Where to begin? Ok, this was my first Tiffany Reisz book, and although I wasn't crazy about it, it won't be my last. I really want to read her Original Sinners series. But alas, this book was generously provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, so here we go.

So the sex scenes at times were really hot, and other times just really really weird and borderline silly. I think I may have given a few eye-rolls here and there. I mean, it was unique, I'll give her that, but I just don't think I could appreciate the story as well as other people might. The whole nymph and satyr thing... I just couldn't. I could not! It was just so... just... weird! So a few scenes set aside, it wasn't really that bad of a concept. It had an odd "twist" at the end, which of course was just SO not believable, but whatever. It's a story of fiction. It was a short 200 page book that I read in an afternoon that had a handful of hot scenes. It passed the time while I was home sick in bed. I'm actually surprised at how high the ratings are on this. I must be the minority here. Again, it wasn't BAD, just not really my cup of tea. I am much more excited to read some of her more popular books.

“Do anything you must, but keep me forever.” As a note, an e-galley of this novel was sent to me via NetGalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way.

For quite some time, I've heard about Tiffany Reisz and her prowess when it comes to erotica. I'm a bit picky when it comes to what I read of the genre, and romance in general, so I often took these recommendations with a grain of salt. When I came upon a galley of this latest novel by her, I took a chance and I'm so very glad I did. I own several of her books at the recommendation of others but have yet to really stick it out with one. I will say it now: The Red sold me 100% on her works.

You've already heard how absolutely filthy The Red is but none of it comes to close to the experience of reading it. If ever there were an "I need a cold shower" read that breaks through your own boundaries and desires, it's this one. Reisz pens a crisp and clear tale of sexual awakening and it's full of taboos that you'll find either arousing or uncomfortable. I doubt very much so that there will be a gray area when it comes to The Red because it's that book. I so rarely find myself blushing from erotica or literature in general, but on many occasions I was squirming and flushed from the content of this book.

That being said: HOLY HELL. Reisz is not a lackluster writer by any means. In fact, this is probably the most cohesive and intelligent erotica release I have ever come across. I tend to only like them for the steam and fluff, without feeling compelled or attached to the characters and their lives (I am not saying every release in the genre but you get the idea) but I was so heavily invested in Mona by the final pages of the book that I didn't want to say goodbye.

I absolutely loved how Reisz worked mythology and artwork and twined it with lust, the haze of sex and letting yourself go, and so much more. The fantasy of it. The dream of it. The raw. The bizarre. The ecstasy. It was all so very intense that I can't imagine it having ended in any way than what it had; even if I had not seen everything coming my way. If you had told me I'd be peak interested in such a novel only a few months ago, I'd have probably laughed straightaway and wandered off in boredom. Yet, in all its squeamish qualities and unlikeliness to myself, I was utterly captivated and heated throughout.

The Red won't be for everyone. Beyond the content of all that smut, there are many qualities that simply won't be everyone's cup of tea and that's not something you can work around. Its plots outside of sex and art, too, won't always be everything a reader desires. It's not everyday you read a book about a young woman exploring sex in the manner that Mona is: to save her mother's beloved gallery. Aka, selling herself to a man she barely knows in an effort to get out of debt.

(Mona is such a badass though! Her reaction to Sebastian during one specific scene was EPIC.)

If you are, like me, always searching for boundaries to cross and something to test yourself on, something beyond the ordinary, this is going to be for you. I was constantly shocked, surprised, scandalized in the best of ways. Even I didn't fully see that ending until it snuck up on me and knocked me out. I'm officially in love.

Mona Lisa ST. James made a death bed promise to her avant garde mother that she would save "The Red"; her mothers art gallery. In order to do that she accepts a deal with the "devil" She'll do whatever he asks for a period of one year, with encounters once or twice a month. Each of their liaisons is based on an actual painting; which I found fascinating! Their relationship is very complex and there are several twists I did not see coming. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it.

I saw this gorgeous beauty on NetGalley and the stunning cover simply called to me. Then I read the description and was so curious. Something about the idea of famous artwork as inspirations spoke to me and it sounded so different than what I normally read and I decided it would be a fun guilty pleasure summer read for me.

The story was a very quick read. It was heavily naughty, and in ways that didn't speak to me at all. However, it must be someone's cup of tea?? I was intrigued by the story and I knew it would change gears so I was happy to keep reading because I was so curious about Mona and Malcolm's relationship and I could not wait for the reveal to make sense.

The ending was not at all what I expected, and without giving anything away, it did make sense, but not in the way I'd hoped. It was absolutely interesting, but I was disappointed that the ending came about with a <spoiler>paranormal/supernatural explanation that really working it out.</spoiler> <i>note:</i> that wasn't really a spoiler, but it would give things away and I'm such a spoiler phobe that I would not want to ruin for someone in any way.

Rec this? Sure, it was different and I think fans of this author will probably love it. The writing style is so smooth and she definitley pulled me into the story. I was not sure about the ending, but some people may love it.

