Seven Day Loan by Tiffany Riesz
Prequel to The Original Sinners Series (*see note below)
Book provided by NetGalley and the Publisher
Despite her defiant streak, Eleanor can’t resist giving in to Daniel’s erotic demands. But while she’ll let him have her body, she’s determined to keep a guard around her heart. Even if Daniel wants to make Eleanor his permanently….
AH’s Review – 4 Skulls – A-
Ever wonder about Nora from The Siren’s early days? This short story (33 pages) is a week in young Eleanor’s life.
Tiffany Reisz is fast becoming a favorite author for me. Her books are not for everyone – if you are squeamish or uncomfortable with the unconventional – maybe go look for another book to read. If you are the curious sort, like me, you will be rewarded with an excellent story line, complex characters, and of course, some steamy hot sex.
What amazes me is that Ms. Reisz can write a short story or a full length novel and fully engage the reader in both equally. Seven Day Loan unfolds beautifully and is told with a bold sense of humor, poignancy, and the bittersweet. It never feels rushed.
Seven Day Loan begins as a 23 year old Eleanor is in the car with “him,” her boyfriend and lover on their way to Daniel’s home. Eleanor is to spend a week “on loan” to Daniel, a reclusive widower. Eleanor is unhappy with the situation and expresses her displeasure in the car. Her lover – “him” – is never referred to by name in this entire story. This is the only point he appears in the story, yet his powerful presence is felt throughout the entire story. This is one powerful character.
Eleanor meets Daniel and finds that he has been devastated by his wife’s death. He has not left his home and he busies himself inside his enormous library. Interestingly enough, Daniel and Eleanor have a lot in common – she works in a bookstore, he’s a librarian, she’s a submissive, and surprise – he’s a dom…
This is a great little story. The chemistry between these two characters is wonderful. Their dialogue is entertaining. Right away, Eleanor’s bold personality challenges Daniel to come out of his shell. Daniel realizes that he may be able to fall in love again. Eleanor is forced to think about a life she could have.
What I love about Ms. Reisz’s writing is that while the sex scenes are hot (and often shocking for a vanilla bean like myself), the sex is secondary to the well-told, engaging story. The reader is invested in the characters and their outcomes. I felt Daniel’s pain and grief and I fell in love with him. Young Eleanor was bitchy, brash, sweet, playful, and clever. Even “him” or “S-“ plays a significant role in the story. The complexity of each character makes the story come alive.
Seven Day loan is being marketed in Mills and Boons’ 12 Shades of Surrender, a series of 12 short stories by different authors. I had to chuckle at the marketing blurb below:
“Curious graduates of Fifty Shades wanted more and we at Romance HQ rose to the challenge.”
Seven Day Loan is a fun read. Make sure that you add this short story to your reading list. It’s a nice little summer by the pool read!
Rating:
Favorite Quotes:
“Oh my God,” Eleanor said, sounding utterly shocked.
“What?”
“You’re a nerd.”
Daniel looked at her a moment before laughing. “I am not a nerd. I’m a librarian.”
*-*
“You have a large vocabulary, Eleanor.”
“And you have a large.” She paused as he gave her a warning look.
“House.”
For more information on this author and other short stories in the series, check out the author’s website: here
Series Reading Order:
- Seven Day Loan – Prequel (see note below)
- The Siren - July 24, 2012
- The Angel – September 18, 2012
- The Prince – November, 2012
Note – While Seven Day Loan is chronologically before The Siren it may be better to read The Siren first for a better overview of the characters and to avoid a spoiler about one of the characters. That’s just my take on it.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy of this book.
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AH
Hi all! Bonjour! I’m AH and I am obsessed with reading. I read all kinds of books, but my favorites are paranormal romance and urban fantasy. What is it about those vampires and shape-shifters? Lately, I seem to be reading a lot of dystopian books as well. Are zombies the new vampire? I hope not. I have 3 boys – all reluctant readers so I tend to read a lot of young adult books aimed at boys. I want them to catch the reading bug too! I’m looking forward to sharing my thoughts about books with you. Hope we can discover some great reads together.
Tiffany Reisz is fantastic. I loved Seven Day Loan, as well as The Siren. When you’ve read both, (because of spoilers, do wait until you have), you can enjoy the sequel to Seven Day Loan for free on Tiffany’s site: http://tiffanyreisz.com/storytime/category/daniel/. It’s a full, eight chapter novella, and it’s wonderful, too.
Thanks for the heads up on that one. After Seven Day Loan, I really want to know what happens to Daniel. Going to read that right now. I love when authors put things like that on their website.
Thanks for the rec – the sequel was very good.
Delighted you enjoyed it. Tiffany Reisz’s site has a whole bunch of stories that spin off from The Siren. I can’t get over how generous she is as an author, since each one of them is a real gem. Her most recent offering there is entitled The Mitzvah, a story about Zack and his wife that is set some years before The Siren takes place. And each one of the tales is as steamy as the last one. I can’t wait for the next one in the series, The Angel, to come out.
There are several erotica writers that offer great “Free Reads” on their sites. Joey W. Hill is another one: http://www.storywitch.com/index. Charlotte Stein has a link to a good freebie on her site: http://charlottestein.net/books/free-reads/
It makes me very happy to find these online because heaven knows I’ve spent a lot buying their regular books. It’s a very nice token of appreciation from the authors—one that makes me an ardent fan.
Thanks again. I’ll have to check out those other authors, too. I love when authors have extras/outtakes on their websites. It makes me want to buy more of their books.