The Red marks international bestseller Tiffany Reisz’s return to the erotica shelves. Originally published as a limited edition hardcover for attendees of Shameless Book Con 2016, The Red—an erotic fantasy in the vein of Anne Rice’s Sleeping Beauty quartet—will finally being be available to the public 11 July 2017.
Author: Tiffany Reisz
Publication Date: 11 July 2017
Publisher: 8th Circle Press
Series: StandAlone
Genre: Erotic Paranormal/Fantasy
Age Recommendation: 18 and Up
Rating: 4 Stars
~ I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review ~
Book Description:
Never make a promise you don’t intend to keep…
Mona Lisa St. James made a deathbed promise that she would do anything to save her mother's art gallery. Unfortunately, not only is The Red painted red, but it's in the red.
Just as she realizes she has no choice but to sell it, a mysterious man comes in after closing time and makes her an offer: He will save The Red if she agrees to submit to him for the period of one year.
The man is handsome, English, and terribly tempting...but surely her mother didn't mean for Mona to sell herself to a stranger. Then again, she did promise to do anything to save The Red...
The Red is a standalone novel of erotic fantasy from Tiffany Reisz, international bestselling author of The Bourbon Thief and the Original Sinners series.
My Review:
I am going to be honest here and say I don't even know what I just read, but surprisingly to all of you perhaps, I don't mean that in a bad way at all. Tiffany Reisz has completely messed with my mind on this one. I mean I always knew in the back of my head what must be going on at the basest level and yet the moments of fantasy are woven so flawlessly and intricately that I would completely lose myself to the images and get as caught up in them when they were occurring and then as bereft when they were over as Lily St. James was.
I have read Tiffany's Original Sinners series so I went into this knowing full well the style of book and writing I would be getting and yet still Tiffany blew me away. She took something so mundane to me, I am not an art aficionado in any sense, and made me crave more. I have spent hours since the end of this book and during the reading of it, Googling artists and historical references. It is truly amazing how one little piece of information from The Red can lead you down a rabbit hole of intrigue and scandal. Knowing just the little I have dug into the art world that helped create The Red I can only imagine the amount of hours Tiffany spent in research preparing for this book. She not only brings us a tantalizing world and story in this book but opens up an entirely new perspective of art history for me. Had I looked at the paintings she references in this book prior to reading it, I would have seen beauty but would I have delved as deeply into the fine details? I would have been tantalized and perhaps a bit scandalized sure but I would not likely have looked past the surface and into the world or into the message the artist was trying to present. While I can say that The Red will certainly titillate and even scandalize you a tad, no matter how much of an erotic reader you are, the depth of discovery that this book brings with it, to me, outshines all the what some may term, 'filth' woven through the story.
So after all that what is this story about in the end? It is about two people trying to control their own worlds. It's about loss, love heartache, passion, romance, truth. It's about going against perceived norms and finding your own path. It is about owning your own identity and truth and becoming the person you were meant to be for your own sake and no one else. Tiffany gets us there through a very unconventional path but one wouldn't expect anything less from her. There is a deep beauty to the stories she tells when one looks past what is forbidden. The Red is not a light and fluffy erotic read, this is a dark book that will shock you, that will make you question reality. It will give you goose bumps, it will have you setting it down to breathe and snatching it back up as quickly because you can't 'look away'. The Red will make you uncomfortable and bring you to an edge of what you find acceptable and then push you over, but in the end (and maybe after a day or 5 of deep thought) you will discover that the darkness also brings about a bit of light and understanding. You will realize hat this explicitly sexual story isn't really about the sex at all but about discovery, understanding, and freedom.
The Red is a HIGHLY EROTIC fantasy. If you are not a fan of erotic romance in any form do not go into this book unprepared. It would be a real shame to have someone pick up this book and rate it poorly because their sensibilities were offended, sadly that happens all to often. This book may not be for you and guess what that is A OK! We all have our comfort zones and our reading preferences, while I would like for everyone to read every book that isn't realistic and you need to understand what you are about to read before you do it. As I said above this book can be shocking and at times uncomfortable but it is a worthy read and if you enjoy erotic romance or have read Tiffany Reisz in the past than I highly suggest picking The Red up. The Red is a quick read for two reasons, one it isn't a long book...perhaps a bit longer than novella length and two it is also the kind of book that once you begin you can't put it down. The world Tiffany creates is alluring and vivid and while I know many of us will walk away with a 'Whhhhaaaaa' face when we are done you will want more. I honestly was not ready for this story to end. I know that I got a completed story but I want to go back to the castle, I want more white roses and blood red thorns, (maybe in a wedding bouquet?) I want heirs...I want to 'see' heirs being created, haha. Tiffany dragged me down that rabbit hole and now after bumping my had a few times in shock on the way down I am not ready to come back up.
~ HAPPY READING ~
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