The Virgin (The Original Sinners, 7)

Tiffany Reisz is beyond a doubt one of the most clever erotic romance writers I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing. I absolutely loved this story. The Virgin, in essence, introduces us to how and why Eleanor, Soren’s Little One, became Nora. We also get the back story on how Kingsley met Juliette. Both tales are revealed as Eleanor, Soren and Kingsley lay in bed reminiscing about the past, one stormy night in a Scottish castle before a wedding. In typical Tiffany Reisz style, the reader is kept in suspense as to both the present (who is getting married) and the past (exactly what happened in that year) until the very end. And of course, throughout the entire adventure you can count on plenty of steamy, erotic scenes occurring both in the present and past to keep you aroused and entertained the whole way!

This is one of those stories, where the less you know going in the better, as the magical effect of this read lies in its delivery, and how it fits in with everything you already know about these characters. So I will be necessarily brief in my background description.

Kingsley prepared Eleanor for years. One day he knew she would need to disappear. Afterall, how long could the infamous submissive of a Catholic priest and lover of the King of Manhattan’s Kink Underworld remain a secret? Undoubtedly, one day she would need to run away from it all. What Eleanor never believed is that she would be hiding from both Soren and Kingsley.

That day occurs when she is 26 years-old (12 years in the past compared to the present described in The Virgin). Running with very little money, and only really having mutual friends who would no doubt reveal her location, Eleanor goes to the one place that neither Soren nor Kingsley could touch her: her mother’s Catholic convent. Of course, Eleanor being who she is, not even a convent full of only nuns, could repress her true sexual nature. It is there where she, along with the help of a rather unusually quirky, virginal 21 year-old nun, that she really learns who she is meant to be.

The events that lead to her disappearance are so unforgivable to Kingsley that even he goes on a hiatus. Afraid that he would never be able to deny Soren should he ask him to help find Eleanor, Kingsley embarks on traveling the world and leaves without a word to Soren. Then he meets the one person who he just may never be able to truly have. Lost in his own duel with fate, he is also forced to face who he is truly meant to be.

I have to say that Tiffany Reisz’s way with words, particularly when it comes to forbidden topics, is beyond compare. There is a whole list of things that happen in this book, that I never thought I would be comfortable reading; but when it’s Tiffany Reisz who is writing it, I find myself devouring it with plenty aplomb. If you have an open mind, particularly when it comes to taboo and kink, then I can’t recommend The Original Sinners Series highly enough. I guarantee that it will leave you lost in thought for days, and you will never quite see the world the same again. I just wish there were more books out there that could come close to the incredible rush that Tiffany Reisz’s books always seem to inspire. There is just something so dangerously tantalizing about the forbidden that becomes an irresistible force driving you to savor every word. This series really is in a class all of its own. I absolutely can’t wait for the next installment, The Queen, which is scheduled to be released in in October 2015!

Source: Review copy provided in exchange for an honest review.

The Virgin, Tiffany Reisz
Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews
Genre:  Erotica
 
Well, I guess most of us have always wondered...why did Nora leave Soren? Its referred to so many times, and we know its around the time she also was pregnant via Kingsley and finally – finally – we get to know everything. Poor Nora, I felt for her so much but also for Kingsley too and Soren. They all ended in a situation hurting each other, though none of them wanted that, didn’t intend it. Life is like that sometimes, takes us in directions we didn’t intend, and we strike out in impulse at those we love.Wow what a shock it was too, and yet knowing them both its not really unexpected. Soren is a control freak in so many ways and up to now Nora has needed that, needed him to get her out of scrapes when she was younger and accepted his directions once she was older. She’s allowed him to push her life in the direction she needs, trusting him as her Dominant to know best. Then so  much happens at once, they’re all in shock and Nora flees. Kingsley ( he’s great is The King) has told her for a long while this day would come, but she never really believed him. Soren has been the one she runs to, who loves and protects her, who sorts out and helps her with any problems, and she can’t imagine running away but Kingsley has insisted that she practises and knows what to do in the event of five  scenarios, and he’s put out in place help for her in the event of one of them occurring. This time though its something none of them envisaged and she can’t go to any of the bolt holes...she has to find her own. In between that story Tiffany weaves another for us about how The King meets his Juliette. She’s always been a bit of a background figure, loves Kingsley unconditionally, puts up with his ways and accepts him for the man he is, so who is she really? We get to see their first meeting and find out just why Kingsley is so enamoured of her and why they are so perfect together. She came as a real surprise to me, I simply never envisaged her as that sort of person and yet – she’s perfect, I loved her, and she’s just the sort of helpmeet he needs in his life at the time she has need of someone like him. Its a real turn of fate moment when two people find exactly the lovers they need.
Nora in the convent – can you imagine it? And though she’s grateful for the sanctuary she still rebels against some of the constraints in her own way. The time away though stretches into months and months,  and its where she has the time to think and to find out who and what she really is. It makes sense, when you think she’s been with Soren directing her since she was fifteen and not really learned to think for herself. As Soren’s sub he did all the thinking for her, and good though that is her nature isn’t a natural submissive one, she’s rebellious and fiercely independent and its only her love for Soren that’s allowed her to be submissive so far. She’s matured from that needy teen and now has to make some decisions about her life, where its going and what she wants. Its a time of change and its been great to go along with the journey.
 
