The Virgin by Tiffany Reisz

The Virgin (2015) (Harlequin)
Tiffany Reisz
Grade: B
Genre: erotica
Sex scenes: hot
Source: NetGalley
The Original Sinners: (prequel) Seven Day Loan, (The Red Years): (1) The Siren, (2) The Angel, (3) The Prince, (4) The Mistress, (The White Years): (5) The Saint, (6) The King, (7) The Virgin

Romance RBC 2015: A book with a writer heroine 

For years, Kingsley had warned Eleanor that there would come a time when she, lover of a Catholic priest, would have to leave for her own good. Twice a year for six years, she and Kingsley ran through his evacuation plan if one of his five scenarios arose and it was time for her to get out … When the time came, there had been no drill, no practice run that would have ever prepared Eleanor for what she was forced to face in 2003, the year that became known as that year …

Knowing that Søren and Kingsley will do all they can to find her and drag her back into their lives, Eleanor escapes and finds some measure of peace in the one place they cannot follow … with Eleanor gone, Kingsley too flees from his kingdom in New York and finds himself on a beach in Haiti. It is there he meets Juliette, the one woman he wants more than anything, and the one woman he cannot have …

Immersed in Pleasure by Tiffany Reisz

Immersed in Pleasure (2012) (Harlequin) (novella)
Tiffany Reisz
Grade: A-
Genre: erotica
Sex scenes: hot

Source: own

The Manhattan Mermaids are said to be the most exclusive, beautiful women in New York, entertaining wealthy and powerful men in an elite club called The Fathoms. As if that wasn’t enough, they’re all virgins. Like many others, Derek Prince doesn’t believe they exist until he meets the tempting and mysterious Xenia. She drives him crazy with desire, but a relationship would mean losing her position at Fathoms. Will Derek wait? But more importantly, will Xenia leave her life and the security of The Fathoms?

The King by Tiffany Reisz

The King (2014) (published 25/11/2014 / 5/12/2014) (Harlequin MIRA)
Tiffany Reisz
Grade: A
Genre: erotica
Sex scenes: HOT
Source: NetGalley
The Original Sinners: (prequel) Seven Day Loan, (The Red Years): (1) The Siren, (2) The Angel, (3) The Prince, (4) The Mistress, (The White Years): (5) The Saint, (6) The King 

Romance RBC 2014: A book with a title referencing the peerage 

The year is 1993 and Kingsley Edge is ready to drink himself to death while sleeping with half of Manhattan in the process. The year before, he was shot while working as a spy for the French Foreign Legion and dying from an infection in a hospital in France. He remembers little of his time there, except Søren appearing out of the blue one day after ten years, demanding that the doctors treat and heal Kingsley. Once discharged, Søren is gone but Kingsley has the best part of $30 million dollars in his bank account – blood money from Søren. Now, he lives in a palace in the city that never sleeps and owns a strip club where, behind closed doors, the rich and sexually deviant can give in to their erotic desires.

Captivated by Megan Hart & Tiffany Reisz

Captivated (2014) (short story collection) (Harlequin)
Featuring 'Letting Go' and 'Seize the Night'
Megan Hart & Tiffany Reisz
Grade: B- (average)
Genre: erotica / contemporary romance
Sex scenes: hot
Source: NetGalley

Romance RBC 2014: A book with a 'marriage of convenience'

In Letting Go, Colleen visits The Fallen Angel bar every Thursday night, ordering a whiskey but leaving it untouched. Bartender Jesse is enchanted with the beautiful but troubled Colleen and determined to make something of their connection. Colleen is wary: her ex-husband always accused her of being frigid and cold and she hasn’t yet got over their divorce. It isn’t until a snow storm forces them to spend time in each other’s company that Colleen rethinks her perspective on a new relationship and is confronted with her newfound desire for kinkiness in the bedroom …

In Seize the Night, Remi Montgomery knows that something is shifty is up with two of the biggest Thoroughbred racing farms in Kentucky, Arden farms and Capital Hills. She would do something to confront the problem, but Arden farm belongs to her parents, and Capital Hills, belonging to the Brites family, is their greatest enemy. To top it off, she and Julien, the Brites’ only son were the source of the original rivalry. Five years ago, a night of unbridled passion turned the two families against each other and it’s now up to Remi and Julien to get to the bottom of it …

The Last Good Knight by Tiffany Reisz

The Last Good Knight (2014) (serial) (Harlequin MIRA)
I: Scars and Stripes, II: Sore Spots, III: The Games Destiny Plays, IV: Fit to be Tied, V: The Last Good Knight
Tiffany Reisz
Grade: A
Genre: contemporary / erotica
Sex scenes: HOT
Source: NetGalley

