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

It’s safer to be feared than loved.
At least where I’m concerned.

**** GASPPP!!!!! **** Holyyyyyy SHIT!!! OMG. Ahhh!!! The ending of this book made my heart STOP!!!! I am so freaking glad that the next book is already out because I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS! Gah. This series is putting me through the wringer but I totally love it and I can’t stop reading!!

Note: This is the third book in a series that must be read in order. This review is pretty safe for anyone, but you should read The Siren (My review) and The Angel (My review) before this book.

If you’ve already read the first two books, you’ll naturally have a ton of questions stored up about all the various character and (thankfully) this is a book of answers. There’s a lot of back story mixed in with two present day storylines that together fill in so many blanks. I’m really in awe of how multi-layered this story is. Between that and the incredible writing, it’s really a series that is hard to put down.

The story in this book is split into three interconnected parts: Søren & Kingsley’s past thirty years ago in the Jesuit school they both attended, Søren & Kingsley’s present day activities as they search for the elusive thief that is threatening them, and Nora & Wesley in present day time together down in Kentucky.

I really feel like, even though I’ve liked Søren up until this point, I’ve also been a little wary of him. He’s a sadist — a man who can only be sexually aroused by causing pain or humiliation to his lover. That freaks me out a little. What keeps him a good man is that he has a conscience. Everything he engages in is consensual so he’s not a monster. But it just makes me uncomfortable… That being said, there’s also a lot more to him than just his sexual preferences. And that was what we learned in this book.

This man had given up everything he had to God, except the part of his heart that would always belong to Eleanor. He’s such an enigma. He inspires love from his congregation, respect merely by his nature from anyone who meets him, and abject fear (and awe) from the Underground. But learning about his past really did help me to understand that despite his need for sexual sadism, undearneath that was a very, very good man (as Nora has told us so many times). He’s kind, selfless, and caring. But he’s also like the eye of a storm — borderline lethal and deadly calm. A sadist with a conscience and a good heart.

And we finally get to learn oh-so-much more about Kingsley. This man — King of the Underground, top Dom only below Søren — had a whole other side to him that few people knew about. His tale is honestly rather heartbreaking (even to where it’s at now) — the ultimate unrequited love… almost tragically so.

I loved seeing the way the layers of their histories come together through their shared mutual bond, desires, and close connection at such an early age. Best friends and mortal enemies — the deepest of love mixed with the deepest of hate. It was honestly fascinating to see the two most dominant men of the Underground world show such private vulnerabilities with regards to each other — something they’d kept hidden from those around them. Over thirty years of shared history and yet so many unresolved feelings.

For the first time I began to see Søren in a different light — and appreciate how isolating his way of being was, and the incredible lengths he went through to protect those around him from himself.

Meanwhile, miles away, Nora returns home with Wesley to him home in Kentucky. Sweet, sweet Wesley — so in love with her, and the only man to ever love her without hurting her first. I love them together so much!!!! Everything about them just fills my heart to bursting with FEELS. Even though they’re complete opposites, they just feel so right to me. And the WAY he loves he just breaks my heart. — “When Søren hurts you, I die inside.” — Gah!!!!! I loved they way they were both fumbling around in new waters together even though their situations were vastly different — her, a world-reknown dominatrix who’d never had vanilla sex without kink, and him, a virgin who was saving himself for the woman he loved. They were so cute! Ahhh, her learning to cuddle. *clutches heart* Not going to lie though, I am worried as to whether or not they’ll genuinely be able to make it work. I do worry. Even though I am rooting for them.

Although, I admittedly have warmed up to Søren enough that I am now just a teensy bit torn. But like, what kind of future could he offer her? I feel like he was an integral part of her past… and will probably always be a part of her for the rest of her life… but I also feel like Wesley is her future. Is it horrible of me to kinda want her to end up with Wesley but maybe have him be okay with her going to be with Søren every now and again?? Hehe. Ok. Yeah, maybe that’s too far. *sigh* Maybe after reading three of these books, I’m adopting the whole “no boundaries” outlook of this world a little too much. Don’t judge.

