The victim of both a brutal attempted rape and now a serial stalking, Halley Davis is broken, and desperate to glue the shattered pieces of her life back together. Tormented by a psychopath and battling a heavy dose of anxiety, sex and dating are the last things on Halley’s anxiety-ridden mind. That is, until she meets the man who rescued her from the hands of a would-be rapist. With a body made for sin, a wicked, sexy tattoo and an aura that screams “badass,” her rescuer not only calms the storm of terror raging inside her mind, he ignites a passion within her she’s never known before.
Tired of using meaningless sex to drown out the horrors of his past, Nick Ackart has sworn off women. In fact, if women were classified as meat, his ass is Vegan. Despite his determination to remain unattached, Nick is unable to stay away from the emerald-eyed beauty he rescued from a sadistic pervert. Immersed in a tangled web of sexual desire and deep emotion he was certain was long dead, he vows to protect Halley from the monster hounding her, even though he stands to lose his heart in the process.
Lisa Sanchez is a California cheer mom taxiing her way through life, one car ride at a time. Along with chauffer, she sports several job titles, including, but not limited to: author, chef, seamstress, videographer, nurse, enforcer, and general slave to her three daughters.
The first two books in her Hanaford Park series (Eve Of Samhain, Pleasures Untold) are published with Omnific Publishing. She self-published the third installment, Faythe Reclaimed. Her erotic suspense, Obsessed was published March 29th 2011 with Loose Id. You can follow Lisa on Twitter at @LisaSanchez3
or contact her via email @ lisasanchezromanceauthor @ gmail.com
I found this when I was browsing on Amazon. As soon as I read the synopsis, I knew I had to read it. Just from the synopsis, Nick sounded like a combination of Gideon Cross and Brian Ross….or the good things about each of them.
From page one, I was hooked. Nick had faced trauma and loss in his past, but he didn’t let it keep him from getting to know Halley and falling for her. He was also a protective, chivalrous hero that is so much fun to read.
Halley just about broke my heart. She had been through so much that it was amazing that she kept going. Even with the anxiety attacks she suffered from, she wouldn’t let the events of her past keep her locked in her house.
One of the things I loved most was the fact that Nick became a safe place for Halley. He was what kept her grounded and from spinning out of control. His mere presence took her anxiety away. I loved the connection between them. It started as sexual attraction and quickly turned to genuine feelings that developed into love.
I am really glad that I found this book. I will definitely be reading more by this author.
My reviews can also be found on the blog Confessions of 2 Book Lovers. ["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>
I don't normally write bad reviews, but I feel it's necessary in this case to warn readers.
This author has no notion of how to do even the most minor research regarding prescription drug use or physical injury, and quite frankly, I think it's a bad sign when I find myself hoping the protagonists don't procreate for fear of how stupid their offspring would be.
First, the inaccuracies:
1a) The heroine is prescribed anxiety medication due to an attempted rape. She pops these things like candy whenever she feels a panic attack coming on. This is NOT how anxiety medication works--it must be taken at regular intervals, not whenever the urge strikes.
1b) The heroine is also stupid enough to chase her xanax with a shot of vodka. That's just begging for a Darwin award.
2) The hero, supposedly a reasonably intelligent man, decides to fix his dislocated shoulder by banging it into an oven door. Ms. Sanchez, this isn't Lethal Weapon and a dislocated shoulder isn't a freaking tinker toy. That's NOT how your bones work, and anyone who remembers 8th grade science would know that.
I have to admit that shortly after the vodka-xanax cocktail incident I gave up on Obsessed and just skipped to the end to see if my hunch regarding the villain was right and sure enough, it was--actually because of the red herring, not in spite of it. The character she set up to be the potential stalker struck me as too obvious (that could just be me, though, as I read my fair share of mysteries).
Another complaint, besides the occasionally bafflingly stupid actions of the main protagonists, was the heroine's best friend. I think she was supposed to be sassy and kick ass, but instead she came off like an obnoxious chihuahua yapping at a doberman: loud, foolish and out of her league. I'm not sure how others would view her, but I never equated 'loud' with 'strong', and I think the author may have confused the two qualities when writing this character.
If you can overlook what I've outlined here, you might enjoy the book. I found the romance between Nick and Halley bland (in fact despite having just finished reading it a few hours ago I found myself struggling to recall the heroine's name) but inoffensive. However, I will disclose one last thing: I didn't pay for this book, I borrowed it--and after this experience, I'm very glad I didn't spend any money on it. I will not be reading this author again, not even for free.
For all those ladies who like their male hero's with tattoo's, piercings, muscles and a protective streak, I've found your man- Nick. He was not quite alpha enough for me although he does do some growling throughout the book and has some serious issues with his past, which adds to his bad-boy persona.
I loved the inner battles Nick had with regards to his feelings for Halley at the beginning of the book, they made me laugh. I especially loved his rough talk. He is very caring towards Halley and certainly is her knight in shining armour! He also calls her 'princess' which is sweet. This book is very much a 'damsel in distress' story, right the way through.
