Here at Bookstr, we’re no stranger to a little blasphemy. After all, when it comes to the wild world of Crazy Book Genres, nothing is off limits — not even men of the cloth. Today, we’re looking at one of literature’s naughtiest niches: priest romance and priest kink erotica.
Trigger warning: The books discussed within this article may contain potentially distressing content, including references to sexual assault, sexual abuse, and other traumatic experiences.
Take Me to Church: A Brief Overview of the Hot Priest
The romantic and sexual appeal of the priest is simple: the heart wants what it can’t have.
Within Christianity, rules regarding priests’ sexuality and relationships vary, but are particularly strict in the Roman Catholic Church. Roman Catholic priests must take a vow of celibacy and remain unmarried for the rest of their lives. Combine this with pervasive messaging about the sinful nature of lust, adultery, and premarital sex, and you’ve got yourself a tantalizing setup for the taboo: What happens when the priest can’t take it anymore? What if this paragon of virtue finds himself torn between his sacred commitment to repression and his painfully human desire for intimacy? What if he gives into temptation?
An old professor of mine, Ellen O’Connell Whittet, wrote possibly the definitive article on the “hot priest” trend. She traces this appeal of the forbidden back to 12th-century France, where the theologian and philosopher Peter Abelard had an affair with his pupil, Héloïse. Forcibly separated after conceiving a child out of wedlock, the two maintained their relationship through written correspondence.
Compiled, translated, and studied by many over the years, these letters provide compelling insight into a couple forced apart by circumstance, yet determined to affirm their love. They’ve also inspired a trove of literary homages, from Alexander Pope’s 1717 poem Eloisa to Abelard to novels such as Sherry Jones’ The Sharp Hook of Love, as well as a few stage adaptations.
Ellen also gives us a strong candidate for the fiction world’s first notable sexy priest: The Scarlet Letter’s Arthur Dimmesdale.
Dimmesdale, we learn over the course of the novel, is Hester Prynne’s lover and the father of her illegitimate child. He’s not Catholic, but his affair with the married Hester leaves him wracked with debilitating guilt for the duration of the book. His attempts to indirectly confess his sins only leave him more beloved in the eyes of the Puritan congregation, who praise him even as they shun Hester.
Nowadays, googling “hot priest” yields page after page of videos, interviews, and thinkpieces devoted to Andrew Scott’s character in Fleabag, whose sheer sex appeal still has the search results in a chokehold years after the show’s finale. Overshadowed — but no less alluring — are his big-screen contemporaries, from Keeping the Faith’s Father Brian (Edward Norton) to Conclave’s Cardinal Benitez (Carlos Diehz). TVTropes has pages devoted to cataloging instances of the Sexy Priest and Hot for Preacher tropes across storytelling media. One could even argue that Catholic priest and part-time influencer Father Mike Schmitz built his nearly 260,000-strong following off his piercing blue eyes.
Our specialty, of course, is books, and if it’s literary sacrilege you’re looking for, you’ve come to the right place. From the supernatural to the straightforwardly smutty, these stories represent a mere drop in the surprisingly vast ocean of priest romance and priest erotica — but they may just stoke the flames of desire.
“Tis a thousand times more easy to renounce the world than love. I hate this deceitful, faithless world; I think no more of it; but my wandering heart still eternally seeks you, and is filled with anguish at having lost you, in spite of all the powers of my reason.”
Peter Abelard, letter to Héloïse
The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough
Folks of a certain generation might remember the 1983 miniseries adaptation of this novel that aired on ABC. Even if you don’t, this bestseller’s sprawling multigenerational tale may very well capture your attention. Its beating heart is the enduring love between Meggie Cleary and Father Ralph de Bricassart, but be forewarned: if you’re looking for a happy ending, you’ll probably be disappointed — and likely emotionally devastated.
The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas
After losing her home and her father in the Mexican War for Independence, Beatriz marries Don Rodolfo Solórzano and moves into his countryside estate. But Hacienda San Isidro harbors sinister secrets, from voices and visions tormenting Beatriz at night to the mystery behind the death of Rodolfo’s first wife. With nowhere else to go, Beatriz turns to the young Padre Andrés for help. As a witch, Andres is no stranger to the supernatural — but will it be enough to protect the woman he’s fallen for?
Hot Under His Collar by Andie J. Christopher
When his mother passed, Patrick Dooley honored her dying wish and became a priest. Now, though, his work no longer fulfills him — but he doesn’t know what he’ll do if he leaves. The answer might just arrive in the form of parishioner Sasha Finerghty, who’s had her eye on Patrick throughout the ongoing disasters of her own dating life. As the two team up to raise money for a community program in jeopardy, their budding friendship opens up new possibilities for them both.
Absolve Me by Morgaine Cameron
Professional sex surrogate Liza Branscombe has built a career on helping clients work through their sexual issues. But her latest case, Dominic La Sera, proves to be more than she bargained for. As Liza takes unexpected pleasure in indulging the celibate Dominic’s darkest desires, the boundaries defining their relationship start to blur. And when Dominic turns out to be a priest, Liza’s feelings only become more complicated.
Priest by Sierra Simone
Small-town priest Tyler Bell has committed himself to revitalizing his parish, helping the congregation — and himself — move forward from crisis. Then Poppy Danforth, East-Coast-lawyer-turned-Kansas-City-stripper, enters his confession booth. As their mutual attraction becomes undeniable, Tyler finds himself torn between the vow he made to keep his faith and the grip Poppy has on his heart. (And he’s not the only one: his brother Aiden, a monk, wrestles with his feelings for his old flame, Elijah Iverson, in Saint, the third book in this enthralling trilogy.)
Melissa and the Vicar by S.M. LaViolette
Struggling with health issues and burnout, brothel owner Melissa Griffin steps away from her work for a country getaway. What she doesn’t count on is falling for vicar Magnus Stanwyck. Can this unlikely pair defy the odds?
Beautiful Sinner by Sara Cate
After a whirlwind romance on a trip to Ireland goes horribly awry, Cadence finds herself stuck at the Ennis Bed and Breakfast for two weeks with no passport or money. Enter Callum, the B&B owner’s brother — who happens to be a very attractive priest. Morally upstanding — and more than a little uptight — Callum seems to be everything the freewheeling (and freefalling) Cadence is not. But somehow, they just can’t seem to shake each other.
Confessed by Adriane Leigh
Evicted from her apartment, Tressa Torrado winds up at St. Michael’s parish, a familiar sanctuary. Father Bastien Castaneda offers her a home and a job, and the two soon grow close. Will their love survive the many challenges they encounter?
Nothing says devotion quite like turning your back on God for the person you love. Whether they’re serving up tortured yearning or plenty of smut, priest romances appeal to the little devil in us all.
Still feeling sacrilegious? Click here to check out our article on nun romance.
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