Addicted to Love

by C.J. West

Wes Holiday sells his landscaping business and retreats to a quaint mountain town to heal after ending a ten year relationship with a woman he couldn't bring himself to marry. In three weeks he is so captivated by a hair stylist that he deprives himself of food and sleep to be near her. When the local sheriff is murdered, Wes is recruited to keep the peace in the town his parents built, but he knows nothing about law enforcement and he's struggling to understand how a woman he just met can dominate his every waking thought. Soon the idyllic town with a penchant for romance is rocked by a bizarre series of murders that defy explanation and it is up to Wes to stop a raging epidemic of violence.

Genres: Romance, Suspense, Mystery, Fiction, Contemporary, Thriller, Romantic Suspense

308 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

CJ West writes thrillers set in New England. CJ has just launched his 7th novel, Dinner At Deadman's, a mystery set in the world of antiques and collectibles.


Vist CJ anytime on Facebook.


CJ's first Randy Black Thriller, Sin & Vengeance, was optioned for film.


A Demon Awaits, the second book in CJ's Randy Black series was published in October 2008. The series takes a surprising turn and readers are challenged to think of Randy Black in an entirely new way.

Check out the trailer!


The latest Randy Black novel, Gretchen Greene, was released March 31, 2010.

You can also find CJ on Myspace and Facebook.

CJ hosts a virtual tour of the real winery that became the setting for Sin & Vengeance. See it on Youtube.

Reviews

[Paperback Dolls · Rating 2 out of 5]

Previously posted at Paperback Dolls.com

West has delivered a romantic thriller that strives to combine romantic love scenes with a grisly murder mystery. The story is interesting and engaging as we watch Wes struggle with his lack of police skills, his deep seated nostalgia for the town, and a torrid romance that has him physically and emotionally overwhelmed. As the story unfolds and more victims fall prey to the murderer, we feel Wes’s blinders begin to fall off as he attempts to comprehend the extent of the crime encompassing this small bucolic town. This story pays homage to novels like THE STEPFORD WIVESwith a town overrun with couples so happily in love for so many years; you start to wonder if there is something in the water.

My concerns with the novel center on a few basic issues. The novel is uneven in pace and often repetitive in language. The first 17 chapters could easily be consolidated into a much tighter package providing stronger world building for the novel. The protagonist, Wes is not the most intelligent of characters and seems to be the last one to realize what and who are behind these crimes. Several sub arcs are distracting and seem to lead nowhere including the news that Leah gave a daughter up for adoption 12 years earlier.

The story would benefit greatly from a strong foil to Wes’s good guy caught in the middle of something too big for him to handle. A town newspaper journalist or reporter would have been a great foil – asking questions, pointing out inconsistencies, and revealing town gossip that leads to breakthroughs in the case.

The murder scenes are bloody and the buildup of suspense is steady. The romantic relationship between Wes & Leah is not very developed so it didn’t grab me too strongly.

But the ending – the ending had me scratching my head for a few days; even inspiring a dinner conversation along the lines of – what would you do in their position?

ADDICTED TO LOVE is a romantic thriller perfectly suited to the reader who enjoys an easy going mystery that is not explicitly sexy.

[Julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate to give up on books, but I had to stop reading this one. I just couldn't connect with the characters or the plot. Lots of sex and longing on the part of the protagonist, but it didn't seem sexy or interesting to me. I could not summon any enthusiasm to keep reading, and decided why waste my time reading something I don't like when there are so many good books out there.

I only read 7 1/2 chapters, so my review is based only on that.

[Nikki · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you like zombies, but don't like death and brains, and if you like love, but also like robots: this is the best book ever.

[Ramona · Rating 1 out of 5]

Horrible! Couldn't finish reading!

