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The Haven Brothers #1

Obsession Falls

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Listening time: 9 hours, 38 minutes

He’ll risk it all to protect her.

Someone is stalking Audrey Young. And she has no idea why.

It’s bad enough that she’s back in Tilikum. But Audrey’s good at making the best of things and her new job at the small-town newspaper is just a way to get back on her feet.

Complicating matters is her landlord and new neighbor, Josiah Haven.

She doesn’t usually go for the big, surly lumberjack type. But there’s something about that broody man. He intimidates her a little, but she kind of likes it.

She could totally handle the mess that is her life, except the strange feeling of being watched is just the beginning. Next thing Audrey knows, she’s a target, and she doesn’t know who’s behind it, or why.

For Josiah Haven, none of that makes her his problem.

She’s just the girl next door. Fine, the frustratingly hot girl next door. But Audrey is all sunshine and her goofy dog isn’t any better. Josiah is too stoic. Too solitary. Too guarded. He doesn’t need a woman in his life, especially one who threatens to crack his heart wide open.

But Josiah is a protector and he can’t let Audrey’s troubles go unanswered, even if he has to risk everything—his life and his heart—to keep her safe.

Author’s Note : a grumpy loner meets his match in a sunshiney dog lover who’s a little down on her luck. And once he falls, he falls HARD. It’s small-town romantic suspense with CK’s signature humor, endearing characters, and heartwarming happily ever after.

Obsession Falls can be read as a stand-alone.

10 pages, Audible Audio

First published October 12, 2023

12895 people are currently reading
20003 people want to read

About the author

Claire Kingsley

81 books12.3k followers
Claire Kingsley is a USA Today and #1 Amazon bestselling author of sexy, heartfelt contemporary romance, romantic comedies, and small-town romantic suspense. She writes sassy, quirky heroines, swoony heroes who love their women hard, romantic happily ever afters, and all the big feels.

Add Claire's next releases to your TBR today:
Captivation Creek (The Haven Brothers, #5) by Claire Kingsley Haven Brothers Book 6 by Claire Kingsley

NOW AVAILABLE ON AUDIO:
Protecting You (Bailey Brothers, #1) by Claire Kingsley Fighting for Us (Bailey Brothers, #2) by Claire Kingsley Unraveling Him (The Bailey Brothers #3) by Claire Kingsley Rushing In (Bailey Brothers, #4) by Claire Kingsley Chasing Her Fire (Bailey Brothers, #5) by Claire Kingsley Rewriting the Stars (Bailey Brothers, #6) by Claire Kingsley

Obsession Falls (Haven Brothers, #1) by Claire Kingsley Storms and Secrets (Haven Brothers, #2) by Claire Kingsley Temptation Trails (The Haven Brothers #3) by Claire Kingsley Whispers and Wildfire (The Haven Brothers #4) by Claire Kingsley

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5 stars
10,585 (36%)
4 stars
10,518 (36%)
3 stars
6,371 (21%)
2 stars
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1 star
339 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,967 reviews
Profile Image for Lilyya ♡.
653 reviews3,726 followers
October 5, 2023
4.5 stars

"I’m a simple man, Audrey. I just need one thing from you.”
“what’s that?”
“just love me.”


the book’s skeleton was your classic small town romance filled with a soupçon of suspense and a perfect dose of family drama. going back to Tilikum was both invigorating without it being suffocated by the centenary-feud and felt nostalgic to reconnect with the Bailey family and observe the evolution of their bond and camaraderie with the Haven family.

"nice girls didn’t belong with assholes like me. she was blue sky and sunshine, plucky optimism and happiness. I was a stoic cloud of pessimism and surliness."


the female main character, Audrey was new in town and ended up ranting a house from Josiah; the male protagonist. the romance was enhanced by the GrumpyxSunshine trope, but I appreciated the way it didn't feel overdone while reading. the two of them built naturally and steadily their friendship that thrived later on into a beautiful and healthy relationship. i absolutely adore when characters are depicted through realistic flaws and a typical day-to-day basis. and more importantly, when adults are portrayed as adults, gifted with good communication skills and do not exhibit childlike behavior or inner monologues. Josiah and Audrey were the perfect pair, complementing each other in every way and embodying the opposites attract with their undeniable chemistry.

