Some books lure you in with a whisper. Others command your attention with a whip crack. The Queen by Tiffany Reisz is the latter—deliciously wicked, emotionally devastating, and utterly enthralling. As the final book in The Original Sinners: The White Years Quartet, it brings us full circle, tracing the path of how Eleanor Schreiber became Mistress Nora, and—just as importantly—how she chose to leave that title behind.

The book opens with a wedding (because irony is Tiffany Reisz’s love language). Nora is a guest, Søren is officiating, and Kingsley… well, Kingsley is Kingsley. But beneath the polished exterior of this momentous day, there’s an undercurrent of something deeper: this is a story of choices, power, love, and identity.

We’re taken back in time, witnessing the final days of Eleanor’s transformation into the dominatrix legend we know as Mistress Nora. But there’s a catch—Søren wants her back, and not as the woman she’s become. He wants Eleanor, not Mistress Nora. And that, right there, is the conflict that’s been simmering for years.

Let’s talk about Kingsley Edge. If The Siren made me fall in love with his sharp tongue and silk sheets, The Queen reminds me why he is everything. He’s always been the master chess player, the kingmaker, the man in the shadows pulling the strings—but here, his role is more than that. He’s the bridge between Eleanor and Søren, the one who sees the truth even when they refuse to.

Kingsley’s unwavering devotion to Søren, his complicated and unspoken love for Nora, and his ultimate goal of giving them both what they need (even if it’s not what they want) make him one of the most compelling characters in the series. He is, as always, arrogant and exasperating, but underneath it all, his heart bleeds for the people he loves.

This book isn’t just about whether Nora and Søren will find their way back to each other. It’s about who they are without the roles they’ve played for so long. Mistress Nora is a force of nature—powerful, fearless, and in control. Søren has never known her as anything else. And yet, he refuses to love a woman who only exists in leather and lace; he wants Eleanor.

This dynamic is brutal to read because it’s a collision of two immovable forces. Søren has never been one to compromise. Nora doesn’t know if she can give up the power she’s built for herself. And Kingsley? He just wants them both to be happy (and preferably naked, let’s be real).

This book wasn’t just about wrapping up a series. It was about transformation, about shedding skins and stepping into the light. The Original Sinners has never been a typical romance—it’s a saga of power, love, and the bonds that defy time.

And The Queen? It was the perfect ending.

This summer of quarantining has had me exploring new writers and returning to ones who've created worlds that I want to escape into. Tiffany Reisz's The Original Sinners world is one that brings me comfort and security; I know I love these characters and I know I'll enjoy the escape the minute I open the book.

The Queen was a surprisingly emotional book for me and I suspect it may have been for many fans of this series too. I don't think I was prepared for how intense the years of discord between Nora, Kingsley, and Soren would be. The struggle for Nora and King to live without their priest was real but needed. I felt for Nora because I could feel her deep desire to be her own person and yet her even deeper desire to belong to Soren. I understood her wanting things to be on her own terms and to read through that pain and longing was emotional and so good.

I was equally unprepared for the pain that Soren conveyed. Reading his dialogue and his reactions ... his struggle and knowing that he knew what he was doing and the pain it caused them all was ....umf...intense.

This novel got me good, y'all. I had to put it down a few times because I just got so caught up in it.

It wasn't all intense emotions, though. They all came well equipped with their snarky banter and quips and I'm always here for that. And of course there were sexy scenes and a supporting cast of characters we've all come to love. The Queen also filled in many of the gaps I had in how certain parts of their collective history came to be. The notes and research and memory Tiffany Reisz must have for these characters--I cannot imagine.

I remember the build to the release of this novel. It was one of those things that readers were excited about and yet dreading because it felt like an ending. In many ways that bittersweet was evident--the ending was perfect but just sad to think that it wouldn't continue on forever. The one benefit of waiting years to read it is that not only are their other Tiffany Reisz books to dive into but with Priest now out, I know that maybe The Original Sinners may never be again but these characters will live to see another page.

Tiffany Reisz's SINNERS series is my favorite series ever. No one does sexy like this author. The stories are always original and the charcters are epic. I love Nora and Kingsley especially! Queen is a fabulous addition to this series. I LOVE IT!

Ok I am going to do a rare thing and use gifs to help a bit with summing up my thoughts going in to this book...

This was me as I processed the end of the Original Sinners series...



Which was closely followed by:



You see like many others I DID NOT want to let these characters go but Tiffany gives us a great story that ends in a way that made me very happy even as I was sobbing because it was over.

I can't say much without possibly spoiling some of it but we get:

Confessional Sex - not a spoiler because Tiffany promised us this and YEP she delivered.
Kingsley being his usual self with all the personality in the world and such a deep love for our beloved priest even when he was at odds with him.
A sense of the gamesmanship between the trio and how that impacts those around them.
A better idea of the dynamics between Nora and Søren as they struggled to understand what they were to one another.
Did I mention confessional sex???  Cause...  if not...  CONFESSIONAL SEX....  yes I went there... *fans self*
An amazing scene that made me all sentimental and was such a great way to address certain items.  (Can I be any more vague? *cue evil laugh*)
All in all this was a story of a woman finally coming in to her own, a man who is driven to do things because of his need to punish that which he loves the most, a man who loves but won't open his eyes and mind to what his love really needs or who they are, and a glimpse at the incredible people they have become after so many years near and with one another.

I hate that we are done with the series but Tiffany hasn't completely closed the door to additional stories with these characters but instead has closed the door, for now, to longer glimpses at their lives.  We may still see them popping up in other places but for now I must accept that Søren is taking a small break from us to continue being with those he loves the most and  I can always go back and read those stories again.

I must say thank you so much to Tiffany and all the people who worked so hard on this series.  You've made me more comfortable with experimenting with things that seem outside my comfort zone which means I have expanded my horizons in reading and life.  I cannot thank you enough for opening these doors for me.

4.5 stars 

Love these books. started reading in yesterday afternoon and couldn't put it down until the last page... which was at 3.50am this morning lol.
The characters have so much depth and I love the attention to detail that makes you feel you are right there walking through a story. I'm sad to say the series is over as I would love to read more

Love love love this whole series. Sad to see it's finished for now, maybe we will get some more novella's!?