my friends and me, we play board games and drink wine which, apparently, makes us a very boring lot.

One side remark: one of them is Instagram famous with 2 million followers, if I'm not mistaken. And during the spin the bottle scene, Poe, who is getting spanked with her panties down, is across the lap of the fiancee of the influencer, and she is in a room where she barely knows anybody and isn't worried about somebody taking a secret picture or video and posting it online? If she has that many followers I think she's getting towards the bigger bucks. Her entire online image could be destroyed by just one picture and the thought didn't even cross her mind? What also bugged me about this book is that THAT girl was only there because she was engaged to Auden, and right before the ritual they have conveniently (again that word!) broken it off so that they could have sex with other people without cheating on each other. Also: just in time because Auden, Poe and Saint are in love with each other.

Just let me know at what point this book is starting to make sense to you because honest to god, I don't see it. The connection between the characters is supposed to be deep and meaningful, but I'm sorry: one summer as 10 year old kids is in no way enough to fuck each other as a group 12 years later. And another thing: if "why not" is the answer to the question of why 6 people would do a ritual involving sex, then I don't think that explanation is good enough to see it through. I like a little realism in my books, in any genre. I want the decisions and actions to make at least somewhat of sense, even if I don't agree with what the characters say, do or think. This was just some random things thrown together to make sure the story evolved into people getting naked. This book could have made some sense if it was at least 700 pages longer. But trust me: there is no reason for them to do the ritual in this book. No reason at all.

Even the thing going on between Poe, Saint and Auden didn't feel like it was built on any real foundation (the 3 of them got fake married in the chapel as kids but that's where it ends) so when people started claiming they were falling in love with the other it felt really rushed and underdeveloped.

This book read like how people claim to read Playboy magazines: oh but the articles are so interesting! No, this was just an excuse to get 6 people naked together, like it was the most natural thing in the world. I don't care if you like men, women, or both, you do you and make sure you are happy, but everything was so goddamn convenient and ridiculous and it made absolutely no sense. (hide spoiler)]

However, I am going to give the second book a try, and hope it's from St. Sebastian's POV because I can't stand to follow Poe around that much again. ...more

flag 110 likes · Like · see review

Sep 15, 2019 Whitney Atkinson rated it really liked it

Shelves: smutty, romance, read-in-2019, lgbtqiap, sapphic, from-library, favs-of-2019

4.5 stars

I'm upsetti spaghetti that this book ended as soon as it did.

I went into this thinking it would be just vapid smut, so boy was I surprised. The writing in this is actually one of the most gorgeous styles I've read all year, and I'm 100% gonna read more from this author. This had a great segmenting of smut versus actual plot, and the actual plot was.... wait for it.... interesting! I will admit that .5 stars came off of the rating because it was a little confusing, but it was an enchant ...more

flag 108 likes · Like · see review

Apr 30, 2019 Felicia rated it did not like it

You know when you're reading a book and it's not really grabbing you by the hair from behind but you still want to finish it so you start a second book to accompany it and then the second book doesn't smack you on the ass while pulling your hair from behind?

This is that second book.

Honestly I only finished this book so that it would count towards my 2019 Reading Challenge to read 5000 books this year. For those of you keeping count I am a mere 1590 books behind schedule so no worries. ...more

flag 88 likes · Like · see review

Jun 11, 2019 Riley rated it it was amazing

Shelves: polyam, sapphic-read, lgbtq

this was everything I didn't know i wanted ...more

flag 78 likes · Like · see review

Mar 20, 2019 ❥ KAT ❥ Kitty Kats Crazy About Books rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-arc, romance, part-of-a-series, 4-stars

YUS ONE CLICKED!! BUUUTTTTT *rocks in the corner looking at arcs on my kindle*

Today is a F#ck it day!! I just can't handle it anymore. I'm going to sneak this in whilst still rocking in the corner!! ...more

flag 74 likes · Like · see review

Apr 15, 2019 . (not active on this account stop adding me) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: lgbt, bisexual, 2019-faves, wlw-or-f-f, favourites, mlm-or-m-m, poly

4th read ➸ 14th July 2019:

petition for rebecca, delphine, and poe to have a threesome in book two, while beckett and saint have sex. auden can... idk come in his pants elsewhere

description

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

3rd read ➸ 20th June 2019:

“Do I just want to have sex with everybody? Is that it? Auden and Saint? Hell, maybe even Delphine and Rebecca and Becket?”