I JUST WANT EVERYONE TO BE HAPPY!!! *flails*

I have to say I’m beyond impressed with the way this author kept these three storylines going at the same time without ever making it confusing and simultaneously making you feel invested in all of them.

This series has the ability to be incredibly intense one moment, then keep you on the edge of your seat with the dangerous tension, then be scandalously kinky, incredibly romantic and tender, and then have you laugh out loud the next. There’s witty banter, deep theology, complex plotlines, and heart-wrenching emotions.

I really have come to love and respect/understand the way there’s just no limitations to the “who” or “how” of the love in this series. It’s just love. Plain and simple. The circumstances and details are irrelevant. Love can happen anywhere and in so many different forms. Only the love itself matters.

This entire series has a kind of storytelling that is one of my favorites where not only is there one big story arc, but each chapter has it’s own smaller, but equally profound arc, such that the last words of each chapter always hold great meaning. They have *ooooomph*, y’know? Meaning. Power. I love it!

So yeah, #TeamSøren people… for the first time in this series, I’m actually starting to feel a little torn. Not that I want her to be with Søren, but I get why she’s so attached to him. I really do. Honestly it was the ‘100 ways’ and ‘spider’ things that made me warm up to him the most. I guess also by seeing his past, it’s a little easier for me to separate his sadism from who he is as a person. But it just really does bother me that he cannot get aroused without causing pain to his lover. I’m sorry, but as good a man as he is, that bothers me. So, I’m #TeamSøren in the sense that I like his character and I want him to be happy…. but if I had to pick Nora’s HEA, I’m #TeamWesley. I just love the way he loves her. So much. *sniff*

For new readers, please note that this is an erotic series, but it’s not a romance even though there is very deep, strong, and true LOVE within the story. Overall, it’s very boundary pushing and non-traditional, so it might not be the series for everyone (it took me years to work up to reading them), but I would suggest giving them a try because even though they’re almost the complete opposite of what I normally would think I’d want to read, I am totally LOVING this series! Loving it!

Oh, and that ending??? HUGE REVEAL!!!! Huuuuuuuuge!!!!

On to the next book!! 😀

Rating: 4.5 stars. Contemporary erotica.

* SERIES READING ORDER *

Click the titles or covers to purchase.

* FAVORITE QUOTES *

Note: I “hid” these in a spoiler tag but they’re not really spoilers. I only hid them because there are a lot and I thought it would be annoying to just have them out there. It would be best if you read the first two books first I think, but there’s nothing in here that’s overly revealing. It’s about as safe as quotes from a third book in a series can be. Take a look if you want 🙂