"you’re safe with me. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”


the suspense facet was superbly crafted with a stalker-obsession arc and a few glimpses into the stalker’s mind, derived from diary-pages that were infused throughout the book and between chapters. even if all the indices sprinkled in the storyline converged to a clear and easily deduced culprit. in my head, i had another perfect perpetrator of the crime cemented with a plausible motive. I was certain that I had solved the mastery that was orbiting around the succession of morbid events that were falling on Audrey. of course, i had it all wrong and none of them was the actual culprit.

all in all, it was an enjoyable and addicting read. can’t wait to return to Tilikum with a new Haven brother and hopefully another entertaining mystery plot and a lot of squirrels !!
~•~
many thanks to the author for providing an arc in exchange of an honest review.
———
i got the arc and it’s one of my most anticipated reads of the year🥳 so yay, dropping everything to read it !!
Profile Image for Dora Koutsoukou .
2,252 reviews718 followers
October 27, 2023
Part 1

2 🤔🙄⭐️s

Nice characters but their connection and chemistry were lacking, while the story felt flat.
The revelation of the villain in the story was a great miss for me. Out of place, just for the shock value… 🙄
Profile Image for Becca Evelyn.
265 reviews271 followers
October 13, 2023
I was so excited to be back in Tilikum- anyone who knows me knows how much I LOVED Bailey brothers, beginning to end! The nostalgia was so real- I liked seeing some from Asher and a bit of Anika, the squirrels, a cameo by Harvey, and places we are familiar with.
This story was sweet, with a touch of suspense, and little bits of humor. Josiah was your typical grumpy MC in flannel and Audrey was a funny, sweet FMC with the cutest pup around.

I have to be honest though- the book did not live up to a lot of my expectations, which was sad for me as a reader.
It for sure wasn’t a spicy book. This was not what I had come to know from this author in regards to spice- I would consider this a fade to black book or if you don’t like that term- then just a zero spice book, which truly was so disappointing knowing what this author is capable of, and being told it was the same feels of Bailey brothers, including spice. It upsets me that this author was not honest with her readers at all.
I also was bummed to not have any mystery or storyline brought up that will prove to be carried out through the series - like we had with Miles Family and Bailey Brothers. I also wish we had had more from the family itself- I don’t feel like we got a lot of them or their relationships. And there seemed to missing the depth and emotion for the characters I know Claire can do - both Josiah and Audrey felt a bit flat for me overall.
Bummed this wasn’t to the level of this authors past series.
Profile Image for Lori ◡̈.
1,155 reviews
October 23, 2024
So so disappointed!!! This story had so much cute going for it, until 50% and it became obvious it is a non-spicy fade to black kind of love story. 😩

The humor was great, very relatable witty banter, the heroine was perfect (sunshine, yet not annoying), the hero was a flannel-wearing stoic fellow, cute storyline, funerals for squirrels, a cute dog, well written….

Several little red flags popped up, which made me think “oh what a missed opportunity to add some cute sexual tension, etc”.

🚩The bathtub scene? The author had bragged about it on Instagram, it sounded cute and grabbed my attention. When I actually read the scene, I thought I had skipped a page or something, thinking, “that’s it/that’s all?!”. Such a let down. It was basically a bunch of nothing.

🚩Another missed opportunity, when the hero gives the heroine a piggy-back ride down the huge hillside (she was limping). I’m pretty sure that was their first physical contact with each other. He is holding on to her legs, she holding onto him from his back….. nothing was written about how they thought or felt about the situation. It was completely glossed over as if it was a nothing moment. 🤯

🚩THEN! When the hero kisses the heroine for the first time… it was so underwhelming. Left me cold and confused as if I missed a few paragraphs or something. From that point on, they are immediately super comfy with each other and kiss like an old married couple of 25 years. No great passion, just obligatory ‘have a nice day at work, honey’ type of kiss.

