Sweet Salvation

This was something else.

But i was pleasantly surprised there wasn't a lot of crass smut and it was more of Margaret struggling with what she wants and her faith and finds love. 

That mother superior is the reason i am no longer catholic or religious. That woman is shady and has a lot of issues that i would've like to known more of. overall, it was interesting to read this book and I would say it's a fun read.

Sister Margaret is shy devoted sister but all the younger sisters are being bullied by the self-righteous Mother Superior who has decided they are on the path to hell and need the badness to be beaten out of them. There are a few men working at the convent and Sister Margaret can’t help but be drawn to the groundsman Trevor who has similar feelings towards her. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was not what I expected it to be and I liked it quite a bit. 

Let's start with the things I liked: 
- the plot was nice and thought out. It didn't feel like an outright erotic novel. (What I thought it would be considering the cover) 
- the other sisters had actual characteristics, they didn't feel one dimensional. I need to know more about them. 
- the tension and release was well done. 

The things i disliked: 
- Trevor didn't do it for me, his parts were repetitive and he felt flat to me. 
- the first 20% was a bit slow, but it got a lot better. 

I'm an atheist, and I think that made me enjoy this book more. I don't know how people who believe will feel about this.

Sweet Salvation by Lily Miles was a slow burn romance that I absolutely enjoyed until the last page. Although it touches on a sensitive subject (religion) I was pleasantly surprised by the authors writing style. It was fun, light and had the right amount of naughtiness.

Margaret has always wanted to become a nun. Her catholic missionary parents instilled in her the love for god and the holly cloth. But life at the nunnery isn't at all what she imagined, especially when the Reverend is thrown into the picture, things get even more complicated and Maggie begins to question if the path she has chosen is really what she wants.

"Like a moth to the flame, he captivates me, ad I'm unable to resist the thrall of his arms as they spread to welcome me."

The protagonists are well presented and relatable. I liked the backstory for both Margaret and Trevor. She is a beautiful girl with strong beliefs in god. She is compassionate and a good friend to her nun sisters, but what I loved most about her was her inner strength. Once she discovered that there is more to life than just the nunnery she became brazen and didn't shy away from the deep and complicated feelings blooming inside her heart. And Trevor was so sweet and protective towards Maggie. He had a rough upbringing and by a twist of fate he ended up working at this nunnery but it was the best thing that happened to him because here he encounters the beautiful brunette nun that gives his life a new purpose. The heat between them is intense and their connection so genuine. I savored every interaction they had.

"It's like she's water and I'm a parched, dying man, crawling on his hands and knees towards her oasis. Every step may be torture, but it'll be worth it."

Also, the other characters are complex and were well presented. All of Maggie's nun friends have unique personalities, their banter and conversations made the story fun and entertaining. But Catherine was the one who impressed me, she's the type of secondary character that gets under your skin and you just want to know more about her. She made the plot even more intriguing.

The story was told mostly from dual POV. I like that we to get to see both Margret's and Trevor's inner struggles, and as an added bonus there are a few chapters written in the third person in between, that make a great addition to the overall atmosphere of the book.

Overall all it was a delightful story and I'm definitely gonna read other books from this author. I recommend it!

*I voluntarily read and reviewed this for NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. *

Excuse me while I turn my fan on!! OMG what a hot story. Very, very easy to read and I finished it all in an hour. Such a good story and I can’t wait to see what else the author can come up with.

I voluntarily read this ARC for an honest review - all thoughts and opinions are mine and unbiased


This was a totally unique approach for a book - was a bit of a slow burner but did pick up - you need to stick with it

 Well written good characters and story - overall an enjoyable read

This was sexy, hot, well written, easy to read and follow.
A really good book with an interesting storyline. 

Beautiful cover.  

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.  This is my honest review.  All opinions are my own.

Captivating second chance romance story with characters that are intriguingly realistic. The well-written book kept my attention throughout, enjoyed reading. I have voluntarily chosen to read and review this book.

Character development wasn't where I would have wanted it. Plot pacing was good. Could have been better.

