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| UK edition |
TITLE: THE ANGEL
AUTHOR: TIFFANY REISZ
Pages: 410
Date: 03/07/2013
Grade: 5+
Details: no. 2 Original Sinners: The Red Years
Re-read
Own: Kindle/Paperback
The Blurb:
Infamous erotica author and accomplished dominatrix Nora Sutherlin is doing something utterly out of character: hiding. While her longtime lover, Søren—whose fetishes, if exposed, would be his ruin—is under scrutiny pending a major promotion, Nora's lying low and away from temptation in the lap of luxury.
Her host, the wealthy and uninhibited Griffin Fiske, is thrilled to have Nora stay at his country estate, especially once he meets her traveling companion. Young, inexperienced and angelically beautiful, Michael has become Nora's protégé, and this summer with Griffin is going to be his training, where the hazing never ends.
But while her flesh is willing, Nora's mind is wandering. To thoughts of Søren, her master, under investigation by a journalist with an ax to grind. And to another man from Nora's past, whose hold on her is less bruising, but whose secrets are no less painful. It's a summer that will prove the old adage: love hurts.”
This re-review was supposed to be more or less the same as the one I did
for my re-read of “The Siren”; lots
of quotes and some thoughts of mine. It’s not quite working out that way
though. I’ve got nowhere near as many quotes written down this time. Not
because there are less quotable sentences - if anything there may have been
more - but because I couldn’t make myself put the book down for long enough to
copy them (and I refuse to write in books). It might have been different if I
had read my e-version of this book, where I could have happily highlighted
away, but I picked up the paperback and well, here I am, with only a few
quotes.
Before I say anything else let me say that Tiffany Reisz’ words and
story once again captivated me and blew me away. The minute I open one of her
books her world captures me to such a degree that it stays with me even after I
put the book down.
And there is so much going on in this book. It starts with somebody
stealing Nora’s file from Kingsley’s office and although that is not really
referred to again, it is a fact that lingers in the background, foreshadowing
danger to come. There is Søren being shortlisted for promotion to Bishop,
something that would destroy the life he has built for himself and those around
him. Suzanne, the journalist investigating Søren, convinced he has to be a
child-molester, is a fascinating character on all levels. In any other book
she’d be a hero and the reader would be rooting for her to get to the truth. In
this book she’s almost the villain and the reader finds themselves worrying
that she might just get to the truth. And, she breaks stereotypes in a different
way as well:
Why did he always have to
make sex about something more than sex?” - Suzanne about Patrick
Nora struggling with her duelling feelings is both fascinating and
heartbreaking. Torn between Søren, the man she has loved since she was a teenager,
the man who gives her everything she needs and Wesley, the much younger man who
is everything she isn’t, wants everything she’s sure she couldn’t live with,
the man she can’t stop yearning for, Nora personifies the following quotes:
“Life and death are less
life-and-death than love is” Nora to Mick, and:
“Love is an open wound that
you hope never heals.”
When Søren sent Nora away with the following order
“Make your peace with
Wesley this summer while you’re away from me. Make your peace and do not return
to me until you do.”
he had no way of knowing that it might turn out to be an order too
far…for both of them. Sometimes the impossible is the only thing to do:
“Even if against my will is
what I want?” Nora to Søren
And then there is Griffin
and Michael. My God, could I be more in love with those two? I adore and just can’t
get enough of them. Griffin
is the ultimate playboy who refuses to take life or anything else seriously:
“For Griffin, S&M was a game that he played to
get laid as often as humanly possible.”
Until he meets the one person who can make him change his ways, only to
discover Mick is off limits, unless he finds the courage to do the one thing
that really scares him. It’s beautiful.
And Mick, the Angel, breaks my heart makes me want to adopt him, take
care of him, keep him safe. The pain he’s encountered in his short life… And
then he meets Griffin and starts feeling things
he’d never even imagined although he is convinced that he is everything Griffin would never want.
All of that leads up to the sentences that never fail to make me smile with
tears in my eyes:
“I want to own you, Griffin whispered into
Michael’s ear. Michael smiled, and for the first time in his life he knew
exactly what to say and how to say it. You already do.”
Goodness knows that being a teenager is hard enough at the best of
times. Being a teenager who doesn’t fit the common mould is near impossible. I
can’t read Mick’s story without thinking about a particular song. A song that
was written by a 15 year old girl and expresses the darkness she felt at the
time with powerful words accompanied by simple and fitting guitar chords. The
song is called “Russian Roulette” and
the now 19 years old singer-songwriter’s name is Tara Kennedy. I don’t include
this song because the lyrics tell a story similar to this book, although there
are a few lines that could have come straight from Tiffany’ Reisz’ characters:
“What’s life without the
pain?”
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| US edition |
And:
“I want to disinfect my soul”
No, the reason I have linked this song to this review is because it
captures that teenage angst with exquisite accuracy.
I do hope you enjoy the song and agree that it goes well with this book.
Either way, let me know what you think.
Further reading: Tiffany Reisz’ website
Further Listening: Tara Kennedy’s channel on YouTube
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