Spoiler Inside	Select Show
He wanted to sleep for days, for years even. Maybe when he woke up he would be a grown man and no one would send him away again. The day would come when he would take orders from no one, and that would be the best day of his life. ________________________ Up close, he appeared not only more handsome than before, but strangely inscrutable. He seemed like a book, shut tight and locked in a glass box, and Kingsley would have done anything for the key. He met the young man’s eyes and saw no kindness in those steely gray depths. No kindness, but no cruelty, either. He inhaled in nervousness as the pianist passed him, and smelled the unmistakable scent of winter. ________________________ Her grunts and cries of pain and fear were the sweetest sounds he could imagine. Only they could silence the music in his ears that he heard from the time he woke until he fell asleep and into blissful oblivion again. One piano concerto thirty years ago… and still he couldn’t unheard it… ________________________ He died while inside her and he cherished that death, that freedom, those few seconds when he was released from the spell of the only man in the Underground who wore a collar but belonged to no one.” ________________________ She’d joked her motto was Have Riding Crop, Will Travel…. And for her own safety she relied on only two things — her notoriety as the most dangerous Domme in the world, and Kingsley’s reputation as the last man in America anyone wanted to cross. ________________________ Wesley grinned down at her and her heart knotted up in her chest. God damn, she had missed this kid — so fucking much that being back with him almost hurt as much as letting him go had. ________________________ “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to my Portuguese.” “You’re learning Portuguese, too?” Kingsley asked. “How many languages do you speak?” “Eight.” “I’m bilingual. What do they call someone like you?” Stearns arched an eyebrow at him. “Intelligent.” ________________________ “Can I take a moment here to tell you both how cute your accents are when you’re angry?” Wesley and his father both looked at her, Wesley in shock, his father in disgust. “Okay, that’s a ‘no’ then. Carry on.” ________________________ Nora was lawless, unmanageable, uncontrollable. You told her one thing, she did everything but that. She laughed when others cried. Danced when others sat. She clawed her way to the top and didn’t even chip a nail on the way up. No one could break her. No one could handle her. No one could shut her up. God, he had missed this woman. ________________________ Soren seemed to delight in intense eye contact. He could read someone with a single glance — know their motives, their plans, what they wanted, who they trusted… As teenagers, Kingsley had thought it was a great parlour trick. It wasn’t until years later… that he understood the root of Soren’s talent. Abused children often grew up with extraordinarily astute abilities to judge character. It wasn’t a gift. It wasn’t a parlour trick. It was life or death, a survival skill. ________________________ “I pray for you, Kingsley.” Kingsley grinned. “Pray harder.” ________________________ The intimacy of his touch resonated deep within her. Some part of her had missed this… whatever it was, this tenuousness in him, this respect she felt in his hands, on his lips. He was careful with her. That was it. He touched her as if he worried he’d break her. She’d never been with a man who hadn’t wanted to break or be broken by her. ________________________ “You aren’t afraid of me right now.” A statement, not a question, and yet Kingsley heard the question underneath the words. ‘Why?’ There’s nothing you could do to me now that I wouldn’t want.” ________________________ “Stop staring at me, Kingsley,” Soren said as he turned his eyes from the road outside the window to Kingsley’s face. “I’ve been staring at your for thirty years. You should be used to it by now, mon ami.” ________________________ Soren had wanted to own this girl. He’d fallen in love with her instead. And whether she realized it or not, because of his love for her, she owned him as much as he owned her.” ________________________ “What are you praying for, mon ami?” Kingsley had asked. “What I’ve been praying for every day since I met you,” Stearns said, twisting the beads around his hand. “And what is that?” Stearns opened his hand to display the rosary beads he’d weaved between his fingers like a spiderweb. “Strength.” ________________________ “My name is Soren.” ________________________ Soren glared at him. “We’re not having the Saint Peter’s Basilica argument again.” “I’m getting you a pair of red leather shoes for Christmas. Why should the Pope have all the fun.” “I miss beating you sometimes, Kingsley. I truly do.” ________________________ He ran so Soren would chase him. He ran because he wanted to be taken. He ran hard and ran fast, yes. But not as hard and fast as he could. ________________________ “When Soren hurts you, I die inside.” ________________________ “It is better to be feared than loved. Kingsley heard the sorrow in Soren’s voice, the longing for something he thought he couldn’t have. “And…” Soren continued, “It’s safer to be feared than loved. At least where I’m concerned.” He smiled almost shyly and Kingsley suddenly understood it all — why Soren was so cold, so remote, why he could and did install such fear in the hearts of everyone who came near him. He did it on purpose. He did it to keep them safe. ________________________ Some sadists took years learning to master the art of inflicting pain without causing hard. But Soren was a natural. He was fluent in nineteen modern languages, five ancient languages and the one true universal language — pain. ________________________ “I still love you as I did that night you broke me.” ________________________ “Let me tell you a little secret…” She held him by the chin and turned his eyes up to her. “I’m no romance-novel heroine. I might even be the villain.” ________________________ Sadist. They left their notches not on their lovers’ bedposts but on the very bodies of those who braved their beds. ________________________ “I feel like I could do anything I wanted today.” “Welcome to the afterglow. It’s nice, right?” “Very. They should sell this stuff on the black market.” “They do. It’s called pot.” ________________________ “I want to name a horse.” “If you stay here, you can name all the horses from now on.” ________________________ Wesley’s love… it seemed so strange to her, so novel. Where had it come from? And why? She would understand the origin of the stars before she ever got why this beautiful boy, so sweet and pure, would love a woman like her.” ________________________

Spoiler Inside

Show

He wanted to sleep for days, for years even. Maybe when he woke up he would be a grown man and no one would send him away again. The day would come when he would take orders from no one, and that would be the best day of his life.