Romance RBC 2014: A book published in 2014 

New York’s top dominatrix Nora Sutherlin is bored. When she stumbles upon sexy submissive Lance in Kingsley’s club, she can’t resist. On discovering that Nora is in danger, the ex-SEAL is appointed as Nora’s personal bodyguard and Kingsley stipulates no sex on the job, much to Nora’s disappointment. But however good Lance is in bed, he is loathe to hurt Nora the way that she needs and she soon discovers that he has secrets of his own …

The Saint by Tiffany Reisz

The Saint (2014) (Harlequin MIRA)
Tiffany Reisz
Grade: A
Genre: erotica
Sex scenes: hot / BDSM / not for the faint-of-heart
The Original Sinners: (prequel) Seven Day Loan, (The Red Years): (1) The Siren, (2) The Angel, (3) The Prince, (4) The Mistress, (The White Years): (5) The Saint

Romance Reading Book Challenge 2014: A book without a happy ever after 

Once upon a time, Nora Sutherlin was just Eleanor Schreiber, daughter of a wannabe-nun and crook with mob ties. At fifteen years old, all her mother wants is a daughter who loves God, goes to Church, respects her priest and even her mother a little. Instead, she gets Eleanor whose quick brain and fast-talking often gets her into trouble – as much trouble as the clever hands that know how to hotwire luxury cars before you can say five Hail Mary’s. It is these illegal activities that get Eleanor arrested. With the help of her priest, she escapes juvie by the skin of her teeth and instead lands community service under the supervision of Father Stearns – or to Eleanor, Søren.

Misbehaving by Tiffany Reisz

Misbehaving (2014) (novella) (Harlequin)

Tiffany Reisz

Grade: A

Genre: contemporary romance / erotica

Sex scenes: HOT - no one writes sex quite like Tiffany Reisz

Source: NetGalley

Beatriz is a translator by day and a sex blogger by night. That’s right: she gets paid to have orgasms. A last-minute plea from her editor has Beatriz agreeing to submit a 1,000 word book review just as she heads off for her foster sister’s wedding. There’s just one problem: the sex-position manual that she’s chosen means that she needs a partner for her orgasms.

Ben is more than willing to take up the job. Five years ago, he  turned down graduation-night sex with Bea and he’s regretted it ever since. Also attending the wedding stag, he won’t be making the same mistake twice. As the pair work through THE MANUAL, will they be able to remember that all this incredible sex is purely for Bea’s work, or will their old feelings be reawakened?

Just One Night Part One: The Stranger by Kyra Davis

Just One Night Part One: The Stranger (2013) (Pocket Star)
Kyra Davis
Grade: C
Genre: contemporary romance / erotica
Sex scenes: not quite hot
Source: NetGalley
Just One Night: (1) The Stranger

Everything about Kasie Fitzgerald’s life is sensible and boring. She’s been in her adult relationship with Dave for six years. She works in PR for a blue-chip firm, while Dave is a tax attorney. Kasie has achieved everything she has wanted, and everything her family wants for her, but she’s got the nagging feeling that it’s not enough.

The Mistress by Tiffany Reisz

I received The Prince for review on the basis that I didn’t reveal any spoilers; there wasn’t any such condition on receipt of The Mistress, but I’ve decided to keep my summary and review spoiler-free anyway, just because I enjoy being cryptic. Plus, you need to buy this and read the series for yourself.

The Mistress (2013) (Harlequin MIRA)
Tiffany Reisz
Grade: A+
Genre: erotica and so much more
Sex scenes: will blow your mind
Source: NetGalley
The Original Sinners (The Red Years): (prequel) Seven Day Loan (1) The Siren, (2) The Angel, (3) The Prince, (4) The Mistress

This was the perfect answer to end the mindfuck of all mindfucks.

