Two-fer Review – The Prince (The Original Sinners #3) by Tiffany Reisz

Description:
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.

I’m on cloud nine right now after reading The Prince by Tiffany Reisz and can’t believe she’s done it again. I can’t wait to read it again it’s that good. The story continues where it left off at the end of The Angel. Nora has gone with Wesley to Kentucky and Soren and Kingsley are trying to figure out the mystery of who is after Soren. I can’t divulge too much because there is a cliffhanger ending but you get more backstory of Kingsley and Soren’s relationship and how it lead up to the present.

The story alternates between North; Kingsley and Soren’s story past and present, to South, which is Wesley and Nora’s present story. She weaves the story intricately between the three storylines so well that it feels seamless and it urges you on to the next part. I would say that two thirds of the story is about Soren and Kingsley and the other third about Nora. Don’t dismay that little is focused on Nora and Wes. Nora has conflicts to resolve in her relationship with Wes and you wonder if there were meant to be together as a couple. When they are together you get to see a very playful Nora in Wesley’s world and her ability to be comfortable in her skin outside the kink world. And somehow the kink world finds her in Kentucky when an old friend shows up. You can take the girl of the kink but the kink comes back to kick some butt and get answers for her own little mystery.

Now that I have had time to reflect on this story, I can see how the title of prince can be said of both Kingsley and Wesley. Both these men come from wealthy families and are/were heir apparent to the wealth and heritage. I got a better feel for what they must have felt growing up and the responsibility they have ahead of them and whether they wanted it or not. In the past storyline you see what feelings Kingsley has for Soren and how one instance can set a course in a direction that had irrevocable repercussions for all the characters in this story. Kingsley has been in love with Soren for years now and with Nora out of the way he tries to get back together with Soren. I don’t know whether to be angry with Kingsley or pity him for his jealousy and actions when it comes to his sister and Nora. I guess it’s both because the author has made these characters so believable for me. Her characters are realistic and multi-dimensional in their relationships. The Kingsley we see with Nora is a very different Kingsley you see with Soren. I understand him but not necessarily do I like him. Nora herself has got to decide if she can stay or does she have to go back. I’m torn between who I want Nora to end up with and I guess we’ll have to wait and find out in the next installment what that answer may be. I know who I’ll be secretly cheering for to win.

Ms. Reisz has taken this series and has run with it and proven to me that she can WRITE a story. She broke the mold with The Siren, surpassed it with The Angel but somehow blew it open with The Prince. Give yourself a chunk of time to read this story because you won’t want to put it down.

 

The Prince is the third book in the Original Sinner’s series by Tiffany Reisz that not only lived up to my expectations but blew them out of the water. Have you ever stumbled upon an author or a series and felt like you’d hit the jackpot? Well, that’s exactly what happened to me about a month ago when I read The Siren, and I haven’t been the same since. I’ve read each book twice and I can’t seem to get enough of the story or the characters. The main character is an erotic author who also happens to be the highest paid and most sought after Domme in the world. She’s a lovable hard-ass who rarely takes herself seriously and never fails to crack me up. She is at the top of my list of favorite female characters. Hell, I’m straight, but I want to date her. Not sure I could handle all of her riding crops though. The complicated characters and beautiful and highly sensual prose are a magical combination which will wreak havoc on your emotions. I guarantee you will laugh, cry, yell, jump for joy, pull for, and want to strangle most if not all of the characters at some point, but you’ll love every glorious minute of it.

The book is cleverly comprised of three story lines – The North Present, The North Past, and The South. We are teased to painful proportions when each chapter ends, left hanging by a string off the end of a cliff, and then sent to one of the other locations for a repeat. I can’t say that I liked any the three better than the other because each is crucial and holds equal weight to the story lines. I do have a soft spot for my dear Wesley, maybe you’d call it an obsession, however, I was just as engaged with the other sub plots especially since we are gifted with the back story of Soren and Kingsley and the mystery of who is trying to harm Nora.

The North Past tells us how Soren and Kingsley met when they were teenagers attending the same Jesuit school, long before Soren was a priest and Kingsley the king of the underground world of kink. Up to this point we see a glimpse of Kingsley’s feelings for Soren but the actual depth of his love after all this time is detailed and I was left feeling somewhat sympathetic and sad towards him. Kingsley is this larger than life, sexy eccentric Frenchman, with tailored suits and more money and power than anyone in the city, yet he’s completely vulnerable when it comes to his love for Soren. I enjoy Soren’s character because he is interesting in a dark sort of way and I will admit I warmed up to him a little more in this book, but the fact is, he is a sadist who can only feel pleasure from pain. This is not a choice for him, it’s the ONLY way. I get it, I truly do, but it kills me!!!! King and Soren together are easier for me to bare than Nora because he’s a man and I think between he and Nora he is the stronger one though she never denies what he wants from her. He even tells him, “I can take more than she can, I’m stronger, you won’t have to hold back.” It’s apparent that over the years his love for Soren has not diminished and he would do anything to have him all to himself.

The North Present is where the suspenseful part of the story happens. At the end of the previous book, The Angel, someone has stolen a file from Kingsley’s office with damaging information and he and Soren set out on their own investigative journey to find out who it is. It takes them back to where it all began with them at their high school, where The Past is intertwined with The Present and we learn even more about King and Soren. I was convinced by the end that they would be good together, they obviously have feelings for each other and they have a great deal of history. They way they talk to each other is beyond erotic, switching back and forth from English to French. I’m sure this is wishful thinking on my part. Even the depraved sadist that is Soren, one cannot deny the man is wickedly sexy. I feel really naughty admitting that. The man is a PRIEST.

I’m so glad there was an entire section devoted to Nora and Wesley. I know she is fifteen years older than him, and that he will probably never be anything other than vanilla, he’s a virgin, and she’s slept with half the city, and she is probably going to crush his heart again, but I can’t help it, I want them to be together. I want a Wesley. Every girl wants a Wesley. He’s loving, kind, smart, handsome, sweet, thoughtful, tall, forgiving, and rich. He loves animals and children. He IS the perfect man. I love how well they communicate with each other, how natural it is for them to be together, how happy they are when they are together. Nora will always need something more, but I want her to be herself and be with him. Is that too much to ask? Probably, which is why I cried during several parts of this story line. Wesley and his family are from Kentucky and are in the business of raising, breeding, and racing horses. The side-side story with the horses was beautiful and sad, and not only was I fascinated by it all, I learned some things about this business . In addition to the ridiculously large homes and the rows of stables, the author describes the beauty and lushness of the land, in that moment, I was taken away to that place. Wow, what an awesome escape! I’d love to see it in person some day.

The Original Sinner’s series is perverse, deviant, provocative and the most beautifully written kink I’ve ever come across. It’s how she places each word into the sentence, as if the words are singing, with the perfect flow. As I’ve been doing since I read the first book, I cannot recommend this series enough. If you take my word for it and try it, then become addicted, you will be pleasantly surprised to learn Ms. Reisz has a number of free reads regarding the series on her website, www.tiffanyreisz.com. I know this sounds familiar, you read a book and there are several characters that are introduced but you may not get a full novel for them or you wanted to know more about them or the history of the relationship. Well, you are in luck, because a lot of the characters we meet in the series have a short story. There is also plenty of Nora and her kinksters. Thank you Ms. Reisz for sharing the additional stories with people like me who CANNOT get enough of The Original Sinners.
The highest I’m allowed to award is 5 stars, so how about a larger font and extra bold? Just use your imagination and work with me.

Enjoy Everyone!