Titles: The Saint by Tiffany Reisz
Release date: June 24th
About The Saint by Tiffany Reisz:
Before she became Manhattan's most famous dominatrix, Nora Sutherlin was merely a girl called Eleanor…
Rebellious, green-eyed Eleanor never met a rule she didn't want to break. She's sick of her mother's zealotry and the confines of Catholic school, and declares she'll never go to church again. But her first glimpse of beautiful, magnetic Father Marcus Stearns—Søren to her and only her—and his lust-worthy Italian motorcycle is an epiphany. Eleanor is consumed—yet even she knows being in love with a priest can't be right.
But when one desperate mistake nearly costs Eleanor everything, it is Søren who steps in to save her. When she vows to repay him with complete obedience, a whole world opens before her as he reveals to her his deepest secrets that will change everything.
Danger can be managed—pain, welcomed. Everything is about to begin.
Ok, I am a bit conflicted about this book. In The Saint we meet Eleanor (Elle or Nora), Soren (Father Stearns), Kingsley (King) and Nico.
If by writing this story the author wanted to get the reader to think outside the square, that goal is certainly achieved!!
I think from the authors point of view and certainly from Eleanor’s point of view this is a beautiful love story that began with Eleanor & Soren, but by the end it included Kingsley & Nico as well.
As a reader, I found the complexity of the relationship’s fascinating. Like every 15 year old, Eleanor wants what she wants and she wants it now. She doesn’t want to wait & doesn’t see why she should have to. She has a religious mother and a criminal father. She feels like she has an instant connection to Father Stearns because he takes the time to listen to what she has to say. When her father lands her in trouble, it is Father Stearns that comes to her rescue. Her relationship with her mother is contentious at best, although her mother really does love her.
Soren has a very dark past. He had a difficult childhood and did was never truly happy or at peace until he joined the priesthood. He is also secretly a sadist, in the true sense of the word. Then there is Kingsley. He is a good time bloke who likes to be friends with everyone. He also has a dark side that you see a little bit of in this book. His house is the place to go for any type of BDSM activities you would like to experience. I think in this book he is Eleanor’s only real friend.
In this book it is an adult Nora who is looking back and telling her story to Nico, who turns out to be Kingsley’s son that he never knew he had. It is interesting to see how she tells her story & although I may not agree with her view point it was very well written & it opened my eyes to how different everyone’s lives are & how we all see things very differently. At the beginning of the book Nora has gone to Germany to say a final goodbye to someone she loves dearly & scatter their ashes. But it won’t be who you think it is., This book has lots of little twists & turns that will keep you on your toes all the way through.
Here is where I am conflicted…
As a mother, my reaction to this book is that love story aside, when you get down to the bones of it, this is a 29 year old catholic priest that started to groom Nora into his BDSM lifestyle from the age of 15 when they first met. Although they didn’t actually have sex until she was 20 years old, he was grooming her for it from the age of 15. He played Mind games with her (Mind F*** is the correct term I believe) from the start. Any parent would have a huge issue with this & I believe that had Nora’s mother been aware earlier on what was happening she may have done something about it. But, by the time she realised her daughter was in a sexual relationship with the local Catholic Priest it was too late for her to do anything about it. Neither Nora’s mother or father had a clue because they both wiped their hands of her in the same time period the new priest came along. It doesn’t matter which way you look at it, she was a vulnerable 15 year old girl & the 29 year old priest took advantage of her.
In saying that, the book is really well written & it does hold shock value. It does open your eyes to what really goes on in the world (even though it is a work of fiction). This stuff really does happen. Although I found it uncomfortable & confronting to read, I would still rate this book a 4 out of 5 stars because it really made me think outside the square & try to see things from Eleanor & Soren’s point of view. It is a story that shows not everything in life is black and white.
Review by Leeann
4 Stars
About The Author:
Tiffany Reisz
Tiffany Reisz is the author of the highly acclaimed series The Original Sinners. Her first novel, THE SIREN, won the RT Editor's Choice Award for Best Erotic Romance of 2012. Slightly shameless, Tiffany dropped out of a conservative Southern seminary in order to pursue a career as a writer. This move, while possibly putting her eternal salvation in peril, has worked out better than she anticipated. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her boyfriend, author Andrew Shaffer.
Website // Twitter // Facebook // Goodreads // Amazon Author Page
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