Happy reading!

I requested this book after hearing about it on a favorite book blog I visit. The description made it sound intriguing and it combined two of my favorite interests - erotica and art. When I saw NetGalley had it for review I was super excited to check it out. And, wow, I absolutely loved it! It is probably my favorite book of 2017. The combination of art and erotic is a catnip combination that I hadn't read much of before. And the author wove together a sexy, compelling, absorbing read that I devoured in one setting. I finished it and immediately started looking for other books by the author, pleasantly surprised when I found that I had one from her in my ebook collection that I hadn't got around to reading yet. That book is part of a series and I can't decide if I want to start them right away or wait until a special occasion, like an upcoming week I have off from work.

I hope the author revisits this world of art and erotica again in the future.

OMG! This was my first read of a Tiffany Reisz book and what an unforgettable read it was!
This novel, quite pornographic in places, really pushes the boundaries of the genre. Warning: this is not your average romantic novel!
Each scene and chapter inspired by a famous painting, it will leave you truly hot under the collar!

OK… so The Red is definitely for a niche audience. I really didn’t know what I was about to get into when I started reading this. I thought it was going to be normal smutty romance set against the backdrop of the art world. Instead, I got just erotica, no romance, and a strange paranormal element that didn’t really make sense. I’m not 100% sure what this story was trying to be. Was it a contemporary romance? Was it a paranormal romance? Was it just plain old smut? After reading this, my best summation of the genre I could discern was “fantasy erotica.”

The Red is actually the story of a woman becoming a prostitute… albeit a classy one. Mona is a broke 25 year old art gallery owner. It was her mother’s dying wish that she keep the gallery open. However, she’s dead broke and there just isn’t any way for her to keep the gallery. Enter Malcolm, a handsome stranger who offers to help her out of her predicament by giving her rare art in exchange for one night a month. During said night he basically has carte blanche with her body. What follows is a series of sexual encounters based on famous paintings. There is always a dream like element to the scenarios and the events that occur could not happen in real life. This is where the paranormal elements comes in full of deals with the devil and elaborate fantasy sequences.

I’ll just put this plainly: The Red was incredibly filthy. Like… I did not expect there to be the level of smut that existed here. I don’t want to give away any spoilers but I also think there should be some fair warning involved before people dive into this. A non-spoilery way to describe the smut in The Red is to say that Mona is penetrated by a multitude of people and objects.

Overall, I was a bit put off by the smut in The Red. Personally, I felt like it was over the top filthy. As I was reading most of the dialogue I could swear I could hear a twangy porn track playing in the backdrop. I guess I could say this was the fanciest porno I’ve ever read. Perhaps this just isn’t the book for me.

This book sucks you in from the beginning! The story line was intriguing and had you wishing they could be together in the end. However, the ending is unexpected and welcomed!

This book took me by surprise - I wasn't entirely sure I would like it. I've not read much erotica, and I'm still not sure if I enjoy reading erotica, but this book was a hoot! Firstly, it actually had a plot. And it was a plot that I strangely became quite invested in. I was immediately hooked - this book was saucy, dark, twisted, and completely addictive.

A very engaging effort. While I found some of the erotic subject matter to not really be to my taste (multiple flavors of supposedly realistic fantasy situations with only the continuity of all being based on famous works of art). This writer does have a flair for writing in a manner that draws you into the story despite some extremely distasteful and offensive content, which is quite an achievement. (To show that this isn't typical erotic subject matter examples of the sex scenes included rape fantasies including with a glass bottle, semi-bestiality with a real minotaur complete with animal smells and giant bull penis which later results in her being able to sexually desire someone to fist her with their whole arm, slave ownership and not in a sub-dom context, but actual slavery where the property/slave is sexually assaulted by multiple potential buyers, and even death "porn" where one of the individuals is actually starving to death and is revived by sexual "energy" and at another time has a sucking chest wound yet still craves sex), and oh yes the overall context of semi-forced prostitution (although called "whoredom" in the book) all supposedly made allowable by either being "play acting" or in a dream context so not real enough to be objectionable or leave permanent damage (although bruises do seem to be fine) I also really disliked the context of "training" her to be with a man who continuously degraded her and her finding this sexually compelling too. That all said I still rated it 3 stars and couldn't say I hated it. If the violent sex scenes had been a little less objectionable to me personally I'd probably have given it 4 stars because she did keep me engaged in the story and the "mystery" of the man behind the art.until the very end. I only wish she had tempered these scenes a bit more so enjoyment of the story idea and writing overwhelmed the winces at some of the sex scenes.

This book is the most amazing sensual kinky trip into the erotic fantasy world. Every moment of it is hot and left me panting, wanting and waiting for more. Mona St. James is the a normal everyday girl that's running a failing art gallery, Malcolm is a man that offers her the means to save the gallery, in return sell herself to him for 1 year.