🚩Because of the Big Mystery, they must start sleeping at each others houses, so that the heroine isn’t left alone. Forced proximity… a great way to build sexual chemistry. Nope. First night of sharing a bed, they fall asleep hugging each other and wake up with the dog btwn them. Second night, they say good night, then the suns already up. Nothing written about their feelings of sharing a bed with their hot crush, etc. Nothing!

🚩But wait guys, the third night is The Big Night!!! Our no-longer-grumpy hero comes home from work, kisses the heroine, and says “bedroom?”. Breathlessly she says “yes”. He deals with the condom efficiently, the end. I swear it was an unemotional, steam-free 1-2 paragraph long event of their first sexual encounter.

I’m not complaining because I want erotica or anything, but this was like Hallmark channel stuff. This was more of a mystery than romance actually… 😒

I’m just very disappointed because this could have been a 4/5-star book for me if there had been any indication of how they were feeling, any chemistry, anything.
Profile Image for kimberly ☆.
373 reviews5,395 followers
January 24, 2024
3.75 stars!!

i would given in 4 but the dog was soooooo
Profile Image for Katie Beasley.
694 reviews86 followers
September 19, 2024
I have an inconsistent relationship with Claire Kingsley. They just don't hit the same way every time, so I keep going back. This was a solid 3.5 for me. I just had a hard time connecting with the characters. I felt like Josiah was a little TOO grumpy for me. Like seemed uninterested and borderline rude grumpy. I don't feel like their chemistry was where it could have been which contributed to the my rating as well. I was intrigued by the suspense element. I found myself pushing through this one pretty fast because I wanted to know what was going to happen. I also enjoyed the side characters and will try book 2 to see if it gets any better.

Audrey is at a low. She has decided to move back home after being laid off from work. She immediately realizes that living with her mom is not sustainable so looks around for something else. She finds something that is super cute and within her budget. The challenge- the next-door neighbor who looks like a hot lumberjack and oh right walked in on her taking a bath! He is giving her all of the mixed signals- hot then cold. She can't make sense of it but then she has other things to focus on. Like her new job. The fact that her ex is showing up again. And now there are weird things happening. Scary things. Dead animals. Blood on her door kind of things. Who could be doing this to her? She has no one to turn to until Josiah makes his move. And now they are exploring each other. She finds herself falling hard and wondering if she could see herself here long term. But will they be able to figure out who is behind all of this first? Will it be too late?

Josiah is fine where he is. He is flipping houses with his dad. He doesn't have time for relationship. He tried that and when he thought they were on the same page, they just weren't. So he is closed off. Looks for casual if that. Until Audrey. The mysterious beauty who has moved in next door to him. The one who he saw naked by accident and can't stop thinking about. The one who is the literal sunshine to his rainy day. The one who he keeps trying to hold at bay until he can't fight his feelings anymore. Now he finds himself all in and wanting to protect her. Who could be doing all of these things to her? Who has it out that bad for her? He thinks its on person but it turns out to be someone nobody thought of. Will he be too late? Are they on the same page with what they want?

As always, I did enjoy watching our grump unravel for his leading lady. It was kind of especially special with Josiah because of how grumpy he was. Again though he was borderline too grumpy for me. I did like the surrounding characters and the setting and of course the squirrels LOL. I am going to jump into book 2 soon to see if I want to keep going. Anyone read the Bailey brothers? They were mentioned in this one, and I am on the fence about trying it out. Let me know :)
Profile Image for GigiReads.
717 reviews220 followers
June 25, 2024
DNF 55%
Excellent set up but ended up being a super generic story with zero chemistry between the leads. So many boring events with random people- like the heroine getting her hair done. Also the dog is like the main character. I've never read a book that devoted so much space to a dog going potty and doing dog things 😴 I also found out this closed door so nope not wasting any more of my time.
Profile Image for Natalie.
251 reviews2 followers
August 9, 2023
I’m so excited!!! I just finished devouring the baileys brothers. I hope Ginny and Penelope make it with one of the brothers!! And I’m excited to see who Luke ends up with. Also I hope the pranks continues
Profile Image for Grecia Robles.
1,696 reviews466 followers
January 26, 2024
Small Town Romance
GrumpyxSunshine
Suspense
Forced proximity

A lo largo de la serie de los hermanos Bailey vemos la rivalidad con los Haven y que en el último libro se resuelve.
Estaba segura que Claire le haría serie a estos hermanos y aquí estamos SO EXCITED.

