A Lesson in Thorns cover art

A Lesson in Thorns

Thornchapel, Book 1

Preview
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free
Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.
Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Just £0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible.
1 bestseller or new release per month—yours to keep.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.
Auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

A Lesson in Thorns

By: Sierra Simone
Narrated by: Sara Ormenyi
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly. Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £18.99

Buy Now for £18.99

LIMITED TIME OFFER | £0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Premium Plus auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Terms apply.

About this listen

When librarian Poe Markham takes the job at Thornchapel, she only wants two things: to stay away from Thornchapel’s tortured owner, Auden Guest, and to find out what happened to her mother 12 years ago. It should be easy enough-keep her head down while she works in the house’s crumbling private library and while she hunts down any information as to why this remote manor tucked into the fog-shrouded moors would be the last place her mother was seen alive. But Thornchapel has other plans for her...

As Poe begins uncovering the house’s secrets, both new and old, she’s also pulled into the seductive, elegant world of Auden and his friends-and drawn to Auden’s worst enemy, the beautiful and brooding St. Sebastian. And as Thornchapel slowly tightens its coil of truths and lies around them, Poe, Auden, and St. Sebastian start unraveling into filthy, holy pleasure, and pain. Together, they awaken a fate that will either anoint them or leave them in ashes....

From the author of the USA Today bestselling New Camelot series comes an original fairy tale full of ancient mysteries, lantern-lit rituals, jealousy, money, murder, sacred torment, and obsessions that last for lifetimes....

A Lesson in Thorns is the first of four books in the Thornchapel series.

©2019 Sierra Simone (P)2019 Sierra Simone
Contemporary Contemporary Romance Fantasy Magic Romance Fiction

Listeners also enjoyed...

Salt Kiss cover art
Gravity cover art
Praise cover art
Flock cover art
Visions of Flesh and Blood cover art
Does It Hurt? cover art
God of Malice cover art
Brutal Prince cover art
Fourth Wing (Part 2 of 2) (Dramatized Adaptation) cover art
Brutal Billionaire cover art
Daughter of No Worlds cover art
The Fae King's Curse cover art
The Legacy cover art
Corrupt Kingdom, Books 1-3 cover art
New Spring cover art
Bad Boy Blues cover art
All stars
Most relevant
I don't even really know how to review this. Because it took a while to get going. But when it did go, MAN DID IT GO. There's so many characters and backstories that we dont really get into, and there is so much drama dripping from practically every one (Becky seems the least dramatic) There is a lot of diversity in this book. LGBT, mixed race characters and black characters, also religious diversity. Just what I've come to expect from a Sierra simone book, I find here. And I'm so gripped by each of the characters (except Poe who annoyed me a little) and I find I do actually want to know every little thing about them. Sierra has me hooked and ready for the next 3 books in this series. Bring it on.

This is a lot

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

A Lesson In Thorns is a magical and mysterious story that had me wanting to rush through and uncover all of the mystery and at the same time wanting to read as slowly as possible and just revel in the beautiful phrasing and imagery.

“...this whole place is cloistered in a strange, timeless little bubble? Like a Sarah Waters novel but with pizza delivery?”

The story begins with six children discovering a hidden path at the center of a maze which leads to a crumbling chapel. Twelve years later in the midst of renovations the six are together again and the strange connection and call to the place and each other has only become stronger in the passing years.

“...pretend he’s not unraveling. Pretend he isn’t growing a tree of thorns inside his chest and that those thorns don’t have names.”

A Lesson In Thorns is a beautiful story that definitely had my insides burning up with the completely erotic storytelling.
-4 Stars!-

Magical, mysterious and erotic!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

The story/characters were very complex and if I'm honest I really had to pay attention to keep up with everything to start with. But the detail was perfection and I was left eager for the next book!!

The narrator had a great voice and did well portraying all the characters. But for some reason, and very distractingly, I could hear every "extra sound" the narrator made. I'm only assuming this is an equipment issue. However, I powered through, but could understand if there are others who couldn't, especially if listening through earphones like I did.

This was the start of something dark and dirty...

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Sierra Simone does it again, what an exquisite erotica story, she just writes with a sensuality that is not easy to achieve. Six friends getting back together, the mystery of Thornchapel will captivate you. It’s so hard to write a review for a book that has everything so well done, a beautiful masterpiece. We will need the next in the series soon...

This just gets getting better and better

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Mind blown and swept away. Story telling at its very best. My introduction to Sierra Simone and holy freaking WOW!! This story is incinerated but not than that it captures you heart, mind and soul.
The narration is PERFECTION especially how the story allows multiple perspective.
I need book 2 now!!

Holy freakin HOTNESS!!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

See more reviews