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Monday, March 7, 2016

The Confessions Review

♥Title:  The Confessions - An Original Sinners Collection
♥Series:  Original Sinners
♥Author:  Tiffany Reisz
♥Release Date:  March 15, 2016
♥Publisher:  8th Circle Press

♥My Rating:  4.5 Shamelessly Sinful 's

♥First Thoughts:  Some burdens are too heavy to carry alone while others are too heavy to share.  But they say confession is good for the soul.  You're about to find out if that holds true for Soren, Nora, & Queen Tiffany!

♥Many thanks to author Tiffany Reisz for the opportunity to read & review an ARC of The Confessions.

Original Sinners Recommended Reading Order

♥My Reviews: The Siren The SaintThe Queen

*Warning:  The eight Original Sinners books should be read prior to reading The Confessions.  I highly recommend this addictive, mind-blowing series.

**The Confessions is not a full length novel.  It is a collection of two confessions and an interview with author, Tiffany Reisz.  It also includes a section of fun facts about Marcus Stearns aka Soren.  A Must Read!

Tiffany Reisz is the author of the highly acclaimed series The Original Sinners. Her first novel, The Siren, won the RT Book Reviews Editor's Choice Award for Best Erotic Romance of 2012. Slightly shameless, Tiffany dropped out of a conservative Southern seminary in order to pursue a career as a writer. This move, while possibly putting her eternal salvation in peril, has worked out better than she anticipated. She lives in Oregon with her husband, author Andrew Shaffer. Find her on Twitter @tiffanyreisz.


THE CONFESSIONS: AN ORIGINAL SINNERS COLLECTION

Father Stuart Ballard has been Marcus Stearns’ confessor since the young Jesuit was only eighteen years old. He thought he’d heard every sin the boy had to confess until Marcus uttered those three fateful words: “I met Eleanor.”

So begins the 40-page “The Confession of Marcus Stearns,” a moving coda to the RITA® Award-winning Original Sinners series. Originally published as a limited-edition paperback for the 2014 RT Booklovers' Convention, and available worldwide for the first time.

This collection also includes “The Confession of Eleanor Schreiber,” a companion 36-page story written exclusively for The Confessions.

And, finally, all secrets are revealed in “The Confession of Tiffany Reisz,” an exclusive, in-depth interview.

Three Sinners. Three confessions. And all the dirty little secrets you could possibly desire…

Excerpt from The Confession of Marcus Stearns

Father Ballard sat up straighter when he sensed a presence behind him. Smiling he glanced skyward again. “Stop paying attention to us,” he whispered in his mind, a prayer God was sure to answer with a hearty “no.” Where Father Marcus Stearns was concerned, God always paid attention.
When Ballard leaned his head back, the presence behind him leaned forward.
“Six months, Marcus,” Father Ballard said, tapping his wrist as if he were checking the time. “No one goes six months without sinning.”
“Do you have time for me today?”
“I might. What’s her name?” he asked, his usual joke when another priest approached him for confession. Ballard looked back and saw Marcus had his rosary beads wrapped around his fingers. Something about the way he held them, tight and nervous, made Ballard’s blood drop a degree or two in his veins.
“Eleanor." 

My Review:

If you're a fan of the Original Sinners Series like me, the excerpt/quote above will have your pulse racing, your fever spiking, and your libido rising.  Why?  Because we're about to listen in on the darkest, sinful secrets of Marcus Stearns - Father Stearns - aka Soren.  Yes, Queen Tiffany has spun her magic again - this time giving readers an upfront and personal peek at the confessions of three sinners:  Marcus Stearns (Soren), Eleanor Schreiber (Nora), and the slightly wicked queen herself - Tiffany Reisz.  The vote's still out on which of the three confessions is the most sinfully shocking - but I'm betting on Queen Tiffany!  One thing's for sure - they're all heart-touchingly honest, giving readers an intimate look inside the heart and soul of each character/person as they confess their darkest sinful secrets.  There's no way to read their confessions and remain unmoved, untouched . . . they instantly brought the entire series back to life for me - a story that is revealed through all eight Original Sinners books, pages overflowing with pain, pleasure, need, desire, love, and so many secrets.  If these books and confessions don't move you, don't make you feel, you're not breathing.

