Steamy, passionate, and full of magic, The Rose by Tiffany Reisz is a delightful exploration into some sexy retellings of Greek myths, all powered by an artifact rumoured to have been used ceremonially in the temple of Eros. They aren’t your usual Greek myth retellings either. I’m not sure what I was expecting when I started reading this amazing story, but it definitely blew those expectations out of the water.
At the center of this story is Lia, a young woman who we find has just recently graduated from college and being gifted a rare wine cup by her parents; wealthy art collectors with highly connected friends. However, August Bowman, a young man also attending Lia’s graduation party also has his eyes on this infamous little wine cup. As it turns out, this cup is known as the Rose kylix, a cup said to be used by acolytes in the temple of Eros, allowing the users to take part in their most intimate sexual fantasies. Believing August to be lying to her for the sake of obtaining the cup, she attempts using the wine cup with August along for the ride, and finds out just how powerful this cup actually is. Realising the dangers of the artifact, she’s reluctant to let August have it but is drawn to him. Together, they’ll continue to explore all that the kylix has to offer, and become more tangled up in each other’s lives than they ever could have imagined.
With that synopsis, let’s dive in. This story was incredibly sensual from the start, Lia was such a complex and entrepreneurial young woman. I loved her “Young Ladies’ Gardening & Tennis Club”, it was the most amusing cover for what Lia and her girls are really doing. Though a significant portion of the book is dedicated to her sexual awakening entwined with Greek mythos, the author takes the time to cultivate her personality as well as her mental health in a spectacular fashion. These aspects influence her personality and some of the choices that she makes throughout the story. Lia’s strength is her ultimate mask, hiding her tender vulnerability underneath. I felt that she had the most growth in this story, in all aspects.
August Bowman was definitely a swoon-worthy character, and despite the fact that there’s a bit of a secret around who he is, I think the readers will pick up on his secrets pretty early on. I enjoyed his interactions with Lia, but at times I felt he fell flat in terms of development, especially in the terms of romance. It felt very quick to me, but it can be argued that considering who he is, it’s completely fine.
The villain in this story seems inconsequential in terms of the whole story, although he’s perfect in terms of driving the plot along in a fun way. Much of this story is focused on Lia and August, so I felt a bit sad that we didn’t get to see much of any of the other characters. I would have loved to see more interactions with her parents, because while they are loving, doting, and caring…they didn’t carry the dimension that Lia and August did. The story itself is broken down into four parts, each one focused on a Greek myth. Within each part, readers will be switching from reality to the fantasy that Lia and August are taking part of. I felt that this was done very well, and flowed along easily. Each myth that was selected for this story was meaningful to Lia’s development as a character and created this stunningly imagined scenes of passion. I found myself blushing a few times.
Since this story takes place over the course of a week, it goes quickly in terms of pacing. At times it felt as if it went a little too fast, some parts of the story needed more development, especially when it comes to the central conflict. It felt rushed in comparison to the rest of it. Although I can’t complain too much. Those steamy scenes were rather pleasing to read.
Overall, I would rate The Rose by Tiffany Reisz a 7 out of 10. It was a fun read with some amazing potential, especially if some of the characters had been better developed. That said, Ms. Reisz has some amazingly written erotic scenes, so it can be argued that it balances out. This is the first novel that I have read by this author, but I’m very curious to go and pick up some more by her.
The Rose is available now from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
USA Today bestselling 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.
