This book works as a standalone story, but I don't know if I would recommend it as a first Tiffany Reisz read. It took me a while to sink into it, and I think having read her other books helped me keep going. Once I was deep into it, though, it was delicious and powerful as always.

I've loved every one of the Godwicks books and The Pearl was no exception. I never know where Tiffany is going to take me with these books but I absolutely love every minute of the journey. Arthur and Regan's story is a great addition to the series!

The Pearl is Tiffany Reisz' third installment in The Godwicks series. It centers around Lord Arthur Godwick, who barters himself to hotel owner Regan Ferry in exchange for the family painting that his brother gave to her. Arthur starts to put together details about Regan over their ten nights together, realizing that her game of revenge is so much bigger than him.

I enjoyed the premise of this book - thinking that a powerful woman claiming what she wants from a man would be an engaging read. It certainly was! I did find, however, that the empowerment that could have been achieved was partially marred by Arthur (the narrator) trying to figure out Regan's person. Moreover, I think this was a good length for the book - a quick Saturday read, for sure!

It's been quite a while since I've indulged in a Tiffany Reisz masterpiece and I was truly not disappointed in choosing The Godwicks to jump back into her masterful stories!

Lord Arthur Godwick is accustomed to bailing his brother out of tight situations and yet again he gets the call to save his brother, only this time he needs to use his body and not his bank account. When he makes his way to The Pearl he doesn't realize that he's about to be entwined in Lady Reagan's plan of revenge.

The Pearl is written to be gobbled up in one sitting because there is no way this book can be put down! With her deliciously deviant characters and exceptional writing, Tiffany Reisz proves that she is an erotica writing goddess!

Cliffhanger: No

4.5/5 Fangs

Complimentary copy was provided via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I like this story a lot more than The Rose (it's predecessor in the series) - a fact I'm basing mainly on the fact that I don't remember much about that book, apart from the beginning. I mean, maybe I never finished it? Either way, I found this story a little more intriguing and easy to get into. Essentially, Regan (owner of The Pearl Hoel) enlists young sexy submissive Arthur (aka Lord Godwick) into a kinky agreement to 'pay off' his wayward brother's debt at the hotel. In and around their trysts, Regan and Arthur begin to discover that both their families have history - and perhaps their ancestors planned for their paths to cross. Either way, it's a fun arty erotic novel with a little bit of kink and whole lot of spooky antics.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the third book in the series and gives us Arthur, son of Malcolm and Mona (The Red), and brother to Lia (The Rose) and his story, with a side dose of the spare, Charlie.

Whilst this is a sexy read, I found it to be much softer and romantically erotic than many of Reisz's novels. Arthur is such a deliciously strong and yet gentle man. His youth and expectation of serving in the army make him much more thoughtful than one might have imagined. The woman whom he indentures himself to, Regan Ferry, is an enigma to us as well as him, until we discover the rather heartbreaking reason for her attitude.

I have really enjoyed the magical elements of these books, and it was really fun here too... that painting has a lot to answer for, but gives us good news too!


Erica – ☆☆☆
The Pearl is the third installment of The Godwicks series. While I do believe The Pearl could be read as a standalone title, here is some background on how the novel tied to the previous installments. Arthur is the son of the narrator in The Red, Mona, which makes him the brother of the narrator from The Rose, Lia.

As a reader of all of Tiffany Reisz's backlist, I have a good handle on the author's writing style. Sexy and original, oftentimes a little bit twisted, with an intellectual edge.

While Nora from The Original Sinners series resonated deeply with me, and Mona from The Red did as well, I struggled to connect with the story in both The Rose and The Pearl. While I devoured The Red in a single sitting, which is the first in this series, the additional installments took me several weeks each to read, to the point where I almost wish I'd just read The Red as a standalone and not read the sequels.

I cannot put into words why the story and the characters weren't resonating with me, thinking perhaps it was my mood at the time, especially since the content is generally something I seek out to read. How can something that ought to be my cup of tea, with a writing style that has always suited me, end up not grabbing my attention? As I said, I just cannot explain it.

Paranormal or not, I'm a lover of both genres, yet this series falls into a vague middle ground, where it has subtle paranormal elements, which oddly doesn't work for me. I'm a "go all in or go home" kind of reader, where I actually believe the story would have worked better without the paranormal elements.

Told in three parts, each part with a different narrator, the final part both Arthur and Regan sharing the limelight, showcasing all sides of the story.

Arthur is settling Charlie's debt, which was a mature action of selflessness on his part, protecting his younger brother and a precious family heirloom. Protecting the painting Charlie offered to settle the debt, Arthur allows himself to become the payment, as Regan wants him in her bed. This is an angsty delicious sensual yet erotic plot device that I couldn't wait to devour.

