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  • Published: 3 June 2025
  • ISBN: 9781464236518
  • Imprint: Bloom Books
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 486
  • RRP: $24.99
Categories:

Door of Bruises



From the author of the USA Today bestselling Priest and New Camelot series comes the breathtaking finale in a high-heat, gothic, dark academia fairy tale full of lantern-lit rituals, foggy moors, and obsessions that last for a lifetime. Sacrifices will be made and crowns will be worn and lost as the fate of Thornchapel lies in Auden's hands.

From the author of the USA Today bestselling Priest and New Camelot series comes the breathtaking finale in a high-heat, gothic, dark academia fairy tale full of lantern-lit rituals, foggy moors, and obsessions that last for a lifetime.

Twelve years ago, their fates were sealed with a kiss.

They are all, for better or worse, doomed to love each other until death do them part. Auden Guest's heart belongs to Proserpina and St. Sebastian—even if he no longer wants it. Even if she has left it behind to follow him.

Delphine's fled back home, and Becket's holy calling is in peril.

And now only Rebecca and Auden remain at Thornchapel to face the unknown.

The door is open. The door that shouldn't exist; the door that people have died to close. Auden doesn't feel like the lord of the manor. He doesn't feel like a king or a wild god. He is a friend and a boyfriend and a brother—and a failure at being all of these things. But the door doesn't care about his guilt. It only cares about the sacrifice he'll make to close it.

As the bruising dark of Samhain approaches, so does the fate of their circle, of Thornchapel and the village and the valley beyond it. And Auden must don the crown, because one thing is still true, even if he must face it alone.

Here at Thornchapel, the kings must go to the door.

Here at Thornchapel, all kings must die.

Delicious tropes:
Dark academia
Gothic vibes
Forbidden love
Enemies to lovers and friends to lovers
Secret rituals
MMF love triangle (and then some)
Found family
Lush, literary vibes

Rave reviews:
"This stunningly evocative novel is a triumph. A masterpiece. A tour de force. I'm spellbound by her lyrical prose, incredible characterization, and the pure steam coming off the pages. <strong>No one writes romance like Sierra Simone." — K.A. Linde, USA Today bestselling author

"It's evocative, sumptuous, and downright filthy. AND I AM HERE FOR IT." — Kendall Ryan, New York Times bestselling author

"Literal literary porn. Breathtaking." — Emma Hart, New York Times bestselling author

"A Lesson In Thorns is an utterly breathtaking masterpiece with its poetic prose and unimaginable details. I'm transfixed. I'm addicted. And I'm in love." — Carrie Ann Ryan, New York Times bestselling author

"Sierra Simone is a genius who will have you believing in love, longing, kink and pagan magic. Not only are her words beautiful, but her characters are equal parts raw, real, magical, and kinky. Two words for you, Auden and St. Sebastian!" — Nana Malone, USA Today bestselling author

"A decadent web of mystery, lust, and angst — A Lesson in Thorns is my top read of the year!" — Ella James, USA Today bestselling author

  • Published: 3 June 2025
  • ISBN: 9781464236518
  • Imprint: Bloom Books
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 486
  • RRP: $24.99
Categories:

About the author

Sierra Simone

SIERRA SIMONE is a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling former librarian (who spent too much time reading romance novels at the information desk). Her notable works include Priest, American Queen, and Misadventures of a Curvy Girl, and her books have been featured in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, Entertainment Weekly, and Buzzfeed. Sierra lives with her husband and family in Kansas City.

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