The Obsession – Nora Roberts

Summary:
“She stood in the deep, dark woods, breath shallow and cold prickling over her skin despite the hot, heavy air. She took a step back, then two, as the urge to run fell over her”
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. No matter how close she gets to happiness, she can’t outrun the sins of Thomas David Bowes.
Now a successful photographer living under the name Naomi Carson, she has found a place that calls to her, a rambling old house in need of repair, thousands of miles away from everything she’s even known. Naomi wants to embrace the solitude, but the kindly 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 the sins of her father can become an obsession, and, as she’s learned time and again, her past is never more than a nightmare away.

Review:
Nora Roberts will always be a favorite author of mine. There isn’t a single book of hers that I haven’t been able to just lose myself in its pages. The Obsession was no different. This book had me hooked from the first chapter. Naomi at twelve years old having to go through something no child should ever have to see or experience. Her father, a serial killer, and she had found and saved one of his victims. I really loved Naomi through the whole book. She was a very strong and spunky character. She knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to speak her mind about her feelings. She knew exactly who she was. When she moved to Sunrise Cove her whole world was turned around. She never thought she would find a place to settle down, but she did. And she soon found that what she wanted wasn’t exactly what she’d always thought she wanted.
Enter Xander Keaton. I loved him from the moment her changed her flat tire. And even more when they found the stray dog together and he convinced her to keep him. He’s a super bookworm and that only made me love him more. He’s handsome of course, and knows exactly how to handle Naomi. I really liked the fact that he trusted her, and once he figured out that she was the daughter of Thomas Bowes he didn’t confront her about it. He let her have her time and space. That’s something not all people can do. Most would immediately start asking questions. But not Xander, he knew she would tell him when she was ready. He’s just an all around decent guy, and I couldn’t have picked anyone better for Naomi.
I absolutely adored Naomi’s uncles, Seth and Harry, and her brother, Mason. They were her saving grace in the beginning of this story. Her uncles helped her get away from all the craziness involved with her father. They really pushed her to try to move on and have a normal life. They were always there, always routing for her to do her best. And her brother Mason, the only other person in the world that understood how she was feeling half the time. He was an awesome character who supported Naomi when she needed it the most. He always knew what to say to make her feel better and get her head back on straight. As Mason grew up he made his life better and better. He went to college and got a psychology degree. Then started working for the FBI. He really did his best to make the world a better place after what his father did. I really admired his strength to be able to stop people like his father every day. Instead of trying to put it behind him, like Naomi, he faced it head on, challenged it, and made the world a better place.
This book was awesome. I read it in a few hours, it was just so fast paced I couldn’t seem to put it down. Any one that has read any of Nora Robert’s books and liked them, The Obsession will be no different. I highly suggest it to anyone that likes mystery with a bit of romance in there.
Keep on reading lovelys, Amanda.