Description
Life will never be the same for eighteen-year-old Marisa once she meets her new literature teacher, the brilliant and seductive Marco. With him, Marisa will learn much more than she has ever dreamed. Marco is battling ghosts from his past and embraces a life of unconventional pleasures. Marisa is struggling with the loss of her father and the estrangement of her mother. Despite their apparent differences, the two find in each other a soul mate. Their initial attraction leads to an intense and forbidden relationship. After being torn apart, they are brought together again amidst mayhem-two changed beings sharing unchanged, even stronger feelings. To be reunited, however, they face a twist. It will all hang on the roll of a die.
About the Author
Nicole Collet is a Brazilian-born writer and translator with degrees in journalism and cultural management. She has edited and translated works from authors as diverse as Ken Follet, Nora Roberts, and Machiavelli. Nicole’s writing explores why people fall in love and what it takes for them to stay in love. Her plots invite readers to think outside the box, merging story with psychology, neuroscience, philosophy, music, and literature.
Amazon Customer –
RED is just rather amazing and the author is a gifted writer. I’ve never read a story that explains romance in a way so captivating. It’s one of the best, most intricate and consuming books I’ve ever read. I can’t wait to have a copy of it, as it’s one of my favourite books! It was just so damn hard to stop reading for even one second. I am so happy that FINALLY someone wrote about love in the way everyone feels it. Yes it’s raw and there is a lot of lust. But there is so much more, and maybe nobody touches on it because it’s hard to put the feelings into words. Which is why the author is an unbelievably clever writer. RED is unlike any love story I’ve ever read, it should have its own genre just because there’s nothing like it!
Mybooklatte –
“Red is the first color to appear in the spectrum of visible light, that is to say, its the first color we discern amongst all others. The tint of life and death. Cave men used it in their rupestral paintings to portray the hunt (the death of the prey that supports life), as well as to worship the gods. The red color had a sacred quality associated with the enigma of existence. Today it represents love and passion. It equally represents hate and suffering”
RED – A Love Story by Nicole Collet is a tale of forbidden love with an interesting interpretation of life events with ingenuity of using Sartre quotes. I really don’t know if I can review it properly, it has so many emotional elements. This is not your typical romance book; it is intellectual, intense, honest, passionate and pure. This kind of depth isn’t often found and it may not be for everyone to understand. I wanted to give it 3.5, but I am giving it 4 STARS !! for a well written plot.
It is a story of a young girl Marisa Constant aka Mari whose life changes when she meets her new literature professor Marco Aurélio Fares aka Marco. She gets fascinated with Marco’s grace and intelligence. Their mutual fondness of literature brings them closer and that is when a special bond is created between them. The relationship blooms passionately and watchfully avoiding the public eye. Marco has his own past, having gone through a nasty divorce he is still struggling with the scarred memories. Being with Marisa brings him peace.
After losing her father couple of months ago, Marisa is struggling with a strained relationship with her mother. Knowing that their relationship will add fuel to the fire, Marco decides to break up with Marisa to salvage her relationship with her mother without giving her appropriate reason.
Months pass by and they both struggle with the loss of love they suffered. Marisa gets in therapy and Marco tries to move on. Fate brings them together once again, when they both are trying to make a fresh start. Marisa needs answers, which Marco is not willing to provide and denies her once again, refusing to acknowledge how empty his life has been without her.
Will Marco forfeit his demons and not let his past cloud his present ?
Find out about their story !! Read RED-A love story !!!
“ARC graciously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.”
Tiffani Davis –
Review originally posted on Bookish Things and More review site.
I received this book for free from Author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
“Red symbolizes extremes: it dresses the Pope just like it paints the Devil. The first visible color in the light spectrum, it signals passion-which is nothing more than the extremes of joy and pain.”
This was my first BDSM style book, and if you’re interested in that genre but want to be eased into it, this book is the way to go. The sexual aspect of the book isn’t very descriptive or long.
My favorite parts of this book were all the literary references. This student-teacher relationship book was actually very decent. Both of the main characters were very intelligent and likable. Also, one of the chapters is named Hobbits and Sexual Deviations from A to Z. Like, how did she come up with such a legit title?
I was torn throughout this book on my opinion of Marco and Marisa’s relationship, but I think that was mostly due to the third person perspective. Marco has a bit of a tortured soul, while Marisa reminds me of the girl in the background who doesn’t get acknowledged to her true potential (but that is how she’s supposed to come off, that’s not an error in writing).
