{Release Day Review} The Rose (The Red #2) by Tiffany Reisz (@8thCirclePress @HarlequinBooks)

Author Tiffany Reisz returns to the world of The Red with an imaginative sequel full of lust and magic, and the dangers unleashed when the two are combined… 

On the day of Lia’s university graduation party, her parents—wealthy art collectors with friends in high places—gift her a beautiful wine cup, a rare artifact decorated with roses. It’s a stunning gift, and one that August Bowman, a friend of her parents and a guest at Lia’s party, also has his eye on. The cup, August tells her, is known as the Rose kylix, and it’s no ordinary cup. It was used in the temple ceremonies of Eros, Greek god of erotic love, and has the power to bring the most intimate sexual fantasies to life.

But Lia is skeptical of August’s claims of the cup’s mythology and magic—after all, he’s a collector himself, and she suspects he just wants to get his hands on this impressive piece of art. So he dares her to try it for herself, and when Lia drinks from the Rose kylix she is suddenly immersed in an erotic myth so vivid it seems real—as though she’s living out the most sensual fantasy with August by her side…

Realizing the true power of this ancient and dangerous relic, Lia is even more wary of giving it up, though August insists it is only safe with him. He’s willing to pay the full value of the cup, but Lia has another type of trade in mind. One that finds them more tangled up in each other—and in fantasy—than either was prepared for.

​Lady Ophelia Anne Fitzroy Godwick lives a double life. To some, she’s simply Lia – the shy and beautiful daughter of an Earl.  To others, she’s the ever-discreet Madame who caters to the sexual whims of the rich and infamous.
 
Her life is relatively quiet and structured.  Until the night of her graduation party when she’s unknowingly gifted with two powerful pieces of Greek mythology.  The first is in the form of the mysterious Rose kylix and the other is in the form of a Greek god made man.  

The grand oak front doors of Wingthorn yawned open. A man entered. Lia couldn’t see who he was at first, as his face was hidden behind an umbrella held by a footman. The footman lowered the umbrella, and Lia had one thought at the first sight of the man. 

Oh no. 

The man, whoever he was, wore a dark blue three-piece suit that perfectly complemented his olive-brown skin. The umbrella had gotten to him a second too late. His hair was rain-damp, dark and curling. His age? Lia guessed thirty, thirty-three tops. Too young to be friends with her parents, too old to be friends with her.

Whoever he was, Lia knew she’d never seen him before. Yet when he looked at her, it seemed he knew her. He gave her the slightest little winking smile as her father shook his hand. 

That wink. That smile. Pure mischief. It made Lia’s toes clench in her shoes. She ordered her toes to unclench, which they did, but under protest.

“Blink, child,” her mother whispered, “before your eyes dry out.” 

“Who is he?” Lia asked, blinking. 
​
“Has to be Augustine Bowman.”

​August Bowman is an enigma. He’s reported to be the wealthy son of Greek aristocracy but nothing more is truly known except that he is as handsome and wicked as the devil himself.  
 
He’s interested in acquiring the kylix from Lia.  But before he does, he’s going to show just how mighty the cup of Eros really is.
 
So when Lia finds herself vulnerable to her past, she proposes an irresistible deal.  In exchange for a cool million pounds and a week to live out her most intimate fantasies with him as her guide and the cup will be all his.  
 
But when their time together comes to a close, Lia discovers that she’s lost far more than just money.  

​She’s lost her heart as well.

​She poured enough for two swallows into the kylix. She set the bottle aside and waited. She expected August to make a joke, say “bottoms up” or something, but he didn’t. 

He cradled the kylix in his two large hands and closed his eyes. He murmured something in Greek, something strange and lovely, as strange and lovely as he was. 

“What did you pray?”

“I prayed for you. That you would enjoy worshipping with me.” 

“Who are we worshipping?” she asked. “Eros?” 

“Each other, of course,” he said. Then he sipped from the cup and passed it to her. 
She stared at it, suddenly frightened. 

“I’ll protect you,” August assured her. “Whatever happens, you’ll be safe.” 

Lia took a deep long breath. She drank from the cup. 
The wine tasted a little dusty but still sweet and warm and potent. She set the cup carefully on the bedside table. 

“Now what do we do?” she asked. 

“Kiss me,” August said.

“What?”

“Kiss me. I dare you.” 

“What’ll happen when I kiss you?” 

“Good things will happen.” 

“Like what?” she demanded. 

“I’ll put my tongue in your mouth, for starters.” 

“And after that?” 
​
“You’ll see,” he said. “If you dare.”

​With each book, Tiffany Reisz somehow magically weaves the very best of edgy erotica with the unexpected sweetness of romance to create a gem that shines brighter than all the others.   
 
The Rose is certainly the embodiment of all of that and so much more.  Most unexpected was the character of August.  I found him to be utterly charming and even tender at times.  There is an authenticity to him that makes you believe that all of your innermost secrets will be safe in his keeping.  

It’s debauchery at its most exquisite and soul deep longing at its most tortured.  

​And I savored every decadent drop…

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