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

Romance is sex plus love.
Erotica is sex plus fear.

WOW!!! So, I finally worked up the courage to read this book that I have literally owned since mid-2012. I’ve been equally curious about and yet kinda scared to read it this whole time, unsure if it was something I’d like… but I’m honestly so glad that I read it because OMG… it was GOOD!!! The writing was amazing! The story though was very, verrryyy different than a lot of what I read. It’s an erotic BDSM world and while there was definitely strong love, it was NOT at all a traditional romance. It was taboo and shocking at times, raw but extremely honest, very intricate and complex… It took me waaaay the hell out of my usual “reading comfort zone” but the characters, the writing, and the depth of the story have all hooked on this series and I will be starting the second book after writing this review because I NEED MORE!!! 😀

The story is infinitely complex but it begins with Zach, an editor at a major publishing house, who is given almost no choice but to work with a mysterious woman named Nora Sutherlin, an erotica writer whose books have been outselling his prize winning literary fiction novels. He’s beyond reluctant to have anything to do with her. What she writes is the furthest thing from the kind of books he’s passionate about and he wants nothing to do with her until he reads the first words of her book…

“I don’t want to write this book any more than you want to read it.”

And he’s hooked… and so was I. And the story began to unfold. At this point, I’m torn. It would be hugely misleading to tell you that this is “what the story is about” and yet if I told you much more detail, it would take the thrill out of the story. Suffice it to say that there’s a large cast of male characters around Nora.

There’s Wesley — her nineteen-year-old virgin intern who cares so deeply for this woman who is in almost every way his complete opposite. (Gah! I loved him so much!! *whispers* I think he’s my favorite!) To be honest, I think the hottest sex scenes were the ones that happened-but-didn’t-happen with him.

There’s Søren — the oh-so-mysterious, lethally Dominant priest who has been in Nora’s life since she was fifteen. I find him both scary and fascinating… for me (at this point), I feel like he represents “too far” in this world. I know that so many of you are on #TeamSøren but I’m still kinda eyeing him warily. I like him but he kinda scares me a little because he’s just so extreme!!! I’m drawn to the strength of his character though and to the power that he almost intrinsically commands… I think I’ll warm up to him as I read.

(hehe, I’d pay good money to watch Barrons and Søren duke it out. Just sayin’ 😉 #AlphaShowdown)

There’s Kingsley — Søren’s best friend, who runs the Club. We didn’t see that much about him this book but we saw enough to intrigue me and I know he becomes a major player in the later books…

And of course there’s Zach — the editor whose life is turned upside down after meeting Nora, who is still hopelessly in love with his estranged wife… and who is also hiding a secret from his past.

Oh and there’s Griffin — he’s another Dominant who we only saw briefly but I really like him!

Nora is the heart of the story though and is, without a doubt, one of the most intriguing female characters I’ve ever read. An erotica writer and a Dominant, who was once a submissive. She’s mysterious and yet forthcoming, so very clever, funny and charming, but sultry and dangerous, and yet also vulnerable. I love the strength of her character and I can’t wait to learn more about her as the series goes on.

There’s a lot of depth to the themes in the book. I don’t want to spoil anything by even hinting at it but I’ll just say that this is a lot more than an erotic novel. I found the beliefs and values held by the characters were very eye opening and would love to learn more about them in the books to come.

The story is erotic. Intensely sexual. There’s strong love, but no romance. It’s amazing the way the author separates these elements. Most books easily separate sex from romance. But separating love from romance while sex is still in the mix is a whole other level of intricacy. — If you’re a romance reader and planning to read this book, you’ll have to throw all the “rules” and expectations out the window. It’s just so wildly different that you can’t put it into that box. You just have to accept it as it is because….

This book doesn’t play by the rules, it makes it own.

I find the BDSM world really intriguing. The author did such an amazing job of educating the reader by “showing rather than telling” an understanding of the way that world works through the scenes.

You should know that Nora does have sex with multiple people during the course of this book. They are not random sexcapades and always served some sort of purpose. It kind of goes against what I usually like to read about but I found that once I just opened my mind and accepted the world, I was fine with it.

There are a lot of layers to the story that you have to really be paying attention to so that you don’t miss — like the way the scenes Nora writes in her manuscript but then deletes are ones that really happened in her past with Søren. It was so clever and secretive — hiding these secrets of her past in plain sight.

