Obsession

by Harleigh Beck

Savannah
Imagine my surprise when the chance to interview the country’s most notorious man on death row lands on my table. His final confession. It’s too good of an opportunity to turn down.
Robbie Hammond is old enough to be my father, a man condemned for the murder of at least fourteen women. He is dangerous, deadly. Intense in ways I can’t explain. Yet, despite the red flags, his magnetism draws me to him. I’m powerless to fight it.

Robbie
Not everything is as it appears. The moment Savannah set foot in here, she shivered like a leaf in the wind, barely able to hold eye contact without a blush creeping up her neck.
I can’t take my eyes off her. It’s no mistake she’s here, watching me from across the table.
There's a reason I only agreed to talk to Savannah Campbell before they put me down—why it has to be her.
Beneath the quivering smile hides a darkness I recognize.
A darkness that sparks my interest.
But the question is: how deep does it run?

Authors note: Obsession is a very dark thriller romance. It contains graphic sexual scenes and graphic violence that may be disturbing to some readers.

Genres: Dark Romance, Dark, Romance, Thriller, Serial Killer, Horror, Spicy

440 pages, Paperback

Published March 23, 2024

Reviews

[nikki]

ETA: Adding this before more people can comment shit. First of all, I DNFed this book as soon as I realised that it has something that is a hard limit for me. I've read several serial killer romances up until now and they've all been killers who've killed BAD GUYS (emphasis on bad guys). Not innocent women. So of course, I stopped reading because it's a sensitive issue for me. I also listed my reasons why I didn't continue reading it. This review is for like minded readers and readers who have similar preferences as mine ONLY. Besides, why the fuck does my review bother you so much? If you liked the book and don't agree with my review, MOVE. THE. FUCK. ALONG.

DNF@7%
I don't have it in me to continue this book. I think I'm gonna be sick y'all fr. There's a difference between a dark romance and romanticising rape and killing innocent women. I went into this book thinking that he was a serial killer who only killed bad people (kinda like rowan from b&b). Turns out that he's a Ted Bundy type serial killer who kills innocent women/sexually assaults them because of his past trauma. While I empathise with him and feel for what he's been through because of his monster of a mother, it is NOT an excuse. Idc if y'all wanna come for me but I draw the line at killing innocent people/raping them for no fucking reason. I'm a true crime junkie and I've watched enough serial killer documentaries to know that this shit should not be romaticised ffs. Cause the FMC is literally giving Carole Ann Boone aka the woman who married Bundy and then divorced him after she found out that the he really killed all those women and he, in fact, was not innocent *gasp* If this would have been purely a psych thriller/horror, I would have finished it. But in no universe could I ever imagine a woman ending up with a man like that and believing that this supposed criminal has changed after more than a decade in prison. There's a reason why the death sentence still exists and why it was Robbie's punishment. This is like Hitched all over again jesus. Not for me. Here are some quotes that confirmed ny suspicion that Robbie Hammond was a rapist and a serial killer who enjoyed killing women:

“Hammond rapes and tortures his victims for hours, sometimes days, while they’re still alive. He subconsciously channels the suppressed rage and hatred that he feels toward his mother. It’s not a stretch of the imagination to assume that, somewhere along the line, it became a sexual perversion."

"I exit the photograph, skimming the article until I find what I’m looking for: the details of the killing. My stomach churns with unease, twisting and coiling as I imagine Robbie, covered in scratches and blood, carrying her lifeless body to the bathroom, where he proceeded to remove her head—a head that’s still missing."

‼️READ AT YOUR OWN RISK‼️

[afy · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was a spontaneous pick with no expectations, i just wanted to have a good time with a serial killer romance on Christmas. How bad this can be? Right??

Let’s start our ranting session, it has been so long since i’ve been in my sarcastic element. Gear up.

