“Deliciously deviant… Akin to Anne Rice’s Beauty series.”– Library Journal (Starred Review)
The Red is a standalone novel of erotic fantasy from Tiffany Reisz, international bestselling author of The Bourbon Thief and the Original Sinners series.
Mona Lisa St. James made a deathbed promise that she would do anything to save her mother’s art gallery. Unfortunately, not only is The … Bourbon Thief and the Original Sinners series.
A refreshingly different fantasy twist that, at times, was hard to read (emotionally), but with vivid imagery and emotional connectivity that made you want to go along on this mystery tour. Darkly sexual and [maybe?] not for everybody, but I enjoyed the ride.
I really love this book and I didn’t want it to end.
Very strange story. Couldn’t finish it.
In the preview, it said fans of Anne Rice’s Beauty series would love, so I definitely thought I’d love it since those books got me into the genre in the first place. This book started off so great and then halfway through I was like oh….oh no….wtf….this is not what I signed up for. And by the end I was just finishing it to finish it. Read it in one day. It was meh. Not horrible but just not what I wanted
Extremely well choreographed…eroticism at its finest.
I enjoyed the details of the art world and followed the art as much as the story. Could not put it down. Where is my Malcolm to be?
“Bless those lasses, they’ve saved my life and damned my soul.” – Malcolm
There is a playful genius at work in this fanciful tale by Tiffany Reisz. I was delighted by this mysterious story that danced among famous works of art through the centuries. It is a wonderfully bawdy tale of the uninhibited delights of a virile and sex loving man who has a specific purpose in mind.
Mona, the owner of the art gallery, “The Red” finds herself in danger of losing her gallery because she is so far into, well the red, she cannot see her way clear. Her mother’s one admonition was to save “The Red” at all costs. As she is reaching the nadir of her despair, a mysterious stranger propositions her. He gains her confidence and proposes a deal wherein he wishes to eschew all romance, the trappings of which and/or all considerations of love and simply pays her in art for the pleasure of carte blanche over her body.
What the reader is treated to is a group of fantastic tableaus for erotic, very near pornographic detailing of the monthly assignations of Mona and Malcolm based on select works of art. The reader can be readily tempted to lose themselves in the unfolding erotic scenes as told through the POV of Mona, the gallery owner. The writing is gorgeous and far superior to your typical pornographic read. Resisting the temptation to get lost in the sensuous words, I believe I may have detected some things Ms. Reisz was trying to say both along the lines of the story’s plot and about sexuality in general in the choice of the works of art selected by Malcolm to set the stage for their erotic encounters.
I believe I could deconstruct this novel and write for days about the themes and meanings behind the selected art and this imaginative story. Ms Reisz gives us a few hints herself along the way. So I must acknowledge her mastery over art interpretation and the cultural significance of art as it relates to society’s evolving understanding of sexuality and most especially the role of female sexuality. So many ideas sparked by this read, which on its surface seems only a chimeric and entertaining read.
Of course, therein lies the beauty of art (and literature). A work that looks deceptively simple can say so much to the viewer, to the reader.
One case in point is the “value” of female sexuality in our society. I love the comment by Malcolm that…”Whores are the only women who know their own worth.” Quite the spin on women knowing the value in their sexuality…to nurture, to heal, to delight and most of all to bring forth new life.
Not all in society share in Malcolm’s enthusiasm for “whores”. Therein lies the mystery, the story in this book and some of the meaning behind the chosen works of art. I mean it the most complimentary way without a shred of disrespect, that in the finalty, this is a story about one woman transformed into a magnificent whore.
Evocative
If you are familiar with the goddess that is Tiffany Reisz then you are also familiar with Nora Sutherlin, one of her most well-known creations. In the multiple novels that comprise the Original Sinners series, Nora’s character was developed to be a writer of erotica and she [fictionally] authored a book titled The Red. Ms. Reisz demonstrates her love for her characters not only because she has so talently and palpably written them into life, but now she has allowed a fictional character’s work to also take form. Ms. Reisz is only the second author I have seen do this and it is such a clever move. Not only does it pay tribute to an amazing character but it pays tribute to the fans. No, fictional characters aren’t real but through God-given talent such as Ms. Reisz, they feel real and readers make genuine connections. It is such a joy to re-visit them at every opportunity and The Red allowed me to do just that.
For those who have not yet met Nora, no worries! This novel stands on its own apart from the Original Sinners series. There are absolutely no prerequisites required to enjoy this story other than being open to 248 pages of erotic fantasy. But when I say “erotic”, believe me, this is some creative stuff right here. When you have elements of magical realism, fantasy, history, art (oh, the art!), and BDSM entwined with erotica, you know it’s going to be an interesting ride. In my perspective, The Red felt like the ultimate fairy tale for adults. It was dark, imaginative, and fantastical, and the erotica component will make your head spin. You know if Nora’s character authored this, it’s going to be out-of-the-box explicit. But it’s also lovely, mysterious, and has noticeable traces of Nora’s witty humor. If anything in this review sparks your interest, seriously check it out!
My favorite quote:
“She imagined the real Olympia. She must have existed, or a girl much like her. The painting had shocked viewers for the forthright way Olympia held up her head. Shameless, she was. Unapologetic. Why should she apologize? It was the men who paid her for sex. She was merely doing what she’d been told to do all her life: submit her body and will to men. How dare those men judge her? They’d created her. A woman can’t sell her body without clients to buy it. Olympia would laugh all the way to the bank and then likely spread her legs for the bank president in exchange for free checking. What a girl.”