There has been some questioning about whether all the characters are actually bisexual, and the author has confirmed it multiple times, ...more

flag 60 likes · Like · see review

Jul 28, 2019 Jessica ❥Chatterbooks Book Blog❥ rated it really liked it

Shelves: romance, dark

I'm going to be upfront and say I chose to read this book based mostly on the cover. LOL Call me shallow if you want, but it's the truth. It just looks so gothic and beautiful that I had to have it! 😍 I also heard it was weird, involved group sex, and was a good book by the majority of the people I know that read it. I mean, who wouldn't be intrigued, right?

A Lesson in Thorns by Sierra Simone is enchanting, kinky, mysterious, and steamy.
It's everything I was expecting and more. So many things ...more

flag 63 likes · Like · see review

Mar 18, 2019 Deanna❤Pink Lady❤️ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: angsty, deep, historical, hot-and-sexy, arc, dark, emotional, kinky, epic, taboo-romance

5 “Convivificat” Stars

WOW....... what an incredible read. I’m not sure what to feel except that this book was sensual, erotic, intriguing, mesmerizing, addictive, and captivating. I felt like I was on a heightened journey with all six characters. It was also very hypnotizing to be held captive by six different and charismatic characters. Every time I thought that I could stop reading and be productive, the book waved it’s magic torc and lured me back to reading.

I’m not sure what to say about the book except that it’s a must read. Sierra Simone is exquisite in her storytelling. Her words cascade off the page and into your soul. It penetrates deep and resonates with a glimmer of paranormal and fantasy all mixed into a cauldron of sensual erotic tension.

Auden, Delphine, Rebecca, Becket, Saint, Prosepina, and Thornchapel are all woven together. They share a past, an experience that, while it was 12 years ago, resonates with each other. Now as adults they come back together and their pilgramage to find out the mysterious hold that the thorn chapel has over them begins.

This story has much going on......there are 6 characters in an English manor that is filled with secrets and it’s own inner voice that speaks to all six. Each character is fascinating and intriguing. There is much to learn in the 12 years that has alluded their time together. There are secrets and yearnings, lust and love, hurt and hatred and a missing person. There are many sub plots all revolving around the story that flow with comfort and ease. As you get comfortable with all the characters they become mesmerizing and you can’t get enough of them.

Did I really tell you anything about this book, No. I think you should go in and organically let the story unfold. It’s a little complicated in the beginning keeping track of the characters but it very quickly feels as if they are connected to your being. This author and her imagination, her connection to religion, her eroticism and her eloquent and intellectual way of storytelling is exquisite and not to be missed!!

A Best of 2018 in my books for sure.

*advanced copy provided by Candi Kane PR in exchange for an honest review*
❤️🌹❤️🌹❤️🌹 ...more

flag 41 likes · Like · see review

Jun 26, 2019 Cardan Greenbriar rated it did not like it

Shelves: catastrophe

an incredible randy insult to The Six Of Crows

flag 44 likes · Like · see review

Mar 15, 2019 ~**Anna**~ A Romance Reader rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc

So good!!

This book consumed me. Its so unique. It has a mystical almost magical quality to it. Its hard to write a review without giving spoilers and trust me this is a book you want to go in blind.

There’s 6 people involved, 6 people that are connected to a place called Thornchapel. They feel its calling and they venture in a sensual, mysterious, erotic path.

I don’t want to give anything away but just know this is an incredibly well written book that will capture you from page 1. I can’t wait ...more

flag 39 likes · Like · see review

Mar 15, 2019 Pavlina Read more sleep less blog rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arc, best-cover

<3 5 STARS <3

This was a unique,brilliant and addictive story.I was mesmerized from the prologue, all the characters, were interesting and original.I was hooked and I couldn't put it down.

description

This is a story about six children whose lives were unknowingly entwined and changed twelve years ago.I love the mystery around the story I was intrigued.I loved every minute of A Lesson in Thorns, there are twists and turns, there is romance, lies ,betroyals.So many things to keep you on the edge and make you ...more

flag 37 likes · Like · see review

Jun 09, 2019 mina reads™️ rated it really liked it

Shelves: lgbtq, bi-bi-bi-or-mga, about-poc, wlw, magic-and-monsters, romance, contemporary, mlm

I love one (1) group of bisexual, horny, idiotic twenty-somethings and their weird magical house/church
4.5stars

flag 39 likes · Like · see review

Jun 16, 2020 sarah rated it really liked it

Shelves: my-reviews, read-2020, dark, adult-romance

dark, atmospheric, steamy and angsty; a lesson in thorns was the perfect read for a cozy rainy day.

my favourite part of this romance book was shockingly not the romance, but rather the aesthetics. It was immersive and transportive, and I felt as if I were in thornchapel exploring the library and maze alongside the characters. the writing elevated the atmosphere to the next level, with some of the best prose I have experienced in a smutty book. while I will most likely not remember the character ...more

flag 38 likes · Like · see review

Mar 18, 2019 Ari rated it it was amazing

Shelves: kickass-heroes, haunting-covers-giving-me-the-chill, heartbreaking-endings, inner-strenght, heart-aching, what-the-menage

What did I just read?