The ick number one mmc oops, Robbie Hammond was a predator (okay calm down! if by ‘predator’ you are thinking he’s like our beloved Tristan Caine, you need to consider it again. Nope, he defines the real life predators out here) who used to prey on innocent girls resembling fmc his mom, a serious case of mommy issues. In short, wanna be Ted Bundy.🥰

ick no 2: The age-gap? 23 freaking years? Are you kidding me?? Mind you, she was 22 and he was 45. When I read the prologue i assumed him being her father’s age was figuratively or exaggerated but that guy literally went to school with her dad?😃

Okay so as the age gap has given you a neon sign that the FMC, Savannah Campbell had too a serious case of daddy issues but not just some regular daddy issues, i’ll come back to it, lemme build up some suspense.😌✋

Now let’s get back to the point.

Seeing a notorious killer falling in love is a sight to behold (Grayson Sullivan, Rowan Kane, Lana Mayers, Felix Darcey, Vlad Kuznetsov, Thatcher Pierson, Marlowe Spencer-Astor, Christian Reeves...I see you🫦) but falling for a someone WHO TORTURED, MURDERED AND RAPED INNOCENT WOMEN, SOMETIMES FOR HOURS, SOMETIMES FOR DAYS?? that too in no particular order??

I am sorry my “i can fix him” complex was out of the window. I didn’t even find him attractive in the first place so falling in love with him was far fetched. Please die Robbie 🥺🙏

Like you want me to root for him?? And before any of you say i haven’t read TW, i did. I am all in for romanticising a serial killer(in fiction obviously) but romanticising a monster like him? NOPE. NEVER. NOT IN A MILLION YEARS.

ick no 3: Here the fmc on her first meeting with him started getting *flutters* in her core even after knowing his victims had the same description as hers 😂 how can we believe she is special and not different from his victims. I have read some very serious cases of “pick me girls” but this is nuts. No, i didn’t sign up for it. yuck eww thuuu

The main problem with me not vibing with this book was the FMC. I was only 12% in and she had fantasised about dying with his hands five times, i repeat FIVE FREAKING TIMES? I agree dark rom heroines lack self-preservation but this was next level.

―The writing? Mediocre. Repetitive. Wattpadish. All over the place.

―Character development? Nil. Superficial. If you don’t count the FMC’s “from fantasizing about fucking a serial killer to becoming a wannabe serial killer.”

―Chemistry? If you call it chemistry? Unrealistic. The whole infatuation between them was illogical to a fault.

―Dialogues? Cliché. Cheesy enough to make me puke my guts out. My eyes hurt from rolling them.

―The plot? The author “tried” to write a thrilling suspense but the end product was a boring & foreseeable storyline. I guessed every single twist.

● Robbie’s mom assaulting him since he was a teenager for years, and her being his first victim (I’m not gonna discuss semantics here) haww *pretends to be shocked*
●⁠ Savannah getting raped by her father and his friends when she was 5, yeah you read that right, FIVE YEAR OLD, I see that coming from the prologue in itself.
●⁠ Savannah finally killing her father? Knew that. Next
●⁠ Elliott being a bridge killer and her brother? OMG guys!! Our big baddie Savannah is so special, everyone wants her attention by killing innocent girls who look like her. Wow. Anyone with two braincells can guess that.
●⁠ Her trying to use reverse strategy in the end? Yeah it was dumb. Earlier our big oldie used to rape and kill women, now our big baddie Savannah fucks men and then murders them to get his attention. What was the police doing amidst this? I still couldn’t get the answers.

―Epilogue? Okay we all get lovey-dovey while reading the last chapter of a book, don’t we? So imagine a 50y oldie starting a family😮‍💨👯‍♀️

They should be locked up in jail and continue their tryst slash “lovestory” behind bars.

Written by a Ted Bundy fan for their fellow Ted Bundy fans.😇

IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER/HORROR INSTEAD OF DARK ROMANCE. This book should stay out of the romance genre.

