Customer Reviews

Obsessed

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'm a longtime romance fan who has learned over the years to be wary of rereleases because they usually can't live up to the author's newest work and you wind up being disappointed. I think that's the case with Obsessed, which is a good book, and is worth checking out, but will disappoint you if you're looking for the quality/level of Susan Andersen's latest works.

I'm a Susan Andersen fan, and Obsessed contains all the elements that make her writing so much fun for me: hot cranky hero, smart, "sassy" heroine, great banter and dialogue between all the characters (not just the heroine/hero), and HOT sex scenes. The emotional baggage the characters carry is well drawn and the suspense is creepy enough to live with you after the book is finished and sitting on the bookshelf again. The rapist theme itself is handled sensitively.

The main problem I had with Obsessed is that it feels like a retread of some of Ms. Andersen's other books. In actuality, since this one was published first, the opposite is probably true. This book doesn't feel as well developed or as cohesive as Exposure or Baby, I'm Yours, but has a lot of the same plot/character devices. It is very similar to Present Danger in feel, an Andersen rerelease that I think was a better book overall.

If you're an Andersen fan already, then you'll want to read Obsessed to keep your collection complete, and it's worth it as long as you don't expect too much. If you haven't read anything by Ms. Andersen yet but want to try this one, just be forewarned that it isn't her best. Any of the others I've mentioned in this review are better bets to start out.

This is a story about a very dark and serious subject that of rape. There is a rapist on the streets. He only attacks on the night of a full moon and he carves a broken heart onto the chests of his victims. A keepsake for them to remember him by.

Vincent is a detective in the Special Assults Unit of the Seattle police department. He investigates these types of crimes and he is frustrated and getting no where in finding his attacker. Yet every full moon ends up giving him a victim. If his job is not enought to keep him dark and edgy his personal past adds fire to the flames. His ex-wife was unfaithful (more then once and everyone knew about it) and this has left a huge scar on his soul. He trusts no one especially women.

Ivy is a doctor in a trauma unit. She lives in a close knit family and is trusting and dedicated to her job. She is finally ready to take to start dating now that she is done with medical school. She has moved out of her aunt and uncles garage apartment and is moved into a new unit right next door to Vincent.

There first meeting is not the greatest but they can not deny the attraction that they feel for each other. Thinking that it will be easy to avoid each other they go about their individual businesses until the rapist hits again and the victim is sent to Ivy's unit. Vincent is shocked to see Ivy as the attending doctor and can't believe that all of his preconcieved ideas about her are wrong. Not realizing it at the time the rapist has followed the latest victim to the hospital. His "voices" have not been quited this time and he is mad about this until he sees Ivy. She quites his voices and sees her as his good luck charm.

The end result is Ivy is pulled into a situation that has her being attracted to untrusting, dark, brooding man and the object of worship by a rapist.

This is a good book and I feel that Susan Andersen was true to her characterization and her characters by not dismissing out of hand the effects that Vincent's life would have on any type of relationship that he might be involved in. The topic is dark and scary and I feel that she did justice to it. You won't find any of SA trademark humor in the book but I feel that humor would be a out of place. Despite all of this a relationship is formed that is strong and full of emotion. Don't buy this book if you are looking for a light read but DO buy it if you like suspense, romance, and are not afraid of human emotion.

The characters were wonderfully developed and the story line was rich. Andersen takes us through the twisted tale of a serial rapist, those whom he is stalking and those who are trying to track him down. It was nice to get a perspective from all three parties.

The serial rapist, who is referred to as Hart, because he carves a heart on all of his victims, becomes infatuated with the ER doctor, Ivy, who saves the life of one of his victims. (He wants his victims to live so that they will remember him and what he did.) When Ivy starts receiving mysterious gifts and puts 2 and 2 together, she realizes that she is now the object of Hart's attention. Enter Det. D'Ambruzzi, the one night stand man who left Ivy with strong feeling of being used. D'Ambruzzi is working on the serial rapist case, while still trying to get over the horrible things his ex-wife put him through. Now he has a hot neighbor next door who is making him feel things he never thought he'd feel again, and a mad man chasing after her.

I definitely recommend this book to romantic suspense readers. If you're new to Andersen, I suggest that you also read some of her newer novels, such as Getting Lucky, All Shook Up, or Head Over Heals. You'll enjoy those even more.

Happy reading...

After reading some of the reviews on this books I was skeptical in buying it. Im glad i didnt listen to the negative reviews. for once the hero wasnt some oopver the top good guy. he had problems and insecurities that made him a little rough around the edges. but thats what i liked about him. you never knew what to expect and i found myself both anxious and curious as to what the character would say or do next. The heroine was also real in the fact that even though the hero was tough and at times mean to her, she understoos that it was all a front to shield himself from what he knew was inevitable. Fallin in love. Its not the typical quirky romance from susan anderson. Its dark and violent, and it keeps your interest from start to finish. And with all that it still had some of the steamiest sex scenes Ive read. they were hot and sexy and it made the characters more honest. All in all it was a very good book and a definite keeper.

