When obsession becomes more...
928029
Wow - I finished this book in one sitting and feeling exhausted and satisfied. The author manages to tell the story from both perspectives in such a way that you feel like you are taking the emotional journey with them. At times I was breathless with anticipation of what would happen next - at others devastated by what they both experienced - but mostly was completely enthralled by the storyline. Just be prepared to let the real world slip away as you escape to the relationship that is part obsession and mostly "more". Great read!! I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book .
3294027
I was intrigued by the prospect of looking into the thought processes of a hoarder and this was pretty inciteful! It's a story of how a totally dysfunctional family can limp along and then reconnect on a different level. Love prevails.
2555762
As I am reading this book, I am starting to see a pattern but will fully divulge once I have completed the book.  I did want to initiate a response of an uneasiness that I felt reading particular parts of the book.  We have all heard countless stories of success but often times we do not hear of the wake of disaster men leave to reach whatever their goal may be.  Obsessions cause men  at times to do whatever it takes to reach a goal, even if that means loosing his family and friends and often leading to the sensation of never being fulfilled.  I do agree with the power of thought, before reading this book I have experienced its effectiveness.  Placing all your energy and focus, creating an obsession in one area of your life is extremely unhealthy and lonely.... I mean look at Walter White!!! haha, but seriously, same scenario.
3518557
I'm frequently chasing the next exciting thing that shows up in my life. In a way it can be fun, and at the same time unfulfilling. The ideas in The ONE Thing are helping me eliminate distractions and focus on the things that are the most important in my life. Now that is truly fulfilling.
1146854
This novela is a very powerfull novela  about obsession. It shows you  what can happen to someone who gets to involved with trying to make a german remember the terrible crimes he commited in the concentration camps. The audiobook is read byFrank Muller. The way he reads this novel, really places the listener into the book. Once I started the novela, I could not stop it.
4897474
Two days later, and I still find myself suddenly thinking about the twists and turns of this book! I picked it up by random chance, read the Amazon sample, bought the whole book and spent the rest of the evening devouring it! It starts off with the disappearance of 2 year old Tommy and picks up 6 months after the initial disappearance. The 6 month anniversary is especially difficult for Tommy's mother Phoebe, who has become removed from the world and unable to find resolution. A mysterious and frightening letter appears within the same week as the anniversary, and causes Phoebe's already tender psyche to unravel. But the first letter is just the beginning of a psychological journey that will leave you turning in your sleep and questioning everyone around you. How well can you really know someone...and how well do they know you?
1305857
A very disturbing glimpse of the logical progression of man's obsession with and dependence on technology. Matthew Mather has done it again. I look forward to more of his work. I took away one star because I felt the flow of the story at times became too disjointed and scattered.
930682
Wow, this one is deliciously addictive and creepy in a way that I couldn't put it down, yet also wanted to cover my eyes as if I were watching a horror film. Kate Youngblood is a thirty-eight-year-old professor and writer. Her first book was a huge success but the ones after that were lukewarm. Her husband left her for a much younger woman and her best friend is having a baby. Things are changing in Kates life resulting in her feeling less important, less interesting, and less desirable than she once was. Sam Grist is a twenty-two-year-old, talented, and hauntingly sexy student in Kates fiction-writing workshop. Kate quickly recognizes his writing talent, as well as, the effect he has on her when he looks at her or is close to her. She tries to fight the excitement from his attention and praise but soon finds herself getting drawn into Sams very disturbing life.

Ill start with Kate. I quickly became emersed in her character and her inner monologue about getting older, having children, men, and so on. Although Kate was obviously a strong and intelligent woman, the changes that had taken place in her life over the years had sparked issues with her own self-worth where she considered herself invisible, unattractive, etc. She immediately recognizes and acknowledges all of the millions of warning bells going off in her head as she realizes Sams attraction to her, however, she struggles with ignoring those warnings. The lesson here  sometimes those first gut instincts are right on!!!

Sam is creepy, complex, dark, and mysterious from the beginning, yet it was impossible not to be drawn to his character at times. Although I was questioning his mental stability quite often throughout the novel, Sam had a sexy arrogance about him that seemed somewhat delicious at times. The author crafted the perfect creepy man for this novel and succeeded in not only planting doubts in Kates mind, but also in my own. I caught myself a few times thinking, maybe hes an o.k. guy, just comes on a little strong? That push and pull between the two main characters are what made this an absolute page-turner.

 Any lovers of creepy thrillers need to add Watch Me to the top of your TBR. This one isn't going to leave you with a warm and fuzzy feeling, but absolutely keeps your mind racing over the events and revelations within the story!
709373
In a Gulf Coast Texas town, in 1993, a disastrous pollutant sweeps across a development, rendering the place uninhabitable...and soon the residents evacuate.

