THE LAST GOOD KNIGHT 1 - 5

TITLE: THE LAST GOOD KNIGHT (1 – 5)

UK cover for Scars & Stripes

AUTHOR: TIFFANY REISZ

Pages: 148 (in total)

Date: 23/04/2014

Grade: 5

Details: An Original Sinners Novella in five parts

            Received from Harlequin / MIRA

            Through NetGalley

Own / Kindle

‘The ‘Last Good Knight’ is a novella published in five parts and I will review it as such below. Before I do that though, I’d like to share some general thoughts.

Once again I bow at the altar of Tiffany Reisz’s genius. I think I may have said this before but the extent to which she manages to draw me into her world never ceases to amaze me. I can hear her character’s voices in my head. The world they live in is so real I’m convinced I’ll be able to visit it one day.

Every Tiffany Reisz book I’ve read has dragged me through a myriad of emotions. I laugh, cry, frown and smile. Her stories make me think about issues I’ve never thought about before and leave me enriched. The quotes I share below show some of the author’s brilliance. It doesn’t matter if it is comic timing or profound wisdom; Tiffany Reisz has an uncanny ability to hit the nail on the head.

If there is one ‘issue’ with this book it stems from the fact that most if not all of us already know how it has to end. This story takes place before events in the first four ‘Original Sinners’ books which means I wasn’t surprised that poor Nora is once again rather unlucky when it comes to the man she falls for. The fact that I knew that both Nora’s and my heart were about to be broken didn’t lessen a delightful reading experience though.

What follows are descriptions of and my thoughts on the five parts of ‘The Last Good Knight’. I apologize in advance for the length of this review.

Part One: SCARS AND STRIPES

The blurb:

It's lust at first sight when Mistress Nora encounters a sexy newcomer to The 8th Circle. She's happy for the distraction, since she left her lover, Søren, but her session with Lance is cut short when her boss, Kingsley Edge, reveals they're all in danger….

My thoughts:

“Dominatrixes weren’t just allowed to treat men like sexual objects, they were expected to.”

Nora is in the 8^th Circle, frustrated because the sub she’d wanted to ‘abuse’ that evening has just walked off with Søren, when a handsome man she’s never seen before enters the bar. An intriguing man with troubled eyes who turns out to be an ex-Navy SEAL named Lance as well as a submissive. The attraction Nora feels is immediate and it doesn’t take much to convince Lance to spend the night with her.

“Let’s go and find out what you mean by anything.”

Lance turns out to be everything Nora could wish for in a sub and even has her thinking thoughts she didn’t think she’d ever entertain. A wonderful session follows and the night promises to become even more fabulous when an unwelcome visitor delivers very disturbing news, thus putting an end to the fun.

“You have a gorgeous body, Lance. I don’t say that to everyone. Just people with gorgeous bodies.”

Part Two: SORE SPOTS

The blurb:

With a potential stalker on the loose, Kingsley hires Lance as Nora's bodyguard, but stipulates no sex while he's on duty. Frustrated by the ex-SEAL's noble chivalry, Nora is driven to seek release with the one man she's trying to forget….

My thoughts:

Poor Lance and Nora. First their exceptional night together is cut short and then they’re pushed together when he’s appointed as her bodyguard as well as torn apart by Kingsley’s  no sex rule. When Lance shares his personal life with her, Nora’s left angry and heartbroken for the man she’s more attracted to than she should be.

“Stop being rational when I’m horny.”

Lance’s refusal to break his word to Kingsley leaves Nora frustrated and she finds herself reaching for the one man she wants even more than her Navy Seal.

Part Three: THE GAMES DESTINY PLAYS

The blurb:

Shocked to see Nora's bruises, Lance is furious that she put herself in danger and demands to know where she got them. As Nora confesses her true nature, she's equally shocked to learn that Lance has some secrets of his own, drawing them together despite Kingsley's orders….

My thoughts:

Søren and Nora together. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything more sexy. I’m glad I already know how their story ends because my heart breaks every time I read about their separation, the lies Nora has to tell herself to stay away most of the time and the pain it must be causing her priest.

“Sex was at its most potent to them both when spiked with pain.”

I adore, as I did in the first four Original Sinners’ book, the certainty Søren has that Nora will return to him, although all the signs indicate that she won’t.

“You’re mine...” he whispered in her ear. “Whether you’ll admit it or not, you’re still mine.”

And the bond between them is breathtakingly beautiful.

“I treasure our friendship more than anything, even more than these nights when you come back to me.”

Tiffany Reisz is a genius when it comes to words and using them to paint a picture. She does humour as well as she does angst and manages to make being profound look easy. If only it was...

“Hate’s like lube,...” “Makes it easier to get in and get out. If it was all love with Søren ,if I didn’t make myself hate him, I don’t think I could get out again.”

And apropos of nothing and for purely personal reasons, the following may well be one of my favourite quotes.

“Scars are sexy. Scars mean you’ve lived”

Part Four: FIT TO BE TIED 

The blurb:

With her feelings for Lance warring with her recent encounter with Søren, Nora returns to Lance's bed and finds herself toying with the idea of…toying with him on a permanent basis. But after she gets a glimpse into his personal angst, Nora realizes she has the power to rescue this white knight….

My thoughts:

As soon as the perpetrator of the attack is caught Nora decides that the restrictions Kingsley has placed on her contact with Lance have been lifted. After all, if she doesn’t need bodyguard anymore, he is no longer off limits. After a disturbing confrontation with Søren and an orgasmic afternoon with Lance, Nora is set to claim Lance as her own. When she witnessed the full extent of the pain his personal life is causing him she knows she can’t, even if it means pushing her own needs aside.

If ever we needed proof of Tiffany Reisz’s versatility, this book provides it. It doesn’t matter what emotion she’s describing, she always gets it spot on.

Nora’s frustration:

“I know the feeling. That feeling that what you’re doing is right, so unbelievably right, and yet knowing the entire world would say it was wrong.”

Her sense of humour, even while dominating:

“Say ‘ouch’ again. You know that’s my favourite word.”

And finally, for now, her deeper thoughts:

“The submissive existed to offer himself at the feet of the Domme. So why did she suddenly feel so humbled.”

Part Five: THE LAST GOOD NIGHT

The blurb:

Now that the perpetrator has been apprehended, Nora sadly acknowledges she doesn't need a bodyguard anymore. She adores Lance and wants to keep him but is faced with a dilemma—if she uses her connections to help Lance, she'll have to give him up forever….

My thoughts:

Although we saw it coming, this is where our hearts are shattered. Nora would love to keep Lance and collar him. Although she never expected it to happen, she can envision a future with him. And Lance is convinced he’s found the perfect woman in Nora. The decision should be easy, but Lance’s personal life throws a mighty spanner in the works.

“My dad said that there comes a time when what you want to do is the opposite of what you need to do. And the boys do what they want to do, but the men do what they need to do.”

One last night together to indulge in their need for each other could never be enough and yet is all Nora and Lance have. 

“Such was the nature of dreams. They only feel endless in the dream. By dawn they turn to dust.”

And so the author breaks our hearts once again. And while Nora has no doubts that she will be survive and the reader already knows how her story is going to end, I still finished the books with tears in my eyes as well as a smile on my face. I feel deprived now that I’m once again without new words by this author and can’t wait until her next book hits my reader. There’s no such thing as too much Tiffany Reisz.