As a mature woman myself, I was quite pleased to read a novel featuring a mature woman as the lead, staring opposite a much younger man. But as I stated earlier, I'm feeling quite contrary. I was happy to have a mature woman and a younger man, yet it didn't work for me.

There was an imbalance of power, not only because Arthur was the debtor and the debt, made more imbalanced due to their age-gap. Ordinarily, I enjoy a woman taking the dominant position, same as I have no issue with large age-gaps. Regan is dominant, but the issue for me was that it came off as if she were treating Arthur as a child, which skeeved me out, as he was essentially selling himself, especially with the later revelation. Their interactions felt forced in many ways. Instead of the power-exchange between dominant and submissive, it felt more of an imbalance.

Long story short, The Pearl should have clicked all the boxes for what would make an epic escape for me personally, but none of it worked for me. Too many excellent elements that contradicted one another, none of them properly explored. Perhaps if these elements were developed over more pages, as it felt as if two books were jammed into a smaller singular novel, it would have allowed for it to all tie together organically, as opposed to feeling forced.

When Lord Arther Godwick is summoned to the home of Lady Regan Ferry over the antics of his irresponsible brother, the handsome aristocrat soon finds himself locked in a sexual contract with a widow bent on revenge.

It's been ages since I read erotica actually labelled as such. Other genres seem to be much racier than ever, so I thought I'd check out the original genre of sex and pleasure; see if there is still a difference.

There is.

The sex scenes are drawn out in The Pearl. Just as readers of this genre would hope. The scene doesn't end as soon as the reader get hot and bothered. It goes on. And then there's more a chapter or so later.

And there is a story. This author managed to sew a story much more layered than I expected. I hadn't read the 2 earlier books in this series, as it is marketed as a stand-one. I wasn't confused, but I do wish I had read them in order to fully understand the weight of the Godwick name.
There were a few points where an editor could have tightened up a page or removed repetition, but I sense this is a forgiving genre.

The Pearl is a fine example of erotica with steamy explicit sex scenes woven into a sturdy layered story.
Readers who pick this up, unaware of this genre's expectations, might give it a low rating and run blushing. However, for those who know what they want - this is 4 stars.

Thank you #netgalley for my digital copy.

I don't think I'm the right audience for this book. This is the second Tiffany Reisz book I've tried and I did not really enjoy it. Even though the smut was written brilliantly, everything that happened outside the bedroom was uninteresting. I found their connection very hard to believe and I found my mind wandering while trying to power through. So it's not the book, it's me in this case.

Once again this series was super hot and a surprise. The scenes were all different but I also feel anyone in the romance genre would appreciate them as they were not extreme. you can feel the main characters connection which is good.

Review excerpted from my blog post over at Titillated Termagant Romance Reviews (https://titillatedtermagant.wordpress.com/2021/01/27/the-pearl-by-tiffany-reisz/)

My Rating: 2.5 stars

Library recommendation: Not recommended for public library collections.

Warning: Hereafter, you chance spoilers. I will try never to reveal major plot points, but to review any book, you must reveal some parts of the story.

_______________

Number of titles I have read by this author: 1

Love story speed: It’s erotica. Vroom vroom.

Relationship dynamics: The Brothel Mistress (h) / The Titled Gentleman (H)

Physical descriptions: Regan is described as being tall and having long, chestnut brown hair, grey eyes, and an olive complexion. Arthur is described as being tall and broad chested with black hair and dark eyes.

Sexual content: Oodles; on-page and explicit; some light dom/sub kink; both partners participate in anal sex

Triggers: Recounted parental terminal illness and death; recounted spousal abuse; kissing cousins

Grammar/Editing: This ARC had a few typos.

Review: This is a fast-paced novel that can be read as a standalone in the series, but it seems as if reading the other books might be helpful for context and clarity. The action is set in London. While the contemporary setting was fine, I did find the truly paranormal elements of this book to be a bit bizarrely executed, surrealistic, and out of the blue.

The main characters are Regan and Arthur. I wasn’t particularly enamored of either character and I didn’t really care if they stayed together. While I understand Regan’s history, and Arthur’s, I found her to be off-putting and him to be uncomfortably submissive. At first, he seems forced to be submissive and uncomfortable with himself, but then there seems to be an about-face wherein it is all he’s ever wanted. Additionally, while I generally steer clear of spoilers, I will make an exception in this case: while they aren’t aware of it to begin with, the main characters do turn out to be second cousins. If this is something that will bother you, then give this book a pass. In terms of secondary characters, this book has a few clearly recurring characters who feel a bit like filler. And then there’s Zoot, who is also not very complex, but was certainly an entertaining and unexpected Monty Python reference.

