Obsession [Kindle Edition]

Monica Burns (Author), Rosie Murphy (Editor)

Book Description

A woman on the edge of sin…

Helen Rivenall is willing to do anything to escape the brutality of her uncle’s home. But a promise of honest employment is a ruse. Drugged and auctioned off in a notorious London brothel, she finds herself won by a man who wants nothing from her except her participation in a harmless charade. Left with no choice, she reluctantly agrees, but as their web of lies grows, so does temptation and the realization that pleasure and sin are often one and the same.

A man about to lose all control…

Sebastian Rockwood, Earl of Melton is haunted by a dark secret in his past. One that taught him control is a personal trait to be valued above all others. He also learned never to give his heart to anyone. The risk is too great. Yet where Helen is concerned, his prized control is slowly giving way to temptation, and all too quickly he discovers nothing can protect him from the ultimate obsession—love.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

This is a revised and expanded reissue of the 2006 edition of Obsession. New content is included in this digital edition.

About the Author

An award-winning author of spicy historical and paranormal romance, Monica Burns penned her first short romance story at the age of nine when she selected the pseudonym she uses today. Her historical book awards include the 2011 RT BookReviews Reviewers Choice Award and the 2012 Gayle Wilson Heart of Excellence Award for Pleasure Me.

She is also the recipient of the prestigious paranormal romance award, the 2011 PRISM Best of the Best award for Assassin's Heart. From the days when she hid her stories from her sisters to her first completed full-length manuscript, she always believed in her dream despite rejections and setbacks. A workaholic wife and mother, Monica believes it's possible for the good guy to win if they work hard enough.

Product Details

• File Size: 562 KB
• Print Length: 404 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1478233575
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Maroli SP Imprints; Digital Version 2.0 edition (May 18, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0084J7KK2
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #24,335 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars diamond in the rough with great sex! January 16, 2007

By avines

Format:Paperback

i'm not even sure how i came across this author but i ended up downloading this book and i'm glad i did. this was a great story and although it had a few moments that were just too serendipidous, ultimately it proved a satisfying read.

helen rivenall has run away from an abusive uncle with her brother to locate her estranged grandfather in london. instead she finds finds herself drugged and sold at a brothel auction. it turns into a bidding match between two men, one of them being sebastian rockwood, earl of melton. sebastian, known for his ability to remain in complete control of his actions and emotions at all times, suddenly finds himself bidding on this woman who has roused all kinds of erotic images in his mind. he ends up purchasing her freedom and taking her to his house, ultimately going back to rescue her brother as well.

the chemistry between these two is instantaneous and combustible. sebastian has some guilt over something that happened in his past and because of this, he's somewhat of a wounded hero and burns does a good job of depicting his lonliness and hurt. helen is similar to sebastian in that she is also lonely and hurting from her abuse. it's this common ground that makes this romance believable in addition to the physical attraction.

burns writes explicitly detailed intimate scenes and she has a deft hand at doing it in such a manner that the reader doesn't feel as though she's reading the script to a porn movie. there's some sincere emotion in there on top of the blistering sex. her dialogue is naughty at times, touching at others, overall pretty good.

sebastian is more of a dynamic character here than helen, as his change from being what he thought was in control to one who surrenders to his emotions and admits to being vulnerable is more noticable. in fact, i didn't notice much of a change in helen during the course of the story, but she's still an interesting character.

in the end, the only problems i really had with this story is the fact that there were so many convenient coincidences concerning helen's situation regarding her grandfather. much of this plot was predictable and i could see the villian a mile away and his manic actions at the end appeared too extreme given his motivations. however, this is an erotic novel so i wasn't reading it for the suspense. also, there really were few consequences for behavior that frankly, would have put both of them in alot of trouble considering the conservative time period for this story. helen's past never came back to really bite her on the behind and their actions didn't earn them any scorn or speculation really, despite the fact helen stayed with sebastian for a while without a valid chaperone (other than his teenaged sister and her teenaged brother). i bring these things up because they take away from the plausibility of the story and therefore, it suffers as a result.

in the end, i recommend this book to folk who want the plot light but the intimacy emotionally engaging and explicit. the romance was plausible and the characters likable. i have already purchased her other books to read and will be adding her to my list of authors to check out.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Obsession - believable and interesting characters AND spicy sex January 21, 2007

By K. N. Jones

Format:Paperback

In Monica Burns's OBSESSION, believable and interesting characters pull you into their story and keep you there. Ms. Burns has very effectively interwoven romance, spicy sex scenes (with just enough tenderness), and a little bit of suspense into an enjoyable and memorable historical erotic romance that takes place against the backdrop of Victorian London terrorized by Jack the Ripper.

I recommend this book to other readers who enjoy erotic romance or historical romance - you will not be disappointed.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A very good read January 5, 2007

By Avid book reader

Format:Paperback

I really enjoyed this book, it had all the romance, steamy love scenes, supsense and great secondary characters I look for, I wanted to keep reading but it took me a few days to finish due to having a very bad cold. Well worth the extra tiredness.