[Mae R · Rating 2 out of 5]

From this book I learned that sex=love *always* and that it's totally ok for some creepy old dudes to drug hot young chicks into being their love slaves as what else are hot young chicks good for, amirite? Oh, and as a girl, I'd better be able to put out 24/7 otherwise I don't even deserve to be in a relationship. Seriously, CJ West? This book frustrated me on so many levels. From a scientific perspective, creating a "love drug" or a "rage drug" of this manner is just ridiculous. The drug is passed through saliva, and after only one kiss (or three, depending on what part of the book you're in) you are suddenly addicted to the person you're macking on. But only if you're with a member of the opposite sex. And I guess any other saliva swaps, sharing a drink between friends or pouring yourself some OJ after your brother gulps some straight from the carton just doesn't count? I suppose what annoyed me most was the ending, in which the main character and his girlfriend decide that the sex is just too good (and remember, sex=love. Always.), and squirrel away enough of the drug to last them through their lives. And how is it that the girlfriend, Leah, a resident of the town for some years, was still single? Did she really *never* kiss anyone until she happened to meet our protagonist? Seriously? The book goes out of its way to explain that one character, Finn, is the *only* single guy in the *entire* town because he only eats bread made by his family, while the rest of the town eats bread coming from the evil-criminal-mastermind guy's farm. That's kind of a tenuous explanation (he never ate out? ever?), but I'll buy it I guess. So what's Leah's excuse for being single so long? Obviously she was eating enough of the drugged bread to bond herself to Wes, the main character, so what stopped her from doing the same with any other man she dated? On a technical level, the writing wasn't too bad, especially for a kindle free book, but it wasn't great either. The characters were bland, especially the women, and there were several passages which were repeated almost word for word throughout the book. For example, Wes reflected multiple times that maybe the councilmen who appointed him sheriff weren't exactly on the level, and each time it's treated as an entire novel revelation!! ...until 30 pages later when he has the same thought and suddenly it's a huge unheard of revelation again!! Additionally, the bits between Wes and Leah were kind of repetitive, but I guess there's only so many ways you can say, "we made out for 6 hours straight, then screwed like rabbits." The villan's motivation for drugging the entire town is still something of a mystery to be. Drugging up his supermodel wifey is one thing, but the whole town? It just seems a little far-fetched. As someone who had been a major pharmaceutical developer, you'd think he'd have realized that drugs affect different people in different ways and that there is always a small part of the population for whom a drug will be fatal all on it's own. Also, you never know what affects such a widespread drug will have on the next generation -- look at thalidomide. Yeah, it stopped morning sickness, which is great, but it also resulted in extreme birth defects. But hey, even if the entire next generation of this small town have no arms, it won't matter! Because their parents will be having really great sex!! And that's all that matters. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go and bake a cake (the only other thing women are good for), before heading out to a bar to meet a random guy and start putting out like a good little lady!!!

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

http://paperbackdolls.com/?p=9439

Wes Holliday had travelled to his parents’ summer home in Highland Falls to lick his wounds and ponder his next steps. The scion of the wealthy & prestigious Holliday family has just severed a romantic relationship with his girlfriend of 10 years and sold off his successful landscaping business for a cool chunk of change. So why does he feel so lost.
Barely three weeks back in town and Wes finds himself caught up in a torrid affair with Leah, a young beautician, and in the middle of a murder spree the likes of which this small town has never seen. Wes is appointed temporary Sheriff by the City Council while they try to locate a replacement for the now deceased sheriff – the murder spree’s first victim. But can Wes solve the mystery behind these murders before more people get hurt?
West has delivered a romantic thriller that strives to combine romantic love scenes with a grisly murder mystery. The story is interesting and engaging as we watch Wes struggle with his lack of police skills, his deep seated nostalgia for the town, and a torrid romance that has him physically and emotionally overwhelmed. As the story unfolds and more victims fall prey to the murderer, we feel Wes’s blinders begin to fall off as he attempts to comprehend the extent of the crime encompassing this small bucolic town. This story pays homage to novels like THE STEPFORD WIVESwith a town overrun with couples so happily in love for so many years; you start to wonder if there is something in the water.

My concerns with the novel center on a few basic issues. The novel is uneven in pace and often repetitive in language. The first 17 chapters could easily be consolidated into a much tighter package providing stronger world building for the novel. The protagonist, Wes is not the most intelligent of characters and seems to be the last one to realize what and who are behind these crimes. Several sub arcs are distracting and seem to lead nowhere including the news that Leah gave a daughter up for adoption 12 years earlier.

The story would benefit greatly from a strong foil to Wes’s good guy caught in the middle of something too big for him to handle. A town newspaper journalist or reporter would have been a great foil – asking questions, pointing out inconsistencies, and revealing town gossip that leads to breakthroughs in the case.

