Sweet Little Obsession: Love So Cruel, Book 1

Love So Cruel #1

by Teresa Wolf, Chloe Ryan (narrator), Theo Sinclair (narrator)

Teacher by day, stalker by night.

Who ever thought college could be this interesting?

I'm teaching a hundred students. But my eyes are only on one. She's my obsession—and I'll stop at nothing to make her mine.

I followed her back to her apartment. Then I broke in while she was asleep.

She wants me. I can feel it when I touch her. But she can't know who I am.

I'm her new step-brother.

My family's enemies are legion, and our little game puts her right in the firing line. But protecting her is what big brothers are for, right?

The more we fight, the more I want her. And my nocturnal visits make her want me, too.

Am I her guardian angel? Or a devil in disguise?

Genres: Dark Romance, Romance, Dark, Mafia Romance, Audiobook, College, Contemporary

Audible Audio

Published November 19, 2024

About the author

Teresa Wolf’s favorite color? Morally grey.
Her go-to cocktail? Toxic Behavior, served ice-cold.
And her favorite food? Shadow Daddy.

Her mission? To craft fierce, confident heroines who bring even the most irresistible, walking-red-flag alpha males to their knees, begging, "Yes, please!" 🔥

So, grab your fan, because once you dive in, there’s no cooling off and no turning back.

Wolf’s stories are notorious for leaving readers breathless, satisfied, and always craving more…

Grab Your FREE BOOKS Now!

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Reviews

[Erika Braga · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐️

Is this book good ?
Not really.
Did I read everything?
Yes I did.

It was like a car crash, it was bad but I couldn’t stop watching……

Do with that what you will! You’ve been warned.

[CriSsStina · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded up!

It wasn't perfect, similar to other stalking books, but it was entertaining, funny at times, the spicy scenes were balanced across the plot line.

I'm curious to read Levi and Van's story, but it seems the next one in the series is with another couple. Maybe next one!?

What to expect
- no V, finally 🥳🫡
- age gap (she's 21, I assume he's in his late 20s, since he's doing his doctorate, on top of being a killer for his father, which is the head of a mafia family; he's such a busy MMC 🤭)
- instant OTT obsession on his side; he is very protective of her <3
- masked stalker
- mafia setup, as mentioned above, but he is also her psychology professor
- stepbrother and stepsis (they met while being adults at the very start of the book, and they actually became stepsiblings later in the book when their parents married)
- some violence, twists, and turns (some were not a surprise, some were)
- BC tampering
- HEA, epilogue 2 years later

The combination of so many tropes was a little bit overwhelming. But again, it was an entertaining read, I finished it quickly, so it's catchy. I'll continue the series.

.
.
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“I miss you,” I say, not giving her the chance to down what happened between us. “I miss you like hell, Ava. I want to love you in the light—in front of everyone. You say the word, and I’ll be at your fucking feet, worshipping you for the entire world to see.”

---> isn't he adorable 🤭🥰🥰

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I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[alli☀️ · Rating 1 out of 5]

I know this mmc did not switch out her birth control pills for fakes😭.
𑁍 𑁍 𑁍
•Stalker
•Masked Mmc
•Mafia
•Professor (mmc) x Student (fmc)
•Instant Obsession
𑁍 𑁍 𑁍
Seth - Step-brother. Stalker. Crazy-ish.

Ava - Dumb. Short. Mommy issues.
𑁍 𑁍 𑁍
A minor thing that happened in this book. Not a huge spoiler in my opinion, but read at your own risk.

This girl has two stalkers. She leaves the window open knowing she has a stalker that has thrown a brick in her window and ransacked her place. Now she starts crying because he (not the mmc) put a knife to her throat😃.
Then the stalker (not the mmc) leaves then her other stalker (mmc) comes and gropes her while she is crying. But I guess that is supposed to be okay because she is always horny apparently.
𑁍 𑁍 𑁍
Sadly, this wasn't for me. I didn't feel any connection to the characters. I need a stalker romance where the fmc is actually smart and not ”wet” all the time.