Tiffany (and Malcolm) have come up with the most amazing scenarios for their 'meetings'. Each one more amazing and breathtaking than the last. Until, at last we get the unseeable twist, that completely through me, and I couldn't have felt more gobsmacked, broken hearted yet also ecstatically happy.

This was a very gripping read, I was really into the characters and the story although I felt the ending was a little rushed.

I would like to thank Netgallery for giving me the opportunity to read this book and give my opinion.
I have read many of Tiffany's books and she doesn't disappoint and this one was no exception. This book is slightly different to what she usually writes, but brilliant all the same.
Mona's mother passes away and leaves Mona her art gallery. The gallery is in serious financial trouble and then along comes Malcolm.......
Incredibly erotic, amazingly written and leaves you wanting more.

The owner of a failing art gallery in Noo Yawk gets an offer she can’t refuse. . . or really doesn’t want to refuse. She’d promised her mom she’d do anything to keep the gallery open, and now anything and everything is what she has to do. Two-thirds of the way through something happens that makes her back out of the deal, something bad enough that she thinks it’s worth losing the gallery over, but in the end she perseveres.
Despite trying to make it “just business,” she actually grows quite a bit through the story, and not just sexually. Malcolm unintentionally taught her how to be manipulative. . . not that Seb didn’t deserve it. But the whole point of the story, besides the sex, is that in the end it made her stronger.
I love the nymphs! Best and funniest scene ever. Too bad there wasn’t more of them.
So yes, I enjoyed most of this. The ultimate reveal was easy to guess with all the clues strewn around, but by then it didn’t really matter. Not a fan of the ending, though; that’s one guy who didn’t deserve to be rewarded.

I am speechless. This was just an exceptional read. The fantasies, the characters, the bedroom scenes,(or not bedroom scenes), were utterly amazing. I was transfixed with every word. I am embarrassed to say this is my first book by Ms. Reisz. But I am happy to say I am going to one click many of her books after this review. What a complete, fantastic author. And one of my all time favorite endings from a romance.

I really liked this one. From the very beginning a mystery was mentioned about Malcolm that will entice the reader to read more. I will say that looking up the actual paintings for a visual reference will help be in the mindset of what Mona is actually looking at and what is to be performed. I will say I kind of didn't get Sebastian's character during "The Bleeding Man" chapter. I'm not sure if his actions were of reason or not. Maybe it was to keep his character "short" in a way because this is a novella. Anyways, I always have an open mind when reading Tiffany's books because I never know what she will throw in the story. I kind of want a follow up of Mona and Spencer!

This story was beyond creative and so original. I am completely in love with the concept. I loved that it centered around art. The writing itself was art. It was incredibly beautiful. I loved the character development as well. I found myself so involved with the characters' story early on. I found the pacing a little slow at times, but overall, this book definitely held my attention and I would love to read more from this author!

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of a paranormal romance sounded really fun based in classic art. In between book series I often read something short, romantic, fluffy, and fun! This wasn't what I was expecting.
I'm just going to say this book was way too dirty for me. Each chapter has a lot of raunchy sex. I didn't find it romantic at all. Yet, the character of Malcom had me perplexed and I had to see how the story ended. It was a surprise and twisted ending that was very interesting! This book wasn't for me, but it will be for someone else.

The Red is absolutely absorbing, titillating, and exquisite! EXQUISITE!

Mona St. James promised her dying mother that she would do anything to maintain ownership of their private art gallery, The Red. But after years of struggling financially, it looks like she will have to sell. Out of nowhere, a mysterious man appears in the gallery with an offer to save The Red in exchange for "carte blanche" use of her body. His name is Malcolm, and he is as elegant as he is handsome. Mona accepts, more attracted and intrigued than in need. As she says to Malcolm, "You could have seduced me for free." What takes this from a great read to 5-star exceptional are a few unique features.

First, while there are many sex for payment storylines out there, this one is unapologetic. Malcolm neither needs to pay to get laid, neither does he think lesser of Mona for accepting payment. For her part I appreciate that Mona isn't backed into a corner. She was ready to sell the gallery and literally no one was going to die if she didn't take Malcom's offer. Her equal footing and lack of shame was liberating and refreshing. It removes the potential "ick" factor from my enjoyment of their arrangement.

Second, Mona and Malcolm are art connoisseurs. I loved how works of art are referenced throughout Mona and Malcolm's trysts. Every time a famous piece is mentioned, I eagerly looked it up and read about it. So I'm indulging in my erotica and learning a lot at the same time. Bonus!

Third, I appreciated Mona's strength and unspoken feminism. The women in this story and in the classical art are not viewed as victims. Sex is not a commodity to be taken from them; it is an instrument of power. This pervasive viewpoint greatly added to my enjoyment of Mona and Malcolm's story.

The Red is a combination of hardcore erotica with an achingly tragic love story, which ultimately rights itself. I loved this so much, I will definitely read it again and I strongly recommend it. Mind blowing and mind opening all at once!

This is an honest and voluntary review on an ARC received on NetGalley.

An unapologetic sinfully erotic read.