All in all, I liked the characters of this book. But---the "hero" Vincent was not at all appealing. OK, he was badly burned by his ex-wife. But that was THREE years ago. He meets and is immediately attracted to Ivy. She is as different from his ex as night and day, yet he treats her as if they were one and the same. I'm surprised his "push me-pull me" attitude with Ivy wasn't enough to make her knock him off a balcony. He was self-centered & determined not to involve himself in her life, since he only wanted her for sex, and yet jealous of anyone who talked to her. He wanted her to give, but he only wanted to take. Not much of a hero.

This is my first Susan Anderson book. I am impressed! If this is one of her first novels and the other reviews say she didn't hit her mark with this and her newer works are much better, then I say bring them on! This was great! I loved it! Although not much in the line for good suspense, it did give you the creeps at times and we always knew who the rapist was. All that aside, the meager suspense came in when we had to watch and wonder when the rapist would strike. The characters were good and I especially liked the strong female lead of a doctor named Ivy. She wasn't whiny or scared the entire book when she knew a rapist had her number and name. She dealt with it on a mature level and tried to help as much as she could with the cops. The male lead of Vincent was good, albeit a little too macho at times for me, but he was spicy in the storyline. But he did do good police work and his character had many flaws and he was real.
Ms. Anderson sure did her homework for this novel. I learned so much reading it besides enjoying the fast-paced tale. She explained in detail how the police go about investigating rape cases and how they view the victims and criminals. She showed how they can be sympathetic and harsh at the same time. She also gave stats on serial rapists and statistics on rapes in general. All very informative. We were also very convinced withe the character of Ivy, the ER doctor. The details made me feel as if I were right there in the ER!

~For him, the thrill of the hunt is his aphrodesiac. He strikes only when the moon is full. He terrorizes his victims and leaves them with his 'calling card', a broken heart. He is a serial rapist that has been roaming the streets of Seattle mercilessly for months now and the police have nothing. The problem now, he has fixed his gaze on one doctor named Ivy Pennington. He is determined to have her....at any cost. His new hurdle is a tenatious cop named Vincent D'Ambruzzi.

Detective D'Ambruzzi is not getting any closer to solving this case. And now his new obstacle is his beautiful nextdoor neighbor Ivy Pennington. Getting off on the wrong foot, he finds out she is an ER doctor and in no mood for his macho ways. Another full moon hits and so does the rapist known as 'Hart'. Vincent also learns that Hart wants Ivy. Hart wants to break her heart and Vincent finds he is falling in love with the doctor and begins to scour the city for the rapist. But will he find him before he gets to her? Will Vincent's past ruin his chances with her? Can Ivy get past his suspicious nature before its too late?
Heartpounding and a real thrill ride! A sure hit! Thank-you Ms. Anderson!

Tracy Talley~@

Ivy Pennington is a Seattle surgeon who after a strange intro to her new hot headed neighbor Vincent D'Ambruzzi, discovers he's the cop in charge of a series of brutal rapes. One of the victims becomes her patient, and while treating the patient and standing up to a very pushy Vincent, Ivy unwittingly becomes the obsession of the rapist. As Ivy and Vincent become better acquainted, an attraction between the two grows, much to the dismay of the rapist, for he wants Ivy for himself. Vincent has his own demons - his ex-wife was unfaithful - even managed to add some of his colleagues to the notches on her bedpost. So you could say that he's hesitant to enter into a relationship. A subplot involving two of Ivy's cousins borders on incest but is never fully fleshed out (no pun intended).

Those used to Andersen's lighthearted romance novels will be surprised by the dark and serious tone of some of her earlier work, "Obsessed" being probably the darkest of them all. You can tell she's done her homework, as it is plotted with a lot of attention to detail missing in many romantic police procedurals. I recommend picking this one up and giving it a try.

Well. . .while I don't think this is the best book SA has written, I wouldn't go so far as to say it's not a keeper. I haven't decided if it will go on my keeper shelf. If you're like me, you just have to read/collect certain authors' books (Linda Howard, Anne Stuart, Cherry Adair, etc) so if you are a SA fan, you will probably buy it regardless. Take note that this was first published in 1993. Don't look for her trademark humor (as with her later books). The hero in this particular book is a little hard to take at times. He's divorced and his obsession with his former wife's cheating gets to be a little much. However, it is still a pretty good thriller and the heroine is top notch. Buy it used if you're not sure what you're getting into. For a GREAT, SEXY read try LONE RIDER by LAUREN BACH. This one is a keeper and a half!

I have to agree with the poster below about the Hero. Vincent was a jerk throughout the whole book. I was so sick of reading about his mistrust of women. Vincent treated Ivy terrible and says some really mean things, and as far as I was concerned it got so old him belittleing her or name calling, that she "should have" told him to take his empty apologies and shove it. This also leads me to not care for the h, Ivy who put up with his crap waayyy too much and accepted his "I'm sorry's" then he would go back and do the same thing all over again.

I like my H to know exactly what they want, not some wishy washy alpha wanna be. His mistrust and treatment of the h took away from the story imo.

As a big Susan Andersen fan, I was looking forward to reading Obsessed. I was so disappointed in this book. Vincent, the "hero" carries his distrust of women way too far and it continues throughout most of the book. I was very surprised at Ivy tolerating his treatment as it bordered on cruel. The plot was very good but I found myself sidetracked by Vincent's continual self-pity and Ivy's lack of self-esteem. It's hard to imagine a woman putting up with Vincent's treatment.