We do get a bit of Soren though – at the beginning and the end which brings us up to present day, so he’s not just in Kingsley and Nora’s thoughts but there in reality too. Its a perfect ending  – I’ll be sad to see these characters go, but wonder once these gap filling stories are done if there’s any more to come from them? I’ve loved them but the time with all good books to stop is before they get exhausted, before the story gets tired and dull – I’d rather re read what we have than see that happen. So far though even though I know the story its still really fun getting the snippets and stories behind the main events and characters.  I’m looking forward to how Nora become the top Dominatrix, and hope we find out what Soren does in that time too. I can’t quite remember how but? I’m sure she left Soren a second time – I seem to recall Kingsley saying he understood why she left the first time ( this time), but didn’t agree with the second and that’s where they fell out. Or maybe I just dreamt all that !! they do seem to insert their way into my thoughts a lot....
 
Stars: Five, I really enjoyed the stories behind the story in this read.  
ARC supplied by Netgalley and publishers.
 

Sigh...one book closer to the end of this series, which I really don't want to end. The Original Sinners is my favorite series of all time and I have been slowly savoring them to prolong the agony of having to say goodbye. Since I've been reading this in paperback, my reading has been confined to small periods of time because once I delve into the book I don't want to leave. Having said that, be prepared to bounce back and forth. It was really the only drawback I found. We're alternating between Northern New York where Elle is hiding in a convent, and Haiti where Kingsley has found refuge. Both are on the outs with their beloved priest Soren, who has done something terrible that neither Elle or Kingsley can forgive. Every other chapter stories meant I was having to go back and re-read a little to remember where I left off.

Haiti
I won't lie, from day one I've wanted a Nora/Soren/King HEA. Kingsley's Juliette felt like an unwelcome interloper but for this installment we get to find out how King met her, fell in love, and why she is his perfect mate. Tiffany Reisz writes strong women so well and Juliette is a perfect example. She is mysterious and intriguing, carries herself like a queen, is intelligent, charming, sexy, and quick-witted. She keeps King on his toes and we fall in love with them as a couple almost as instantaneously as he is captivated by her. AND King and Juliette provide the bulk of the heat for the book, they are smoking hot together.

Convent Life
Recovering from her abortion and having her heart broken by Soren, Elle has found sanctuary at her mother's convent where she meets Kyrie, a young novice who has not taken her vows yet. Despite being all sweetness and light, this girl has a bit of an edge. She's curious, funny, brave, and devout to becoming a nun. She also wants to live a little doing so vicariously through Elle. She quickly gets under Elle's skin. Kyrie is absolutely critical to the story because she encourages Elle to write and sets her on the path to becoming Nora Sutherlin. There is a lot of chemistry and sizzle, as well as a couple of sex scenes, but I found Kyrie more fascinating as the person who inspired her to write and less as "the time I slept with a nun."

Soren and Kingsley
Other than appearing in the introduction, HELLO LIMO SCENE!!!, and the conclusion HELLO KILT SCENE!!!, we see Soren mostly in flashbacks as Nora tells Kyrie her story, so that means we get a whole bunch of King. We get to see how Elle and King interact when Soren is away, he introduces her to her Dominant side, and of course, when he got her pregnant. There is lots of sexy times for these two. Plus, we get to see him get blindsided by love, moments with his little girl, and THAT SPEECH!!! I fell in love with King all over again. For the first time, I kind of hated Soren, and I've always liked him and most of the time adore him. But he has a moment that I hated him so much. He deserved more than the bloody nose and cracked rib King gave him. However, as we all know now, he does redeem himself but next we get to see Kingsley transform Elle into her awesome amazing legendary self!!!

Another beautifully written book. I love this series so much. Intelligent story telling with loads of eroticism. This series should be read in proper order to get the full effect and this book should not be read as a stand alone.