P.s. Is it a coincidence I read this book while our so-called “GenZ Ted Bundy” Luigi Mangalore is being lusted over on social media?😪

Congratulate me guys for finishing my 8th serial killer book of 2024😝

Past 7 in the streak-
Brainwashed 4★
Darkly, Madly Duet 4★
The Blood We Crave 4.5★
Dysfunctional 2★
Of Ice and Villains 4★
Bloodshed 3★
Under Your Scars 3.5★

______________________


Leave it to me to read serial killer books on Christmas 😚👯‍♀️

[megan ◡̈ · Rating 5 out of 5]

i can fix him (no really i can)

[MadameD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivating!!

Obsession by Harleigh Beck is the book to read if you're looking for a really good, dark, gripping romance.
I loved everything about this story. I found the trauma of the main characters heartbreaking, which added depth to the suspense.
The plot captivated me and I loved the fact that I never knew what was going to happen.
I highly recommend it if you want to read a dark, brutal, disturbing, bloody and steamy romance.

[ForeverreadinG · Rating 1 out of 5]

Some “romance” authors shouldn’t write anything of their
✨book ideas✨ that pops in their heads and share it with the world to read because excuse me but wtf was this?

Ted bundy wanna be,
Like ew

The trauma the MMC went through doesn’t justify the innocent killing.

The FMC was truly and utterly pathetic

As a society we’re doomed 🤗

[Amber Lawyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I tell you that my neck hurts from the emotional whiplash of this book. Do not take it lightly. Harleigh, you’ve destroyed me. Pulled me apart at the seams and then taped me back together. I never wanted this book to end. It may be my favorite one ever. Pretty sure I say that about every book by this author but her writing is so twisty, and captivating and immersive. My mind runs a mile a minute trying to file every little detail away for later. So when the plot twist comes out of nowhere and scrambles my brain I am prepared. I however was not prepared for the utter betrayal I felt while reading this. I literally threw my phone across the room onto the couch and had to walk away. So… if you’re into that, then this obsessive duo is for you.

[ReneeReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are looking for a sweet & fluffy romance, please keep scrolling. This is a DARK romance with many triggers and not for the faint of heart. If you have checked triggers and this book still appeals to you, then I encourage you to give it a read. I really enjoyed this book despite it's subject matter. It was scandalous and sexy and unhinged. 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 because I'm in a killer mood :)

[The Book Villain · Rating 5 out of 5]

"My instincts are telling me to run toward danger."
"Your instincts are trying to kill you, Savannah."

✨ Overall Rating: 5/5
🔥 Spice Rating: 3/5
📈 Plot: 5/5
🖋️ Writing: 5/5
🗺️ World Building: 5/5
👤 Characters: 5/5
⚖️ Interpersonal Relationships: 5/5

Themes:
🖤 Romantic Thriller
🖤 Criminal/Morally Black MC's
🖤 Reporter and Prisoner
🖤 Stalking and Obsession
🖤 Severe Childhood Trauma

"I'm not drowning," I argue weakly.
"You've been drowning from the moment you set foot in here. I may be the one headed for the needle, but you're already dead."

A fantastic Romantic thriller written by Harleigh Beck. As with her other novels, you can expect lot's of plot twists and dark, dark, characters.

The characters are almost addicting and it's impossible not to become invested in their story. We are introduced to two characters who despite their positions in life, share a commonality in their upbringing, which thus affected their life choices.
These are characters whom, despite their actions in life, you can't help but root for them to have a HAE.

Morally grey is not a word in our dictionary. Black is our color. Black is our song. Black is his love note to me.

Please read TW’s before starting this book. Your mental health matters.

*I received an ARC and am leaving an honest and voluntary review*

[hannibal]

DNF @ 10%. Couldn’t be fucked with the plot, honestly. I can’t be bothered with any more men who take out their mommy issues on innocent women, and women who think these men are anything close to desirable in any way. Also as always, hate the graphic animal torture. I’d rather read about people being tortured. But that’s just me.

