Title: The King
Author: Tiffany Reisz
Date of Publication: November 25, 2014
Cunning. Sex. Pure nerve.
Only this potent threesome can raise him to his rightful place as ruler of
Manhattan's kink kingdom.
Bouncing from bed to bed on
the Upper East Side—handsomely paid in both bills and blackmail fodder—Kingsley
Edge is brilliant, beautiful and utterly debauched. No carnal act or chemical
compound can relieve his self-destructive apathy—only Søren, the one person he
loves without limit or regret. A man he can never have, but in whose hands
Kingsley is reborn to attain even greater heights of sin. He plans to open the
ultimate BDSM club: a dungeon playground for New York's A-list that'll change
the scene forever.
The club becomes Kingsley's obsession—and he's enlisted some tough-as-nails help. His new assistant Sam is smart, secretive and totally immune to seduction (by men, at least). She and Kingsley make a wicked team. Still, their combined—and considerable—expertise in domination can't subdue the man who would kill their dream. The enigmatic Reverend Fuller won't rest until King's dream is destroyed. It's one man's sacred mission against another's….
The club becomes Kingsley's obsession—and he's enlisted some tough-as-nails help. His new assistant Sam is smart, secretive and totally immune to seduction (by men, at least). She and Kingsley make a wicked team. Still, their combined—and considerable—expertise in domination can't subdue the man who would kill their dream. The enigmatic Reverend Fuller won't rest until King's dream is destroyed. It's one man's sacred mission against another's….
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“King?” came a woman’s voice behind Kingsley. Without looking back he raised his hand and beckoned her inside. A beautiful young woman in a forties-style skirt and blouse stood next to his chair and waited.
He wrapped an arm around her hips and dragged her down to his lap.
“You’re interrupting,” he said to her. “Can’t you see how busy I am?”
“Oh, forgive me. I didn’t mean to interrupt your,” she glanced down at the table and back into Kingsley’s eyes, “card game?”
Kingsley pointed at Søren.
“Blaise, I would like you to meet my oldest and dearest friend…” he paused and looked at Søren when he realized he didn’t know if he was allowed to tell anyone Søren’s name. Out in the world he’d gone by the name his father had given him—Marcus Stearns. Even now he was Father Marcus Stearns, SJ according to church records. Søren was the name his mother had given him and few called him that. “Who the hell are you again?”
Søren stretched out his hand and took Blaise’s.
“Søren. Kingsley and I went to school together.”
“I’m Blaise,” she said and gave Søren her brightest smile and the most unapologetic bedroom eyes Kingsley had ever seen. So unfair. Why did Søren always turn every head in the room? Kingsley looked at Søren who today wore normal clothes. Normal? Black jeans, a fitted black long-sleeve t-shirt. They’d be normal clothes on anyone but Søren. In them, Søren looked like something out of a fever dream. He couldn’t blame Blaise for looking at Søren the way she did.
But he did wonder why Søren looked at her the same way.
“Blaise, might I inquire what you’re doing interrupting this incredibly important card game of mine?”
“Against my better judgment, I answered the phone and took a message for you. But don’t get any ideas that I’m your new secretary although you need to get a new secretary-”
“I will, chouchou. I promise.”
“You said that last week.”
“I got a new secretary last week.”
“Where is she?”
“She quit.”
“Did you fuck her?”
“I didn’t mean to. It was an accident.”
Blaise turned her attention back to Søren.
“Can you please tell your oldest and dearest friend to stop seducing his secretaries so they’ll stop quitting on him when they catch him fucking someone else?”
“Kingsley,” Søren said, shuffling the cards again. “Stop seducing your secretaries so they’ll stop quitting on you.”
“Thank you.” Blaise gave Søren a smile.
“My pleasure,” Søren said. Kingsley mentally slapped them both.
“Give me the message,” Kingsley said, running his hand up her thigh and caressing the bare skin above her flesh-tone stockings.
Blaise reached into her nearly translucent pale pink blouse and produced a folded note from inside her lace-trimmed bra.
Kingsley unfolded the note, still warm from her body and read.
Tonight at nine. - Phoebe
Kingsley tensed when he read the words and briefly considered lying his way out of the situation. She’d understand if he had to reschedule. He did have a guest after all. But no, he needed the leverage. He couldn’t risk losing this chance.
