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laotranati's review
medium-paced
3.0
Meh? He estado leyendo harto romance con formulas de tramas bien establecidas, me gustó que este saliera un poco de lo típico, creo que no saber cómo iba a terminar me animó a terminarlo.
theabibliophobe's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
dreaminfiction's review against another edition
Wasnt immediately drawn in but was giving it a chance, but the Wesley relationship was really uncomfortable. Based on spoilers I read, it gets worse so would rather just move on.
duvyna's review
1.0
Holy fricking no... This book is whacked and goes beyond taboo, so far beyond I'm surprised how popular it is. I mean really at 20k rating on GR and it's holding over 4 stars when much of the subject matter is glorifying sexual abuse, and no I am not confusing consenting adult bdsm.... I'm surprised how many people are cool with adults pursuing sex with minors; child rape was not presented as a bad thing in this book... That is just not ok, ever so I'm going to DNF this.
chanelchapters's review
DNF @184pages
Whilst this made me laugh out loud in the beginning it was def a dark romance and I am NOT into 33 year old women having sex with 15 year olds. Also heavy on the sadism. Not for me.
Whilst this made me laugh out loud in the beginning it was def a dark romance and I am NOT into 33 year old women having sex with 15 year olds. Also heavy on the sadism. Not for me.
melody_p0nd's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Wow, this was amazing! My review won’t do this book justice, as I don’t know how to translate what I’m feeling into words.
Nora’s the best FMC: she’s badass, can also be vulnerable and is both perfect and flawed. All other characters caught my interest, but most of all Søren, he’s probably my favourite male character now ever. And I’m so curious to know more about Kingsley.
I really appreciated that the author actually inserted parts of the book Nora was writing, I think a lot of authors would shy away from that. I guess this is also applying Zach’s advice “show don’t tell.”Although at the end it appears that the characters in the book are based upon Nora and Wesley, I do believe the earlier scenes also gave us insight into Nora’s and Søren’s past.
Each main character has their own pain and I think we sometimes see the parallels between their pains and parallels to the bdsm world. Finally, chapter 19 has my favourite scene in it, which vision I keep seeing in my mind and never want to forget.
I’ve now ordered the entire rest of the main series and all the extra stories in hard copy I could find. I can’t wait to read the next installment and I hope I can stay in this world for a very long time to come.
Nora’s the best FMC: she’s badass, can also be vulnerable and is both perfect and flawed. All other characters caught my interest, but most of all Søren, he’s probably my favourite male character now ever. And I’m so curious to know more about Kingsley.
I really appreciated that the author actually inserted parts of the book Nora was writing, I think a lot of authors would shy away from that. I guess this is also applying Zach’s advice “show don’t tell.”
Each main character has their own pain and I think we sometimes see the parallels between their pains and parallels to the bdsm world. Finally, chapter 19 has my favourite scene in it, which vision I keep seeing in my mind and never want to forget.
I’ve now ordered the entire rest of the main series and all the extra stories in hard copy I could find. I can’t wait to read the next installment and I hope I can stay in this world for a very long time to come.
kathydavie's review
4.0
First in the Original Sinners intense BDSM erotic romance series.
My Take
Hoo-boy. This is intense, and I suspect as truly BDSM as it comes. It is a difficult read as the lifestyle does not appeal to me, and yet Reisz is an incredible writer. I can understand why James' Fifty Shades is more popular and it's a damn shame when Reisz is...oh, heads and ears and a zillion anything better than James. James' is a sweet faux BDSM while Reisz strikes me as the real thing. And not sweet.
That said, it's witty, emotionally devastating, intelligent, painful, funny, and soul-baring. Yes, all of this with the story revolving around Nora and Zach as they lash at each other and flashback on their individual pasts. Nora has a greater presence both in her character and in her everyday interactions. Zach is caught up in his own drama and is conflicted over working with her, with a genre he disrespects.
Nora cracks me up with her asides:
Zach is a match with:
Then there's:
For all of Nora's unorthodox need, it's really Zach who has the problem. One over which he anguishes until the women in his life finally beat him over the head with it.