For the record, my coworker (both funeral industry workers) also DNF’d this at 10%. Take it for what it’s worth.

[Erika Braga · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t want to hear. You are literally reading a SERIAL KILLER romance , so you can’t say you don’t like the fact that the MMC killed woman and was waiting for his death penalty……. If you don’t like this kind of darkness and this is not your cup of tea, just don’t read it !

Have said that, yes the main character is a Serial Killer that killed and sexually assaulted over 14 woman …. He is a hard pill to swallow, he is a sadist, he gets pleasure in pain, he loves blood, scream and fear. He is sick and he knows it. But different than other serial killer romances I’ve read, he wasn’t born sick, he was “made” sick. Listen NOTHINGGGGGG excuses his crimes, but we are not here for that because this is fiction and we are just following the story. Robbie doesn’t make it easy to love him, but you kinda understand why he is how he is after learning his story. And I was happy with his ending because he “kinda” deserved the opportunity to do better, he never actually had a chance to be good or do any good, he was raised and conditioned to believe that he was unlovable, a waste of a human, he knew that NOBODY CARES and he had no choice but embrace it. In no point I absolutely felt in love with him, he is not the type of main character that makes you fall head over heels for him, but you just get him, that’s it, you get his obsession and you get his choices. Are they right or good ? Absolutely NOT, but he never claimed to be innocent, as a matter of a fact he knows exactly who he is and how sick he is. On the other hand Savannah annoyed me the whole book….
She also had her horror to live through as a child and it was HORRIFIC 😭😭😭, they have their childhood traumas in common, but as a grown woman all the time she was doing something stupid I was rolling my eyes and asking : “GIRRRRL ! WHYYYYY ??? Girl you are supposed to be smart” but she just isn’t. Ugh.
She is a reporter that was specifically requested by Robbie Hammond himself to write his story, and the whole country is salivating to know his secrets, the secrets of the biggest monster serial killer of their lifetime and he will ONLY talk to her. Morbid curiosity drives her and everyone else but she sees immediately a different side of him. Obviously he is also very handsome and mysterious, dangerous with a capital D and that only makes her more attracted to him.
I love how DARK this book is and how there’s no sugar coating, it’s dark and wrong, so if you are looking for redeeming qualities you must read something else. The book is good good. The story is interesting, there’s mystery, crime to solve and romance, it’s more of a thriller in my opinion. I don’t like how slow burn this story is, but I guess that is what it has to be…. That are a few things I absolutely didn’t like it and that’s why this book is 4 ⭐️ I was going to rate 3.5 ⭐️ but the ending got me and I raised the rating ❤️so overall I really liked.

[princess ౨ৎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.⭐️/5

HES A GOOD MAN SAVANNAH. A GOOD MAN!

[Diem McAuliffe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book got me out of the worst slump. I ate up every single page and did not want to put it down. The pacing was perfect and kept me SO hooked. Robbie Hammond is a notorious serial killer on death row and will only tell his life story to Savannah, a reporter. Both Robbie and Savannah have severely traumatic pasts and their connection is absolutely everythingggg. Harleighs writing was so captivating, how on earth does an author make you fall for an absolute monster? No clue, but she succeeded. And Savannah was such a feisty badass. I adored her. I will be thinking about this book until the day I die, I swear. It was fantastic!

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Villains are made' I will stand by that.
I love the Joker and Harley so I knew I would enjoy this even tho it's fucked up.

[Ashley⛓️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

HARLEIGH PUT CRACK IN THIS BOOK. Between the storyline and the sexual tension between Robbie and Savannah being so fucking palpable and having me salivating I could not put this fucking book down. This is one of the best books I’ve ever fucking read, the mystery, the love story, the murders—it was thrilling, gripping and so fucking hot. I would give this book 1,000,000 fucking stars if I could absolutely fucking incredible from start to finish. I want to go back to the beginning and read it again immediately.