“I have to go,” Kingsley said to Blaise and Søren. “I won’t be gone long—an hour or so. You’ll keep my guest company, won’t you?” he asked Blaise.
“Happily.” Her thousand-watt smile brightened a few more watts. With her on his lap he could feel the heat emanating between her legs.
“Good. You two have so much in common, so much to talk about. Blaise, tell Søren what you do.”
“I run a non-profit,” she said, leaning forward on the table and resting her chin on her hand. The move allowed everyone in the room to get a much clearer view of her soft, ample cleavage.
“A non-profit?” Søren continued shuffling the cards while never once looking away from Blaise.
“Tell him what it does.” Kingsley pinched her on the thigh and she shuddered in pleasure. “Our Blaise is trés altruistic.”
“It’s called Slut Pride. We’re a non-profit that helps educate people about women’s sexual freedom, especially in regards to women’s participation in BDSM activities. Some people like to tell us that it’s not feminist to like to get flogged. I say it’s not feminist to tell a woman what she can and can’t do. Enough about me. What do you do?” she asked Søren.
“I’m a Catholic priest.”
Blaise said nothing. She gawked at Søren with her full red-lipped mouth ajar. And then she laughed, a warm throaty laugh that filled the room.
“You’re terrible. I almost believed you.”
Søren winked at Kingsley. Kingsley had never guessed Søren had this flirtatious side to him. Back in their school days Søren had been feared and envied by all the other boys and Søren had almost never spoken to anyone but the other priests. Kingsley realized that other than his sister, he’d never seen Søren around a beautiful woman before. Interesting. The man was human after all. Even if he was a priest.
“I must be off. You two chat, become friends. Blaise, peut-être you should explain BDSM to my friend. I’m sure he’ll find it fascinating.”
“I’m sure I will,” Søren said. “We’ll be fine, Kingsley. Have a lovely evening.”
Kingsley patted Blaise’s shapely bottom and she stood up and let him out. On his way from the dining room he heard Blaise asking Søren, “So what do you really do?”
And Søren replied, “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
It had been ages since I read the other books in the Sinners
series by Tiffany Reisz and when she announced Kingsley's book titled The King I was very intrigued. I have to
admit I had fallen behind in the series but I was always intrigued by
Kingsley. We knew him as Soren’s best
friend and owner of the S&M Club the 8th Circle. He was always a fascinating character and now
Ms Reisz gives us a look inside. I admit
I’m the biggest fan of M/M books but I was just captivated by the story that I didn’t
mind it. I wanted to know more about
Kingsley and I got was a love affair that goes many years to where it all
started.
The King is set in a narrative tone, Kingsley is telling his
life story to a secondary character and I never felt I was in the middle of a
story telling session. I was thrown into
the story and I almost forgot he was telling someone else his story. He goes back in time and tells of his lover
affair with Soren and how the 8th Circle came to be. It was
Nora who brought Soren back to Kingsley after years of no contact. Soren could already see her potential at
fifteen and needed Kingsley help getting her out of jail for stealing cars. Even though I would have liked to see more
Nora in this book, I understand this is Kingsley’s story and she wasn’t a part
of his early years. What we did see was
how Soren and Kingsley relationship evolved over the years. Kingsley did everything for Soren and that
would include fighting a cult religious group to build a club that we would
later now as the 8th Circle.
There is a lot of sex, booze, and beatings but sometimes I
question my sanity for reading books that push my comfort zone. I loved seeing Kingsley’s growth from the
wealthy playboy to a man on a mission to get his club, to truly be the King.
Going against a cult religious group will not be easy. Everyone has secrets in their closets and he
must find their secrets to bring them down, if it doesn’t destroy his own
empire in the process.
I read this as a standalone and do feel like I missed some
parts from not reading the Saint. Even
though I read the entire original Sinners series I was able to follow the story
and try to fill in the pieces. With that
you can believe I’ll go back and read the Saint and I cannot wait to read The
Virgin! 4 star from me on this one.