For an erotic book, it’s also surprisingly tasteful. Never gratuitous. The writing is just PURE GOLD. In fact, I’d say this is one of my most highlighted books ever — 72 favorites quotes selected!

I strongly recommend reading these books in order. There’s a real beauty, polish, and purpose to the way the story is unfolding. I usually am the kind of reader who wants to know the answers to certain things in advance but I’ve decided to just accept whatever comes and I’m reading these completely blind!

I want to stress that I do not consider these books “dark” really… there is nothing non-consensual in them. Even the most brutal, shocking, or extreme things that happen, do so because of choice, not force. There’s a huge difference between someone tying some random person up and beating them, and someone willing submitting trust to someone else to give them the beating that they want. The sub has all the power — they have a safe word they can use at anytime. While I most certainly understand that this world and this type of story won’t be for everyone, I also want to assure you that it’s definitely not random brutality.

I’m really glad that I have 7/8 of the books in the series already available. It’s such a rare treat to be able to really binge on a series so finding one that is this well written is just a bookworm’s dream!

On to book #2!!

Rating: This is just the start of the series so I’m going to hold off on rating it until I’ve read a bit more. But right now, I have the feeling that this will end up being a 5-star series for me!

* SERIES READING ORDER *

Click the titles or covers to purchase.

* FAVORITE QUOTES *

Note: I “hid” these in a spoiler tag but they are NOT spoilers. I only hid them because there are a lot and I thought it would be annoying to just have them out there. Have a look if you want, it’s perfectly safe 🙂

Spoiler Inside	Select Show
“I’ve got a crisp new Benjamin for the first person who can give me a good synonym for ‘thrust’, noun form. Go,” she said… “Push, lunge, shove, attack, force, jab,” he rattled off the words. “His slow, relentless jabs sent her reeling…” she said. “Sounds like a commentary on a boxing match. Goddamit, why are there no good synonyms for thrust?” ________________________ “Why my personal life is of such fascination to you, I cannot fathom.” “I’m a cat. You’re a shiny object.” “You’re insufferable.” “I am, aren’t I? Somebody should spank me.” She sighed. ________________________ “He saved up her pain, counted it like currency and the more pain she endured, the more pleasure she could buy with it… His mouth was at her ear now. With words intimate and secret he whispered his love for her… She was always his, would forever be his.” ________________________ He wouldn’t keep her against her will even if against her will was what she wanted. “When you come back to me —“ he began and she pulled back to meet his eyes. “I won’t.” “IF you come back to me,” he said, making a rare concession, “will you run or will you crawl?’ She had pressed her whole body into him at that moment. Resting her head on his strong shoulder, she watched as a tear forged a river down his long and muscled back. “I’ll fly.” ________________________ “Every day you battle an enemy I cannot fight with you or for you.” “But what if the enemy you think I fight isn’t the enemy at all?” he asked, reaching out to take her face in his hand… “What if this enemy is only me?” She didn’t flinch at what she saw. He had taught her that, as well. “Then I will save you from yourself.” ________________________ “What’s this book about?” “It’s kind of a love story. Not my usual boy-meets-girl, boy-beats-girl story. My two characters love each other but they don’t belong together. ________________________ “I didn’t have the strength to stop you from leaving.” “You did,” she said. “But you loved me too much to use it.” ________________________ “Søren has loved me since the day we met. He’s loved me since I was fifteen years old. He’s loved me without fear, without guilt, without failing and without flinching every day of my life… He’s the only man who never hurt me.” ________________________ “Although two people can love each other deeply, sometimes love alone doesn’t cut it. We can only sacrifice so much of ourselves in a relationship before there’s nothing left to love or be loved.” ________________________ “He beats you and you let him. And if this is love then he shouldn’t love you anymore.” ________________________ “Don’t feel bad, Zach,” Wesley said when he was done laughing. “Nora made me help her with a scene once. I ended up hog-tied on the living-room floor for half an hour.” Now it was Zach’s turn to laugh. Was there any woman in the world quite like Nora? He was so glad she existed; even more glad there was only one of her.” ________________________ “Søren isn’t some boyfriend you have a fight with and then kiss and make up. He’s the invading army you surrender to before it burns your village down.” “He sounds even more dangerous than you are.” “He is. By far. He’s also the best man I’ve ever known.” ________________________ “Nora — Forgive me for copyediting, but it must be said — you have raped the semicolon yet again. Stop it. It wasn’t asking for it no matter how it was dressed. If you don’t know how to use punctuation then do away with it all together, write like Faulkner and we’ll pretend it’s on purpose.” Bite me , Easton, Nora said to herself as she corrected the sexually compromised semicolon in chapter eighteen. Seriously, bite me. “Nora — Aristotle said character is plot. Aristotle is dead and can’t hurt you. I’m alive and I can. Plot is plot. Find one and keep it.” You want to try to hurt me, Zach? I’d love to see you try. ________________________ “I can’t win with you, can I?” Nora laughed. “Of course not. The only way to win this game is to surrender.” ________________________ ‘Nora’s not just some smut writer with a wild sex life. She’s the motherfucking queen of the Underground. And Kingsley Edge, is obviously, our king.” “And him? What is he?” Zach didn’t even want to say Søren’s name. “He’s whatever’s higher than a king and queen.” “An emperor?” Zach guessed. Griffin smirked. “A god.” ________________________ “You merely think you know her. It’s one of her best tricks. She flirts, she teases, she confeses everything but reveals nothing. It’s the oldest magician’s trick — smoke and mirrors, misdirection.” ________________________ “Are you sure he’s on God’s side?” Zach asked. Nora laughed. “Very sure. And believe me, God’s relieved that he is.” ________________________ “Broken love is the most dangerous love. It will slice you open with every touch.”

