In this season finale episode, we review Sierra Simone's dark romance novel Bitterburn, book three of the Lyonesse trilogy. If you love spicy retellings, found family suspense, or morally gray anti-hero romance stories, this book club discussion is for you

📚 BOOK DETAILS:

Title: Bitterburn (Lyonesse Trilogy, Book 3)

Author: Sierra Simone

Genre: Dark Romance / Erotica / Contemporary Arthurian Retelling

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Our Rating: 2.73/5 Stars

Available: YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts & all major podcast platforms

🎧 WHAT WE COVER:

✅ Our honest reactions to the Lyonesse trilogy finale

✅ Mark, Tristan & Isolde's character arcs (and where they fell apart)

✅ The Scales reveal and the Ys's plot hole

✅ That controversial "we've done this before" ending

✅ Our biggest plot holes, corrections, and what we'd change

✅ Individual ratings, book stats, and reader reviews

✅ Whether you should actually read this trilogy

🔥 ROMANCE TROPES IN THIS BOOK:

Forced proximity

Age gap

Anti-hero romance

Found family

Secret organization/society

Arthurian retelling

Multiple POV

Dub-con elements

Power imbalance

BDSM dynamics

Slow burn reveal

Tragic source material reimagined

💬 OUR HONEST THOUGHTS: We went into Bitterburn excited for the conclusion to the Lyonesse trilogy, but came away divided — the spice and the Scales twist landed well, while Mark's characterization and the happily-ever-after ending undercut the tragedy the source material promised. We all agreed the book needed higher stakes (someone should have died!) and that Isolde remained the weakest-written character across all three books.

📖 MENTIONED BOOKS & AUTHORS:

A Lesson in Thorns by Sierra Simone

Salt Kiss by Sierra Simone

Honeycutt by Sierra Simone

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

Tusk Love

A Bride of Brutal Hearts