Whoa, O. Henry's short story, The Gift of the Magi, has cropped up throughout, and, duh, I finally learned the parallel meaning of it. It saddens me, and yet it's right.
Some parts of Reisz's writing are clear and others are simply confusing until you've read into a bit. And that is the worse I truly can say of it. I may not like her topic, but I do appreciate her writing!
The Story
Nora has written BDSM erotica, enough to get her feet wet. But now she has something truly epic in her heart, and she wants to develop it. It has such promise and she knows it could be truly good, if only she had the right editor.
That's the pitch she makes to Bonner. She wants an editor who will rip the guts out of her book, force her to write as well as she imagines. But it's a reluctant editor she gets. One who mourns his failed marriage, and only thinks he's had a wild sexual past. One who views all romance as garbage.
Zach agrees, but only if she can accomplish a prize tale in six weeks. If not, the book won't be published.
But editing her book is not the only pain Nora seeks.
The Characters
Nora Sutherlin, a.k.a., Eleanor, a.k.a., Elle Shcreiber (there's a back story here that isn't told), is a switch, The Dominatrix, and a writer. She fled the man who introduced her to the lifestyle five years ago and has been writing erotica ever since. Wes Railey is the very young intern who lives at Nora's house. He's also a biochemistry major with some major demands of his own for Nora.
Zach Easton, a.k.a., London Fog, is a brilliant editor at Royal House Publishing. It's a new job, an escape from what he sees as failure in London. Grace is his wife. The one who left him. Mary is his wonderful secretary with a cheeky sense of humor.
John-Paul Bonner is the chief managing editor of Royal House Publishing. Other editors include Angie Clark and Thomas Finley, a major jerk.
Søren is the ultimate Dominant and sees all, right into your soul. Kingsley Edge, the King of the Underground is Nora's partner and Søren's oldest friend. Lex Luthor is Nora's friend and a bookstore owner. Master Griffin Fiske is a seventh level Dominant, and he's been a naughty boy. Michael is a boy in trouble whom Nora will help to understand his needs. Robin is a coat check girl at King's club; she's also a masseuse.
The Cover
The cover is very simple with its focus on the high-heeled, black patent pumps with the fishnet-wearing ankles, bound by a hank of white rope against the stark white background. I'm kind of surprised the background isn't black and blue.
The title is two-fold: a reference to what Søren called Nora, his Siren, for her abilities, and her ability with words.�
My Take
Hoo-boy. This is intense, and I suspect as truly BDSM as it comes. It is a difficult read as the lifestyle does not appeal to me, and yet Reisz is an incredible writer. I can understand why James' Fifty Shades is more popular and it's a damn shame when Reisz is...oh, heads and ears and a zillion anything better than James. James' is a sweet faux BDSM while Reisz strikes me as the real thing. And not sweet.
That said, it's witty, emotionally devastating, intelligent, painful, funny, and soul-baring. Yes, all of this with the story revolving around Nora and Zach as they lash at each other and flashback on their individual pasts. Nora has a greater presence both in her character and in her everyday interactions. Zach is caught up in his own drama and is conflicted over working with her, with a genre he disrespects.
Nora cracks me up with her asides:
I do love a man with a big vocabulary.
A well-hung jury then.
She answers the phone with: "Sophocles's House of Patricide and Incest. How may I blind you?"
Zach is a match with:
But the heartbeat was faint. The patient might be terminal.
Then there's:
"Ms. Sutherlin, you're obviously emotionally involved in your book. That's fine for writing, but editing a book you love hurts."
"I like doing things that hurt."
"Saturday night can't happen again."
"It can, and will in a few days. Saturday night happens at least once a week."
For all of Nora's unorthodox need, it's really Zach who has the problem. One over which he anguishes until the women in his life finally beat him over the head with it.
Whoa, O. Henry's short story, The Gift of the Magi, has cropped up throughout, and, duh, I finally learned the parallel meaning of it. It saddens me, and yet it's right.
