The pearl

Tiffany Reisz is one of my auto-buy authors. When I saw that the ARC was available on Netgalley, I had to request it.

The Pearl is a somewhat tame (for Tiffany Reisz) erotic fantasy that was a quick and fun read for spooky season. I really enjoyed reading The Red but somehow missed out on The Rose. I was worried about reading out of order but these books work well as standalones so I didn’t feel lost.

Sir Malcolm Godwick is, as always, up to mischief. This time bringing hotel owner Regan Ferry into his great grandson Arthur’s life. Arthur agrees to give Regan 10 days to do with him as she pleases, in exchange for forgiving his brother, Charlie’s debt and returning a painting of Sir Malcolm.

I really enjoyed Regan and Arthur’s story. They were both compelling characters you can’t help but like. The sex scenes were a little weird but hot.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Tiffany Reisz writes BDSM erotica with a respect for the lifestyle that I appreciate. This book didn’t delve too much into the lifestyle though.

Zoot, Regan’s assistant and Gloom, the raven were awesome! The dialogue was funny and I looked forward to Zoot’s interactions with Arthur.

Another major positive in the book was how much I learnt about art, especially by female artists. I’m not very interested in art generally but the artworks described in the book were fascinating and I found myself Googling all of them.

The ending was amazing and I’m really looking forward to the next book.

I just wish the relationship between Regan and Arthur was explored more. I never quite connected with them as a couple. They moved from dislike to lust to love rather quickly.

I received a free ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I will not go over the synopsis of the book, that is easily found. I will however say this: Read it!

Reisz is exploring elements of paranormal and I loved it. You can be a fan of erotica or not, but this book is more than that. Don't get me wrong, you want steamy, you will find it here. But you will also find female empowerment, learning to love oneself, honesty and pure humanity in these characters.

Heartbreaking at moments, witty and sexy, this novel as it all.

I liked that the story was told from both Regan and Arthur's points of views. However, there were some things that bothered me (they're cousins?!) and this just wasn't what I expected after reading the current synopsis. I also never warmed to Regan's character. At all.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Red by Tiffany Reisz was easily the strangest sexy books I've read, and while The Pearl doesn't quite achieve the same level of weirdness, it's sexier and much spookier than its predecessor. The characters are fabulously wealthy, but not out of touch; the 'real world' often intrudes upon their happiness, making this a far more realistic romance than the overt fantasy sequences suggest. Sexual trauma and ownership of one's sexuality are key themes, with explicit consent given in every scene. I often experienced genre-whiplash- while the comedy fell flat for me (no-one calls their PA by a Monty Python nickname) the horror scenes (particularly the dream inspired by Judith Beheading Holofernes) hit their mark. Be prepared to ask yourself "why am I turned on by this?!" Just try it- it's almost Halloween.

This is another sexy and scintillating tale by Tiffany Reisz. Her foray into erotic fantasy is just as interesting and well-written as her other novels, with an eye for detail (I learned a lot about art in this book) and swoon-worthy sexy times. Excellent read!

I received a free ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

When you are feeling down in the dumps, read Tiffany Reisz. She cheers me up no end. I’m sure I read that the average person laughs 7 times in a day. This book gave me a lifetime’s worth of laughs.

More than that though, in as much as The Red and The Rose had me googling works of art so did The Pearl. And I’m so delighted that every piece of art referenced in this book was created by a woman.

The story itself is young Lord Arthur Godwick (Art for short) trying to earn back the priceless painting of his great grandfather Malcolm which has fallen into the hands of the beautiful Lady Regan Ferry due to his hapless younger brother, Charlie’s, inability to keep his dick in his trousers.

The art is the inspiration. Clutch my pearls! Could that rake Lord Malcolm be interfering from beyond the grave?

My most favourite quotes:

“You’re my bird now - my bird in my gilded cage.”

“There were worse jobs in the world than laying on his back in a luxurious bedroom designed for sex and letting an incredibly beautiful woman use his body.”

“On the threshold of his bedroom, in a house gone dark and storm quiet, their mouths found each other in an electric kiss. It was a kiss on the edge of a knife, a kiss on the edge of the world.”

“I will love you forever, and you can’t stop me so don’t bother trying. I’ll love you and I’ll wait for you, but if you run from me, I’ll find you.”

Dreams really can come true in this brilliantly written dollop of sauciness.

The Pearl is hot, naughty, a little sweet, a tad hopeful, and quite mysterious.

The writing is just as poetic as I expected, and the intricate family relationships on top of what is going on between the main characters made for a fast read.

Tiffany Reisz is a safe bet. And this one is very well written and a very well wrotten erotic novel... but the end was too lovey-dovey for the drama beforehand. So "only" four very good stars from me.

I loved Red and the pearl is just as good.
The story of Regan and Arthur is fast paced,captivating and hot.
A will they wont they story which is a page turner.
Regan,a widdow with a hatred for Arthurs family are thrown together by a painting quite literally.
Can they overcome their differences to become a couple or will fate have the final say?
read to find out

I loved this just as much as The Rose.

Tiffany Reisz writes what I have come to call 'educational erotica' - books that definitely titillate but that I feel I've learned something of history, philosphy or culture along the way. I've loved reading the Godwicks series with my iPad handy to google each of the paintings referred to, it provides a level of interactivity with the tale that I find special. Reisz's characters often describe some of the background to these works or other historical tidbits with her trademark wit and banter - if only history classes in school were so interesting!

I do hope to see another Godwicks tale featuring Charlie, and perhaps a little more from Zoot and her new friend.

And did I spot one of Nico's wines in this tale?

