The Siren

So, what happens when a seminary student working on her Master’s in Theology drops out to become an erotica author? The Siren . I’ll admit I had NO intention of reading this book. I don’t really care for erotica, or S&M—probably because, though I have a high tolerance for it, I do not actually enjoy pain. But I’m sooo glad I did! Though I’d seen numerous 5 star reviews, I’d never read beyond the first one or two lines—"this isn’t an erotic romance" … "this isn’t a love story" … "there is no HEA". And I love an HEA! So why read it? Simple. A while back it was the "daily deal" at Amazon and I just can’t seem to help myself when a highly rated book is discounted to 99 cents or a $1.99. I know … I’m such a pushover. It’s true, curiosity got the better of me, but at least I knew going into the read what not to expect. Right? “Don’t judge a book by its mother. Just read.” Nothing could have prepared me for The Siren—think modern day Thornbirds, but much, much darker. The readers who said this story had no HEA … well, that isn’t entirely true. I’m not even going to try to summarize the story, other than to say, this isn’t a love story, per se, but an intensely complex, thought provoking story about love, relationships, faith, and desire. “I don’t want to write this story any more than you want to read it.” Much like her protagonist in the story, the author doesn’t shy away from controversial topics. Her writing is fearless, shameless and unapologetic. Her characters are…

Coloring inside the lines and following the rules of romance is not something that applies to Tiffany Reisz or the story she has written with; The Siren. She has made up her own rules for her characters and the story progress, and I was engrossed by it. The Siren might not be a romance in the traditional sense of the word but it is in fact a story of the heart, of emotions, of conflict and passions. Not every author makes such a story work for me because I need characters whom I care about and whom fit an out-of-the-box story. All I can say is that Tiffany Reisz hit the mark with Nora, she is the epicenter of The Siren in which everything revolves around. I am blown away by the depth and layered characterization of each character but Nora was fascinating me from the get-go. She is full of joie de vivre, unapologetic in her passions, straight forward in her opinions and with each page I wanted more of her. Her inner conflicts resonated with me, connected me to her and kept me on edge where she would go and what she would ultimately choose for herself. Reisz created such a distinct and memorable female lead with Nora that it is a good thing she created equally distinct and memorable men to opposite Nora. Zach, Søren and Wesley are three men in Nora's life for different reasons. Zach is an editor and assigned to Nora's new erotica book. He is layered and conflicted with an attitude that, in combination with Nora, made the pages sizzle and burn just by their interaction alone.…