Full disclosure: I received a free advance review copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a new to me author. The book comprises of 3 parts with each part spoken in a different POV.

It took me a little while to get into this book. While I love reading H’s POV (which this first part was) I had a difficult time relating to the characters. Regan (the h) came across as cold and aloof. Arthur (H) was a little too martyr for me. It was only when I got to Part 2 which revealed more background to Regan, as it was told in her POV, that I could better understand her character. Arthur’s persistence in loving Regan despite her reluctance endeared him to me.

And there is lots of erotica. While I love heat in my stories, I was only ok with the book. The best analogy I can think of regarding this book relates to music. To me, this story was like an opera. Skilled storytelling, strong characters, interesting plot line however, I’m more of a stage musical kinda girl. Same great strengths but presented in a slightly different format.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is so refreshing to read an erotic novel that has the female in the position of power though Tiffany Reisz is known for her strong female characters. This story tackled a number of socially taboo topics such as bondage, an older woman with a younger man, open sexual relationships etc but it is done in such a casual way that it highlights how normal all of this is.

I need to go back and read the previous two books now.

I want more (as always)
It was a "slow" start, but it gradually built up and got more and more interesting as I kept on reading.
I liked how Tiffany connected all three Godwick books in this one. More family history and things I kinda felt was missing or questioning in the other books suddenly got more meaningful after reading this book.
And yet again, I love the way Tiffany mix history with her story. This time art pieces

I enjoyed this historical so much! I liked learning about all of the characters especially Malcolm. Also learning about Arthur and Regan was very interesting and also had some steamy scenes which is what I love to see!

Having read The Red and The Rose, I was offered the next part in the series: The Pearl. It is set a few years after The Rose and stars the brothers Arthur and Charlie. While Mona and Spencer are travelling abroad, Arthur is summoned to the Pearl for Charlie's actions. And because Arthur will do anything for his baby brother, he agrees to a deal with Regan, the owner of the hotel.
Off course, the story wouldn't be complete if there where several plot twists and turns, with the mysterious grandfather Malcolm smack in the middle of it all. And of course, a lot of artwork is discussed and used as metaphors in this book. It is simply wonderful how Tiffany can mingle art and seduction. So, although I am not a big fan of her Original Sinners series, I do enjoy the Godwicks series. So yay, another wonderful book from Tiffany Reisz. Four out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

Thanks to NetGalley and 8th Circle Press for an ARC.

I requested this book because I recognized the author’s name. I was pleasantly surprised by this erotic mystery/romance. Being the third in the series I’m now interested in backtracking to read the other two in the series.

I literally couldn’t put this book down!! The byplay and sexual dynamics catch you from the get go and refuse to let you down. Highly interesting storyline and highly recommend this book.

This is the third Tiffany Reisz book, and on the scale of Her Halloween Treat and The Siren, The Pearl falls just a smidge closer to The Siren. It's kinky and smutty, but also has really sweet moments where Arthur is so horribly in love and funny moments where I laughed outloud at the characters' banter. They are both witty and clever, and there were some hilarious moments. The writing is excellent and here's a line I particularly swooned over:

"He lay there on the floor, burning for the reason anything burns—because someone had set it on fire."

Also be aware that I would classify this book as erotic magical realism romance.

Now, why not 5 stars? Some of the sex acts were not my jam. In fact, some of them sounded painful - but they felt written like they were supposed to be sexy but I thought a majority of women would find it uncomfortable (view spoiler).

I was sent a free book and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley for this ARC!

The pearl is good smut and I really liked Regan. 2 stars off because all that ghost stuff was really weird and took away from the rest of the book. One painting falling is fine; the weird dreams and all the other stuff was not. Of course, Charlie is back on track and an heir (because having a title solves everything).

Genre: Erotic Romance

Spice Level: 4/5 Peppers

Description: When Lord Arthur Godwick learns his younger brother is up to his bollocks in debt to Regan Ferry, owner of The Pearl Hotel, he agrees to work off the tab...in her bed. Soon the handsome but troubled Arthur discovers he's a pawn in an erotic game of revenge--and nothing, including his lover, is what it seems.

I have not read the first 2 books in the series so my opinion is based solely on this book.

Pros:

- It is easy to read and has a good flow.
- The erotic scenes are well written and spicy.
- The characters have flaws that give them a sense of realism which is nice.

Cons:

- The way that Regan coerced Arthur to sleep with her feels a bit like a betrayal of consent which could be triggering to a survivor. This feeling continues throughout the story in their interactions due to a lack of chemistry.
- Incest