________________________

Up close, he appeared not only more handsome than before, but strangely inscrutable. He seemed like a book, shut tight and locked in a glass box, and Kingsley would have done anything for the key. He met the young man’s eyes and saw no kindness in those steely gray depths. No kindness, but no cruelty, either. He inhaled in nervousness as the pianist passed him, and smelled the unmistakable scent of winter.

________________________

Her grunts and cries of pain and fear were the sweetest sounds he could imagine. Only they could silence the music in his ears that he heard from the time he woke until he fell asleep and into blissful oblivion again. One piano concerto thirty years ago… and still he couldn’t unheard it…

________________________

He died while inside her and he cherished that death, that freedom, those few seconds when he was released from the spell of the only man in the Underground who wore a collar but belonged to no one.”

________________________

She’d joked her motto was Have Riding Crop, Will Travel…. And for her own safety she relied on only two things — her notoriety as the most dangerous Domme in the world, and Kingsley’s reputation as the last man in America anyone wanted to cross.

________________________

Wesley grinned down at her and her heart knotted up in her chest. God damn, she had missed this kid — so fucking much that being back with him almost hurt as much as letting him go had.

________________________

“Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to my Portuguese.”

“You’re learning Portuguese, too?” Kingsley asked. “How many languages do you speak?”

“Eight.”

“I’m bilingual. What do they call someone like you?”

Stearns arched an eyebrow at him. “Intelligent.”

________________________

“Can I take a moment here to tell you both how cute your accents are when you’re angry?”

Wesley and his father both looked at her, Wesley in shock, his father in disgust.

“Okay, that’s a ‘no’ then. Carry on.”

________________________

Nora was lawless, unmanageable, uncontrollable. You told her one thing, she did everything but that. She laughed when others cried. Danced when others sat. She clawed her way to the top and didn’t even chip a nail on the way up. No one could break her. No one could handle her. No one could shut her up.

God, he had missed this woman.

________________________

Soren seemed to delight in intense eye contact. He could read someone with a single glance — know their motives, their plans, what they wanted, who they trusted… As teenagers, Kingsley had thought it was a great parlour trick. It wasn’t until years later… that he understood the root of Soren’s talent. Abused children often grew up with extraordinarily astute abilities to judge character. It wasn’t a gift. It wasn’t a parlour trick. It was life or death, a survival skill.

________________________

“I pray for you, Kingsley.”

Kingsley grinned. “Pray harder.”

________________________

The intimacy of his touch resonated deep within her. Some part of her had missed this… whatever it was, this tenuousness in him, this respect she felt in his hands, on his lips. He was careful with her. That was it. He touched her as if he worried he’d break her.

She’d never been with a man who hadn’t wanted to break or be broken by her.

________________________

“You aren’t afraid of me right now.” A statement, not a question, and yet Kingsley heard the question underneath the words. ‘Why?’

There’s nothing you could do to me now that I wouldn’t want.”

________________________

“Stop staring at me, Kingsley,” Soren said as he turned his eyes from the road outside the window to Kingsley’s face.

“I’ve been staring at your for thirty years. You should be used to it by now, mon ami.”

________________________

Soren had wanted to own this girl.

He’d fallen in love with her instead. And whether she realized it or not, because of his love for her, she owned him as much as he owned her.”

________________________

“What are you praying for, mon ami?” Kingsley had asked.

“What I’ve been praying for every day since I met you,” Stearns said, twisting the beads around his hand.

“And what is that?”

Stearns opened his hand to display the rosary beads he’d weaved between his fingers like a spiderweb.

“Strength.”

________________________

“My name is Soren.”

________________________

Soren glared at him. “We’re not having the Saint Peter’s Basilica argument again.”

“I’m getting you a pair of red leather shoes for Christmas. Why should the Pope have all the fun.”

“I miss beating you sometimes, Kingsley. I truly do.”

