Book Review: The Paths We Lay

• Book Blurb

  To find temptation, we must lay our own path.
  
  For the last ten years, I thought I was nothing special. I was just another priestess in the Temple of Temptation. One of many. Little did I know that my god has plans for me. He intends to make me powerful.
  
  But what I will become is up to me.
  
  For centuries, things here have always been done the same way – and the gods are now paying for it. Somehow, I’m expected to revive the faith. I’m their last hope, but no one is quite sure how I’m supposed to do that.
  
  That means I’m making this up as I go. My god is begging me to become something new. My temple wants me to respect traditions. My instructors want to force me to follow their rules.
  
  I just want to save my god.
  
  With my three men, I know I’ll figure it out. That is not the same as this being easy, though. Even worse, being “special” makes those around me jealous, and giving in to temptation is a part of our nature. When my guardian’s family gets involved, things get infinitely more complicated.
  
  The temple wants to break me.
  My success or failure depends on the path I choose.
  I just hope I find the right one.
  
  
  ~~~
  NOTE: There are some situations in this book that may be triggering for some readers. Please check the front of the book for the ‘Potentially Sensitive Content’ page for further details.
  
  ~~~
  *The Paths We Lay is book 2 in the complete Path of Temptation series.

  To find temptation, we must lay our own path.

  For the last ten years, I thought I was nothing special. I was just another priestess in the Temple of Temptation. One of many. Little did I know that my god has plans for me. He intends to make me powerful.

  But what I will become is up to me.

  For centuries, things here have always been done the same way – and the gods are now paying for it. Somehow, I’m expected to revive the faith. I’m their last hope, but no one is quite sure how I’m supposed to do that.

  That means I’m making this up as I go. My god is begging me to become something new. My temple wants me to respect traditions. My instructors want to force me to follow their rules.

  I just want to save my god.

  With my three men, I know I’ll figure it out. That is not the same as this being easy, though. Even worse, being “special” makes those around me jealous, and giving in to temptation is a part of our nature. When my guardian’s family gets involved, things get infinitely more complicated.

  The temple wants to break me.
  My success or failure depends on the path I choose.
  I just hope I find the right one.

  ~~~
  NOTE: There are some situations in this book that may be triggering for some readers. Please check the front of the book for the ‘Potentially Sensitive Content’ page for further details.

  ~~~
  *The Paths We Lay is book 2 in the complete Path of Temptation series.

• My review

  A good continuation of the series—but it doesn’t reach the level of book 1.

  It is noticeably spicier, with heavier trigger warnings and a deeper dive into darker themes.

  This installment slows the pace. Like… a lot. Book 1 had stronger momentum. Book 2 relies heavily on inner monologues—fantastic for character development, but repetitive enough that I found myself skimming (it works great!). The dynamic often becomes: something happens → the four gather → marathon communication → everyone checks emotional alignment. And because we get multiple POV reactions to the same event, some scenes feel like déjà vu on repeat.

  Healthy group dynamic? Yes.
  Perfect storytelling device? Not always.

  Keep in mind
  • The world expands through a slow-building political subplot.
  • Ela gets a darker subplot involving his desires (not “dark” for me, but kinkier—content warnings apply).
  • Spice level: much higher than book 1, with more variety and explicit kink exploration.
  • The “Path of the Body” continues—meaning sex outside the reverse harem (RH). This will push boundaries for some readers.

  Might bother you
  • The repetition in the inner monologues (you can skim without missing context).
  • Nari asking Zeal what to do—and Zeal answering some version of “build your own path” repeatedly.
  • Academy drama.
  • The pacing: each book builds slowly toward one big moment near the end.

  Overall
  A slower book, but still engaging if you’re here for the journey—the long emotional arc of the same poly group, the religious–political worldbuilding, and the evolving power dynamics.
  And yes, as someone who read the entire series, I can confirm: it’s worth the commitment if you want a long, continuous RH fantasy with steady relationship development and one big dramatic moment per installment.

  A good continuation of the series—but it doesn’t reach the level of book 1.

  It is noticeably spicier, with heavier trigger warnings and a deeper dive into darker themes.

  This installment slows the pace. Like… a lot. Book 1 had stronger momentum. Book 2 relies heavily on inner monologues—fantastic for character development, but repetitive enough that I found myself skimming (it works great!). The dynamic often becomes: something happens → the four gather → marathon communication → everyone checks emotional alignment. And because we get multiple POV reactions to the same event, some scenes feel like déjà vu on repeat.

  Healthy group dynamic? Yes.
  Perfect storytelling device? Not always.

  Keep in mind
  • The world expands through a slow-building political subplot.
  • Ela gets a darker subplot involving his desires (not “dark” for me, but kinkier—content warnings apply).
  • Spice level: much higher than book 1, with more variety and explicit kink exploration.
  • The “Path of the Body” continues—meaning sex outside the reverse harem (RH). This will push boundaries for some readers.

  Might bother you
  • The repetition in the inner monologues (you can skim without missing context).
  • Nari asking Zeal what to do—and Zeal answering some version of “build your own path” repeatedly.
  • Academy drama.
  • The pacing: each book builds slowly toward one big moment near the end.

  Overall
  A slower book, but still engaging if you’re here for the journey—the long emotional arc of the same poly group, the religious–political worldbuilding, and the evolving power dynamics.
  And yes, as someone who read the entire series, I can confirm: it’s worth the commitment if you want a long, continuous RH fantasy with steady relationship development and one big dramatic moment per installment.

Character & romance details

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