Spoiler Inside

Show

“I’ve got a crisp new Benjamin for the first person who can give me a good synonym for ‘thrust’, noun form. Go,” she said…
“Push, lunge, shove, attack, force, jab,” he rattled off the words.
“His slow, relentless jabs sent her reeling…” she said. “Sounds like a commentary on a boxing match. Goddamit, why are there no good synonyms for thrust?”

________________________

“Why my personal life is of such fascination to you, I cannot fathom.”
“I’m a cat. You’re a shiny object.”
“You’re insufferable.”
“I am, aren’t I? Somebody should spank me.” She sighed.

________________________

“He saved up her pain, counted it like currency and the more pain she endured, the more pleasure she could buy with it… His mouth was at her ear now. With words intimate and secret he whispered his love for her… She was always his, would forever be his.”

________________________

He wouldn’t keep her against her will even if against her will was what she wanted.
“When you come back to me —“ he began and she pulled back to meet his eyes.
“I won’t.”
“IF you come back to me,” he said, making a rare concession, “will you run or will you crawl?’
She had pressed her whole body into him at that moment. Resting her head on his strong shoulder, she watched as a tear forged a river down his long and muscled back.
“I’ll fly.”

________________________

“Every day you battle an enemy I cannot fight with you or for you.”
“But what if the enemy you think I fight isn’t the enemy at all?” he asked, reaching out to take her face in his hand… “What if this enemy is only me?”
She didn’t flinch at what she saw. He had taught her that, as well.
“Then I will save you from yourself.”

________________________

“What’s this book about?”
“It’s kind of a love story. Not my usual boy-meets-girl, boy-beats-girl story. My two characters love each other but they don’t belong together.

________________________

“I didn’t have the strength to stop you from leaving.”
“You did,” she said. “But you loved me too much to use it.”

________________________

“Søren has loved me since the day we met. He’s loved me since I was fifteen years old. He’s loved me without fear, without guilt, without failing and without flinching every day of my life… He’s the only man who never hurt me.”

________________________

“Although two people can love each other deeply, sometimes love alone doesn’t cut it. We can only sacrifice so much of ourselves in a relationship before there’s nothing left to love or be loved.”

________________________

“He beats you and you let him. And if this is love then he shouldn’t love you anymore.”

________________________

“Don’t feel bad, Zach,” Wesley said when he was done laughing. “Nora made me help her with a scene once. I ended up hog-tied on the living-room floor for half an hour.”
Now it was Zach’s turn to laugh. Was there any woman in the world quite like Nora? He was so glad she existed; even more glad there was only one of her.”

________________________

“Søren isn’t some boyfriend you have a fight with and then kiss and make up. He’s the invading army you surrender to before it burns your village down.”
“He sounds even more dangerous than you are.”
“He is. By far. He’s also the best man I’ve ever known.”