[witchy_book_babe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC and I am so grateful for the opportunity to do so.

This story personally took me to some dark places and I was not anticipating how much my heart would physically ache during some scenes. I feel like with all books it's best to not overly explain during reviews...but, especially with a Harleigh Beck novel.

She has such a talent for twisting up the plot, making you think she's headed one way only to drop the floor out from under you. Obsession : A thriller romance not only brought Harleigh's signature twist, but it brought a much sadder element that I wasn't prepared for as I mentioned above.

This book is mainly surrounding Savannah (FMC) however, there are several POV's that I absolutely LOVED . I want to see this in more books period moving forward; this was completely entertaining to get so many different pieces of the story through different perspectives! Robbie's (MMC) flashbacks shredded my heart, while his current day chapters had me like:


I feel like Obsession has multiple intents and once I finished, I allowed the story to sit and settle in my brain. Thinking over a lot of events that occurred and putting pieces together that had my eyes going big. I was satisfied with the way in which Harleigh delivered this beautiful, yet very, very dark tale.

I do think this book will be highly triggering to certain audiences and those looking for a "safer" type of read may be uncomfortable with the lines that Harleigh crosses. So, I would like to just have it out there that this book should be read responsibly by readers, who can buckle up for a difficult journey with an ending well worth the aches and pains. Because, believe me there are plenty of those!


I will be more than happy to pick up this book again in the future to revisit all of the characters

[Laura (lady_h_reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
This is the sadist.
The monster.
My villain.

Holy shit, this book is epic! If you love a bit of horror with your romance, gruesome (and yet satisfying) death scenes, a laundry list of TWs, and a morally black “hero”, then this is the book for you! This is the kind of book that will stick with you and make you want to read an author’s entire back catalog.

Is it twisted that I came to care for Robbie as he enacted his revenge on all who hurt Savannah? Harleigh Beck delivered a lovable serial killer willing to burn the world down for his obsession. And I was all for it. Nothing says true love like severed body parts.

This is a medium/fast burn and spicy MF romance with multiple darker kinks including somno, blood and gun play, and NC/DC elements.

Obsession is a standalone with a HEA.

I highly recommend this book – easily a top read of the year.

⚠️ Check out the TW. This is not the book for the faint of heart. ⚠️

Genre: Thriller Romance
Tropes/Features: DARK romance, horror elements, age gap, stalking, obsession, stalker, serial killer MMC, reporter FMC, revenge/bloody revenge, NC/DC
POV: Multiple 1st Person POV, the majority POVs are the two main characters
Relationship Type: MF, fast burn, spicy
Book Type/Ending: Standalone with HEA
TW/CW: Heavy TW. Available in book

[Cara John · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐️

“We’re both broken. We’re both damaged beyond repair by our pasts. Morally gray is not a word in our dictionary. Black is our color. Black is our song. Black is his love note to me.”

This book is the first I’ve read by harleigh beck and it did not dissapoint! From the moment I picked up this book I was HOOKED! It’s so dark and twisted and I had no clue where the plot was going next!
The gore! The thrill! The spice! Everything!
The characters were so perfectly unhinged but the fact I was drooling for Robbie really made me question myself!
Did I absolutely love this book? YES
Do I think I may have some issues for absolutely loving it? YES

[Rachael*Caribbean*girl*bibliophile]

Note to self

Just when I thought I'd seen it all

The H is a serial killer who RAPES AND KILLS multiple women.....the H?! Meaning the HERO of a ROMANCE 😲😱 what is going onnn?!!??!?!!

[Senja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obsession by Harleigh Beck

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️ 🌶️🌶️🌶️

WOW ok… I absolutely inhaled this book and Harleigh Beck has delivered yet again an amazing story, with unpredictable twists and turns and the most delicious characters. The absolutely heart wrenching back stories combined with their journey both together and apart had me in a chokehold the entire time. I don’t want to say too much and give it away but I know I will be thinking about this book for years to come.