Some parts of Reisz's writing are clear and others are simply confusing until you've read into a bit. And that is the worse I truly can say of it. I may not like her topic, but I do appreciate her writing!
The Story
Nora has written BDSM erotica, enough to get her feet wet. But now she has something truly epic in her heart, and she wants to develop it. It has such promise and she knows it could be truly good, if only she had the right editor.
That's the pitch she makes to Bonner. She wants an editor who will rip the guts out of her book, force her to write as well as she imagines. But it's a reluctant editor she gets. One who mourns his failed marriage, and only thinks he's had a wild sexual past. One who views all romance as garbage.
Zach agrees, but only if she can accomplish a prize tale in six weeks. If not, the book won't be published.
But editing her book is not the only pain Nora seeks.
The Characters
Nora Sutherlin, a.k.a., Eleanor, a.k.a., Elle Shcreiber (there's a back story here that isn't told), is a switch, The Dominatrix, and a writer. She fled the man who introduced her to the lifestyle five years ago and has been writing erotica ever since. Wes Railey is the very young intern who lives at Nora's house. He's also a biochemistry major with some major demands of his own for Nora.
Zach Easton, a.k.a., London Fog, is a brilliant editor at Royal House Publishing. It's a new job, an escape from what he sees as failure in London. Grace is his wife. The one who left him. Mary is his wonderful secretary with a cheeky sense of humor.
John-Paul Bonner is the chief managing editor of Royal House Publishing. Other editors include Angie Clark and Thomas Finley, a major jerk.
Søren is the ultimate Dominant and sees all, right into your soul. Kingsley Edge, the King of the Underground is Nora's partner and Søren's oldest friend. Lex Luthor is Nora's friend and a bookstore owner. Master Griffin Fiske is a seventh level Dominant, and he's been a naughty boy. Michael is a boy in trouble whom Nora will help to understand his needs. Robin is a coat check girl at King's club; she's also a masseuse.
The Cover
The cover is very simple with its focus on the high-heeled, black patent pumps with the fishnet-wearing ankles, bound by a hank of white rope against the stark white background. I'm kind of surprised the background isn't black and blue.
The title is two-fold: a reference to what Søren called Nora, his Siren, for her abilities, and her ability with words.�
astrokath's review
5.0
This book is about love, but it is most definitely not your standard romance. If you are looking for a simple HEA, read something else. If you are interested in reading a book with fascinating erotic themes, well drawn and engaging characters, and a story line that never goes quite where you expect, this is it.
Unlike some books of this genre, The Siren is a very well written book. The dialogue is sharp, often funny and sparkling, and never without purpose. The characterisation is skilful, so that book is full of people who feel real and make you care about them. OK, so you probably hate Søren, but you still care about him. Wes is a sweetie, and Zach is troubled and made me want to give him a hug. Or more. And Kingsley is French. Enough said.
I'd like to have as much chutzpah as Nora, and I was drawn to her quick wit from the beginning. She is a very strong, feisty woman who has tackled the world on her own terms, but she is also very vulnerable in many ways, and love is one of them.
I admire the deft way Tiffany Reisz managed the slow reveal of facts without making me feel manipulated. And when some of these details were revealed, they were headspinning. Reisz certainly messes with our minds.
The BDSM in this book is more hardcore than some, and for those not in the lifestyle, it may be shocking at times, but it is vital to the plot. This is who Nora is, and it affects her relationships with all the men in her life, for good or for bad. And you might have to decide which for yourself.
I’m so pleased to know this is the first of a series – I’ll certainly be buying the others.
Unlike some books of this genre, The Siren is a very well written book. The dialogue is sharp, often funny and sparkling, and never without purpose. The characterisation is skilful, so that book is full of people who feel real and make you care about them. OK, so you probably hate Søren, but you still care about him. Wes is a sweetie, and Zach is troubled and made me want to give him a hug. Or more. And Kingsley is French. Enough said.
