Compelling Drama with Depth– This book delves into the complexities of morality, redemption, and the human condition with gripping intensity. Through Bishop Sean Foley’s turbulent journey, readers are drawn into a world of intrigue, heartache, and ultimately, resilience. With its authentic portrayal of flawed characters and ethical dilemmas, it leaves a lasting impact that prompts reflection and empathy.
Wow! So much more than I expected from book 3. I had a hard time putting this one down. This story has everything, and it’s about a monk! Entertaining, suspenseful, heartfelt, and intelligent including a difficult and disturbing subject matter. Well done. I again look forward to the next book in this series!
That line in your blurb about Bishop Sean Foley facing an accuser who was “judge, jury, and executioner” made me stop mid-scroll like, “Alright, who brought courtroom thunder into the Vatican?” The tension between Foley and Cardinal Nwadike reads like someone took faith, politics, secrets, and emotional landmines, mixed them together, and said, “Good luck, reader.” I could practically hear the walls of Rome whispering.
Intriguing PageTurner—Absolutely brilliant. Les Brown tells a story that is complex, multi-layered, full of strange landscapes as divergent as organized crime and monastic life, yet one so well crafted that the reader becomes engrossed in it, unable to put it down. Intriguing PageTurner—Absolutely brilliant. Les Brown tells a story that is complex, multi-layered, full of strange landscapes as divergent as organized crime and monastic life, yet one so well crafted that the reader becomes engrossed in it, unable to put it down.
“A fun, deliciously scandalous … depiction of queers in the clergy.” Brown’s prose straddles the vigorous, the poignant, and the sordid in equal measure, particularly during moments when Jared embraces his wild side and when Paul’s faith is tested against his deeply felt attraction to Jared … Though the characters lose some of their early allure, a surprise twist revives things. Brown channels his former vocation as a minister and spiritual director into creating a narrative that is authentically pious but riddled with sex and shocking secrets. For readers of queer romance yarns, this novel will satisfy on several levels…
Randy, the acolyte, is bright, earnest, honest, talented, and very naive. With a deep sense of vocation to the priesthood, he learns that being gay is just one of many challenges to be met. Bullies, teen suicide, betrayal, family dysfunction, and having to fend for himself bring out his sterling qualities and his shadows as well. But nothing tests him quite so sharply as learning the truth about Michael, his first deep love. This coming-of-age story is Brown at his finest.
This is a must to read. I have read it many times and bought it to share with others. Having not been raised Catholic but had friends who did I was always curious and felt that Priests were put on a pedestal but in time learned they are human. This would be a great movie.