Tiffany Reisz is the author of the internationally bestselling and award-winning Original Sinners series for Mira Books (Harlequin/Mills & Boon). Tiffany's books inhabit a sexy shadowy world where romance, erotica and literature meet and do immoral and possibly illegal things to each other. She describes her genre as "literary friction," a term she stole from her main character, who gets in trouble almost as often as the author herself.
She lives in Portland, Oregon. If she couldn't write, she would die.
Find Tiffany Online:
Q/A with Tiffany
-Do you have a favorite book or author you like to recommend? Do you have a comfort read?
I have a set of books I regularly recommend to people. Want to read amazing literature? Read my favorite novel of all time All the King’s Men by Kentucky author Robert Penn Warren. Want to read the most moving love story I’ve ever read? Read The Vintner’s Luck by Elizabeth Knox. My comfort reads are Sherlock Holmes short stories and Agatha Christie’s Poirot novels.
-What is your guilty pleasure?
I’d need to feel guilt to have a guilty pleasure. Buying office supplies I don’t need is probably the closest I get to a guilty pleasure. I buy them and think about all the people out there who don’t have awesome office supplies like I do and I feel bad for them.
-Favorite Meal?
Coffee and an ice cream sandwich is my version of a “Power Lunch.” The combination of tastes is glorious.
-If you weren’t a writer, what would you be?
My non-writer dream job is train engineer (what? I like trains). My realistic non-writer job would be working in a bookstore. That’s what I was doing when I started my writing career.
-If you could time travel, what time period would you visit?
I would have to pick Palestine in the time of Jesus Christ. I have so many questions to ask him!
-What made you write Søren and Nora?
Zach Easton did. He came first. Once I had my stuffy Type A British editor nursing a broken heart in need of mending, I conceived of a Wild Child American woman to be his perfect foil and drive him nuts until he gets his head on straight. But I wanted Nora to be able to relate to Zach who was going through a separation from his wife so I had to have Nora separated from someone who was like a spouse to her as well and that’s where Søren came from—he was Nora’s ex-something who she’d never gotten over and knew she never would. Creating the happy endings for Zach, Nora, and Søren in the series has been the most fun I’ve ever had writing.
-What gives you inspiration when writing your characters?
Everything. Biographies I’ve read, people I’ve known and loved, people I’ve known and hated. Søren was based on God the Father which is why he’s so scary and so loving. The Old Testament depicts God as being both sadistic and compassionate and that makes for a wonderfully rich character. He’s a joy to write because he’s got these two seemingly diametrically opposed personality traits but in reality they’re just him being him.
-Did you get any response from the Catholic Church when you published your books?
Nah. The Catholic Church has better things to do than worry about me. I have lots of Catholic fans. Catholics are good at making fun of themselves. I should know. I am one.
-What has been the most exciting has happened in your latest writing endeavor?
The best part of writing is when I get it. There’s always a Eureka! moment about two or three drafts into a book when I realize exactly what I have to do to make the book work. It’s like solving a puzzle or figuring out a math formula or striking oil. Just the best feeling.
-Who is/are your favorite book characters?
Other people’s books:
Xas the angel from The Vintner’s Luck.
Sarah from The Instance of the Fingerpost by Iain Pears (I have never loved a female character in a book like I loved Sarah)
Lord Crane in The Magpie Lord by K.J. Charles
Characters in my books:
Mick will always be my Angel
Sheridan’s my favorite minor character because she’s just so sexy and yet looks so innocent
Grace (sigh…I loved writing her)
Merrick in Seize the Night – I based him on Mercutio from Romeo & Juliet and like Mercutio, he stole the show
-What’s your favorite quote from THE KING?
Upon seeing sixteen-year-old Nora do bodily harm to an obnoxious teenage boy, Kingsley gets slightly aroused and says to himself, “You little sociopath, fuck me until I forget I’m French.”
-What will be your next read?
I don’t know! So many great books to choose from. Since it’s almost Christmas I’ll probably read Jesus: A Pilgrimage by Jesuit priest James Martin. I adore Father Martin’s books on his spiritual journey.
- What was it like to write an entire novel from Kingsley's POV?
Fun! Kingsley is a joy to write. He feels everything deeply. Pain and pleasure and longing. He could have been a cliché, the French Don Juan, but more than anything he desperately wants to be a father. That tension between his libertine tendencies and his desire to have children make for some fun drama to write.