The murder scenes are bloody and the buildup of suspense is steady. The romantic relationship between Wes & Leah is not very developed so it didn’t grab me too strongly.

But the ending – the ending had me scratching my head for a few days; even inspiring a dinner conversation along the lines of – what would you do in their position?

ADDICTED TO LOVE is a romantic thriller perfectly suited to the reader who enjoys an easy going mystery that is not explicitly sexy.

[Toni Osborne · Rating 2 out of 5]

What an alluring title and an intriguing synopsis.

This story is set in the idyllic mountain town of Highland Falls where the residents have a penchant for romance, love permeates in every household. The story explores mainly the seed of undeniable love that blossoms into a heated passion between Wes Holliday, a wealthy entrepreneur, and Leah Donovan, a hairstylist. But not all is merry in the quaint town, trouble is simmering and it all began with a love potion…

The story opens when the local sheriff is murdered and Wes is recruited as interim replacement to keep order. Wes does not have a law enforcement background and is left quite puzzled by this appointment especially when his best friend thought he would be the obvious choice.

Right from the start the story begins to unravel and focusses too much on the protagonists’ obsessions… Leah’s burning sexual needs take center stage and Wes’s mind is easily lured to below the belt. With so little resistance Wes’s newfound responsibilities are overpowered by their mutual lust…..hum…

As the body count goes up a pattern starts to emerge, happily married men are falling victims to their wives sudden change in behaviour. At this point I thought we were getting out of the bedroom and into the real suspense side of the plot. I was soon disappointed as I turned the pages the action became so predictable and the outcome so obvious that my mind started to wander and I fought to maintain interest. The transition between chapters was choppy and became even more rushed towards the end when all hell broke loose and the town fell into chaos. But have no fear our super hero, the great interim sheriff manages to save the day and get on with his life.

Mind altering drugs and the search for the ultimate high are the main topics in this story but unfortunately the conclusion leaves us a very controversial message…… I am a fan of Mr. West and have enjoyed all of his previous novels this one is a bit of a letdown. I was left debating whether this was an entertaining romance or a captivating suspense I found the two together was not a good marriage. If you are not familiar with this author I would suggest reading “Sin and Vengeance” it is a much better display of the author’s talents

[Mark Soone · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would probably call this 3.25 or 3.5, but since they are not options I went with the 3stars. I won this book as part of a goodreads giveaway (Thanks C.J.!), but that in no way shape or form affected my rating or review of this book.

I had no previous knowledge of this author so I was kind of going in with no preconcieved ideas, and really didn't know what to expect. Based upon the write up I was expecting a sort of romantic/suspense novel....and if forced to choose a genre I would likely call it that, although Mystery or crime thriller could be appropriate as well. It is heavy on the lust/passion romance angle...a little lite on the suspense....but intertwined with an entertaining mystery!

I really enjoyed this book and found it to be an easy, fast and lite read. The story was able to draw me right in from the start, and had an intriguing cast of characters. I was thrust into a town where the libidos are all in overdrive, and love (lust) is everywhere you turn. Quickly added to the pot was a murder of an important town official, and our main character Wes finds himself the new sherrif in a town he does not really want to remain in, and is now in a job for which he has no experience and quite a limited understanding for how to procede. What has caused this murder, and the more to come....the mystery was quite enjoyable..You will have to read it yourself to see what happens.

I was a little disappointed (but I will get over it) that it was focused much more on lust, passion and promoscuity angles than on love, romance and depth of relationship....but along with the plot that kind of adds a necesary compnent to this story. I found it a little unbelievable that Wes could actually be placed into this positon or that he would accept the office of sheriff...not sure I would want him as my head law enforcement agent in town...even as likeable and down to earth as he was. The ending didn't really go the way I would have liked...I would like to have seen them try to do things in their own hearts...but??? Oh well!

A very nice read, that you should be able to do in a half a day or a weekend if you need a longer sitting period.

[TC · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wes has holed up in a cabin in the holiday town he used to summer in with his family. He's sold up his business and fallen madly in love with a local hairdresser. He's completely besotted but his pleasure is interrupted by the death of the local sheriff. He is appointed to the role temporarily despite having no experience of any sort in law enforcement. What seems to be a one-off crime of passion turns out to be the start of a series of inexplicable attacks and Wes has to try and tear himself away from his new darling to try and prevent any more deaths in a town more used to love than hate.

