Review: The Mistress by Tiffany Reisz (Original Sinners #4)

Publisher - Mills and Boon
Publication Date - 2nd August 2013
Paperback - 560 pages
Genre - Erotic Romance

Source - Received from publisher for review

Rating - 3 out of 5: I liked it.

Reviewed by - Chrissie

Book Info - Nora Sutherlin is being held, bound and naked. Under different circumstances, she would enjoy the situation immensely, but her captor isn't interested in play. Or pity.

As the reality of her impending peril unfolds, Nora becomes Scheherazade, buying each hour of her life with stories-sensual tales of Søren, Kingsley and Wesley, each of whom has tempted and tested and tortured her in his own way. This, Nora realizes, is her life: nothing so simple, so vanilla, as a mere love triangle for her. It's a knot in a silken cord, a tangled mass of longings of the body and the heart and the mind. And it may unravel at any moment.

But in Nora's world, no one is ever truly powerless-a cadre of her friends, protectors and lovers stands ready to do anything to save her, even when the only certainty seems to be sacrifice and heartbreak....

My Thoughts - Please note that this review will contain spoilers for previous books in the series, so if you haven't already read them, look away now. As you've probably seen from my earlier reviews, I am a big fan of this series. Huge fan. So I was expecting this book to deliver something very special, much like the previous books, but I have to admit that I was rather disappointed.

When Nora got kidnapped at the end of The Prince, I couldn't wait to get started on The Mistress to find out what happened next. But not a lot really happens. Nora is held captive by a woman hell bent on revenge and her two henchmen, while Soren, Kingsley, Wesley and a few other characters try to figure out the best way to rescue her. And it should have been fraught with tension to keep the reader on the edge of their seat... but that just wasn't there for me. I have to admit that the first 300 or so pages were really hard to get through and it took me a long time to read this book as a result. The only reason that I didn't give up with it is because I loved the previous books in the series and I have come to love the characters and needed to know how things ended for them in this book, even if the journey to finding that out wasn't an easy one.

A majority of the book was dedicated to Nora telling her kidnapper stories about her relationships with the many men in her life. And, although this was interesting as it was a closer look at the complex relationships that I have come to love so much during the course of the series, I didn't feel as though it pushed the plot forward at all. In fact, I'd already heard about many of the stories in previous books, but they were just covered here in more detail. For this reason, it felt as though a lot of the book was just "filler".

However, the last 150 or so pages were just fantastic. As everything came to a very dramatic conclusion I was pulled right into the story again and couldn't put the book down. I wasn't sure how it was all going to end with the kidnapper and there were some very good twists and revelations along the way that had me turning the pages avidly. And I can't wait to see how things continue for this intriguing cast of characters.

Summary - A very slow start which I found to be fairly disappointing, but it was made up for by the ending which wrapped everything up nicely with a bang. Definitely not the best book in the series, but still worth a read.

Other books in the series:
1. The Siren
2. The Angel
3. The Prince
4. The Mistress

Review: The Prince by Tiffany Reisz (Original Sinners #3)

Publisher - Mills and Boon
Publication Date - 20th November 2012
Paperback - 416 pages
Genre - Erotic Romance

Source - Received from publisher for review

Rating -  4.5 out of 5:It was amazing!

Reviewed by - Chrissie

Book Info - Keep your friends close and your enemies closer...preferably in bed. That's always been Kingsley Edge's strategy with his associate, the notorious New York dominatrix Nora Sutherlin. But with Nora away in Kentucky, now it's Kingsley's chance to take her place at the feet of the only man he's ever wanted - Søren, Nora's on-again, off-again lover - until a new threat from an old enemy forces him to confront his past.

Wes Railey is still the object of Nora's tamest yet most maddening fantasies, and the one man she can't forget. He's young. He's wonderful. He's also thoroughbred royalty and she's in "his" world now. But Nora is no simpering Southern belle, and her dream of fitting into Wesley's world is perpetually at odds with her dear Søren's relentlessly seductive pull.

Two worlds of wealth and passion call to her and whichever one Nora chooses, it will be the hardest decision she will ever have to make... unless someone makes it for her....

My Thoughts - Well, if you have been following my reviews you will already know how I feel about this series so far and to recap for those of you who don't know... I am loving these books. And The Prince was no exception. I was literally hooked from page one, unable to put the book down to get on with my ordinary and mundane life because I wanted to stay in the world created by the author. I just didn't want to leave Nora, Soren and Kingsley behind and am loving these characters more and more as the series progresses. I'm sorry, I warn you now that this may be a gushing kind of review. Also, there may be some spoilers for the first two books in the series so if you haven't read them yet you should probably stop reading this review now... and head on down to the bookshop/library/Amazon/wherever to pick up  copies of The Siren and The Angel.