I have read other books by Tiffany Reisz and I haven't been enthralled. In fact, I've felt a push back on the content and have often said that it was "not for me". Yet I still selected "The Virgin" to read because I have a friend who loves, adores, obsesses over these books (Kingsley in particular occupies a lot of her conversation about the books). Since Kingsley was part of the blurb, I decided to get it in spite of knowing that I probably would go "Not for me" after reading.

Yet, I actually liked it. I'm still not a fan of Soren, but there was something in the way this book read that made me tolerate even the creep Soren. Based on the early years, it is about when Eleanor (Nora) runs away from Soren and goes off to a convent where her mother. Since Soren is a priest, the place to hide is a bit useless, but that's how the stories play and so I could accept it. Kingsley too runs off not much longer and ends up meeting Juliette who he falls for.

The narrative shifts between them and as with previous books, there is a lot of explicit sex. Almost to the point where it stops being sexy, but it almost seems like that is the point at various stages, so the dialogue and characterization kick in and I found myself liking the story, if that makes sense. I even understood (at times) why my friend is so into Kingsley. He's a Puck as a sexy, dangerous trickster who can find himself amused at his tricks and appalled when he finds himself fallen into his own trap, but he'll find his way out eventually.

It is still a series that I couldn't recommend to just anyone. The sexual content is still plentiful and it isn't for everyone. Nine times out of ten, I'd be that "isn't-for-everyone" person, but on this instance, I enjoyed this story so maybe I could recommend this one with some caution.

Tiffany Reisz is one heck of a brilliant author!
Her Original Sinners series has been such an incredible journey.
With every new book to this series, comes new revelations, and answers to my most sought out questions about Nora, Søren, and Kingsley.
I loved this book from beginning to end, truly top notch writing!

Seven books in and I'm running out of things to say about this series. I feel like I've used up all the words in my vocabulary and I really don't have anything else to say, at least not anything interesting or that will do this series justice. I blame Reisz for this. Everytime a new book is released I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. I keep expecting that one book that makes me go "meh that was ok", but it never happens. Each book is special and the writing in every single one of them is superb. Every book makes me laugh at some point, and then turns around and hits me in the emotional gut. And then there's the sex. This is erotica after all and no one writes it better than my favorite writer, my queen, my mistress Tiffany Reisz.

The Virgin is the 7th book in the Original Sinners series and the 3rd book in the prequel series the White Years. Like the first two books in The White Years, The Virgin is split between the past and present, and the past is told in the form of a bedtime story...of sorts. And NO ONE tells a bedtime story quite like Nora does. Our favorite sinners have gathered at a castle for a wedding (I won't say whose), and after being prompted by Søren, Nora and Kingsley are encouraged to tell him about "THAT YEAR". "That year" refers to the time when Eleanor and Kingsley both left Søren, and it is time period that none of them have ever talked about because of how painful it was for all of them. The book then switches back and forth from Nora and Kingsley's POV as they each talk about one of the most painful periods of their life.

First Nora. We know from previous books that she left Søren after she aborted a pregnancy and fled to the one place she knew Søren couldn't get to her. Her mother's covent. But like all of the other books, I can know the basic facts of an event, but not truly understand what happened until much later on, like in The Virgin. I can know the how and maybe even the why of something, at least partly, but there was sooooo much more to the story that the reader would never know until they got to experience it with Nora. The pain and the anger towards Søren for what he did (which was much worse than just proposing marriage), the agony of leaving him and the fear of giving in and returning to him, the reconnection with her mother, which I found to be one of the more interesting relationships in the book. The relationship that develops between Nora and a young novice at the covent because this is Nora we're talking about here, and she wouldn't be Nora if she wasn't having sex and getting into trouble. The subtle change from Eleanor, Søren's property, to a woman coming into her own, the woman who will eventually become Nora Sutherlin the world famous erotica writer and Mistress.

As for Kingsley, he was as he always is, the scene stealer. Every moment, every line out of his mouth is golden and we finally, FINALLY get the story I've waited so long to get. The story of how he met his most precious jewel, Juliette. The man had me dying and swooning and fanning my lady parts throughout the whole book. And like Nora's time at the covent, there's so much we don't know about how he met Juliette until The Virgin. I knew he met her on a beach in Haiti, but I never knew what led him to that beach in the first place. After Nora leaves Søren, King decides to travel the world to also get away from Søren because he knows that if he stays he WILL find Nora for Søren and bring her back to him. His love for Søren runs too deep and he'd never be able to refuse him. So he leaves because he is just as angry at Søren as Nora is for what he did to her and doesn't want to betray her, and I loved the loyalty he displayed for Nora here. After a year of traveling around the world he finds himself on a beach in Haiti where he meets Juliette and the sexual chemistry between these 2 is apparent from the beginning. To say I loved them is an understatement. They were my favorite part of The Virgin and I could've read a whole series about just the 2 of them.