I started this book with high hopes, having given The End of Marking Time 4* when I reviewed that book by West. And to begin with I was enjoying this book. However as things progressed, although the reason his behaviour became clear later, I just found Wes a bit too ridiculous. Also the whole premise of the town council appointing a man with no credentials but a respected family as sheriff for a murder investigation was unbelievable. The reason for the murders and attacks could have been chilling and thought provoking if it wasn't all quite so daft.

I was also put off by the fact there seemed to be something missing when a major revelation was made about what was going on in the town. When an aspect of it was mentioned later in the book I thought maybe I had inadvertently skimmed the important sentence or paragraph but going back and re-reading the relevant part I still couldn't see it.

On the positive side there was one character I could warm to, and the author's style makes for an easy flowing read. There are some very interesting and potentially quite worrying ideas in this book but the way the story plays out almost cheapened those ideas. The end made my skin crawl a little. It was okay and might be to some people's taste but it's not a book I could really recommend.

[Cindy · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very predictable book. I pretty much had everything figured out about a fourth of the way into the book. A very slight comparison to Steven King's "Needful Things" and "The Stepford Wives" by Ira Levin. It was kind of a corny book about a close knit community that is being drugged without their knowledge, which causes couples to be compulsively addicted to sex and passion. The lines at the florist shops, candy stores and jewelers are always packed with husbands and boyfriends. The culprit behind the drugging has the ability to alter the effects of the drug and causes the women to become crazed murdering lunatics towards their beloved husbands and then savagely kill themselves. The first murder is the town's sheriff. The council members give the job to Wes Holliday, the son of a wealthy businessman that owns a lot of property in the community, yet does not live there and Wes just happens to be in town when the murders begin. Highland Falls (the name of the community) was the wealthy Holliday family's summer home so Wes spent a lot of his growing up years there, so he was quite familiar with the town and its people. Although he has no knowledge or experience in law enforcement, he does a good job in solving the murders and catching the bad guy.

[Wanda Hartzenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a free download on Amazon. I started reading the book with little hope for the story. The title indicated that this might not be to my taste. But I try to give books a chance before simply discarding it. Am I glad I did that. The story is weird, and not at all what I would have guessed at in the beginning. It introduces Wes right from the beginning as a typical male if not a perfect specimen. He is after all cheating on his better half, his infatuation in the beginning got on my nerves, and he sounded more like a 14 year old girl with a TV crash than a man. Soon I learned why, and thought the author brilliant for being able to walk the fine line between irritation of a reader as well as engaging the reader and giving subtle clues as to the true intent of the story as well as the main characters action. I ended up really enjoying the book and although I thought the story impossibly busy and the story line extremely complicated I have to tip my hat to the author for pulling off the story to the end. I give this book an easy 5 * review. The end, the book in totality actually should serve to raise a few troubling questions.

[Tracy Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a bit of trouble getting in to this at first. It was slow and IMO it jumped around a bit. There were times when it felt like when you fast forward just a teeny bit too far in a movie or a TV show, you don't miss a lot but you miss just enough to leave you feeling a little lost. That's how I felt several times while reading this. Something would be said or would happen and it just came out of nowhere, like I had blinked or fast forwarded and missed something. It was hard to get in to but I pushed myself to not give up because when I voiced my opinion in a couple of Kindle groups I was told that the author is really good and that I wouldn't be disappointed. I am glad I did push through the first several chapters because it was a good story over all, a little predictable and a bit unbelievable but not a bad story. The ending was a little abrupt and again, I felt like I had fast forwarded just a little too far and missed something because of how it ended, but with how the book was I am not surprised that it ended like it did.

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an ok book. It starts off with the local sheriff being killed and Wes being appointed sheriff. He only takes the job because he is promised a weeks vacation for him and his girlfriend Leah. Wes has no knowledge of how to be sheriff. He is just going off of what doc tells him to do and others, he kind of bumbles through the job. He is too busy focusing on his sexy girlfriend Leah. As I said the book starts off with the murder of the sheriff and then his crazed wife is found in a shed at the ski lodge. Wes needs to figure out what is happening. Can’t say much more without giving the book away. I found the book focused a lot on lust and his girlfriends body parts. I got sick of that right away. However, it wasn’t bad to read. It was a new idea for a story, kinda far fetched, but an ok idea. I give this a 2.5 so I will give it 3 stars. It did keep me interested.