There were two things which irritated me, hence the 4 stars instead of 5. One thing was the amount of times it mentions 'Xanax'! I didn't have a problem with Halley needing to take anti-anxiety medication, as I think I would if I'd been through what she had, yet it was over done in my opinion.
The second annoying thing was some of the references to sexual things. I LOVE talk in sex scenes but found Nick giving Halley's female anatomy the name 'kitty' a turn off! It just didn't seem to fit with his character? Another reference which made me cringe was when Halley referred to sex as 'another round of hide the weasel'. I'm cringing typing it. I mean come on how old are we 5! However this reference and the kitty reference only occurred 3 times so I could cope with that.
All in all the book was a good read, definitely loved Nick's character and Halley wasn't annoying (as some damsels in distress are).
I think the author wrote two different sex scenes for the characters first time, and then just threw them both in. It was that repetitive. The characters are awful. One dimensional. Whiny. They say really hilariously dorky things though. That's what it is. This is a dork romance! I will reimagine the scene where she is being chased by the neighbor guy on her run, with them both running like nerds, perhaps pigeon-toed and not swinging their arms! Omg, hilarious. Now I love this book! :P (Seriously, don't waste your time.)
Also, there were a lot of continuity problems in this book. "ZOMG, a stalker is trying to kill my girlfriend and repeatedly leaves things at her front door. Time to go home now that she is passed out on tons of meds and alcohol and couldn't hear a semi truck drive through her living room! Hope no one kills her while I'm gone!"
If you need a final reason not to read this book, the characters are obsessed with Victoria's Secret and Juicy velour tracksuits. The author herself seems to love them so much, they (the tracksuits, in particular, a brown one)are the most developed, interesting characters in the entire book.
Lisa Sanchez shines in creating such likable characters who are so compatible with one another. Nick & Halley are both wounded souls who meet under harsh circumstances. He is sincere, sweet and sexy. She is vulnerable yet strong. They fall intensely for one another even though Nick is resistant to fall in love. Oh yeah, Halley is being stalked and Nick feels it's his job to protect her. Ms. Sanchez does a great job in creating a perfect balance of both tender and steamy-hot moments for Nick and Halley. There's also a nice amount of suspense that kept me guessing until the end.
I'm going to start this review by saying this is an interesting story that focus on how some people can become obsessed by others and how they can bring big emotional damage to both parts. My sister is a psychologist, so I know some things about personality problems (because our bad guy is full of this!).
Nick is our main male character. He is a great person that had already dealt with a series of misfortune events throughout his life. We see through the book what happened to him and why he is so close off. But Nick is the good samaritan that saves Halley (the main female character) when she is attack by some creepy guy at a bar.
With so many scars along her life because of an attack two years ago, Halley is a chef that is going to open her bakery with her best friend Kaiti. But the past and the almost rape from the present have left Halley with some bad emotional problems that Nick is the only one who can help her with. That is the main reason they stay together the most part of the book and, like we all know, fall in love along the story *some sexy scenes were great between these two*.
Although the person that is obsessed with Halley is really easy to figured out, this story is like I-can-put-it-down-until-I-know-the-end kind of book.
Halley Davis is out with her best friend celebrating their new endeavor, when she sees a man who peaks her curiosity. Wanting to focus on looking at him, she ends up being a target for a creep who ends up attacking her and leaving her for dead. Little does she know that the man she had been gazing at ends up rescuing her and saving her life.
Nick Ackart had his life ripped from him in a matter of seconds, moving to San Francisco to escape the nightmares that continue to haunt him. He should stay far away from Halley, too many reminders of what was in the past, but he can't stop his need to protect her. When it becomes evident that someone is stalking her, he is by her side and plans to never let her go.
Great story, it is riveting and I loved Nick he is badass but is so gentle with Halley. Wonderful story.
Don't recommend. The word "blood" was mentioned 67 times and the word "anxiety" was mentioned 33 times. Hello? Wasn't this supposed to be a love story? Just for grins, the word "Love" was mentioned 64 times. Haha the blood won.
Hmm, I liked it, but I didn't love it. I am always a fan of the tormented heroine, possessive/protective hero storyline, but there were bits of this that were a little over the top for me.
Obsessed was a good read filled with passion, steamy scenes, a scary plot, and fluid writing. If you are a fan of adult contemporary/thriller/romance, this will be a book for you. I couldn't help putting myself in the place of the main character Halley and how limiting, helpless, and horrifying to know your life will never be the same as long as a sadistic stalker is hell bent on making you his. From chapter two on, Halley's life is turned inside out by events out of her control.
Nick, the leading man in Obsessed is a nice slice of life in Halley's hellish world. Nick has his own demons from the past to contend with, but the attraction to Halley and his need to protect her over- rides his self-preservation mode of the past year. Nick has the brains of a scholar, the body of a bad boy, and personality every woman would love to come home to. In fact, I'm not sure I'd ever want to leave his presence. :) The villain in this story is truly a "sick f---" as Nick would call him and I hope to never know someone like that exists in real life.