The story picks up again in 2007, and we revisit the setting afterwards, through various perspectives, and see how the devastation has altered the lives of several characters.

Lee is a vigilant do-gooder, somewhat obsessed with the pollutants that still remain, and is trying to avenge her daughter Jess, who died of cancer shortly after the exposure.  As time passes, and as she meets resistance, her obsession escalates.

Hal is a self-righteous man trying to redeem his alcoholism through religion and by "preaching" to all who cross his path, including Lee.  A most unlikeable character, in my opinion, he is in total denial about what is going on around him.

Cully, Hal's son, is a young man affected by wrong choices, while Dex is an older teen who is trying to do the right thing, but coming up against those who do not.  Willa, a teen girl who sees visions, is vulnerable and fragile because of one wrong afternoon that changed everything for her.

And hovering over them all is the arrogant specter of Avery Taft, rich and powerful builder, who is determined to expand his kingdom, no matter what might happen.

As we watch the struggles of these characters, there is a strong sense of foreboding that settles over the town as we gradually see what is just out of our line of vision.  Will they all finally realize that you cannot ignore what is right in front of you?  Are they all on a collision course that will change their lives once again?&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Friendswood-A-Novel/dp/1594632510/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Friendswood: A Novel</a>&nbsp;is a compelling story that reminded me of others in which one character is trying to do the right thing, while in opposition are those fighting against him or her, and how, ultimately, there will be some kind of combustion, whether philosophical or actual.  Five stars.
1661728
Reminiscent of The Stepford Wives,this is one of those psychologicallythrilling stories, that makes you think, "Could this really happen?". It may be the creepiest book I have ever read, but I couldn't stop reading it.

Alice, a talented rock-band musician turned successful lawyer, and Jake, a marriage counselor, receive a gift at their wedding. That gift is their invitation to join "The Pact". They accept, and their lives are changed forever. The Pact, originally intended to enhance and protect marriages, has taken a wrong turn. Soon Alice and Jake find themselves caught in a cult-like system from which they cannot escape.

Meanwhile, Jake has taken on the counseling of troubled teens, and through his sessions, the reader learns a bit about this. For example, the fact that, while today's teens are more sophisticated than previous generations, their development of the ability to understand not only themselves but alsothose around them seems to be declining.

Through Jake, the author asks whether marriage requires people to give up the lives they built prior to marriage, in order to build a life together. Richmond, a master storyteller, has woven a tale which simultaneously repulses and attracts.  Look for me on line as The Grumpy Book Reviewer.

What Made this Book Reviewer Grumpy:

The usual errors:
The use of the words "bring" and "bringing" when the better words would have been "take" and "taking".
The incorrect placement of the word "only" within a sentence.
The use of split infinitives.
724465
This book literally changed my life for the better. I found it at a time when I was obsessed with someone I hadn't seen in years, yet couldn't get them off my mind. On a good day I hardly thought of her at all. On a bad day I had to fight to focus on doing my job. This book is written both for those who are obsessive and for those who are the target of someone who's obsessive. I am eternally grateful to Dr. Forward for writing this book.
2691585
I am officially obsessed with no end until September. Beautiful intense writing about two people who are bound and determined to make me worry about them. Can't wait!
674075
Once you finished the first book there is no way you won't want to complete the entire series. You get pulled in to this world with so many twist and turns you head will spin. This is a good read.. get lost in the world of Obsessed!
1634807
Read Addiction before you read Obsession. Obsession picks up right where Addiction left off, with Harper and Sean in a bad place. The struggle is real for both of them, addictions aren't easy to shake, but as the saying goes"what doesn't kill you makes you stronger!" You will be on an emotional roller coaster right along with Sean and Harper but this story is worth reading. What would you endure for the love of your life? What would you sacrifice and struggle through to have a healthy relationship? Is this real love or just an obsession?

I received an ARC of this book and am voluntarily leaving an honest review!
4082198
This is a story of obsession that goes beyond the object being obsessed about.  Leif and Oola are in their twenties when they meet and were attracted to each other.  Leif has been getting house sitting jobs all over the world and Oola joins him.  During their travels from one house to the next, they only have each other and become isolated.  Leifs obsession with Oola keeps growing until he not only wants to know every inch of her, both physically and mentally, but he wants to become her.

I chose this book because of the beautiful writing by the author that the publisher promised.  And yes, there is beautiful writing in this book, as well as crude, rough language.  The author writes with wit and black humor but I found the book to be very drawn out in parts and offensive in other parts.  I find obsession fascinating and usually like strange, unsettling books but this book also involves drugs, fetishism and gender bending.  Though in thinking about it, Ive read other books involving those topics that I thought highly of.  This one was just too coarse for me.  I think the author does a good job in showing the deterioration of this relationship but I think it possibly requires a younger, more modern audience.  Overall, it just wasn't for me though I did appreciate the authors talent.

