Priest

Sierra Simone is the well-known author of the erotic romance novel Priest (2015). The book takes place in Missouri, where Simone herself lives. Priest functions as a standalone novel, following the relationship between Father Tyler Bell and the attractive new woman in town, Poppy Danforth. Just months after the publication of Priest, Simone published a straightforward sequel, titled Midnight Mass (2015), which focuses on the two main characters three years later.

Priest’s secondary characters later featured as protagonists in other novels. On her website, Simone labels this series of books the “Priest Collection.” Priest addresses themes such The Tension Between Sexual Desire and Christian Morality, Finding Fulfillment in Spite of Restrictive Norms, and Accepting the Uncertainty of Destiny.

This guide refers to the 2015 self-published e-book edition.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of child sexual abuse, death by suicide, gender discrimination, sexual content, substance use, and cursing.

Plot Summary

Father Tyler Bell grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, with his three brothers and older sister, Lizzy, who died by suicide after a priest abused her and other unnamed young people who attended the same church. Tyler now lives in the quaint Missouri town of Weston (a real town that Simone fictionalizes) and oversees St. Margaret’s Church, where authorities arrested the previous priest for child sexual abuse. Tyler is the narrator, and he describes the story as his “confession”—though, at times, Simone lets Poppy Danforth, Tyler’s romantic interest, narrate her confessions.

Tyler first meets Poppy when she wanders into the confessional booth. The Danforth family is wealthy and respected, but Poppy wants a different life. After graduating from Dartmouth with a business degree, she abruptly left the East Coast and cut ties with her family. Poppy used to work as a dancer at an exclusive adult entertainment venue in Kansas City. She acknowledges that people think such sex work is “sinful,” but she didn’t feel “sinful.” Once the venue owner realized Poppy’s business acumen, he hired her as a business consultant, allowing her to work remotely from Weston.

Poppy’s ex-romantic partner, Sterling Haverford III, is equally affluent. He was Poppy’s first kiss, and Poppy thought they’d marry. However, Sterling thought that she was too sexual to be a wife. When Tyler sees Poppy outside the confessional, he notices her sensuality and has vivid sexual fantasies about her. The sexual thoughts return when he runs into her while jogging and when he sees her at the coffee shop across from the church.

Tyler tries to suppress his desires with cold showers, but his sexual feelings triumph. Tyler and Poppy have their first sexual encounter at the church, and Tyler vividly details what occurs. Tyler feels guilty, and Poppy takes responsibility for pushing him away from his vow of celibacy. Amid the confused beliefs, they continue to have sex, with Poppy asking for rough sex and name-calling. Tyler, who considers himself a “feminist ally,” has trouble meeting Poppy’s demands, and Poppy thinks that Lizzy’s death is partly why he can’t fully let go during sex with her.

As their sexual encounters increase, other aspects of their relationship develop. Tyler and Poppy don’t just like having sex with each other; they also like being with each other. They have similar tastes in literature and TV shows. Poppy becomes more involved with St. Margaret’s, and she works with Millie (the blunt, older bookkeeper) on a Kickstarter to raise money for the church. Millie realizes that Poppy and Tyler have a romantic relationship, but she promises not to tell anyone.

Tyler and Poppy realize that they’re in love. As long as Tyler is a priest, they can’t be a public couple, so they must conceal their feelings in front of others. Tyler drives to Kansas City to confess his relationship to Father Jordan Brady (Tyler’s priest), but Jordan already presumes Tyler’s situation. He assures Tyler that neither he nor God hates him. Back at St. Margaret’s, Tyler and Poppy have a transcendent kiss. Tyler sees Poppy as “holy,” and he concludes that Poppy is part of God’s plan for him.

Sterling confronts Tyler at St. Margaret’s. He wants Poppy to return to New York City and become his “mistress.” He hired someone to follow Poppy and Tyler, and he has pictures of Poppy and Tyler kissing. If Poppy doesn’t follow Sterling’s commands, he’ll publicize the photos. Tyler believes that Sterling sees Poppy as an object, and Tyler refuses to force a choice on her.

Poppy meets with Sterling, causing Tyler to feel jealous. Poppy assures him that she didn’t have sex with Sterling and that she’d never cheat on him. Poppy told Sterling that she wouldn’t return to New York City with him, so he went back by himself. Though Sterling is manipulative and misogynistic, she doesn’t think he is cruel enough to release the pictures.

To get Tyler to be as rough with her as she wants, Poppy takes him to the Kansas City adult entertainment venue where she used to work. The club is in a skyscraper, and they play a game. Poppy puts on her dancing outfit, and she gives Tyler money so that he can take on the role of customer. Eventually, he pays her for penetrative sex and treats her roughly and like an object—the kind of experience that Poppy enthusiastically wants.

Tyler commits to leaving the priesthood and marrying Poppy. In his final sermon, he encourages the worshippers to see God as compassionate. He says that God loves flawed, “messy” humans and doesn’t abandon a person if they make a mistake. He goes to Poppy’s house to propose, and he sees Poppy and Sterling kissing. Shocked, Tyler considers remaining a priest, but Sterling forecloses that possibility by releasing the pictures. The images go viral, turning Tyler into a romanticized public figure and pushing him to do volunteer work in Kenya.

Seven months go by, and Tyler returns to the United States. He moves to New Jersey, planning to pursue a PhD at Princeton University. He travels to New York City to speak with Sterling. Sterling is surprised to see him and tells him that he thought Poppy had stayed with him. Sterling explains that Poppy kissed him and then forcefully ejected him from her home. Upset, he circulated the photos. He tells Tyler that Poppy has turned a Danforth property in Queens, New York, into a dance studio.

Tyler travels to Queens, but Poppy isn’t at the studio, where she gives free dance lessons to young people. Tyler hangs around and finds Poppy at a nearby church. Poppy reveals that she knew Tyler was watching her at her house in Weston, so she kissed Sterling to keep Tyler away from her because she didn’t want to wreck his life. Tyler proposes, saying that God has a plan for them, and they have sex in the Queens church. In the Epilogue, narrated by Poppy, they have sex in the church before their wedding.