As for Søren, he's not in the Virgin as much as he was in previous books but his presence is still very much felt throughout. And I have to admit, for the first time in the series I found myself angry at Søren. He's my all-time favorite character in any book I've read, and I love him with a fierceness that might be unhealthy, but I found myself not liking him at one point. I completely understood why Nora felt she had to leave him which I never really got until this book, and it was such a foreign feeling to me to be so disappointed in Søren. It was a reminder that while he is a good man he isn't always a nice man, and he handled things with Nora in the absolute worst way possible. I didn't know if I wanted to hug him or slap him sometimes.

But because he is Søren and the most perfect thing ever created, he redeemed himself a hundred times over, and by the time we get to him in a kilt I didn't want to slap him or hug him. I wanted to undress him. Søren in a kilt might be the greatest thing to ever be put to paper. So thank you, Tiffany Reisz. For everything.

(An arc was provided by netgalley in exchange for an honest review)

The Virgin (The Original Sinners: White Years, #3) by Tiffany Reisz
5 stars!!

“It was a dark and stormy night…”

I can say with certainty that this series is one of my favourites of all time. There is something about the forbidden and the world of kink, you would never ever think that the two should ever meet, but the world that Tiffany Reisz has created you could never imagine them not. The three main characters Soren, Nora and Kingsley belong together, they are partners in crime and share such an intense bond that you can never imagine it being broken. These three have been through so much together and yet united they stand, their trust never wavering and their protectiveness and love for each other never falters, even when they are apart.

“Jabberwocky.”

Tiffany teases us with the start of this book, Soren, Nora and Kingsley are at a wedding in a Scottish castle, but whose wedding is it? As much as I was desperate to know and we don’t find out until the end, what transpired in between had me thoroughly captivated and a sobbing mess in places.

We all know that there was a year when Soren, Nora and Kingsley were apart. Something had happened and Nora had fled and Kingsley followed soon after. The year is never mentioned, but never forgotten and sometimes it is best to lay old ghosts to rest. With these three reminiscing about that year we are finally treated to what really happened during that “lost year.” Through alternating flashbacks with Nora and Kingsley, we finally find out what happened.

“I had to work to love her. It didn‘t come easy. You chose her over me and it hurt, and it will always hurt. But I learned to love her despite all that, and that should tell you how close we are that I could overcome how much I wanted to hate her. You were right about her, about what she could be to us. But I was right, too. I was right, and you didn’t listen to me.” - Kingsley on Nora to Soren

Nora sought refuge in the only place she felt that Soren couldn’t get to her, her mothers Abbey. Surrounding herself with nun’s, although she felt protected and safe, she always felt alone. With time on her hands Nora began a voyage of self discovery, reflecting on her past and after meeting someone finally found her true calling. As you can imagine it is hard for Nora to be celibate so I will say there are some F/F scenes in here, they are few and far between but they are beautiful and touching none the less. I have never read F/F before but Tiffany Reisz manages to pour every single emotion into those scenes, you cannot help but be moved and sucked into their story.

“You’re two people to me - Father Marcus Stearns and Soren - and I love both of you. I’m Eleanor and Nora. I was angry at you for so long because I loved both of you, and you weren’t willing to love both of me.”

Kingsley decided to tour the world and he ended up in Haiti where he met his Juliette. You will see Kingsley totally different after hearing his account. Can you ever imagine Kingsley without his suits and boots? In dirty Khaki’s and shirts? Kingsley, like Nora has a lot of time for reflection and we are treated to a very different side of Kingsley Edge. It was beautiful to see this side of Kingsley, it was Kingsley at his most open and most vulnerable and for once, we got to see the real man. It takes one woman to change this man and now it was his fight to make her his, but would this be a battle he could win?

“I used to think you walked on water…now I know you’re drowning like the rest of us.” - Kingsley on Soren

I have to applaud Tiffany Reisz, after seven books I am still not satiated, this is one series that I never want to end, I could read about this group in perpetuity. I am eagerly anticipating yet dreading The Queen as I really do not want this series to end, so it is bittersweet. There is no series like it and it is this unique story that has your heart racing and aching all at the same time. Tiffany has such a way with words, her stories are like a journey with friends, you live and breathe their lives with them, they have become my friends, when they hurt, I hurt, when they laugh, I laugh. It is not often an author can brand their characters into your heart and head, but for me at least, these three and their other group of misfits will never leave me.

“We’re all carriers. Original sin, remember…”

If you haven’t read this series, I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Series reading order:

The Siren
The Angel
The Prince
The Mistress
The Saint
The King
The Virgin
The Queen (expected release 27th October 2015)