The story of a new nun who has never had a boyfriend and a bad boy gardener.
The slow growth of the relationship and the nastiness of the Mother Superior made the story enjoyable and believable. 
I enjoyed this read.
I was given this book by Netgalley and the publisher. This is my voluntary and impartial review.

This is wonderfully written, with a very captivating story line!!! I could not put the book down. Excellent read!

Sweet Salvation is a true love story about a nun and a gardener, with an entire cast of lifelike and enriching side characters that sweeps you away to this convent that can, at times, be lovely and, at others, cloistered and suffocating. It's a romance, very much so, but it's also a story of friendship and a story of people and the things that drive them.

I gotta be honest, based off the cover and synopsis, I went into Sweet Salvation expecting a (yummy) trashy read with a seductive ex-criminal and an innocent nun with frequent ravishing under the moonlight. While that wasn't what I got, the character-rich romance I read instead was sweet and fun and sexy and, at times, intense, and I enjoyed it just as much!

I was quickly astonished by the development of so many characters. There are no cardboard cutouts here, no person undefined, from our protagonists, Maggie and Trevor, to our antagonists, Mother Superior Antonia and Sister Eva, to a host of others including nuns and groundskeepers and even the yummy tattooed Chef Erik. The book shifts character perspectives often, and while sometimes that made for a drawn out story, it was a fun way to see the inner workings of so many people and how what they think and do inevitably affects Maggie and Trevor. It also allowed me to form opinions and binds to several characters here, rather than the much smaller cast many books showcase, and partially because of this, I'm already eager to read the sequel, which features another nun from this book.

Aside from all of these other characters, Maggie and Trevor were very likable (gotta be honest - especially Trevor *salivates*). Maggie was confused about many things at first and, I felt, very unhappy, but even she couldn't deny her attraction to the gorgeous gardener (neither could I) and eventually figured some important things out. Watching her break free was one of the most liberating things I've ever read.
And Trevor... ooh Trevor. There was no way I couldn't love Trevor, he was SUCH a sweetheart... A sweetheart with the most delicious lustful thoughts I had the pleasure of reading. And while I wished he were a bit MORE of a trouble maker as the synopsis suggested, his gentle sweetness took point zero zero one seconds to win me over.
And can I just be shallow for a second here and say picturing him had my blood pressure rising as much as it did Maggie's every time he was in the room?? Because phew... The first time he was introduced, I highlighted the paragraph and wrote (and I quote): "*fans self* Hell, he's gorgeous."
Mm, mm, mmm....

Okay, okay, I'm concentrating (maybe).

Through instant, blood-warming attraction, lust, and hijinks we get to see through various eyes under the nearly tyrannical rule of the self-righteous Mother Antonia, we watch Maggie pursue this dizzying feeling she gets when she's near Trevor and learn more and more about her body and life and what it is to love. The more she spends time with him, the more she likes him, can't stop thinking about him. And while I wish we would have gotten a little more time between these characters spent achingly close but unable to touch, the magnetic yearning they have for each other somehow doesn't feel rushed. They were meant to be, and my heart ached for them to find each other from the very first pages.

With a great deal of help from her friends, especially her dearest friend mischievous Cat, Maggie gets to answer the question of what love means in her own heart.

Overall, there were a few things I felt could have been improved, like the cliche of the antagonist Eva being the only unattractive nun. However, it also had kudos moments, such as the fact that Maggie (and one or two others) was subtextually hinted at as being bi. I think this was important and very cool for a book about nuns.

In the end, Sweet Salvation was sweeping and emotional and vivid, well-written, steamy, and full of love. As I said before, I am definitely interested in the sequel! I'm eager to read more of these characters I've grown attached to, and I will be looking for it.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes sexual characters and is looking for a sweet, tender romance!

Book content trigger warnings: verbal, emotional, and brief physical abuse (via Mother Superior)

**I received this book free courtesy of NetGalley/Written Warrior Press in exchange for an honest review which did not affect my opinion