Think 50 Shades meets a serious, intimate indie film.
My only reservation on this book was the serious tone of it, but that is likely just my personal preference. It was beautifully written and the sheer fact that Nicole included literary references from Sartre makes it even more beautiful. This student-teacher relationship isn’t anything like those you see on TV, it’s very real and makes the reader approve of the relationship, actually.
I enjoyed this book a lot, and I’m sure you will, too. Happy reading!
Michelle K –
First – I just need you all to understand how much I have fallen for this author. Her banner to her website is of my all time favorite painting:
It’s almost too much for me to handle sometimes…
Here at ARR, we are obsessed with teacher-student story lines. And this book is now on the top of my list. The story spans quite a bit of time, two countries, and one heartbreaking, maddening, and completely gorgeous love story.
The BEST part about this book, is my favorite thing to talk about in regard to meeting and knowing who you meet and know – and that’s FATE. The right people, the wrong time. The wrong people, the right time. Life circumstances, other people’s choices, how does it all really work? This subject is an endless set of goosebumps for me and I devoured how NiCol approached it. So god damn good.
I don’t want to get into the storyline. As I never really do because I think you need to read the book. I will say that this book ends on a sick (good for me, maybe bad for you) cliffhanger that will make you crazy in the best way.
So much REAL life in this story.
Like I said, this review will not do this book justice because I’m just gushing. It’s really so good and I’m DYING for book #2.
Avid Reader –
Intelligent and thought provoking romance. It was different to any other romance I have read before. The author has a unique writing style that makes this work poetic.
Jen Thomason –
Author Nicole Collet has a long history involving language, including: Chinese, French, Portuguese, and English. The moment you being reading her novel, RED: A Love Story, it is impossible to ignore her love and grasp of language and beautiful words. Collet’s debut novel is part romance, part erotica and weaves a fabulous tale of love and self-discovery.
Marisa is 18 years old and finishing high school in Brazil, and becomes completely enamored when Marco becomes her new literature teacher. Marco is 29, divorced, handsome, and shares Marisa’s passion for words and literature. As suspected, it doesn’t take long until they can no longer fight the chemistry between them, despite the obstacles to their relationship. Marisa soon discovers that not only do they share a passion for language, they also share a passion for acting out erotic fantasies. This is what makes this such a unique story of a young woman falling in love and coming of age – Marisa is just as fascinated with exploring sexual fantasies as Marco, and as they explore one another, the bond between them deepens. Yes, there are times when I wasn’t happy while reading this, but only because things were not going how I wanted, lol! But what is a good novel without conflict and suspense??
Moving on, because I don’t like to or want to include any spoilers, this is truly not a typical romance/erotica novel. Each of Collet’s characters are unique and complex in their own way, some are likable, others are not! A wonderful thing about Marisa and her best friend Valentina, is that they are so incredibly intelligent! Sexual fantasy exploration or not, the author did a beautiful job portraying both of these young women as smart, attractive, and extremely well-read. While reading this novel, you will experience romance, humor, steamy love scenes, anger, sadness, and suspense. However, the beautiful writing and language is what will make you want to read this in one sitting and not stop until the last page. Keep in mind, also, that the author wrote this novel in both English and Portuguese, which makes it even more amazing. To say that I love this novel, is an enormous understatement. The characters, the plot, the writing style, and the language all left me wanting more from this author and has me very excited to read RED 2 when published. If you are looking for a fresh, new author to try – read Nicole Collet’s RED: A Love Story. Be prepared to fall in love with the author and this amazing story.
Want to learn more about Nicole Collet? Visit her webpage at: […]
*I received this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Hyperion Sturm –
I am enjoying Red. The dialogue has such an authentic feel to it and the undercurrents of sharp wit and great intellect make the read a stellar engagement each time I fold the cover back to read. The rich world Nicole Collet builds for Red would make Karl Jung jealous. The story seeps into my psyche and takes me away with sensory clues wrapped around dialog that feels like becoming a part of the conversation. I especially enjoyed the way the book takes you inside Marisa’s mind as she takes in Marco’s features. Her attraction grows. Her need for Marco’s attention climbs over the walls of her best friend’s objections as he feeds her with intellectual stimulation. Marisa’s life is at a crossroads as she deals with the loss of her father and the increasing strain of her relationship with her watchful mother. There is a cauldron of simmering emotions in the story, at times quiescent then boiling over, and always present as the author’s mastery of the written word takes the reader on this sojourn of a young woman on the cusp of her transition from schoolgirl to woman. Red is captivating, intelligent, witty, and for me a trigger for memories when love was fervent and exploration of the wells of physical, mental, and spiritual pleasure all blended in a tempest that caused the first utterance of soul mate from my lips.