There is a lot of hot, steamy sex..... a lot! I have to admit, maybe just a tad too much sex. Don’t get me wrong, I love hot sex scenes as much as the next woman but in this book, it seems that’s all that Arthur and Regan have going for them. For me the connection wasn’t there between then. It just didn’t flow like it does between characters in other books that Ms Reisz has written.

The ghostly element of Malcolm pushing the two of them together is there like in previous books. I gotta say, as a ghost Malcolm is pushy and has a way of getting what he wants! premonition dreams litter the middle of the book, making you connect the dots for the ending.

This one centers around sex imitating the paintings produced by female artists, as Regan used to be an artist herself and connects with the paintings she chooses to use as props in which to have sex with Arthur. She is a woman hiding from herself emotionally and breaking down her self imposed walls is difficult.

The revelation at the end was a bit much for me, it felt odd, not what you would expect. Overall it was ok, not as good as The Red and The Rose, but it won’t stop me from reading whatever comes next in the series.

Full disclosure: I will read anything Tiffany Reisz writes. It doesn't matter the genre or subject matter, the writing quality and ability to craft a captivating story with characters a reader can invest in sets her work apart and leaves you fully immersed in her fictional worlds. This new addition to the Godwicks series does not disappoint in that regard.

The Pearl focuses on the middle Godwick child, Arthur, the white sheep of the family. It follows the development of his relationship with Regan Ferry, a wealthy young widow scarred by marriage to a domineering older man. Like the other books in the Godwicks series, painted works and steamy scenes feature heavily and the family patriarch Malcom also makes several appearances as he works in the best interests of his descendants (as well as his own).

Compared to earlier volumes in this series, the preternatural and fantastical elements have been toned down somewhat as the book focuses more on the self-discovery of the two main characters. Although connected, it is not necessary to read the books in this series in order and readers can easily select any volume in the series to test out mileage.

Overall, another great read from Tiffany Reisz, who teases with promises of further stories of the Godwick family to come.

An excellent third book in the Godwick family saga, these are slightly less edgy than the Original Sinners but no less enjoyable. Reisz's signature wit and chemistry between characters mean that every one of her books is over way before I'm ready, and she has a knack for writing scenes that are steamy as hell and never cheesy or cringey.

3.5 stars

The Godwicks series is interesting because the books are very different from each other. The Red is debauched and recreates classical paintings as roleplay, The Rose is sweet while bringing a new take on Greek mythology, and The Pearl is spooky with paintings by women artists used as clues and insights.

All of Reisz's books are solid and this one is no different, with fully realized characters and an interesting plot. You could say this is a story of a woman rediscovering herself after being separated from her partner, and I'm a sucker for that kind of thing. And, in true Reisz fashion, the sex is kinky and hot.

So, solid... but not transcendent, especially after the amazingness of the first two books of the series. Don't get me wrong, I devoured The Pearl, but it doesn't have the same impact. I'm still eagerly awaiting the next installment, though, especially after the way this one ends (!!).

CW: cancer, past relationship trauma, past death of a parent

Lord Malcolm is up to his shenanigans again. Bless his deviant soul.

Reisz is basically and auto-read author for me so I didn't read the blurb. Historically, this has been a rather dicey mode de vie but in this case it worked out fine. Actually, early on I had some break-through jazz hands when Arthur's secret desires were revealed.

My fondness for a big un alpha sub is probably logged into every algorithm known to man and maybe some unknown lurking out there on the interwebs. So in short, The Pearl felt a bit like Le Gift in the beginning.

It's told in 3 parts, the first being from Arthur's, the second from Regan's and the third from both. Reisz is highly skilled at developing characters and Arthur and Regan are no exceptions; the problem is I didn't care for Regan.

The martyr trope can work for me sometimes especially if I like the character but the most I could muster up for Regan was empathy.

On top of that I didn't feel their connection. I was actually surprised by this since Reisz has usually has had an uncanny ability with a few well crafted sentences woven her spell and made me invest in and even root for some real doozies for couples; furthermore, has made me love and sometimes even obsess over some dubious characters.

The sex is certainly creative, mildly kinky but in an opinion that will surprise exactly no one, I was hoping for more pain. What can I say? #TeamPain4-evs

Though my experience with The Pearl is middling (somewhere between 3-3.5 ⭐️) that won't stop me from reading the next in the line of The Godwicks series if there is another one or whatever else she writes.

As always, my opinions are my own and YMMV.

An ARC was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

this was ... interesting. it was a fun quick read that was definitely sexy at times. the characters weren't what they could be, but overall it was a fun read where you can just enjoy and fly through.

This was refreshing twist on a tired troupe. It's great to see a strong woman take the lead. I have to say to some of the other readers...30 is by no means an older woman! The writing is fresh, funny and sexy. For readers who like erotica, or their romance on the hot side.

Tiffany Reisz returns to the Godwicks with fervor and heat. I enjoyed this relationship dynamic and found it so refreshing to have a dominant, older woman with a younger, submissive man. Their relationship was steamy but also emotional, especially as Regan's past comes into play.

While I didn't blush nearly as much as I did while reading The Red, The Pearl is a fitting addition in this world of lust and desire, with the perfect sprinkle of the paranormal to boot.

The Pearl was naughty or so naughty. The third Godwicks book is everything I was expecting I am so happy Tiffany released it when she did just the right amount of time in-between. I loved the characters and the direction it went a overall great read!

I was so excited to hear that Tiffany Reisz had written a third Godwicks book. I loved The Red and especially The Rose, both of which are completely bananas and so much fun. I didn't enjoy The Pearl quite as much. The fantastic element from the two previous books was largely missing here, and the dynamic between the main characters was different. We don't disappear into living nude paintings or Greek mythology seduction scenes here. Reisz is a great writer and knows how to craft a tale with plenty of sensual suspense, but this wasn't quite as effective.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review.