Audrey Young ha perdido su trabajo y tras meses de desempleo consigue uno de reportera en el periódico de Tilikum, no es su trabajo ideal y lo ve como algo temporal porque no estaba en sus planes volver a su pueblo natal, pero uno propone y Dios dispone.

Su nuevo arrendatario y vecino es Josiah Haven un hombre sexy gruñón que le da miedo pero también se siente atraída por él.

Josiah no quiere tener nada que ver con su vecina y menos por la atracción que siente por ella, sabe que se va a ir y no está dispuesto a arriesgarse a que lo dejen otra vez, pero ella tiene un acosador que cada vez se vuelve más peligroso y su lado protector se hace cargo.

Mientras lidean con descubrir al acosador, se van acercando más hasta que no tienen más remedio que sucumbir a su atracción y sus sentimiento.

Me gustó mucho es un libro bastante lindo, amé a los protagonistas, tiene todo el vibe de pueblo pequeño.

El suspenso también me tenía con la intriga y nunca me imaginé quien resultó ser el stalker.

Muero por leer el siguente libro.
Profile Image for sil ♡ the book voyagers.
1,360 reviews3,191 followers
March 20, 2024
I'm always game for a grumpy x sunshine small-town romance and Claire Kingsley really delivered on this. I think I've never read anything by her but I do have some of her books in my TBR. Except I didn't know about this one in particular. I actually saw I think Crystal post the sequel in her Instagram. After posting about it on Twitter, some followers let me know this was actually a series, so I went and read the synopsis of book one, aka this one, and it sounded like my kind of book as well. SO HERE I AM.

Obsession Falls is a romantic suspense novel set in a small town featuring a woman who is new in town and the grumpy, stoic loner who is remodeling the home next door to hers. Even though Josiah knows he doesn't want to ever fall in love again, he can't help but do it when it comes to Audrey. He wants to not get close to her but circumstances make it that he's always there, and now he wants to always protect her.

The suspense part comes in the form of someone stalking Audrey. It's scary but it also creates moments where our two protagonists have to spend time together, right? Basically Josiah starts living with her so he doesn't worry and she's not scared sleeping on her own, and let me tell you- my heart went crazy about this!!! Josiah is that kind of stoic, serious, not a man of many words type of dude, yeah? But with Audrey, he draws near and he can't help but smile and talk to her and be there for her. It's so cute to see, I'm sorry <3

I'm excited to read the next one! "It's always been you" trope, you will always be iconic °❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:・
Profile Image for Jenn (The Book Refuge).
2,668 reviews4,490 followers
October 11, 2023
So great to be back in Tillikum!

The squirrels and the sweet family vibes are back in full force. This time with a dash of mystery and stalking...

Return this time with Haven Brother, Josiah. He becomes the landlord and next door neighbor to Audrey, who is back in town after years away. She needs a place to stay and takes up a vacancy in one of his rental homes, site unseen. If she had known she'd be living right next door to this broody hunk of a man, she might have taken herself and her doggy somewhere else.

But as the friendship and more grows between them.. there's someone lurking in the shadows. Stalking and waiting for their chance to get back at Audrey. Josiah is determined to not let anything get to her, but when he doesn't know who to even protect her from... that's when it gets sticky.

This was a slow-build, low steam, and lovely romance. It was so good to back with characters we love, sans the feud this time! The hero falls hard and there is plenty of sweetness and humor to go around.

I was lucky enough to listen to the audio book for this one and I highly recommend that as your medium of choice. I've read all my CK's books that way and I plan to continue to do so.

4 stars
1.5 on the spice scale

CW: harm to squirrels, violence and stalking (not the sexy kind)
Profile Image for Jo Bennesch.
374 reviews34 followers
October 17, 2024
Obsession Falls de Claire Kinsley

3/3⭐️
2.5/5🌶

♥️Después de leer la serie de los hermanos Bailey obviamente fui a buscar las historias de sus archienemigos: los Heaven. Pero, para mi, al menosceste primer libro no me convenció del todo. No es necesariamente malo, pero se adentra en un género que la autora no maneja bien: el suspense romántico.