This book was given to me by the publisher in return for an honest review.
41905
Continuing on with my obsession on the Adrian Mole series, I just finished Adrian Mole: The Lost Years by Sue Townsend.  I will say that this is the first one I found a bit wanting...

This one covers the years from Christmas 1984 through April 1992.  He's now in his 20's, and he's totally convinced he's a loser who will never experience the love of a woman again (after being dumped by Pandora).  He can't master the art of driving a car, he's madly obsessed and in love with his therapist, and he has a dead-end job working for the government managing newt tracking and habitat.  His mother has dumped his father and is now living with (and married to) someone about half her age, and he's moved out to live in a room with Pandora, her "husband", and a third member of the odd trio.  That soon comes to an end when he meets and eventually falls in love with a news agent girl by the name of Bianca.  That's a mad passionate affair until she runs off with his mother's young new husband.  And then there's Jo Jo...

Told in diary fashion like the other books, it still is a lot of fun to peer into his life from his perspective (as warped as it is).  But this installment seemed to drag out too much.  His efforts to finally finish his book were somewhat repetitive after awhile, and there's just far too much whining about how bad he has it.  This one didn't seem to have the "magic" of the earlier ones.  Maybe it's because he's growing up and dealing with problems that are too close to home on occasion.  I don't regret spending the time reading it, nor is it enough to put me off of the series.  But I'm holding out hope that this was an aberration.
3304724
There can be a fine line between obsession and love the question is, will you know the difference? Cynthia Eden takes us back into her Mine To series with a wonderfully intense story about love and well obsession.

Mine to Hold tells the story of Noah York and Clare Kramer, both having a connection to Trace and Skye in Mine to Keep and Mine to Keep. Just like both previous Mine books Mine to Hold is dark and dangerous, an action packed thriller, complete with plot twists and edge of your seat romance.

It's not often I am so spellbound by a book that I have a hard time writing a review but Mine to Hold is one of those books. So bear with me if I blather..

Claire Kramer's life was destroyed when she was just sixteen years old. A girl on the cusp of womanhood and ready to take on the world. Yet her first foray into dating was a step into darkness, her boyfriend was at best batshit crazy at worst a sociopath. Turns out he was both.. After killing her family and almost killing her he was captured and contained. Life should be fine right? Well, seems not, since she was a nobody from the questionable side of town and he was a Senator's son, somehow the Senator managed to convince everyone that it was all her fault. Claire almost didn't make it and she never really made it out of the darkness. Now nine years later, she is alone, jobless and afraid and in desperation turns to the one man that might be able to help her. If only for a job. She believes he just might be strong enough to keep those who hunt her at bay. Maybe, just maybe she can live again.

Noah Yorke took one look at Claire Kramer and was lost. This self contained man knew he would do anything to keep her safe.. anything. Desperate enough to break his own rules, Noah offers her a job and yes a life. If only he can hide his darkness from her. After all she has lived too many years in darkness and to Noah, Claire is a beacon of light. Now if only he can teach her the difference between obsession and love.. yeah, right after he figures it out for himself

While Noah wants nothing more than to keep Claire safe, Claire has too many demons to trust easily. And when people start dying around them, neither is sure what is going on. There are so many wonderful plot twists in this book that without a map you completely fall off the path. Thankfully Ms Eden leaves us a trail of breadcrumbs to follow. Although not too many. There were times I knew who was behind the murders and others I hadn't a clue. Times I was sure Claire and Noah were doomed (yes I know this was a romance and guaranteed a HEA but seriously, I had doubts) and times when I believed in the power of true love. Dark and desperate two individuals who were broken by unimaginable pasts and yet dared to come together. Brilliant!!

I found Noah's resolve to protect Claire at all costs the bedrock of this book. He was determined to make her life a safe place and would do anything to see it happen Because he was so determined and we knew it, it throws all that is happening into a dangerous loop. Would he kill for her? And if he would, did he? Oh yeah, questions abound. This was an edge of your seat type of book. I had to keep walking away, taking a break.. but I was never gone for long because these two broken individuals kept calling me back!!

What an absolutely fabulous book! I am a firm believer in the talents of Ms Eden and remain on the edge of my seat waiting for the next book in this series. I can not wait to learn Drake's story!!

In case you missed it, this is a Five plus Star book.. Words can not describe the power and passion packed into these few pages.. While their wasn't enough story for me.. I know Ms Eden wrote this wonderfully.. she knew what was enough and what was too much. A dark suspense thriller that honestly tugged at my heart.

Shauni

This review is based on the ARC of Mine to Hold, provided by netgalley