“Morally grey is not a word in our dictionary. Black is our color. Black is our song. Black is his love note to me.”

[iremucka · Rating 1 out of 5]

Neden yarabbim !! 2025 ' in en kötü kitabı!! Uzun açılım yapmayı reddediyorum. 😞
Dark desem değil, gerilim desem değil, romans? Aşk? nooo...

+Hmm başka ne olabilir geriye ne kaldı gizem? Belki o olabilir ama her şey 500km öteden anlaşılabiliyordu, hiç bir şeye şaşırmadım. O kadar saçma sapan şeyler oldu ki yani polis FBI homeland security falan bekçi gibi yazmış yani yazar.

+Evet kitabın ne tarz olduğu belli değil, karakterlerin motivasyonu belli değil.. Belli olan tek şey TETİKLEYİCİLER. KİTAP AŞIRI SERT.

Öf gideyim de bi historical okuyayım. Gördüklerimi sil.

Kitabın özeti: Herkes öldürmez sevdiğini 🥵

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

First and foremost, this is a horror with spicy/thriller elements in it, so be sure to check your triggers. There is on page tragedy, and at times it is just gut wrenching. That being said, this gave off Hannibal Lector vibes (without the appetite) as we follow a reporter while she interviews an inmate with an intense record. There were moments that felt slow, but the intensity of the character's background stories, and the way they come together through angsty/heartbreaking moments was worth the read.

[Anastasiaa.Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great dark romance, I mostly enjoyed reading this, however at some point, I got kinda bored and then at 100 pages left, it kept me intrigued again. I guessed one thing because it was obvious but the other I didn’t. Overall, enjoyable dark romance with thriller aspects.

[Bria Boyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

MAMA IM IN LOVE WITH A CRIMINAL 😭👌

Harleigh Beck did it again 🫠 this had me on the edge of my seat and it's the first time ive guessed who it was BUT THE REASON WHY 🫠 ugh just go read it

[Jenn (The Book Refuge)]

I DNFd at 55%, so I'm counting it...

but this... this wasn't my bag.

I pushed on thus far because it's a Patreon annotated choice.

but... I have a LOT of thoughts and they are VIOLENT.

NOPE NOPE

[Kailynn (slump 😔)]

self note:

H kills, tortures, and rapes innocent women

[klinta · Rating 1 out of 5]

dnf 38% she is going straight to my dumb bitch shelf and mind you our love interest is a literal serial killer rapist. yet somehow i hated her stupid ass more

[anne ⭑.ᐟ · Rating 1 out of 5]

0.5 ★

everytime i think these unhinged dark romances won't get worse, they somehow manage to prove me wrong. the mmc is a serial killer who r@pes and then kills innocent women and the author somehow tries to justify his actions through his traumatic past and the support of the fmc and his lawyer THIS BOOK WAS FUCKED UP. but not in a good way. in an absolutely terrible way.

so, did this book suck ass? yes.
was it entertaining?yes.
did i still finish reading it? yes, because i wanted to see how much worse it could get. and it did. very very worse.

[Kenia Coronado · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow wow

This was chefs kiss!! She never stops impressing!
Hes so morally black i cannot explain to you my obsession. No pun intended.

This book had it all! If you want a thriller with romance, THIS IS IT.

[Tuğba · Rating 4 out of 5]

Herkese göre olmayan kitaplardan biri.
Hapishanede idamını bekleyen bir seri katilin ölmeden önce kendi hikayesini sadece muhabir Savannah'a anlatması şartıyla olaylar başlıyor.

Kırmızı alarmlar yanıyor, ziller çalıyor.. ❗ Her kötülüğün olduğu bir kitaptı, aşırı gerildim karanlıktan önümü göremedim 🫣 ama o gerginlik ve ters köşelerle aşırı okuttu kendini.

[alexleasins · Rating 2 out of 5]

70% of this was good but then I couldn’t care less