The Prince tells three different stories alongside each other, that all weave together and form a stunning conclusion, although I will admit that I did see where it was all heading with regards to who was behind the threats being made towards Nora and the gang. The chapters alternate between these three stories and this helped make the book even more compelling as I found I was always wanting to know what was going on with each of the other characters. The first was the tale of Soren and Kingsley's past and how they met and ended up falling in love with each other, which was beautiful and heart-breaking all at the same time. This again gave more of an insight into Soren and who he really is, as well as making me fall a little bit in love with Kingsley. Up until this book I've never really felt one way or the other towards Kingsley, he was simply there but I didn't really care much for him. But now, after seeing the way he felt (and still does feel) about Soren, he is a much more likeable and real character. This book shows the true depth of emotion that he is capable of feeling rather than him just being the King of the Underground who everybody fears.

The second tale was that of Kingsley in the present day as he is investigating who is making the threats towards Nora, Soren and himself. This part of the story was intriguing but as I have already said, I was able to work out from the stories of the past who was behind the threats way before Kingsley did himself. But what I loved about these chapters was the insight into Kingsley's complicated love/hate relationship with Soren.

The third part of the tale was about Nora herself. She has travelled south to stay with Wesley, the man who was her intern in the first book of the series and who is the third part of the love triangle with Nora and Soren. He is young (twenty I believe) a virgin still at the start of this novel and very, very vanilla. He is basically the complete opposite of Nora, but it is obvious that they love each other a great deal. And although these two are very sweet together, these chapters were probably the least favourite of mine in the book. In the first two books of the series, Nora is vibrant and loud and just leaps out at you from the page. I loved her, both as a Dominatrix and as Soren's submissive because she was never apologetic for who she was. She loved her kinky lifestyle and knew that it was a big part of who she is as a person so she made no excuses for the way she lived her life. In The Prince, she is staying with Wesley and his family, and she just seemed to lose a lot of her edginess as she tried too hard to fit in with her new surroundings. Don't get me wrong, there are a few glimpses of the sassy Nora that the reader has come to know and love within these pages, but because of the strength of the other characters and their stories within this novel, Nora seemed to take a bit of a backseat in this one. But I do still love Nora and she is one of my favourite characters from a series that I have come across in a long time.

And the ending. Wow, what an ending it was, although it is quite a cliffhanger so please make sure you have the fourth book, The Mistress, to hand before finishing this one as, like me, I'm sure you will need to pick up the next book straight away to see what happens to Nora.

Summary - An amazing series that is giving a very close look at the relationships between Nora, Soren, Kingsley and Wesley. What I love most is that the author doesn't shy away from raw emotions to deal simply with the kink element of BDSM. She also explores the deep emotional and psychological connections between Dominants and submissives. This series is a must-read for all fans of novels focusing on BDSM.

Other books in this series:
1. The Siren
2. The Angel
3. The Prince
4. The Mistress

Review: The Angel by Tiffany Reisz (Original Sinners #2)

Publisher - Mills and Boon
Publication Date - 5th October 2012
Paperback - 416 pages
Genre - Erotic Romance

Source - Received from publisher for review

Rating - 4 out of 5: I really liked it!

Reviewed by - Chrissie

Book Info - She wanted him...

Nora Sutherlin is hiding. On paper, she's following her master's orders - and her flesh is willing.

More deeply, more strongly than she'd wanted anyone.

But her mind is wandering to a man from her past, whose hold on her heart is less bruising, but whose absence is no less painful. Instead of letting him make love to her, she'd let him go.

This is the story of a summer that proves that love hurts.

My thoughts - I absolutely loved the first book in this series (you can read my review of The Siren here) so I couldn't wait to read this one. And, although I felt that this book took a little longer to get into than The Siren, the second half was amazing and I had a lot of trouble putting it down.

What I loved the most about the first book was the complex relationships between Nora and the men around her. Unsurprisingly, all the men who meet Nora end up falling in love with her. And Nora can't help loving them all back in her own way. She seems to have a love for everybody and everything and, even though she can end up hurting the people around her, her joy is contagious and it's so easy to see why everybody feels the way that they do about her.

There is Soren, her master, who she has been in love with since she was just fifteen. They have had a rocky past and they finally reunite after a long separation at the end of The Siren. The Angel starts up again a year after their reunion and they are happy and strong together as a couple. They both know what the other needs without a word needing to be spoken and their bond is something that is very special. Then there is Wesley, who was Nora's live-in intern in The Siren, and he is the complete opposite of Soren in almost every way. He is sweet and funny and kind, and innocent... he is still a virgin. He loves Nora and Nora loves him. Where the love between Nora and Soren is dark and passionate, Wesley's love for her is pure and innocent. But my one reservation about Wesley is that because of his innocence, both when it comes to sex and life, he can't understand or accept Nora's need for pain and domination, which is a large part of the person that she is. To deny her that would be to change her completely, but he doesn't seem to understand that. Whereas Soren accepts her and loves her unconditionally. But, although I can't see things ending between Soren and Nora, I am very interested to know where this love triangle is heading... especially after the cliffhanger at the end of The Siren!

