Title: The Siren
Author: Tiffany Reisz
Genre: Erotica/Contemporary
Series: The Original Sinners #1
Publisher: Mira
Source: Netgalley
Notorious Nora Sutherlin is famous for her delicious works of erotica, each one more popular with readers than the last. But her latest manuscript is different—more serious, more personal—and she's sure it'll be her breakout book...if it ever sees the light of day.Zachary Easton holds Nora's fate in his well-manicured hands. The demanding British editor agrees to handle the book on one condition: he wants complete control. Nora must rewrite the entire novel to his exacting standards—in six weeks—or it's no deal.Nora's grueling writing sessions with Zach are draining…and shockingly arousing. And a dangerous former lover has her wondering which is more torturous—staying away from him...or returning to his bed? Nora thought she knew everything about being pushed to your limits. But in a world where passion is pain, nothing is ever that simple. (goodreads)
When I was at the Lori Foster Reader/Author Get Together earlier this month, Mandi from Smexybooks was talking this book up, and I thought this book sounds interesting, and forgot about it. Then I was on twitter talking about how none of the books I was picking up to read were sticking. Kimberly from Reflections Of A Book Addict said I needed to read The Siren by Tiffany Reisz. Then I read a review from another blogger I trust from Love To Read For Fun who loved it just as much as the other two and I knew I had to give this book a try.
The Siren just blew me away. It took me out of my comfort zone and I loved that. This book is dark, and gritty but at the same time full of one liners that will make you smile. Nora is unlike any heroine I've ever come across. She's brassy and bold and makes no apologizes for being that way.This conversation between Nora and Zach really made stop and think:
"I know people think erotica is just a romance novel with rougher sex. It's not. If it's a subgenre of anything, it's horror." Horror? Really?" Romance is sex plus love. Erotica is sex plus fear. you're terrified of me, aren't you?" "Slightly, " he admitted rubbing the back of his neck. "A smart horror writer will never put too much detail in about the monster. The readers' imaginations can conjure their own demons. In erotica, you never want your main characters to be too physically specific. That way your readers can insert their own fantasies, their own fears. Erotica is a joint effort between writer and reader. "
I'm still not sure why that conversation made such an impression on me, but it did. I'm still thinking about it and arguing with myself if erotica really is sex plus fear or not. This book just pulls a lot of punches, and that was just one of them.
Sacrifice for the sake of love is mentioned so much throughout The Siren that I just knew this book would leave me wanting more, and it did. There are three men who are out to get Nora's attention and they are Zach, her editor, Wesley her college aged assistant and the mysterious Soren who once held Nora's heart. Zach and Wesley are heart breakingly wonderful. I just wanted to hold those two and tell them it would be ok. Soren made me want to throttle him at times, and he was wonderful at bringing me out of my comfort zone and making me cringe with some of his actions & attitudes.
The Siren will make you stop & think, cringe, go out of your comfort zone & isn't for the weak at heart. The characters are wonderfully dark, unforgettable, endearing, bold & unlike any others and I can't wait to read more books in this series.
Favorite Quotes:
"Let me show you what life is like lived in the moment. No past, no future..no guilt...no shame, no fear-he'd forgotten what it felt like to live without his three most constant and cruel companions. Could Nora really do that for him? Even just a few minutes of freedom seemed worth any price he had to pay.
It's true. It isn't a romance novel." "Not a traditional one, of course. Your protagonists don't end up together, but it is a love story. "A love story is not the same as a romance novel. A romance novel is the story of two people falling in love against their will. This is a story of two people who leave each other against their will. It starts to end the minute they meet.' "Why does it end? You seem like an optimist to me, but the end is heartrending."