I'd like to have as much chutzpah as Nora, and I was drawn to her quick wit from the beginning. She is a very strong, feisty woman who has tackled the world on her own terms, but she is also very vulnerable in many ways, and love is one of them.
I admire the deft way Tiffany Reisz managed the slow reveal of facts without making me feel manipulated. And when some of these details were revealed, they were headspinning. Reisz certainly messes with our minds.
The BDSM in this book is more hardcore than some, and for those not in the lifestyle, it may be shocking at times, but it is vital to the plot. This is who Nora is, and it affects her relationships with all the men in her life, for good or for bad. And you might have to decide which for yourself.
I’m so pleased to know this is the first of a series – I’ll certainly be buying the others.
meggie82461's review against another edition
5.0
5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
And although I loved you, my beautiful girl, this is not a romance novel.
This is another widely-read book, one so popular that I’m not even going to begin to write a conventional review. When I was a teenager, my mother often told me “people come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.” When it comes to love or sex, a lot of people don’t want to accept this. They want the fairy tale, the idea that love is unwavering and simple, and that sex can’t exist independent of love (I promise you, it can). Sometimes I wonder if the divorce rate is as high as it is simply because so many of us have unrealistic expectations. Well, as a formerly staunch fairy-tale advocate, I can tell you this: love is far too complex to ever fit in the confines of a fairy tale, and that’s because people are as well. The world consists of a small percentage of heroes and villains; everyone else falls in the vast in-between, where they float back and forth their entire lives. Love can cycle, it can change and evolve, and it can still be very real. You can feel it towards more than one person, sometimes for different reasons and sometimes the same ones. One person’s triumph can be another’s heartache. There are no purely happy endings, but don’t forget- there are still happy or at least content people everywhere. I like to think those are the people that understand all of this, that understand that realism isn’t pessimism- it’s actually the exact opposite.
”...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.”
Anywho, this was an epic story filled with love, sadness, loss, acceptance, and redemption. It doesn’t follow a script and now that I’m done with it, I still don’t know what or who I was supposed to be rooting for. It’s never easy when you know the best thing that can happen to a person is the very thing that will break their heart. Turns out that the people who enter your life for a reason or a season can have just as much of an effect as the lifetime ones. This story may be unorthodox, but it’s real. We can’t change who we are, or who we’re meant for, no matter how hard we try.
If she pretended it was only today and that there was no yesterday and no tomorrow, she could stay with him forever.
And although I loved you, my beautiful girl, this is not a romance novel.
This is another widely-read book, one so popular that I’m not even going to begin to write a conventional review. When I was a teenager, my mother often told me “people come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.” When it comes to love or sex, a lot of people don’t want to accept this. They want the fairy tale, the idea that love is unwavering and simple, and that sex can’t exist independent of love (I promise you, it can). Sometimes I wonder if the divorce rate is as high as it is simply because so many of us have unrealistic expectations. Well, as a formerly staunch fairy-tale advocate, I can tell you this: love is far too complex to ever fit in the confines of a fairy tale, and that’s because people are as well. The world consists of a small percentage of heroes and villains; everyone else falls in the vast in-between, where they float back and forth their entire lives. Love can cycle, it can change and evolve, and it can still be very real. You can feel it towards more than one person, sometimes for different reasons and sometimes the same ones. One person’s triumph can be another’s heartache. There are no purely happy endings, but don’t forget- there are still happy or at least content people everywhere. I like to think those are the people that understand all of this, that understand that realism isn’t pessimism- it’s actually the exact opposite.
”...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.”
Anywho, this was an epic story filled with love, sadness, loss, acceptance, and redemption. It doesn’t follow a script and now that I’m done with it, I still don’t know what or who I was supposed to be rooting for. It’s never easy when you know the best thing that can happen to a person is the very thing that will break their heart. Turns out that the people who enter your life for a reason or a season can have just as much of an effect as the lifetime ones. This story may be unorthodox, but it’s real. We can’t change who we are, or who we’re meant for, no matter how hard we try.
If she pretended it was only today and that there was no yesterday and no tomorrow, she could stay with him forever.