♥️El romance estuvo bien, normalito, chica que se fue a la gran ciudad regresa, (en este caso ella es de un pueblo vecino), chico gruñon con problemas de abandono. El es su casero. Chocan, se atraen.... lo habitual.

♥️Hay una trama de acoso hacia ella, alguien le deja "mensajes" y amenazas, un par de secretos familiares y alguna cosa más. La resolución deceste conflicto me pareció patetica y muy ridícula. La autora pretende "engañarnos" con un gran plot twist y, no lo logra.

♥️Me faltó todo lo que tiene la otra serie: las dinámicas de small town, los habitantes de Tilikum, la familia. Muy poco hay de todo eso.

♥️Si como yo la curiosidad por las historias de los hermanos Heaven te pueden, adelante. Si buscas algo similar a los Bailey no lo vas a encontrar.

♥️El libro no es malo, pero es diferente a lo que escribe esta autora. Después de haber leído los libros de suspense de Nora Roberts o Julie Garwood, este parece mediocre.
Profile Image for Christi (christireadsalot).
2,794 reviews1,438 followers
October 16, 2023
Obsession Falls is the first book in a new series by Claire Kingsley and this one really was a really good start to the series. I will say the first half I was more invested in than the last half of the book, but I am still intrigued for the rest of the series. This is a small town, grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity romance with romantic suspense!

Audrey has recently moved back to her hometown of Tilikum when the story starts. And starts her job at the local newspaper and finds herself quickly needing her own place for her and her dog after living with her mom doesn’t go so well. She rents one of the Haven properties and is about to get in the bath when her burly, grumpy landlord, Josiah Haven, bursts in on her accidentally. Very quickly they find themselves pulled to one another and when she starts receiving threats, he becomes very protective and starts staying with her.

I liked Josiah and how grumpy, but sweet and protective he is towards Audrey and even her dog Max. I haven’t super loved some of the recent books I’ve read from this author, so this one was a nice surprise that I did enjoy.
Profile Image for Sneha.
152 reviews45 followers
October 23, 2023
This book is cute, sweet. Grumpy and sunshine is one of my top favorite trope🥰 and with small town romance 💕 no one can beat that. This book is like that. I need second book ASAP .

WELL!
4
Profile Image for Jen ♥.
1,751 reviews966 followers
October 16, 2023
3.5 ⭐

MCs:
- Josiah, 38
- Audrey, 35

Book info:
- Small town romance
- Grumpy / Sunshine
- Landlord / Tenant
- Forced proximity
- Stalking
- Suspense
- No cheating, opd, third act breakup
- HEA
- Bonus epilogue

Note:
- OWD. Not really, but Josiah's aunt who was matchmaking him since forever sent a woman on his way. She asked him to drive home this ow, he didn't want to but he doesn't want to be rude, so he agreed. But the ow is interested in him, so she made a move to get close by swiping his aunt's lipstick on his cheek, making them really close like chest to chest. And Audrey saw this and got annoyed (tbf, nothing still happens between them at this point, they're friends at best) He drove the ow then he went back to Audrey's house to explain the situation. Ow didn't appear after this.


"Thankfully, a ray of sunshine had burst into my life. And nothing would ever be the same."

After getting laid off from her job in the city, Audrey moved back to her town and found a job in Tilikum (neighboring town) She also found a rental apartment owned by Josiah. They're not neighbors but he has a house renovation project close to Audrey's apartment, so they see each other almost every day. Nothing really happened within the 40% of the book. They interact but it was more like civil and they're polite with one another, I would consider them as friends though.

But then weird things starts to happen around Audrey. Like a dead squirrel left in her front porch, her car being dented, receiving silent phone calls, and finding the word "bitch" painted in blood at her door. So Josiah took it upon himself to get down to these incidents and to protect Audrey.

Story wise it was engaging and it had me wondering until the end who was her stalker. The curiosity never left my mind and I keep racking my brain of who could be the possible culprit. My guess was wrong and I didn't even expect the actual stalker. So for the suspense, this is a really good one.