The Siren saw Nora Sutherlin use her Siren’s call to bewitch her uptight English editor as he hones her book to perfection while estranged from his wife, Grace. In The Angel, Griffin, one of Nora’s many lovers and a Dominant of the New York Underground finds true love in Michael, a damaged teenage submissive, who becomes the Angel that saves him. In The Prince, Nora and Wesley escape to Wesley’s home in Kentucky where Wesley is the Prince of his world, richer than beyond even Kingsley’s dreams. And as they have their fun, Søren and Kingsley are on the trail of an enemy who knows too many of their secrets, that if exposed, could destroy them all …

The Mistress Files by Tiffany Reisz

The Mistress Files (2013) (short story collection)
Tiffany Reisz
Grade: A
Genre: erotica / short stories
Sex scenes: for such short little things, each story will blow your mind
Source: own

New York’s top Dominatrix, Nora Sutherlin has seen it all. From foot fetishists to masochists, clients who have cross-dressing fantasies to those who get off on being leashed like an animal, she’ll do it all – for a price. Her boss, Kingsley Edge and King of the Underground has tasked her with writing a book of her experiences in order to teach his other Dominants. The Mistress Files shares with us tales of five of her clients: from the Acting Actress to the Broken-Hearted Bartender, this is a collection that you won’t forget …

Submit to Desire by Tiffany Reisz

Submit to Desire (2012) (novella)
Tiffany Reisz
Grade: A
Genre: erotica
Sex scenes: scorching
Source: own, eBook only

Charlotte Brand first catches the eye of Kingsley Edge, King of the New York Underground, when she’s breathing fire and very, very drunk. The next thing she knows, Kingsley is taking her home after she passed out and presents Charlie with a lucrative business opportunity. Kingsley has a client who is looking for a female who will submit to his absolute sexual dominance. Charlie’s experience only extends to vanilla, but she’s inexplicably aroused by the prospect of having someone else make all the decisions and agrees to spend a month with King, in ‘training’.

Charlie would never have dreamed that she would become one of Kingsley Edge’s harem, nor that she would enjoy it so much. This rich client of Kingsley’s has a predilection for acting out rape fantasies, and Charlie might be scared every time, but isn’t so repelled that she needs to use her safeword. As King extends her sexual repertoire far beyond her vanilla roots, Charlie finds herself submitting to these desires that he awakens within her, and treasuring her time with him that is slowly drawing to an end …

The Prince by Tiffany Reisz

The Prince (2012)
Tiffany Reisz
Grade: A
Genre: erotica
Sex scenes: This is Tiffany Reisz - nuff said
Source: NetGalley 
The Original Sinners (The Red Years): (prequel) Seven Day Loan (1) The Siren, (2) The Angel, (3) The Prince, (4) The Mistress

If you’re familiar with my blog, then you’re aware of how difficult I find it to write reviews with as few spoilers as possible. When I was given The Prince on the condition that my review was free of spoilers, I found myself faced with a Herculean task. Don’t get me wrong, it makes perfect sense: The Prince is book three of Ms Reisz’s Original Sinners series and any review has to appeal to readers who have already started the series as well as those who are new to it. Considering that The Original Sinners is the quite possibly the most explosive and twist-heavy series that I’ve ever read, I think all reviewers who conform to the brief should be getting a medal or something. Or, even better, a signed ARC of The Mistress – we deserve it.

Back to the story. It’s the day that we never dreamed of happening: Nora has left Søren. For Wesley.

Passion by Lisa Valdez

Passion (2005)
Lisa Valdez
Grade: A-
Genre: historical erotica
Sex scenes: scorching
Source: own
Passion Quartet: (1) Passion

I don’t need to tell you that contemporary erotica is currently taking the publishing world by storm; who knows how long this will go on for, but I’m hoping that it will be a long time. In my books, anything that gets the romance genre more accepted and recognised amongst wider society is a good thing. Historical erotica isn’t nearly as big and I for one hadn’t ever set foot in this territory, mostly because I had no idea where to start. Passion is one of those books that I have meant to read for ages because I’ve heard so much about it; when I saw it on eBay, I leapt at the chance to own it despite knowing absolutely nothing about what it was about, or that it would be as hot as it is. It has its flaws, but boy am I glad that I bought it.

Bared to You by Sylvia Day

Bared to You (2012)
Sylvia Day
Grade: B+
Genre: erotica
Sex scenes: beyond scorching. Possibly more sex than I've ever read in a single novel
Source: own / NetGalley
Crossfire: (1) Bared to You

BE WARNED: Bared to You has more sex than even I was expecting. I didn’t count, but I’m hazarding a guess that there’s more sex and more orgasms than Fifty Shades of Grey. I was reminded of Ms Reisz’s writing with regard to the unapologetically intense nature of the sex (though nowhere near as heavy on the bdsm) and the sex in Bared to You was (IMO) more powerfully written than Fifty Shades of Grey (not difficult and review coming soon, I promise). Expect in this review: spoilers, unashamedly crude, lurid details and excerpts from scenes that will get you hot and bothered. It might get squicky. Read on at your peril.

The Angel by Tiffany Reisz

UPDATE!!!: I've found the proper Harlequin UK cover for The Prince! By 'proper' I mean that it matches the ones for The Siren and The Angel and isn't the one with the blindfolded guy or the piano and crop. A shame, because both are great but this one is truly beautiful.