- Do you have a personal favorite character in the series that you like to write more about than the others?
Søren. I get so happy when I can put Søren in a scene. He just throws everyone and everything in a tizzy when he shows up and he’s just standing there in the center of the chaos being calm and stately and sadistic.
-Can you give us a concrete overview of what's next in store for this series or are there other projects as well that you're working on?
Yes! So…book seven in THE ORIGINAL SINNERS series is The Virgin. We already know that at a point in Mistress Nora’s past, before she was Mistress Nora, she and Søren got into the fight of fights, and she left him. She hid from him in her mother’s convent because no men are allowed inside and she knew she’d be safe there. While hiding out at the abbey, she meets a young beautiful novice who changes her life. Meanwhile Kingsley runs off to Haiti to lick his wounds after a personal crisis and meets Juliette. You get two erotic romances in The Virgin for the price of one! Nora and her young nun. Kingsley and Juliette.
Oh, and you see King and Søren wearing kilts. So there is that.
- Is the BDSM club based on a real club?
Yes! The old Playboy clubs used to give their members keys. And the leather clubs (gay leather fetish clubs) had the flag and hanky system that’s used at The 8th Circle.
- Was the vision of Søren as Alexander Skarsgard came from him… or when you saw Alexander he just clicked as the vision of Søren
Actually Søren looks nothing like Alexandar Skarsgard and I’d never ever cast Alexander Skargard to play him in the movie. I wrote The Siren back in 2003/2004 and Søren’s look was vaguely based on Jeremy Irons. If I were to cast Søren now, I’d choose Danish actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. Now HE does look like Søren. Absolutely.
- Do you have a favorite adult website & if yes… what is it
Nope. Not really.
-Kingsley’s time spent with the French Foreign Legion has had a huge impact on the man he’s become. Will we learn anymore about that time in his life?
I have no plans on writing about that time in his life in detail. I prefer writing about my Sinners when they’re all together. They’re at their best when the three of them—Nora, Søren, and Kingsley—are in close proximity to each other.
-Was there a particular arc for Original Sinners you had planned on that didn’t pan out? If there was, are you willing to share any tidbits?
Well, I had early ideas that were discarded as the series progressed. I thought about killing Kingsley in The Mistress. I always knew I wanted to do a story where Nora was in real danger and had to have someone who wanted to kill her so years ago I thought I’d write about her running off to Ireland to hide from Søren and Wesley drama and she’d get kidnapped by the IRA. I know. Terrible idea. But that desire to put her in real danger led to the plot of The Mistress.
-Which character (out of any of your books) are you most surprised by your readers’ reaction? I love how you reveal little bits and pieces of each character slowly.
Thank you! I was pleasantly surprised by how much readers loved Michael and Griffin’s characters in The Angel. I get requests daily for more Mick and Griff stories. I never dreamed a love affair between a 17 year-old boy recovering from a suicde attempt and a 29 year-old ex-drug addict trust fund baby would resonate with readers so much. But it did!
-What do you have in store for your readers once this series is finished?
So many weird wonderful books! I hope anyway. The book I just finished writing is called The Angels’ Share and it’s a story of forbidden love, bourbon, and revenge set in Kentucky. Erotic suspense!
-Are you a plotter or a pantser? (when you write )
Both. I plot but the book always surprises me so I often have to throw out the outline and start over. Basically I just write and rewrite and rewrite and rewrite until the book reveals its secrets to me.
-If you could change places with one of your characters for a day- who would it be and what would you do?
I want to be Kingsley for a day so I could have sex with all the beautiful perverts of Manhattan—men and women. We’d wear out the leather in the Rolls Royce.
-You’ve talked about wishing your books would be banned more. Do you think THE KING is the one to do it?
I don’t really want my books to be banned. It’s quite a nightmare I hear when they are. But if any book was going to do it, The King has a good shot. So much sex and violence and kink and more sex…
-Was there one book in the series that was harder to write than the others?
They were all nightmarishly hard to write and took twelve drafts, all of them. But The Siren was probably the hardest since I was starting from scratch. With the other books I at least had some characters I already knew to work with. The Saint was probably the next hardest simply because I had to throw out almost the entire first draft and start over. But that’s the book business for ya.
