Obsession Paperback – July 20, 2012

This is my first book by this author - I was NOT disappointed!! This story is a captivating tale of emotions - good and bad - but mostly a story of love and passion in all forms. How love can bring such joy and when the people are gone, deep pain and guilt. It shows how each character deals with its loss - sometimes building walls - and others willing to take the risk again. The time is the reign of terror of Jack the Ripper in London. Miss Helen Rivenall and her young brother flee the home of their abusive, cruel uncle (where they lived for years after the death of their parents) to London to seek their grandfather. Helen accepts the help of a stranger for employment, only to end up drugged and put up for auction at a notorious brothel. Sebastian Rockwood, Earl of Melton, values his tight control of all things, which hides a secret guilt from childhood. Unlike his 2 brothers and 3 sisters, he refuses to yield to the Rockwood implusive and rash behavior. On a mission to help his brother rescue his sweetheart who was abducted and held in the same brothel, Sebastian is captivated by Helen's beauty and outbids the depraved Lord Templeton. The attraction between Helen and Sebastian is immediate and electric. Slowly, his well ordered life is turned upside down by his obsession with Helen. Helen, who has known only pain and cruelty, responds to the hero who saved her and her brother - a debt she cannot repay. But Sebastian comes up with a way - to pretend to be his choice of wife for his aunt, who is determined to see him wed. What neither expect was to fall deeply in love - something Sebastian will not allow. And Helen will not marry without it. The story is enchanting web in slowly developing each character and their relationship, along with the suffering Helen endured at the hands of her uncle and the gaping hole her parents left. In spite of Sebastian's fanatical control, he is a gentle, caring and honorable man, wrestling with guilt and unable to reconcile the love he has for Helen. A wonderful, romantic story of passion and love that I couldn't put down!! Cannot wait to read more!!

This book is one of the reasons why Monica Burns is one of my favorite authors. Obsession draws you in from the first page to the highly satisfying epilogue. It has everything that makes a romance successful. A handsome alpha hero and a sassy heroine that throws said hero for a loop when she *gasp* doesn't just fall in line with his plans for her. Not to mention a cute kid, meddling family and a nasty villain that you can't decide if you love or hate!The writing flows so well to the build up that you don't even realize the climax of the story is happening until you are sitting there, biting your nails on the edge of your seat (and in my case yelling at my ereader) and just she you think it's over BAM! She draws you back in for more....Monica Burns writing is the kind where you really feel like you have been there, in the story, along with all the characters, if that makes sense.

I thoroughly enjoyed my first book by this author. It had my full attention from the start. Various types of obsession are carefully crafted by the author in her characters, including “Jack the Ripper”—-giving the story some historical authenticity. Social injustices of the times especially towards orphans, children & women , including abusive punishment are woven through the story. The author develops several very interesting characters including a history of what caused them to develop their own particular type of obsession. A romantic story with a very desirable hero frustrated to death with fighting love & the chaos it is causing in his very precise life. Intimate scenes are fully developed & adequate in number, since they are thoughtfully worded I would drop the heat index from 4 to 3.5.

Victorian London lives in fear of the murderer Jack The Ripper.Helen Rivenall trusted the wrong person. Now she's on the stage in a bawdy house waiting to be auctioned to the highest bidder. Sebastian, Earl of Melton wins the lady at the auction. From this point on his well organized life will never be the same. Love isn't something he's familiar with. if he wants Helen to accept his proposal, he has to admit he's in love. When Helen is kidnapped, it can't be too late. Long read with lots of conflict.

Enjoyable read... Sebastian was a tragic sort of hero to me. His inability to express his feelings elongated the story and created a great deal of frustration for this reader.Helen was the type of heroine I like. She was assertive and did not allow herself to dwell in a victim's story. Horrible things continued to happen to her, but she kept trying to take care of herself and establish her independence.I enjoyed the tie-ins to real life events and the terror those events engendered in the population at that time. I was a bit disappointed in the epilogue though. I had been looking forward to a certain couple's HEA throughout this book and to learn that there would be no such thing saddened me.

The story was slow in parts. The characters were well developed. I liked the historical setting. The backdrop of the Jack the Ripper murders was interesting and added to the overall story. I would like to read more about the other characters in the story.

He buys her from a brothel, cops a feel and his obsession begins, with obsessive snapping of his watch. 17 uses of "Christ Jesus!" The Epilogue skips 10 years. I just didn't care about any character, except perhaps sister Louisa.

This book was thoroughly enjoyable and I think anyone who likes this genre will have a hard time putting the book down once they start reading it. It shows that although you think you have your life under control, sometimes you circumstances control you and it may take awhile to realize it but when you do it can bring you great happiness.

Sebastian visits an auction in a brothel, trying to find his brother's sweetheart who has been abducted. Instead, he finds himself buying a young woman to save her from another bidder. Sebastian values order and control over all things as a result of a dark secret from his past. Helen destroys his calm at every turn, and his willpower is failing him.I picked this up when it was free, and I'm glad I did. The story is enjoyable and there is plenty of steam. There were a couple of points where I felt the story was a bit too long and drawn out. And I could have done without the Jack the Ripper bit. Mentioning it in passing was one thing, but it would have been better kept away from the story. But, overall, it was a good read.

Dark secret. Fear. Brutality. Passion. Lust. Brothel. Drugs. Madman. Kidnapping. Murders. Gunshot. All these and more and happily-ever-after for Sebastian Rockwood, Earl of Melton and Helen Rivenell. It's a beautifully written novel by one of my favourite authors, Monica Burns. But I can honestly just give this a four-stars rating because the heroine is annoyingly reckless and no-self-preservation even after she was saved by the hero from the brothel. She just makes one bad move after another. At least she fits in well with the Reckless Rockwoods.

❤️❤️❤️❤️💋💋💋Another great book from Monica.The Rockwoods really rock , tough , moody and sexy , that’s Sebastian.Strong , abused and slightly vulnerable, that’s Helen .They both need love , care and to learn to trust , prefect recipe for romance .Great book !

I enjoyed reading this book from beginning to end the characters were strong and intriguing as was the story.it was well written well worth reading

Good read