I loved The Red so much and I couldn’t wait to start The Rose.

The theme was intriguing: Greek mythology meets modern day erotica. The characters fascinated me from the beginning, especially Lia and her friends, possibly att the detriment of the story as I was more drawn to their business dealings than the Greek mythology.

Sadly, despite starting strongly and being, as always, brilliantly written, I just could’t get into this story and, I’m sad to say, it’s become one of my rare DNFs. I think there were just too many journeys back in time and too many mythological characters to hold my interest. I tried, I really did, and I hate to be beaten by a story, but I just couldn’t find it in me to read The Rose to its conclusion.

My rating is based on reading the book to 75%.

Wow! What a crazy fantasy ride. 4.5 stars
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I have to say I am surprised at myself. For a genre I rarely read, this one surprised the hell out of me.

Maybe it was the author who took a chance outside of her normal writing style. Maybe it was the entire fact that the story was so different and intriguing. Maybe it was because it was sexy as hell.

Whatever it was, I became enthralled with Greek mythology and the beautiful blend between today and another age - real or not.

The characters were wonderfully depicted. I loved the dry humor and bit of snark. But I especially loved the hot connection between the two of them. Damn!

If you are looking for something different in a romance, The Rose is it!

I was excited to hear that Tiffany Reisz was writing a follow up to 'The Red', which I really enjoyed. I found The Red to be a unique, scorching, and fun read.

The elements making up 'The Rose' seemed to be all there at a glance - Greek mythology which I love, a great author, and an interesting plot. On reading it however, something just didn't fully click. It didn't feel like it has the exact same spark that 'The Red' had. I admit I was a little disappointed by how she used the mythological threads in her story - there's literally a wealth of stories she could pick from, but none of them really thrilled me the same way in which 'The Red' did. To be honest - this sequel felt quite a bit more tame.

Nonetheless, if you were a fan of 'The Red', I'd still recommend giving The Rose a go.

Thanks Harlequin-Mira and NetGalley for this ARC for review!

WOW! I loved this book and the author! If you read The Red, then The Rose is a must. However, they can definitely be read as standalone novels. Lia's parents are throwing her a graduation party and the invite list contains some very prominent and wealthy people, who also happen to be patrons of the escort service she has been running for the past four years with her three best friends. She asks them to be on their best behavior while at the party, yet when Lia meets sexy August Bowman the flirting begins. Lia who has lived and breathed Greek mythology is given an krylix by her father, and it just so happens that her father won it at auction by outbidding Mr. Bowman. While at the party, Mr. Bowman finds a little alone time with Lia and explains that the krylix has special powers. Since Lia does not believe him, he proceeds to demonstrate its capabilities taking her on several erotic journeys through mythological history. I don't want to give away all the wonderful details, but trust me this story is worth every penny!

Tiffany has a way of bringing an intellectual element to her erotic stories that just captivates me. Perhaps its the way she incorporates fantasy that allows you to suspend your traditional beliefs and just take the journey with the characters. Her characters are extremely well developed and her writing is so fluid. She also does a great job with the erotic scenes by slowly building the interactions, creating tension and desire, adding variety through fantasy, and concluding with a beautiful intimate connection. I cannot say enough great things about her writing - absolutely one of my favorite erotic fiction authors! I would recommend this book to everyone interested in erotic fiction, erotic fantasy, and romance (if you have an open mind and aren't offended by sexual descriptions).

Although my honest review of #TheRose was based on an ARC provided by #Netgalley and #Harlequin, it is on my purchase list when it comes out in April 2019 - can't wait to read it again in the finished format.

“And the gods do say women feel more pleasure in the act than men. When there is pleasure, that is women have the better time of it.”

The Rose by Tiffany Reisz is a modern day twist on greek mythology. The story starts with a young woman named Lia, who made an appearance in The Red. She helps manage an escort agency with her friends and meets a charming man named, August Bowman. He is both her savior and demise.

Her life takes a dramatic turn when her father gifts her an ancient artifact not knowing the power it yields. August knows of these such powers, and plans to meet Lia to acquire the artifact for himself. Little does he know, that they will both witness the great magic it yields together. Which embarks a sexual awakening and to new heights.