________________________

He ran so Soren would chase him. He ran because he wanted to be taken. He ran hard and ran fast, yes. But not as hard and fast as he could.

________________________

“When Soren hurts you, I die inside.”

________________________

“It is better to be feared than loved.

Kingsley heard the sorrow in Soren’s voice, the longing for something he thought he couldn’t have.

“And…” Soren continued, “It’s safer to be feared than loved. At least where I’m concerned.” He smiled almost shyly and Kingsley suddenly understood it all — why Soren was so cold, so remote, why he could and did install such fear in the hearts of everyone who came near him. He did it on purpose. He did it to keep them safe.

________________________

Some sadists took years learning to master the art of inflicting pain without causing hard. But Soren was a natural. He was fluent in nineteen modern languages, five ancient languages and the one true universal language — pain.

________________________

“I still love you as I did that night you broke me.”

________________________

“Let me tell you a little secret…” She held him by the chin and turned his eyes up to her. “I’m no romance-novel heroine. I might even be the villain.”

________________________

Sadist. They left their notches not on their lovers’ bedposts but on the very bodies of those who braved their beds.

________________________

“I feel like I could do anything I wanted today.”
“Welcome to the afterglow. It’s nice, right?”
“Very. They should sell this stuff on the black market.”
“They do. It’s called pot.”

________________________

“I want to name a horse.”
“If you stay here, you can name all the horses from now on.”

________________________

Wesley’s love… it seemed so strange to her, so novel. Where had it come from? And why? She would understand the origin of the stars before she ever got why this beautiful boy, so sweet and pure, would love a woman like her.”

________________________

Comments

Neisa says

April 16, 2015 at 10:07 pm

I’m a huge fan of this series so i’ve loved following your reviews so far. Looking forward to seeing what you think of The Mistress!

- Aestas says
  
  April 16, 2015 at 11:49 pm
  
  Thank you!! I’ll keep you guys posted. Starting it tonight 😀
  
Sabrinna says

April 16, 2015 at 10:17 pm

Great review! i’m #TeamWesley AND #TeamSoren

- Aestas says
  
  April 16, 2015 at 11:49 pm
  
  haha I HEAR YOU !!! 😉
  
Lei says

April 16, 2015 at 10:50 pm

I’ve been scared by this series too. Just didnt think I’d like it but I’m going to try The Siren. off I go to one-clicK 😀

- Aestas says
  
  April 16, 2015 at 11:49 pm
  
  Woohoo!! Go for it 🙂
  
Denise says

April 16, 2015 at 11:05 pm

LOVED this series! The Prince was my fave book too!!

- Aestas says
  
  April 16, 2015 at 11:48 pm
  
  😀
  
Rebecca says

April 16, 2015 at 11:40 pm

i am loving your journey as you power through these books, and I have to say, I felt a lot of what you’re feeling. This series is the ultimate love triangle: Team Soren or Team Wesley?? Enjoy The Mistress!! Eeeeek!! Huge emotional roller coaster! The Mistress changed how I felt about Soren, and his Sadism, for me; I finally understood it. I look forward to your next review!

- Aestas says
  
  April 16, 2015 at 11:48 pm
  
  I’m so glad to hear that you went through similar feels with these!! I’m starting TM tonight because I just can’t stop! Can’t wait to see how it all turns out 🙂
  
mlyn peters says

April 17, 2015 at 12:00 am

I am So SOOOO loving your reviews & getting excited about how you are handling all the mind f**ks & reveals ! LOL !!! So, you are starting to warm up to Soren… hmmmm…. Yep, Tiffany Reisz has you right where she wants you, in her dark sadistic plan to grab your heart & twist it worse than Soren EVER could ! ( Don’t say I didn’t warn you *evil laugh*) On to The Mistress !!!!!! YIPEEEEE 😀

- Aestas says
  
  April 17, 2015 at 12:13 am
  
  Hehehe I’m warming up to him… definitely. I still want Wes as her HEA right now… but I’m warming up to him as a person. I know he loves her… I just love the way Wes loves her more.
  
  On to The Mistress I go!! 😀

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