The reader gets to find out a lot more about Soren in this book as he is being investigated by a journalist and so much comes out about his past, which I found completely fascinating. It's no wonder he's such a complex character. And I felt that this new information added a whole new depth to him as, even though the reader doesn't get to spend much time with him during the events of The Siren, I found him to be rather one dimensional in the first book.

Also in this book, we get to read the story of a secondary couple... Michael and Griffin. Michael is a seventeen year old boy who the reader first meets in The Siren. He has had a troubled life up until now, including a suicide attempt where Soren found him and got him to a hospital therefore saving his life. He is a submissive and is incredibly shy. Soren sends Michael away for the summer with Nora so that she can train him as a submissive and they go to stay with a friend of Nora's called Griffin, who happens to be a dominant. It is pretty much a story of love at first sight for Griffin and Michael but nothing happens between them for a long time as Michael battles to come to terms with the fact that he is bi-sexual. But, for me, this romance was my favourite part of the novel. To see Michael blossoming under the care and adoration from Griffin was just beautiful. I can't put into words just how special the relationship is between these two and I am looking forward to reading more about them as the series progresses. I may have cried a happy tear or two over Griffin and Michael over the course of The Angel.

Summary - An amazing novel that, as well as focusing on the kink of BDSM, also takes a close look at a range of complex and often confusing relationships... between lovers, between friends, between family. I am absolutely loving this series and can't wait to read book three... which judging by the title is all about Wesley so I'm very excited to see what happens!

Other books in this series:
1. The Siren
2. The Angel
3. The Prince
4. The Mistress

Review: The Siren by Tiffany Reisz (Original Sinners #1)

Publisher - Mills & Boon
Publication Date - 1st September 2012
Paperback - 432 pages
Genre - Erotic Romance

Source - Received from publisher for review

Rating - 4.5 out of 5: I really liked it!

Reviewed by - Chrissie

Book Info - Some love stories you never forget.

She tore herself from the man she adored, who transformed her, who possessed her...who would have destroyed her. Now she is adored by a man she must not have.

Some books will change your world.

She thinks she knows what it means to be pushed to her limits. She's wrong.

Be prepared...this is one of them.

My Thoughts - I had been wanting to try this series for quite some time, so when the publishers asked if I'd like review copies I jumped at the chance. And I have to say that the first book was even better than I was expecting, if somewhat different from what I thought it would be.

Nora is an erotica author by day and Dominatrix by night. She is working on her latest novel and is having to work hard to prove herself as a real writer to her new editor, Zach. I absolutely loved the grit and determination that Nora showed throughout the whole novel when it came to her writing. She knows she is good and she is determined to make Zach see just how really good her writing is. Of course, it doesn't take Zach long to fall under her spell... both as a writer and as a woman. But they have to keep things professional until the contract for the new book has been signed so there is a lot of chemistry and fireworks between them throughout the novel as they have to try incredibly hard to keep their hands off each other.

Zach was an okay character, but I found I had trouble really connecting with him. I'm not sure if it was because next to the vivacious and bubbly Nora he just looked bland... but then who wouldn't next to Nora! It wasn't until later in the novel when he started to loosen up a little that I began to like him more.

Nora is surrounded by men who are in love with her. There's Zach, as I've already mentioned. Soren, her ex-Dom who she still loves but can't be with for reasons that I won't go into for fear of giving away spoilers. And Wesley, her 19 year old live-in intern who is still a virgin. They are all drawn to her like moths to a flame, and it was the intensity and complexity of these relationships that really helped to draw me into this book until I was unable to put it down. Of course, with one woman and three men, it was obvious that not all of the characters were going to get their happy ending and the need to know how it would all end for everybody was one of the things that made me speed through this book. Although I will admit to feeling a little frustrated with Nora at times. There is no doubt in my mind that she had feelings of some kind for each of these three men but because of her need to feel loved she kept them all around her despite the fact that it could only have disastrous consequences for everybody involved.

I loved the fact that the novel had real substance and storyline to it and wasn't just about the sex. It was about complex matters of the heart that really make the reader think. There are even a few deep conversations about literature and religion and the like that all helped to build the book up into something well worth reading. Although I will admit that the sex that was there was very hot and I enjoyed reading those elements a lot. I will warn you though that the sex is very BDSM orientated and rough at times so may not be for the faint hearted.

Summary - A great, although at times heart-breaking, start to the series. I can't wait to get started on book two!

Other books in this series:
1. The Siren
2. The Angel
3. The Prince
4. The Mistress