In The Confessions, readers are privy to two different intimate discussions between two characters . . . 'reconciliations' - the Roman Catholic sacrament of penance, and readers are also treated to an interview/confession with author Tiffany Reisz and a bonus section of fun facts about Marcus Stearns aka Soren.  Marcus's confession occurs during the historical timeframe of the Original Sinners White Years novels The Saint and The King.  Nora's confession takes place the year before the present-day events of The Virgin and The Queen.

In The Confession of Marcus Stearns, Marcus/Soren seeks out Father Stuart Ballard to hear his confession.  Having first confessed to Father Ballard as a heart-broken eighteen year-old, Marcus/Soren trusts him with his darkest secret sins.  And now, eleven years later, the forbidden secret he shares with Father Ballard has the potential to destroy lives.  I was touched by the magnitude and possible life altering ramifications of Marcus's confession.  I was touched by the man behind the collar and by the sincerity of his need to serve and protect those he loves.  I was touched by his anguish as he comes to recognize and accept responsibility for some truths.  And, as always, I was touched by the limitless depth of his love.  I've often heard "It ain't love if it can't break your heart."  After hearing his confession, what Father Ballard fears most for Marcus is that his heart will be broken . . . again.

In The Confessions of Eleanor Schreiber, Nora seeks 'reconciliation' from Father Ballard also.  I have to say Nora's confession may have touched me the most - maybe because I discovered there's something our whip-cracking, shameless Nora fears.  A heart-touching vulnerability is exposed as she breaks down and cries - finally owning and sharing her grief with Father Ballard. What has the power to cause Nora such devastating pain?  What has bruised her soul and broken her heart?  Nora's confession brought tears to my eyes as she finally recognizes and accepts some truths about herself and the men in her life.  

The Confession of Tiffany Reisz is an interview between Tiffany Reisz and reviewer Cyndy Aleo that took place on January 22, 2016.  All I'll say is it's an eye-opening, "educational", fascinating, and yes, maybe even slightly wicked interview in which no subject is taboo.  This ole Southern girl was rendered speechless a time or two and was heard yelling "OMG" more than once after reading it twice . . . okay, three times but who's counting?  I literally felt pieces click into place (what I call "Ah Ha" moments) as I listened to the author sharing a few of her "surely that's a sin" secrets!  Tiffany is her usual witty, brilliant, fabulous, outrageous self, and I can't thank her enough for sharing the riveting, twisted, mind-blowing experience that is the Original Sinners with readers. Here's to you, Queen Tiffany!  It's been one hell of a ride and just so you know - I would definitely saddle up for more!

I'm dying to say more about each of the confessions, but I can't without revealing spoilers which this reviewer refuses to do.  I will just say - If you're a fan of the series, you're going to love this book.  If you haven't yet read all eight of the previous books, stop right now and complete the series before you read this one.  Anything as potent and addictive as the Original Sinnersincluding The Confessions, should be labeled a "drug" - illegal without a prescription.  Fortunate for readers, it's not.  If you're open to spreading your wings, stretching your boundaries and having your mind blown, read this series.  Love it or hate it, there's one thing I guarantee - you'll walk away feeling lucky to have survived the avalanche of intense emotions these books evoke . . . and you'll be begging for more!  They say confession is good for the soul. You're about to find out if that holds true for Soren, Nora, and Queen Tiffany!  The Confessions is a Page Burner!  A Must Read!

My Rating:  4.5 Shamelessly Sinful 's . . . And that's the truth!

Cross My Heart . . . xxx
Sandra
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