David S. –
Kudos for Nicole…
Expressive language highlighted with literary and musical references provide for a colorful poetic art form that depicts a unique and intriguing psychological study of a complex, realistic loving relationship. Forbidden love is challenged and complicated by mutual, mirrored histories of betrayal and parental disapproval. Fear and self-doubt conspire to inhibit a literature professor and his infatuated student muse from taking the plunge into the abyss of erotic passion that draws them into the unknown.
Enduring love inevitably is cloaked in mystery and fraught with perils. Are Marco and Marisa truly soulmates? Will they transcend the past? Stay tuned…
purplebass –
Marisa Constant is a teenager from Brazil. She still goes to school and one day she meets Marco Aurélio Fares (ancient Rome reference?), a 30 year old literature teacher that will substitute her old one. Starting from an innocent email and the mutual love for books and sexual practices, the two start building a relationship that is forbidden in the society they live in, being them teacher and student.
The fact that it is set in Brazil and almost all the names of the characters are like the ones here in my country and some references (I am Italian, hello!) got me close to this book when I start reading. Another thing that convinced me to read this book was the student-teacher kind of story. I really enjoy secret relationship that should not be happening, because they are sexy and intriguing. Marco and Marisa’s relationship starts off in the first chapter with one of their BDSM role-play sessions and we see it unfold for most of the first part of the book. When BDSM was mentioned, I admit I wanted to drop this book. I have read 50SOG and liked it, but BDSM isn’t a thing for my literature tastes. But I kept scrolling the pages of this book nonetheless, despite the BDSM element of the love story between the main characters, because after I finished reading I realized it is a way for Marco to “hide” and cover up his deepest feelings.
Returning to my previous point, I didn’t like the BDSM at first but then I did because it was featured lightly and it is part of the story itself. I think it is an element that helps to shed some light on the personalities of the characters, although I would love if they have “normal” sex – that is, without the flogger or stuff like that. Marco more than Marisa was a character I could relate to.
Thanks to the climatic journey the two characters have, I can now understand why the author decided to write the story like that. It starts in the middle of the act almost, and we learn things quickly as the main characters are showed, but truly, we realize their personalities and their different shades chapter after chapter. I’m going to admit another thing: I thought this book looked messed up while I read, but then I realized the writer had planned the story carefully that only when you arrive at the end of part 1 you could understand. It was like she was “studying” Marco and Marisa and their dynamics, trying to explain the behaviors of the brain in certain situations that can happen in real life. Sure there were some predictable coincidences, but nowadays it is very rare to find a book that doesn’t follow its genre’s “guide lines”. This being said, this book is different from any other New Adult book I have read until now.
Yes, you have your love story between young woman and a man who are broken inside and together they are whole. Yes you have your clichés but you can’t find the usual phrases of romance books. Most of the time Marco and Marisa talk through quotations and mention philosophers, sociologists, psychologists, anthropologists – that is also my branch of study, except I am more in the linguistic field – and this is another form to avoid being exposed, being seen through. I found this relatable with myself as well and so far nobody had done it in such a way in a book I read, and I was surprised to find this book quite poetic. The style reminded me of Gabriel Garcia Marquez in some ways. The narrator was in third person so we only know what it tells us and could “manipulate” what it sees through his eyes, but this is more realistic because you picture the scene before you in your mind while you read, as if you were the spectator of a movie in a cinema. This is how it felt like when I read this book, it was like a cinematic experience. One thing I probably didn’t like with this way of writing. Sometimes, I couldn’t “feel” the character, it felt as if they didn’t express their emotions clearly, but that could be an effect of the narrator and it is not necessary to connect with characters all the time if the story is enjoyable.
Last of all, I would thank the author for letting me read this book. I will wait for the continuation of what I reckon will be a trilogy, because this book was good but left me with sour taste in my mouth; I wanted to know more of what happened after the ending. Maybe my desire will be satisfied in Book 2. 🙂
Gladys –
A beautiful love story… I would like to read more about Marisa and Marco… The quotes of this book are awesome!
L.C –
This story was amazing, you can visualize every scene. My bestfriend and I read this book together and we both love it. Can’t wait to something else from you!