________________________

“Nora — Forgive me for copyediting, but it must be said — you have raped the semicolon yet again. Stop it. It wasn’t asking for it no matter how it was dressed. If you don’t know how to use punctuation then do away with it all together, write like Faulkner and we’ll pretend it’s on purpose.”
Bite me , Easton, Nora said to herself as she corrected the sexually compromised semicolon in chapter eighteen. Seriously, bite me.
“Nora — Aristotle said character is plot. Aristotle is dead and can’t hurt you. I’m alive and I can. Plot is plot. Find one and keep it.”
You want to try to hurt me, Zach? I’d love to see you try.

________________________

“I can’t win with you, can I?”
Nora laughed.
“Of course not. The only way to win this game is to surrender.”

________________________

‘Nora’s not just some smut writer with a wild sex life. She’s the motherfucking queen of the Underground. And Kingsley Edge, is obviously, our king.”
“And him? What is he?” Zach didn’t even want to say Søren’s name.
“He’s whatever’s higher than a king and queen.”
“An emperor?” Zach guessed.
Griffin smirked. “A god.”

________________________

“You merely think you know her. It’s one of her best tricks. She flirts, she teases, she confeses everything but reveals nothing. It’s the oldest magician’s trick — smoke and mirrors, misdirection.”

________________________

“Are you sure he’s on God’s side?” Zach asked.
Nora laughed. “Very sure. And believe me, God’s relieved that he is.”

________________________

“Broken love is the most dangerous love. It will slice you open with every touch.”

Comments

Sabrina says

April 10, 2015 at 8:40 pm

BEST. SERIES. EVERRR!!!

- Aestas says
  
  April 10, 2015 at 9:55 pm
  
  That’s what I keep hearing 😀
  
Vivian says

April 10, 2015 at 8:57 pm

Love these books! I still have to read the newest one. Weekend reading time here I come.

- Aestas says
  
  April 10, 2015 at 9:56 pm
  
  Happy reading! 🙂
  
Charlize says

April 10, 2015 at 9:15 pm

Tiffany Reisz is an absolutely genius with words. Amazing series!

- Aestas says
  
  April 10, 2015 at 9:56 pm
  
  I totally agree! I love her writing style! 🙂
  
mlyn peters says

April 10, 2015 at 9:19 pm

Welcome to the Original Sinners ! We always welcome more to share in the eye & mind opening series Tiffany Reisz has blessed this world with ! Oh what a wonderful rollercoaster ride you have gotten on & remember, things are not always as you think they are ;)…. which is the absolute JOY of Tiffany’s series. So HOLD ON TIGHT ! I can make things easy for you just rate them ALL 5 stars… you’ll see soon.

- Aestas says
  
  April 10, 2015 at 9:56 pm
  
  haha I’m loving that I have so many books to dive into! Starting book #2 tonight and SO excited about it 😀
  
Tracie says

April 10, 2015 at 9:46 pm

You will absolutely LOVE Griffen and Kingsley!! King has some of the best lines in the coming books. I’m so excited you’re reading these!!

- Aestas says
  
  April 10, 2015 at 9:57 pm
  
  Oooooh, I can’t wait!!! They were only in this briefly but I can’t wait to see more of them 🙂
  
Silvia says

April 11, 2015 at 1:42 am

So glad you enjoyed The Siren! I’ve read the whole series and I’m on #TeamSøren but Kingsley’s oh so very hot too! And of course I love Nora which makes up the rest of this unholy trinity! Can’t wait to hear your thoughts as you progress through each book!

- Aestas says
  
  April 11, 2015 at 8:20 am
  
  Sweet!! I’ll keep everyone posted with reviews and updates as I read 😀
  
skyline1210 says

April 11, 2015 at 6:08 am

Best series EVER!!! I think I’ve re-read it like 10 times or something like that… ooooooh the feels… 😀 You will love it!

- Aestas says
  
  April 11, 2015 at 8:22 am
  
  Woohoo!!! So excited to keep going! I’ve already felt the feels starting in this book. The writing is amazing!!
  
  - skyline1210 says
    
    April 13, 2015 at 1:02 pm
    
    It is! Just wait for the 3rd book, I think that one was the most “emotional” for me… oooohhhh and then The Mistress… I kind of envy you right now for reading it for the first time 😀 It just gets better and better 😀
    
    - Aestas says
      
      April 13, 2015 at 2:24 pm
      
      Oh that makes me so excited! I just finished the second one last night and LOOOVED it so I’ll start the third as soon as I review that one 😀

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