Review: The Auction (The Original Sinners #0.2) by Tiffany Reisz

   

Print Length: 196 pages

Publisher: 8th Circle Press (July 05, 2021)

From Goodreads.com:  You're invited to New York City's hottest dating event: Kingsley Edge's annual King's Trust Charity Auction.

New on the auction block this year is Daniel, a wealthy widower and Dominant. However, he happens to have his eyes on another first-timer in the club's auction: Anya, a strikingly beautiful virgin submissive from his native Canada.

Too bad Anya hates him on sight. Or does she? There's a fine line between hatred and burning passion, and Daniel is determined to bring Anya across it. Now let the bidding begin....

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My Rating: 5 stars out of 5

I will NEVER get enough of The Original Sinners Series. Every time I read one of these stories (whether it is a full length one of which I believe there are ten at this point or one of the nearly a dozen novellas), I feel like I have come home to some old, familiar friends. Tiffany is such an incredible story-teller than she draws you right into the world she has created, bringing these characters and their "underground" alive so that you truly feel like you are right there with them. 

While this particular can be read as a stand alone, there are some mentions of details that happened mostly in the other novella featuring Daniel; The Seven Day Loan, that you may feel like you have missed out on, so I would recommend at least reading that one before diving into this one. 

Now speaking just on this book and these characters; I adored Daniel and Anya together. From the first moment when she dislike of him was instant, I just knew they were going to end up together. I enjoyed watching as he slowly got to know her, and she slowly started to let him in and trust him enough to share her reasoning behind the things she did and planned to do (in this case auction her virginity off to the highest bidder). 

Daniel is a man who is still deeply grieving the loss of his wife years prior (and the loss of Elenora, the submissive who was sent to him in The Seven Day Loan, that made him come alive again, but ultimately couldn't stay due to her love for her Master Søren). When he comes back to New York after travelling the world, he finds himself on the doorstep of Kingsley Edge a notorious kinkster on the BDSM scene. This is where he meets Anya who is employed by Kingsley, and finds himself landed in Kingsley's annual "charity" auction where both submissives and dominants are auctioned off to the highest bidders for one night of pleasure. It was nice to see that Daniel was still the same person he was at the end of the first novella, as it felt true to the character, and I enjoyed going on this journey of self-discovery with him as he realized that he was ready to move on and find love again. I think Elenore said it best when she told him to think of his life as though it was separated into acts like a play. Act One with his wife was over, and maybe Daniel part 1 was gone as well, but now it was time for Daniel part 2 to take the stage. 

Anya was a strong and complex character as well (something Tiffany is also well known for; writing these strong female characters). On the outside she appears to be this rude and hostile woman, and maybe she is, at least until you get to know her. At the core, she's a desperate young woman working two jobs to try and save enough money to get her siblings away from their drunk father. I had to admire her dedication to her family, even knowing what auctioning herself off could mean. I also enjoyed the way she was able to banter with Daniel until she was finally comfortable enough to let him in.

Finally, knowing what I know about Elenor, I loved that because this novella is set before the start of the main series, we get to see little glimpses of the woman she was always meant to become as well (even though she is far from a main character in this story). Obviously, I will be reading more from this author and I hope soon we get to go back to New Orleans with our favorite band of happy, kinky, people. 

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

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                                                                   The Auction is available from Amazon.com