The Obsession by Nora Roberts Published by Berkley
Publication Date: April 12th 2016
Genres: Romantic Suspense
Pages: 464
Source: Publisher
Format: eARC
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Disclaimer: I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely mine.
The riveting new novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Liar.
Naomi Bowes lost her innocence the night she followed her father into the woods. In freeing the girl trapped in the root cellar, Naomi revealed the horrible extent of her father’s crimes and made him infamous.
Now a successful photographer living under the name Naomi Carson, she has found a place that calls to her, thousands of miles away from everything she’s ever known. Naomi wants to embrace the solitude, but the residents of Sunrise Cove keep forcing her to open up—especially the determined Xander Keaton.
Naomi can feel her defenses failing, and knows that the connection her new life offers is something she’s always secretly craved. But as she’s learned time and again, her past is never more than a nightmare away.
Review
I’m not even going to lie: I cried like a baby at the beginning of this book. I’m talking sobbing with tears rolling down my face. Why? For a little girl who lost her innocence in the most horrendous way, brought on by someone who should have given everything to preserve that innocence for as long as possible. For a little girl who could grasp that daddy is a monster and displayed so much bravery in doing the right thing.
Eleven year old girls should be happy, playful, excited and sheltered, crushing on Justin Bieber; not exposed to horrific crimes, have their security yanked out from underneath them and forced to grow up too fast. For Naomi Bowes it was none of the first and all of the second. The discovery she made one dark night ripped her family apart, changed her life and the ripple effects of that discovery have followed her for much of her life.
Now an adult, Naomi’s career as a photographer has taken her all over and she never stayed in one place long enough to plant any roots but an abandoned old house in a charming little town calls out to her and an impulsive purchase leaves her with a rambling house in need of the services of a contractor. As with most small towns, it’s difficult to be isolated and soon she finds her life occupied by new acquaintances and friends, including the lost dog that adopts her and a sexy mechanic who blows through all her barriers.
But Naomi’s respite is short-lived because history is about to repeat itself as missing women are being found killed in a manner that points to a copycat killer whose ultimate goal is Naomi. Now caught between her responsibilities, the man who has stolen her heart and the urge to run away, will Naomi let this new evil rob her of her hard-earned peace or will she face it down just as she did so many years ago?
My feelings about this book can be captured in four words: it is a must-read! And I must also remind you to keep some tissues handy because the range of emotions is sure to bring tears to your eyes, whether in joy or sorrow. I have read pretty much everything written by Ms. Roberts and having seen her writing style evolve over the years, I can say that this is some of her best writing. She’s the only author who takes readers on a journey through a character’s life, giving a panoramic view of the ups and downs, highs and lows, without somehow making it tedious or boring.
There is so much to love about this story and so much to say but I don’t want to ruin it for other readers so I’ll keep it brief. Xander Keaton and his determined and sneaky assault on Naomi’s defenses is a thing of beauty but the part of this book that made the biggest impact on me is her relationship with her brother and uncles and how their small family closed ranks to take care of each other. I really hope that Mason gets his own book because he does have a story to tell, coming from what he did and becoming who he was.
About Nora Roberts
Nora Roberts was born in Silver Spring, Maryland, the youngest of five children. After a school career that included some time in Catholic school and the discipline of nuns, she married young and settled in Keedysville, Maryland.
She worked briefly as a legal secretary. “I could type fast but couldn’t spell, I was the worst legal secretary ever,” she says now. After her sons were born she stayed home and tried every craft that came along. A blizzard in February 1979 forced her hand to try another creative outlet. She was snowed in with a three and six year old with no kindergarten respite in sight and a dwindling supply of chocolate.
Born into a family of readers, Nora had never known a time that she wasn’t reading or making up stories. During the now-famous blizzard, she pulled out a pencil and notebook and began to write down one of those stories. It was there that a career was born. Several manuscripts and rejections later, her first book, Irish Thoroughbred, was published by Silhouette in 1981.
Nora met her second husband, Bruce Wilder, when she hired him to build bookshelves. They were married in July 1985. Since that time, they’ve expanded their home, traveled the world and opened a bookstore together.
Through the years, Nora has always been surrounded by men. Not only was she the youngest in her family, but she was also the only girl. She has raised two sons. Having spent her life surrounded by men, Ms. Roberts has a fairly good view of the workings of the male mind, which is a constant delight to her readers. It was, she’s been quoted as saying, a choice between figuring men out or running away screaming.
Nora is a member of several writers groups and has won countless awards from her colleagues and the publishing industry. Recently The New Yorker called her “America’s favorite novelist.”
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