As for the romance, idk, maybe it's a me problem but I didn't feel any tension or off the charts chemistry between these two at the beginning, even up to 41%. Them being together all of sudden doesn't make sense to me. I guess it comes with their age too and that they already know what they want, so that's why taking things slow was probably no longer in the equation. They kissed one night because of jealousy then the next day their status moved to dating immediately. Like I said fast, they said they don't want to like each other but they can't help themselves. So instead of denying it, they finally decide to embrace their attraction.

After they became a couple, the succeeding chapters were all about their daily lives. The mundane things they do together and how they interact with the other town locals. Of course the threats from the stalker didn't stop and they had to take more precaution every time and have to be alert in case something amiss happens. Although these scenes might seem uninteresting, I actually found myself enjoying them. I liked reading the simplicity of their life together and it was heartwarming and satisfying.

As for the suspense part, it was kind of nerve wracking. I pity the guy but also felt sad for him. He let his anger ruled him when he could've just move on with his life and do something that he loves. It was unfortunate, what happened to his character and I honestly hoped a different ending for him. But it is what it is, and there's nothing I can do about it.

Overall, I liked most of it but I struggled with the first half hence the 3.5 ⭐ But this isn't a bad book and the story was really intriguing. It's a me case obviously, and other readers might feel differently after reading Josiah and Audrey's story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Victoria Franklin.
186 reviews34 followers
July 4, 2025
4.5⭐️
Found a new fav author!! Romance suspense that will have you wanting to read faster!

Audrey comes back to her hometown after getting laid off from her job. She unfortunately has to move in with her mother for a short period of time. Her mother is all about appearance since her husband was a politician. Even though he passed away she still has to make sure she has the picture perfect life.

Josiah is a quiet mountain man that isn’t a people person. He had his heartbroken years ago after his girlfriend not only turned down a proposal but left him for a job opportunity. He feels it’s safer to be alone. He remodels homes and rents them out. Incomes Audrey his new tenant! Their meet cute was absolutely hilarious!

Audrey learns quickly that she is being watched. Strange incidents are happening at her house and they get more and more disturbing as time goes on. Josiah will protect her at all costs! But who is stalker her and why?

I had a list of suspects! I couldn’t nail down a #1 spot. The stalker was on my list but how she hit us with the plot twist of “who” he is I was shook! Did NOT see that coming!

If you love romance suspense immediately add to you TBR!


“I’m a simple man, Audrey. I just need one thing from you.”

“”What’s that?”

“Just love me.”

😭😭😭😭

💙Small Town
💙Grumply/Sunshine
💙Stalker
💙Protective MMC
💙Suspense
Profile Image for Paloma FC (in my reading era).
331 reviews60 followers
April 9, 2025
4 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐️
1.5 / 5 🌶️
Spicy chapters: 19, 24

First Person POV 🙌🏻

Josiah (MMC) and Audrey (FMC)

Pros:
There is a lot of heart, humor, and wonderful storytelling in Obsession Falls ❤️

I absolutely adored the cameos from the Bailey Brothers (I've missed them so much!!) and their families, as well as the other Heaven's brothers. Also, the small town vibes, the squirrels, etc. made this a wonderful read.

Grumpy / Sunshine dynamic (if you like this trope)


Cons:
100% Insta-love. Audrey takes the initiative to kiss Josiah. There's no pining or angst,as they are immediately attracted to each other.

The spicy 🌶 scenes are very mild, vanilla, and not very explicit.

The MMC repeats, "Audrey isn't my porblem," sooo many times at the beginning of the story, that it got quite repetitive (he was in denial about his feelings towards her). She literally had a scary stalker, yet he didn't want to get involved. Until he did.

I found it rather meh that the reason why Josiah didn't want to fall for Audrey is that he got hurt in the past when he was about to ask his ex girlfriend to marry him, but she left him right before he did. And we are meant to believe that he's been single (and perhaps even celibate) for 5 years because of that?...