Read the whole review at Readin' Under Street-Lamps

I don’t even know where to start with this review to be honest, but we gotta start from somewhere I guess- so let’s start with 3 ruined panties, 4 cold-showers, and about 8-9 victims of involuntary public moaning, and one friend who is convinced I’m a sex fiend.

I guess you get where I’m going with this one, eh?

This book was a study in contrast- when you think of erotica, you’re usually thinking a lot of dirty talk, filthy se ...more

flag 36 likes · Like · see review

Mar 23, 2019 Isabella. R rated it really liked it

Shelves: menage-multiple-partners, erotic-romance, kink-bdsm, panty-melting

4 Entangled Stars ⭐️

Six children brought together over a summer vacation in the village of Thorncombe.
A child’s whimsical wedding to two boys amidst the ruins of Thornchapel.
* Auden
* St.Sebastian
* Proserpina (Poe)

A destiny that entwines them comes to fruition 12 years later.
The unexplained disappearance of Poe’s mother 11 years prior and a mysterious letter in her mother’s handwriting gives Poe the final excuse to return to Thornchapel where she has longed to be.

A Lesson in Thorns is a poetic e ...more

flag 41 likes · Like · see review

Jan 09, 2019 ✰ Bianca ✰ BJ's Book Blog ✰ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5-stars, exciting, 5starmustread, mm, scary, beautiful, beautiful-cover, heartbreaking, tiny-little-bit-paranormal, can-t-wait-for-the-next-book

↑ These are the six young people this book is about. ↑

They've known each other since that summer they spent together at Auden's family's estate in England - their parents were friends.... or something.

Now, twelve years later we're back at that house.

Librarian Poe is telling us their story.
(Even though we get some pages from the other five's POV too!)

Poe came from Kansas to work for Auden. He inherited the house and is updating everything - including the huge library.

St. Sebastian is there too. E ...more

flag 33 likes · Like · see review

Dec 26, 2021 Christy rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2021-audio, 2021-diverse-reads-authors

4 stars

Well, I can honestly say I haven’t read a book quite like this before. A Lesson in Thornes is about six childhood friends reunited in their early twenties at Thornchapel. The heir, the dreamer, the priest, the genius, the socialite, and the saint.

It’s full of secrets and intrigue, and the ending had me so curious about what’s going to happen next. Sierra Simone writes so beautifully and I enjoyed this one a lot!

Audio book source: Audible
Story Rating: 4 stars
Narrator: Sara Ormenyi
Narr

...more

flag 36 likes · Like · see review

Mar 23, 2019 Jennifer Kyle rated it really liked it

Plenty of Secrets & Sex.

flag 35 likes · Like · see review

Sep 04, 2019 Katie rated it really liked it

this was weird af

also there’s a million things wrong with it. namely: every scene in which they were discussing the ritual/trying to justify doing it was hecka cringe.

but like...I liked it?

idk man. idk.

flag 32 likes · Like · see review

Jul 28, 2019 Meagan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: all-time-favorites, diverse-main-characters, lgbtqia, favorites, dark-taboo-romance, contemporary-romance, smut

This was perfect! An instant fave 😍😍! I like that I went in basically blind (I didn't read any reviews ahead of time). So I didn't know what to expect and I was pleasantly surprised 😜😜. I genuinely don't have any criticisms of this book right now. I haven't written a full review in a long time lol. So I'm a little rusty.

The six characters the story focuses on were childhood friends brought together for one summer by their parent's visit to Thornchapel. All the kids knew was that the parents wer ...more

flag 31 likes · Like · see review

Jun 10, 2019 Madalyn (Novel Ink) rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2019-releases, cover-love, own-physical

EDIT 6/20: I’ve lowered my rating to four stars after finding out that, in a cast of six main characters who all experience attraction to multiple genders, none of them ID as anything except bisexual? As someone who IDs as bi... I don’t get it. What a disservice to pan and queer people.

this book well and truly f*cked me up (in all the best ways)

flag 30 likes · Like · see review