[T.L. Cooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Addicted to Love by C. J. West creates a world that seems euphoric except for one minor detail. The basic premise of this story made me squirm in my seat even while the main character sought to figure out the cause behind both the euphoria and the craziness that followed it. Oddly, this exploration of love through an artificial perfection reminded me that given a choice, I'd choose reality over perfection any day. We quickly learn that even bliss has consequences when threatened. West's writing made me question my own ideas about blissful love and captured my imagination even when I questioned why the characters didn't make the connections sooner than they did. But then I remembered that we often only see what we want to see, a condition of human nature West also conveyed quite well in Addicted to Love.

[Lori · Rating 2 out of 5]

Spoilers abound.

The 1.5 stars is because the original premise intrigued me - a town full of Stepfordy-couples. It was quickly obvious that the town was being drugged.

I got the creeps early on when Wes' girlfriend was irritated that he was solving a murder rather than boinking her. And that it was more impt for him to boink her nonstop than to get any rest when he was obviously exhausted.

It became predictable quickly, and I was even more creeped out at the thought of all the old me. drugging these young women to fall in love with them.

The end is so awful, when the maon couple doesn't have enough faith in their love that they keep the drug and continue using it for their *cough* HEA.

So many bad messages here. Just ick.

[Brinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was different. The description pretty much sums it up. Something seems off in this town, which is why this book moved to the top of my to-read list when I found it free on Amazon. I wanted to find out what was going on. The plot is compelling enough to make you want to keep reading to find out. Poor Wes was so confused for most of the book, I felt bad for him. I was a bit surprised by the ending. It was worth a read. I will check out other books by this author.

[WiLoveBooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was different. The description pretty much sums it up. Something seems off in this town, which is why this book moved to the top of my to-read list when I found it free on Amazon. I wanted to find out what was going on. The plot is compelling enough to make you want to keep reading to find out. Poor Wes was so confused for most of the book, I felt bad for him. I was a bit surprised by the ending. It was worth a read. I will check out other books by this author.

[Carmen DeSousa · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enjoyable and original mystery

The story had no problem pulling me in as others complained. The kissing was almost too much at the beginning and had me wondering what type of book I picked up, but then suddenly there's a murder and the suspects are systematically introduced. There was no information dump; Mr. West revealed all the background at the timeframe he chose.

Original concept and the mystery kept you reading.

[Kim Bondy · Rating 2 out of 5]

If I could give 2 1/2 stars that would be a good spot to start. I liked the mystery storyline but some of the other elements of the story were pretty over the top. Too much of the story was spent on the obsessive love! I also did not care for how the story wrapped up. If paying for the book, don't waste your money.

[Randy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! Another page turner by CJ West. CJ pulls you right into a story and makes you feel like you are there. This was an amazing tale that took my mind down many paths in trying to solve while reading. And then the surprise ending to boot! Keep them coming CJ!

[Ron Zachgo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Human nature and many problems on this earth are brought to light in this book. The town leaders were aware of the manipulation of human feelings but went along with it because it felt good. The “Hero” wasn’t willing to chance life without the same manipulation he denied everyone else.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I have read 4 of Mr. West's books, this one was not one of my favorites. I didn't like the entire concept of the book (could be my past job), I do like his books and am in the process of reading them all. And yes I finished it:)

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you cannot suspend your disbelief, and I mean wrestle it to complete submission, bind and gag it and lock it in a dark room for the duration of reading this book, don't bother. It's really stupid.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had my attention from the opening pages... the story then went somewhat crazy, but something kept me turning the pages. It's different from what I normally prefer, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

[Bam cooks the books · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting storyline; the pace quickens as the ending draws near. I can see this as a made for tv movie.

[Heidi R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

C.J. West's Addicted to Love is a great story that slowly builds until you can't put it down. I enjoyed reading it and look forward to reading more stories by C.J. West.

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an interesting story. I like books that have me trying to figure out the whodunit, I will admit the ending left something to be desired.

[Jen Deutsch · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little unbelievable and did not like the ending...but for the most part an "addicting" (ha ha) read.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute and predictable.

[Marybeth Kobland · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did not like this book, don't know how to describe it. Just wasn't one for me.