Having read The Red, I requested an arc for the sequel The Rose. It is set 20 years after the story of Mona and Malcolm. Lia is Mona's daughter, who is (surprise, surprise) running a secret escort service. But when her former lover David threatens to betray her secret, she seeks a way to pay his ransom. Enter August Bowman, an artifact lover, who wants to have the Rose Kylix. This specific artifact was given to Lia on her 21st birthday by her father. August warns Lia that the cup has special powers and should be handled carefully. He offers to buy the cup from her. Lia doesn't believe that the cup has any powers and she is suspicious about August's claims. Therefore August dares her to try the cup (by drinking wine from it) with him present. He claims it will have the power to let Lia re-live the old Greek myths. And it does! So Lia and August re-live all kinds of Greek (erotic) myths.
Off course, the story wouldn't be complete if there where several plot twists and turns. Not only are people not always what they seem, a divine intervention and some strange occurences will keep you guessing. So, indeed, another wonderful book from Tiffany Reisz. Four out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

This just did not work for me. I could get interested or invested in the characters. It reminded me too much of the Rose and I struggled with that book as well. Tiffany is a superb writer. I truly enjoy the sinners series, but this seemed a tad bit off. The setting was modern day, yet the dialogue seemed like it was in the past. That didn't work for me either. The love interest was not sexy or alluring. Overall it was just awful for me.

But I appreciate you allowing me to read the ARC. I won't be posting any of my feelings or comments anywhere else.

I already know when starting a Tiffany Reisz novel that I will be reading nothing short of awesomeness, but The Rose was even a little better that awesome! The best way to describe The Rose is a steamy, historical, present day, mystical romance — so basically what I’m saying is that it has it all! The storyline was brilliantly original and even though I haven’t read the first novel in this series (The Red), I had no issues jumping in here (I have already 1-clicked The Red and plan on reading it next). The characters were humorous, passionate, intriguing and straight-up entertaining! The Rose is a complete 5 star novel that you won’t want to miss! I can’t wait for the next installment in this fantastic series!

Tiffany Reisz is always a 'must read' for me and although I enjoyed The Rose it didn't quite hit the mark for me.

I have read a few of Tiffany's books and I always admire her way of writing. Although it was not my favorite book by her, I must say that it is well written and you can see that the author made a great deal of research on the subject and ancient history is not a light subject! As a lover of history and the mythology that the boo is centered, it was really nice to see some "Gods" come to life in a different perspective. The love story within was funny at times and heartwarming and very, very hot!. Would definitely recommend this one for a fun read!

Much like The Red by Tiffany Reisz, The Rose incorporates a sense of magical realism into the erotic romance of Lia and August. Each major section is devoted to a different Greek myth--and boy oh boy will you never think of those myths in the way you were taught in school. They're a million times sexier than you could ever imagine. And in between those sexy myths, there's a story of a prissy madam, her delightful family, and her new...friend, August. You will fly through these pages and be sorry when they're over.

The acknowledgments hint at at least one more book in this series and I can only hope that we'll get at least that. You don't have to be an art lover or mythology know it all to enjoy these novels, though it might enrich the experience, you'll find yourself swept away without any prior knowledge...and you may even want to pick up a book or two about these gods and goddesses when you're done!

This book is beautiful. The weaving of mythology into a modern tale is perfection. The author draws you in quickly: a college student turned madame with a secret escort service, a mysterious stranger, a shared love of Greek Mythology. The twists and turns of this book take the reader on a magical journey worthy only of Greek Gods.

A full bodied story with character development to support such a story.

Much like it's predecessor, The Red, The Rose is erotica. It's dirty. It's hot. It's well executed.

This book can be read as a standalone. The heroine in The Rose is the daughter of the characters in The Red but you don't have to read The Red first. (You should read it though it's delightfully weird and dirty.)

When I requested this book I was not aware of the author's previous books and the rather graphic content. After reading this book I kept thinking it would fall into a category of literary pornography. This thought led me to Google the actual description of erotica - and bingo this book fits that exactly. I never really made that distinction between pornography and erotica - probably because I had not read many books that fit either category. So I can honestly say that I learned something new from reading this book. I did love the mythology and how it was woven into the story. I hated the stilted dialogue, especially the beginning or anything that involved the parents. Can't say I would read anything else by the author - but overall a very creative story.

Received this as an ARC from Netgalley. All thoughts are my own.

I was excited when I saw the description of this. Greek mythology is my favorite and I had been wanting to read something slightly out of the norm for what I normally read. And this fit. When I got approved for it, I immediately had to read it. Unfortunately, I had to wait for what i thought would be after work. But due to the weather where I live, I got a phone call saying that I wasn't needed, to stay home, and to stay safe. So I was able to start reading this sooner than I had dared hope.