What I didn't like was some of the repeated aspects throughout the book. Nick repeatedly commented on Halley's sugar cookie, vanilla smell, the constant reminder of how many years it's been since he lost someone he loved, and how he was not going to let Halley in, got a bit old. After the first couple of times mentioned by the character, we know these things about them if we are really into the book.
The book overall however, I liked, and would recommend to fans of the genre. I still enjoyed the characters, steamy scenes, and the writing does flow well. There is quick attraction, falling hard, a horrible circumstance that brings Halley and Nick closer together more quickly than usual, but it's a suspense/thriller. Nothing like a man's need to protect and a girl's need to feel safe to help spark romance.
Nick’s healing a past tragedy and doesn’t want to be in a relationship. Well, until he comes to the rescue of Halley who’s also got problems of her own.
I liked both of these characters from the beginning, especially Nick who I guessed had a very valid reason for not wanting to get involved. When Halley is attacked and he comes to her rescue, you like him even more for the knight in shining armor that he is. While the way these two seem to keep running into one another did come across as contrived at times, you do put that aside because when they’re together on the page, you can feel their attraction and the sexual tension that’s building. The author did a good job with keeping me guessing about whether they’ll make love. They came close to it a couple of times but when they did finally get to their part of their relationship, keeping us in suspense made it all the more fun.
Secondary characters are great too, very well drawn and they complement Nick and Halley really well. I also liked the subplots. Halley and her friend are about to open a bakery. Halley’s love for baking and cooking is also fun and very descriptive. My favorite subplot was suspenseful, with Halley having a stalker. You’re glad she has Nick.
I kept wondering what the tragedy in Nick’s past would be. The author kept me guessing and when you learn about what happened, you want to cheer him on because you realize what a sacrifice it’s been for him helping Halley deal with her attack and subsequent stalker/creepy neighbor.
Pacing was good and, although this seems like lots of plot and characters, the suspense element makes you want to read on so it’s a quick read too. If you’re looking for a sexy suspense novel this summer with two characters I think you’ll enjoy, this is one to try.
Wow! In case you like steamy books, this is certainly a book for you. In case you do not like steamy and sexy scenes, be afraid and warned - you just might starting to like them!!! I read this book within hours.
Meet Nick - a guy who is so tired of meaningless sex, where sex seems to be legs without any faces or names and who uses most of his evening to get drunk to forget his nightmares from the past. his biggest goal is to forget and not not feel. Meet Halley - a girl who has a dark past. She has been violated and now there is a stalker after her.
Nick and Halley meet each other under some serious circumstances. Halley is being drugged in the club and Nick is rescuing her from being violated again. Halley ends up in the hospital and after that incident her life is not getting any easier - she is hounded by a stalker who ise getting more and more agressive.
Hally suffers from anxiety and panic attacks and the only person who is capable of calming her down, is Nick. Nick makes her feel safe, protected and happy.
The plot of the book is not very complicated, but the way writer describes it, is interesting, you never get bored, because the internal struggles characters are going through are fascinating and well written. I also liked the intense feeling what the main charachters are experiencing towards each other. Therefore I read the book from the beginning to the end without putting the book away.
The first thing of notice about the ebook, Obsessed, is that it reads more like a mainstream short story than an erotic tale. Not that it doesn't have firery erotic heat, the story just takes time to build up to it. There is an anticipation for the erotic that slowly builds as the storyline of the main characters, Nick and Halley, unfolds. Nick is a man who recently experienced great loss and trauma who carries great pain in the form of anger and bitterness. Halley is a women who suffers from anxiety attacks resulting from a gruesome attack but is bent on getting her life together only to be victimized yet again. When these two lives cross paths, the spark is electric.
Obsessed is a roller coaster ride filled with suspense, horror, and sexual energy throughout. Well written and thoroughly enjoyable.
I give this a Diva Rating of Five and a Flame Heat rating.
It's not often that I find a book that I can't put down. You know the kind... you take it to the bathroom with you, read it in line at the grocery store, put on a video for your kids so you can read... yep, it's that kind!
Obsessed has the perfect balance of steaminess, snark, suspense, and humor.
I keep debating with myself over how many stars to give this book. I think I'll go with 3.5 although the book was very good and had me on the edge almost the whole time I was a bit disappointed that it was so easy to pick out who the stalker was right from the get go. Not to mention that almost to 70% the book started to lag. Even saying all that the story was pretty great.
Generally a good read. Really thought the connection between hero and heroine was one to do with some supernatural connection like those in shape-shifters - where when they meet their mate they have some sort of link but when I reach the end and there was no such thing. It was a bit annoying. Its like if I was left hanging.
This is a fast paced, sexy thriller. Lisa Sanchez writes in an edgy venacular mirroring the thoughts and actions of her characters as they live through this story. I found it engaging and entertaining. A fun read for the beach or a cozy evening at home