The Rose by Tiffany Reisz

400 Pages

Buy links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Harlequin | Audible

Blurb

Author Tiffany Reisz returns to the world of The Red with an imaginative sequel full of lust and magic, and the dangers unleashed when the two are combined… 

On the day of Lia’s university graduation party, her parents—wealthy art collectors with friends in high places—gift her a beautiful wine cup, a rare artifact decorated with roses. It’s a stunning gift, and one that August Bowman, a friend of her parents and a guest at Lia’s party, also has his eye on. The cup, August tells her, is known as the Rose kylix, and it’s no ordinary cup. It was used in the temple ceremonies of Eros, Greek god of erotic love, and has the power to bring the most intimate sexual fantasies to life.

But Lia is skeptical of August’s claims of the cup’s mythology and magic—after all, he’s a collector himself, and she suspects he just wants to get his hands on this impressive piece of art. So he dares her to try it for herself, and when Lia drinks from the Rose kylix she is suddenly immersed in an erotic myth so vivid it seems real—as though she’s living out the most sensual fantasy with August by her side…

Realizing the true power of this ancient and dangerous relic, Lia is even more wary of giving it up, though August insists it is only safe with him. He’s willing to pay the full value of the cup, but Lia has another type of trade in mind. One that finds them more tangled up in each other—and in fantasy—than either was prepared for. 

Review

““Falling in love is brave and dangerous,” August said. “Like climbing a mountain or going to war. Foolish too, just like climbing a mountain or going to war. You shouldn’t hate yourself for doing something brave and dangerous.””

Before I start this review, I have three confessions to make.

• I’ve been a Tiffany Reisz fan ever since I first read The Siren, almost seven years ago.
• I’ve been obsessed with the old Greek myths for as long as I can remember.
• I half read and half listened to this book.

As I mentioned above, I’ve been fascinated by the Greek myths since I was a young girl. In fact, I’m pretty sure I wrote an essay on the Trojan war while I was still in primary school. If I remember correctly, I enjoyed reading my mother’s book about Greek myths more than I did the actually writing, but in my memory, the whole experience was exquisite.

Not quite as exquisite as reading The Rose was though. Before I started reading this book, I knew that offering me a book based on those myths andwritten by one of my favourite authors, equalled handing me a one-way ticket to paradise. But even that certain knowledge before I started the story couldn’t prepare me for the pure joy that was losing myself in The Rose.

The Rose did not disappoint. This book is a showcase of that special talent Tiffany Reisz has when it comes to layering her stories. On the surface this is a rather fluffy, fairy-tale like, and very sexy fantasy. But that’s only true if you limit yourself to what is in plain sight. If you look a little deeper, you’ll appreciate how much research must have gone into the Greek mythology referenced in The Rose. What’s more, the author doesn’t limit herself to a retelling of those myths, she adds to them, gives them slightly different meanings or outcomes, or provides answers where the original myth only leaves us with questions.

Lia was an utter delight. Just twenty-one years old, she has the whole wanting to be an adult and treated as such, but still reverting back to childish reactions, thoughts, and emotions, down pat. For a long time, August remained a bit of a mystery to me. He was obviously gorgeous and smart not to mention incredibly kind, but for a long time I didn’t feel as if I knew him at all. Of course, that was exactly as it should be because Lia doesn’t know him that well, and we experience the story through her eyes.

I retrospect, I have no idea why I even gave that vagueness in August a second thought. I should have known there would be a reason…a very good reason…an utterly delightful (although not completely unexpected) reason for his mysterious aura…and of course I have no intention of what that reason might be. Read the book. 😊

This wouldn’t be a Tiffany Reisz story if it wasn’t filled with clever observations, sparkling conversation, and delightfully original statements and ideas.

“You’re like a kitten with a switchblade (…) Give a switchblade to a kitten and the kitten somehow gets cuter, and also, even the switchblade becomes cute. That’s you.” - August

Only Tiffany Reisz could come up with an escort agency, ran by a twenty-one year old member of the British aristocracy and called the Young Ladies Gardening & Tennis Club of Wingthorn Hall.

And I’m not surprised that her charming romance gave me considerable food for thought:

“If a story is suppressed or obscured, it’s because somewhere along the way it scared the shit out of a man.”

Oh, and just in case you’re curious. I can honestly say that this book is as big a joy to read as it is to listen to. Both the written and the spoken editions come highly recommended.

*Sighs* I could easily write another 700 words about this book, but I’ll spare you that. I’m just going to leave you with this conclusion:

Whimsical, highly erotic, and astoundingly clever, The Rose is yet another of Tiffany Reisz’s stories that managed to blow my mind away.

Related review: The Red