The Angel (2012)
Tiffany Reisz
Grade: B+
Genre: erotica like you've never known erotica before
Sex scenes: hotter than the eighth circle of hell (you have to read it). Contains the most sadistic yet strangely titillating sex scene I've ever read. I swear even the most hardened erotica readers might be slightly put off, though this may be my relative inexperience in the genre peeking through. Also contains homosexual sex scenes, threesomes and lashings of innuendo to blow your mind (amongst other things) away; there's nothing that Ms Reisz doesn't (or won't) do

Source: NetGalley
The Original Sinners (The Red Years): (prequel) Seven Day Loan (1) The Siren, (2) The Angel, (3) The Prince, (4) The Mistress

Ms Reisz has no qualms about sticking her hand in your chest (amongst other places …), yanking your heart out and leaving you still breathing to boot. And the worst thing is, she’ll enjoy doing it and you’ll be left begging for more (I know I am). The best kind of erotica writer.

Seven Day Loan by Tiffany Reisz

Seven Day Loan (2010) (short story)

Tiffany Reisz

Grade: A-

Genre: erotica/contemporary

Sex scenes: scorching

Source: NetGalley
The Original Sinners (The Red Years): (prequel) Seven Day Loan (1) The Siren, (2) The Angel, (3) The Prince, (4) The Mistress

Ms Reisz gives a new meaning to the term ‘short story’. I’d wanted to read Seven Day Loan before The Siren after it was recommended Heroes and Heartbreakers, but it was only available in e-book form and shock-horror in this digital age, I don’t have an e-reader. Thus, imagine my elation when I saw that it was available on NetGalley and then I received confirmation the next day saying that it was ready for download. As mentioned in my review, The Siren is a substantial work: nearly four-hundred pages long. In my head, I equate the term short story with novella; I generally don’t like either because I feel that the authors cannot do the story and characters justice in such a limited arena. Ms Reisz managed to prove me wrong in just twenty-five pages. Yes, that’s right: Seven Day Loan is a mere twenty-five pages long. This is the sort of length that I’d expect my five-year-old cousin to be reading – though clearly of a genre more suited to his age group.

The Siren by Tiffany Reisz

The Siren (2012)
Tiffany Reisz
Grade: A-/B+
Genre: erotica
Sex scenes: S&M, graphically hot and not for the faint-of-heart, but a lot less detailed and fewer and further between than I had been expecting
Source: NetGalley
The Original Sinners (The Red Years): (prequel) Seven Day Loan (1) The Siren, (2) The Angel, (3) The Prince, (4) The Mistress

Tiffany Reisz is not your average erotica author, the corollary being that The Siren is not your average erotica novel. It's been a long time (if there has indeed ever been such an occasion) that a book has simultaneously made me want to cry while thumping it repeatedly against the wall in anger - the latter I might have actually done if I hadn't been reading on my laptop and thus another reason why print reigns supreme. Not that I'm complaining about free galleys.

By day, thirty-three year old Nora Sutherlin is a popular erotica writer; by night she's the most sought-after Dominatrix in New York. She sees clients at her leisure and commands astronomical figures for an hour usually spent beating the shit out of whichever masochist will pay the most - male or female. But Nora hadn't always been this popular; she's a Switch. Until five years ago when she left him, she had belonged to Søren since she was fifteen years old. Nora might currently be New York's number two Dominant, but Søren has always been number one and there's no one that Nora is more afraid of - or more in love with. He's a complete sadist and revered in the Underground for the pain and torture he can inflict on submissives. Griffin (Nora's friend and number seven Dominant) sums it up nicely:

Exit to Eden by Anne Rice

Exit to Eden (1985)
Anne Rice writing as Anne Rampling
Grade: C-
Genre: Erotica
Sex scenes: Oh, I don't know ... erotic, perhaps?
Source: Library

This cover is so blatantly phallic it's painful to look at while I type. While most erotica covers now tend to feature naked people twisted around each other in anatomically awkward (not to mention uncomfortable) positions, I find this cover much more painful to look at.

This is my first foray into erotica, though to be honest, it wasn't as explicit as I was expecting something classed under this genre to be. Considering this is twenty-seven years old, it is to be expected that authors have got more ... adventurous is one way of putting it, with the sexual exploits of their characters. Or maybe I just have a high tolerance to the issues that this book does deal with and my expectations were more in line with a modern erotica novel. Anyway, more about the book's eroticism (or lack of it) later.