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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Great beginning but ending was not as wonderful, February 16, 2009
This review is from: Addicted (Paperback)
Charlotte Featherstone does not hold back any of the drama and emotion in her latest novel Addiction. It is raw and at times the characters act unforgivably toward each other. The romance between them is sizzling. However the leads are deeply flawed individuals so much so that I had some problems empathizing with them.
For years Lord Lindsay Markham has been in love with his childhood friend and neighbor Lady Anais. His longing is palpable and hers is just as strong. They finally confess their feelings and in a blazingly romantic scene, they fall into each others arms. Lindsay is very forward with his feelings. He really wants to spend the rest of his life with Anais. They plan a rendezvous the next night at a masquerade ball.
Things do not go as planned. The fault lies with Lindsay, he is an opium smoker and in his somewhat euphoric drugged state he allows himself to be seduced by someone other than Anais. She watches this tryst and leaves devastated. Lindsay knows she has seen him but leaves before he can give a full explanation.
Lindsay begs to see Anais daily but she refuses to meet with him. In fact, Anais runs from Lindsay all the way to France. Her biggest faults are pride and avoidance. These vices will come back to haunt her terribly.
Devastated Lindsay tries to find her in Paris but cannot. He allows himself to be talked into a trip to Constantinople with a friend, and there his opium smoking becomes habitual. He escapes into it daily and dreams of Anais. He spends ten months in the decadent city.
When he returns to England, he arrives in time to save Anais from her burning house. She is very ill and he takes her to his home to recuperate. There he hopes to rekindle the embers of their love but Anais is resistant to his pleas. It is heartbreaking to see Lindsay pour out his heart but even more terrible is reading about his drugged state. The author does an excellent job of describing his addiction. The first chapter of this book is mesmerizing in its intensity.
Anais indulges in her desires with Lindsay and these moments are beautiful but bittersweet. Anais always regrets these interludes and Lindsay has false hope from them. Anais has secrets which the reader will easily figure out. These will hurt Lindsay and truly make this romance even rockier. The ending of this novel leaves something to be desired, the character's actions never rang true especially in light of Anais secrets. It seemed as if there were loose ends which were not tied successfully in a happy ever after ending.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lovin' Me Some Betrayal!, March 11, 2009
This review is from: Addicted (Paperback)
Lindsay Markham is one of the most complex heroes I've read in quite a long time. He's a progressive thinker, believing that even the low born men of society deserve their chance at fortune. Lindsay even helps his valet make a respectable return in his investments administered through Lindsay's own name, showcasing his generosity. Yet despite his intelligence and kind heart, Lindsay is plagued by his own self condemned weaknesses.
Since childhood, Lindsay has longed for his friend, Anais Darnby. As he watched her childish body blossom into womanly splendor, so did his desire and ultimately his love for her. In his mind she's an angel, the epitome of sublime perfection. Quick to stand her ground and protect others, her image inspires his lustful cravings and loving heart. Yet in an attempt to be a gentleman, Lindsay refrains from pursuing Anais sexually and pursues something far more sinful in her stead.
Lindsay's addiction to opium began while away at university. Searching for any means necessary to dilute his lust for Anais, Lindsay turned to opium as a way to dream about her flesh in a way that he couldn't exercise in real life.
Yet now, with aspirations of making Anais his wife and confident that his dabbling with opium can be easily stopped, Lindsay pursues her with single minded determination. Anais is more than an easy target having loved Lindsay for as long as she can remember. With their love proclaimed and marriage a surety, the two make passionate love upon the eve of a dawning future. Unfortunately a case of mistaken identity with a social climber sets off a domino effect of disastrous events whereby dreams are crushed and hearts are broken.
Ten months pass and Lindsay returns to England to a changed Anais. Suffering from a blood affliction that won't be explained and while her desperation to stay away from Lindsay is understandable, her quick forgiveness is not. Lindsay, expecting anger from Anais, is a bit confounded by her easy forgiveness of his crimes and is further confused by her conflicting declaration that they can never be together. Yet despite this declaration Anais is no more capable than Lindsay to keep her body from desiring his and as the two come together passionately time and again, the guilt Anais feels peaks at its breaking point.
Eventually the secret is out on Anais and the particulars regarding her affliction is revealed. My heart positively shattered at her revelation sparking tears of frustration and I must confess that for those pages my hatred for her knew no bounds. I was so worried that I would be unable to forgive Anais for her betrayal but to my wonder, the author made me see the light. I realized that I along with Lindsay were being selfish with our forgiveness and that none of this horror would have ever happened if he hadn't committed the first of many crimes between the two. And truly, there was no other recourse left to Anais and women of that time. To do any different would've found her shunned from society and even potentially cast out by her very own family.
The ending of 'Addicted' surpassed even more than I could've dared hope for and I closed the book with thoughts of the novel's complete perfection. 'Addicted' is a testament to the beauty of the human soul and our wondrous capabilities to love and be loved.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not quite addicted, though definitely buzzed, September 1, 2010
This review is from: Addicted (Paperback)
Longtime friends Lindsey and Anais take it to the next level with a tryst in a stable, and pledge themselves to each other. At a masquerade Lindsey, in an opium haze, frolics with Anais's friend thinking she is Anais. Anais catches them and breaks it off with Lindsey. She refuses to speak to him and pretends to leave town so he won't pursue her. He licks his wounds in the opium dens of Constantinople. He comes back 10 months later to find Anais involved with his friend and he tries to get Anais back.
Pros: It's a compelling story. It pulls you in and makes you read it all the way through. You're tapping your foot a little and wishing they'd get to the point and stop repeating themselves, but you want to know what happens so you read on. The descriptions of place and the inner thoughts are written well and the sex scenes are very good. The main characters are interesting and well-rounded. Lindsey is not very likeable. In fact, I flipped him the bird more than once as I was reading in response to things he did and said to Anais, but the author manages to create a very deeply flawed, complex character who wins us over to his side in the end.
** mild spoilers ahead regarding first 100 pages **
Cons: There are a lot of "yeah rights" in this book. Why would Lindsey wait until age 30 to pursue Anais if he's loved her for 14 years? After holding out for 28 years, the virgin Anais gives up the goods pretty darn quick in the stable, at about p. 40. For a man who can calculate the compound interest of a stock, Lindsey can't seem to add to nine, or else he thinks the stork brings babies because he was pretty thick about the obvious, with the staff twittering about Anais's cycle and her long absence. Didn't he think to verify if there were consequences to his stable seduction? Maybe come home before the nine months was up. I mean that's a long time to recover from a break up. Wouldn't Lindsey or Wallingford have sent one missive home from Constantinople in 10 months so Lindsey could be tracked down? Lindsey's timing in returning home at the very moment an estate is burning down is a bit too serendipitous.
**end mild spoiler section **
This book could have been very good, but it needed another edit to cut about 15-20 percent to make it about 350 pages long. There were gratuitous scenes, repeating points made in previous scenes or adding extraneous detail not necessary to the story. The dialog was often preachy and much longer than anyone would talk. For example, you would not stumble upon your boyfriend making out with another woman and give him a four page lecture. You would probably gasp, maybe say a choice word or two and run out.
I enjoy Featherstone's writing. I think she is good, and with a bit more editing could be excellent. I look forward to reading more of her work in the future. 3.5 stars if there were half stars.
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