Audrey felt to me quite two dimensional. I understand that she was living in another city before moving back to her childhood town after she got a job, but why doesn't Audrey have any friends, or at least a BFF? Especially when she's so extroverted, friendly, and kind...


Overall, it's an entertaining story with lots of heart, humor, and a mystery that kept me glued to this book. However, I don't think that this is CK's best work.

Happy reading! 📚
Profile Image for Sandy (Sandy.Reads).
901 reviews491 followers
August 11, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 Stars

I love a good suspense romance, and Obsession Falls delivered the perfect balance of mystery and swoon. I am also a sucker for a grumpy sunshine dynamic, and Josiah is the grumpiest of grumps. Side note, he totally has a reason to be, but I adore him either way. Audrey’s bubbly, sweet nature against his broody demeanor made their opposites attract chemistry so much fun to read.

The pacing did drag a bit in places, and I found myself wishing the plot moved along faster. That said, watching Audrey and Josiah’s relationship slowly build was still incredibly satisfying. I especially loved the alternating POV, with the occasional chapter from the stalker’s perspective. Those parts were chilling in the best way.

There were also several clever red herrings that kept me guessing. I did figure out who the stalker was, but not for the reasons I thought, which was such a fun twist. Overall, this was a great start to a small-town romantic suspense series, and I will definitely be grabbing the next book on Kindle Unlimited.
Profile Image for Sarah.
1,907 reviews1,365 followers
March 30, 2024
Audiobook

It was okay. Nothing bad, nothing to make me die to pick it back up a read it.

I will say, while it wasn’t closed door, I did expect more steam just based on the things I have heard others say about her writing.

However, the suspense plot line just didn’t feel super suspenseful and was resolved pretty quickly. Like, I felt as if we were just told vs. something happening to reveal it.

Profile Image for CassDamm.
676 reviews95 followers
November 11, 2023
4.5 ✨

“A small town romance”

??? That was a surprise thriller.

Like wtf 😂 why is she saying that’s a small town romance??
Are they in a small town? Yes. Is there a romance, yes. But that’s a thriller.

It was super good, lots of twists. And I definitely was wrong about who the crazy stalker was… twice.
Profile Image for Sarah.
785 reviews43 followers
January 5, 2025
I love romantic suspense & I’d consider this one suspense lite. Sure it has a stalker creeping on the FMC but it didn’t feel too heavy which I loved. Small town, forced proximity, friends to lovers & a super sweet dog & the audio is great!
Profile Image for hayley.
307 reviews3 followers
Want to read
September 4, 2022
OH I AM SO EXCITED FOR THIS SERIES, GIVE IT TO ME NOW
Profile Image for Alexandra.
579 reviews1,082 followers
October 12, 2023
4.25/5⭐️

I am so excited to be back in Tilikum with the Haven boys! we got our first glimpse of the Haven boys in the Bailey Brother series and I have always been intrigued by them. No, you do not have to read the Bailey Brother series first to read this one but if you want to get a better understanding of the small town and the dynamics then you totally should!

Josiah and Audrey are very much sunshine and grumpy! Audrey moves into town and ends up being Josiah’s tenant/neighbor. off the bat there is chemistry even though josiah is very resistant to it. it becomes very clear that Audrey has a stalker and Josiah becomes very protective of her and basically becomes her shadow!

if you love small town romances with suspense you must read this. i would say that it felt like i was home again when reading this and felt like such a huge comfort read. the spice is low in this but still had a lot of good tension and steam.

ps. i read this on audio and HIGHLY recommend if you love Connor and Ava! the narration was PERFECTION.

pps. audrey has an adorable dog and he is definitely safe throughout the entire book🫡

thank you for ALC!
Profile Image for Kim.
1,636 reviews23 followers
October 19, 2023
Unfortunately I didn't like this book very much. It was a much anticipated read for me, however the entire thing fell flat. I didn't really feel any chemistry between the main characters and there was essentially no spice to this book at all. The suspense aspect was ok, but felt a little amateurish. We were told a lot more than we were shown and that made connecting to the characters and the story even harder. 