I was able to consume every second of this book in one sitting. I could not stop reading. I had grabbed myself a glass of wine before starting and the wine didn't quite make it to a quarter of the way into the book.

This was a fun, sexy way to spend an evening of putting myself into Lia's shoes as she experienced the kylix with August. I would have been just as skeptical as she was in the beginning. Maybe even try talking myself into believing that what she experienced was just a hallucination. But after a while, it does become fairly clear that this was a very real thing they were experiencing.

In the beginning, August doesn't reveal what his real name is and who his family is. However, I was able to call his identity. It felt fairly obvious from all the hints that are dropped. It still felt part of all the fun.

The formatting of my copy was off and made it a little difficult to read in places. Mostly with conversations. And almost time there was a word that started with "fl," like "flower" or "flirt," there would be a space between the f and the l. It read as "f lower" instead of "flower."That was a bit distracting. Especially at the beginning when I wasn't expecting it.

Would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to have a good time reading something in this genre.

I don't normally read M/F erotica and actually thought this was F/F erotica when I signed up to read it. I thought it was a decent read and for sure had plenty of hot sex.

The Rose is another fascinating piece by Reisz. It's erotic, original, mysterious, and with a dash of mythology! Highly recommend.

I really liked this book, especially since I went to school for classics. Definitely a different direction than many erotic stories take and I really enjoyed that.

A very spicy book. The Rose by Tiffany Reisz. When I requested the book I didn't realize it was part of a series but I was still able to enjoy the storyline.

If there is an opportunity to read an early copy of any of Tiffany Reisz's work, I will always take it. She continues to surprise me at each and every turn. I know I will always get a well thought out plot and female characters that are always a step above of the norm. And the characters always have the best witty dialogue between each other. The Rose was no different.
The Rose is the second book to The Red. You don't need to read The Red to understand and love this book. It is a complete stand alone within the series and I'm sure all will enjoy it.
Lia is the daughter of the main character in The Red. This is her story. It's her graduation and her father gives her the gift of a Rose Kylix because of her love of greek mythology. But that isn't her only "gift" she receives. A part of her past returns and ultimately blackmails her. And in true Reisz form, Lia is bound to save herself. She is a young and perhaps slightly naive woman, but she is strong enough to know that she can answer to her own problems.
"You're like a kitten with a switchblade."
That is what women do, after all. Save themselves.

Her problem leads her to August and discovering the powers of the Kylix. This is where the real meat of the story is. This is where erotica meets greek mythology meets Reisz's unique style of retelling the tales through erotic "dreams", if you will. And it is stunning and truly magical. I was pulled in and didn't want to come out of these adventures. They were beautiful and allowed us to see another side of August and Lia together and the dialogue between them was for the romantics.

"The thread of your life and the thread of mine are knotted together for reasons unknown to me. Don't fight fate, Lia. You will not win."

The Rose was a truly unique and magical journey that almost had a flair for historical romance in the 21st century England. I loved the obviously well researched aspects of Greek mythology and the witty sarcasm of both August and Lia. They were two souls bound to one another through the powers that be. And their adventures to happiness were so sensual and erotic even in questionable situations.
I think anyone that enjoys a bit of history with their romance can fully absorb and fall down the Reisz rabbit hole with The Rose. It won't disappoint.

Erotica at its finest!!

I had no doubt going in that Tiffany Reisz would deliver another delectable book that was different from anything that I have read all while giving me the sinful deeds that an erotic novel lover like me craves.

Fantasy and history collide is this absolutely sexy tale.

Lia, daughter of Mona (from The Red!!) is 21 and in attendance of her college graduation party. Among the guests there is August. The devastatingly handsome, mysterious man who is hoping to obtain Lia’s very special graduation gift- the Rose kylix.

Whew! The things that the kylix is capable of is told sold well in this story and at times had me not knowing which way to look. Beyond blush worthy doesn’t give it enough justice.

I don’t want to give much more away in regards to this book. Going in blind would definitely enhance your experience.

I expected it to be well written. Check!
I expected to devour it just as I have with this author’s other books. Check!
I expected to be taken on a journey but I wasn’t prepared for the amazing one this author gave me.
It went above and beyond and beyond and beyond!

I would highly recommend this book! You will not be disappointed.