I loved the Bailey Brothers series, but this one felt like a completely different author, writing style, and voice. I'm hopeful that the next book in this series will work better for me.
Profile Image for Jonna.
87 reviews
January 10, 2024
Considering all the great reviews I had read before I started this book I’m utterly disappointed. The book fell very flat, and the stalker aspect felt a bit amateur-ish. I stuck out until the end because I wanted to know if I was right, but if the book hadn’t had that small intrigue I would have DNF’d it really freaking fast. The chemistry between the characters felt awkward, sort of like two 15-year olds falling in love instantly. I didn’t like it and I’m very disappointed.
Profile Image for Lover of Romance.
3,712 reviews1,122 followers
March 10, 2024
Obsession Falls is the first book in the "Haven Brothers" series. I really enjoyed this book and I do recommend the audiobook if you can get access to it. I was very intrigued with this one, and as this is a new to me author, I did put this one off a bit more than I normally would have liked. I just wasn't in the right frame of mind to truly enjoy it. This was also part of my 2024 Romanceopoly choice for the week.

Obsession Falls is a romantic suspense of sorts. It deals with a stalker and the mystery of who is behind it. We also have a sweet romance that develops between our characters. It hard knowing what you will get into with a grumpy sunshine romance but this author really delivered on this one here. I found their story to be such a solid one. We see the way in which they connect to one another. I didn't have any issues with either character although the heroine could be a bit naive. The romance was low angst which I wasn't expecting it. I do see the appeal of this author though and I am curious to see what the author will be delivering with this series.

The plot of the story was fascinating. I always seem to enjoy a stalker theme to the villain and for the most part the identity of the villain was kept quiet at least until the third act. I did enjoy seeing the way that the plot was developed here. I do think there could have been a bit better focus on the suspense at times as it seemed to fade into the background a bit more than I would have liked it to be.

Overall I enjoyed Obsession Falls and it was such a solid read that delivered great edgy feels and some powerful chemistry. A great small town gem.
Profile Image for Romancing the Reader.
1,252 reviews521 followers
October 20, 2023
Not my favorite, but still excited for the series…

I jump at every Claire Kingsley book that comes out - and while this one wasn't my favorite, I am definitely continuing the series.

📔 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗼: Obsession Falls by Claire Kingsley, the first in her new Haven Brothers series.

📚𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲: Romantic suspense, grumpy/sunshine, small town romance, touch her and die.

📖 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗼𝗽𝘀𝗶𝘀: Josiah Haven has been burned in the past, so he's pretty much keeping to himself nowadays. But that's before he meets Aubrey, who moves in to one of his rental properties and immediately gets his attention. But Aubrey's got a stalker, and she's only in Tilikum short term, so he knows he shouldn't get attached.

🌟 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄: Claire Kingsley is the queen (at least to me) of character series. I've read her entire backlist, and I am so ready to devour this new Haven brothers series.

The first book, though, landed a bit flat. It wasn't bad by any means, but it just wasn't well balanced. The suspense and small town aspects overtook the romance. There wasn't the CK signature spice I am used to - and quote often. The suspense portion ended in a little bit of a cheesy way.

It wasn't a bad read - I still got through it in less than a day. It was nice to go back to Tilikum and see the cameos of my favorite couples. I just wasn't entirely pumped when I put it down. And that's ok - sometimes you just run into a dud. But as I've said, I am still very much going to continue this series. There sure are a lot of Haven brothers to love.

𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 3/5 ⭐⭐⭐

𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 2.5/5 🌶🌶

🆓️ on KU
2,694 reviews25 followers
October 7, 2023
5*+
Wow what a fantastic start to the Haven family.
Josiah has been busy working on his newest renovation project when he meets Audrey his new tenant.
Audrey has returned home after finding a job at the local paper.
When unexplained things start happening towards her Josiah becomes very protective.
This book draws you straight in and I found I couldn't put it down.
Profile Image for Adele Elliott.
170 reviews2 followers
October 12, 2023
Fantastic!!! This book had me gripped from start to finish, loved getting more insight to the haven family. Josiah is the dark brooding type and what a great character he is, Audrey is bubbly as hell but as they say opposites attract and these two are perfect together. The question on who the stalker is really keeps you guessing right until the very end. Really can’t wait for the next book
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