[BookSiren Baddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was amazing. I thought Teresa Wolf did an amazing job writing a stalker romance story, and then she adds dark taboo tropes: stepbrother and non-con in it as the special dark sauce. Bravo. I loved it, I couldn't put it down. It was spicy, it was dark, but it was highly entertaining and fast paced. It just all worked.

[Lauren Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lightly dark stalker mafia romance riddled with tropes! Step bro, professor, forced proximity, he falls first. Murder & organized crime mystery. Super spicy. It was a fun juicy competing stalkers vibe read. Mildly messed up plot twist too!

[Mysti · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't connect with this fic. I dnf'd halfway through because I just didn't like the characters or how annoying the FMC was. My very generic review for now:

Ava (annoying as f*ck college student) has been thrust back into her mother's life after her dad has died. Her mom is getting married to someone who might have ties to the mafia. She goes to meet her mom's new man and his two sons and one of them is none other than Seth (stalker), the hot guy teaching her college class. He decides he wants her and starts stalking her - but she has another stalker too. Seth sneaks into her room and starts touching her. There's some other crap going on. It was just slow and I really didn't care for Ava at all.

I might try again later.

[Anna Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Masked man, stalker, mafia, she's mine, touch her and you 💀. If these are your vibes it's a much read. Ava the FMC gets a stalker well 2 one of which she knows but doesn't know he's doing the stalking. It's her professor/step brother.

[Tuba Özkat · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5

Yazar demiş ki her temadan biraz yazayım, herkesin gönlü olsun.

Takipçi erkek karakter
Maske takan erkek karakter
Öğretmen&Öğrenci
Üvey kardeş (Anne ve baba yeni evleniyor)
Ah, tabii nasıl unuttum. Mafya da var :D Nasıl olur demeyin, olmuş işte.

Üniversite hocası olarak girdiği sınıfta gördüğü kıza bir anda odaklı kalıyor, takip ediyor, maske takıp evine falan giriyor. Değişik şeyler yapıyor O.O

Anne ve babaları bunları bir restorana çağırıyor tanıştırmak için, bir bakıyor aaa babasının evleneceği kadının kızı bu takip ettiği kız.

Babası da zaten mafya babası, kendi annesi de gizemli bir şekilde ölmüş. Onun sebebini arıyor.

Kız da annesiyle yeni tanışıyor zaten, babası öldükten sonra anne onunla iletişime geçmiş. Zamanında kızı bırakıp gitmiş.

Değişik dinamikler var karakterler arasında ve hani kitabın içinde süregelen konuların bağlanma şekli iyiydi, hakkını yiyemem ama biraz çorba yapmıştı ya.

Yine de kendini okuttu, dinletti.

[Demi · Rating 1 out of 5]

no.

[Sophie Bojo · Rating 1 out of 5]

nope. no thank you

[Edie Kennard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet Little Obsession by Teresa Wolf is a compelling start to the Love So Cruel series, offering a dark and intense atmosphere that is hard to put down. While the writing is solid and the tension is palpable, the story ultimately suffers from trying to do too much at once.

The Good Wolf is clearly skilled at building a "forbidden" atmosphere. The chemistry between the leads is undeniable, and the pacing keeps you turning pages. If you enjoy dark romance that doesn't shy away from obsessive behaviors and high-stakes drama, there is a lot here to keep you entertained.

The Critique The primary issue with this installment is the sheer volume of smut tropes packed into a single narrative. At times, it felt less like a cohesive story and more like a checklist of every popular dark romance trope available. Within the span of one book, the reader is juggling:

Professor/Student forbidden dynamics

Stalker themes

Mob/Mafia underworld elements

Step-sibling complications

Enemies-to-lovers tension

Individually, any two of these could have made for a focused, high-impact romance. However, by shoving all of them together, the emotional weight of each trope gets slightly diluted. It becomes difficult for any single "forbidden" aspect to truly breathe when the characters are navigating a mob-connected, stalking, step-sibling, academic scandal all at the same time.

Final Verdict If you are looking for a "maximalist" dark romance and don't mind a plot that leans heavily into every available trope, you will likely enjoy this. It’s a good book with strong writing, but it would have benefited from a "less is more" approach to its thematic elements.

[Carley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good quick little stalky book 😊

I love a good instalust story. I would have liked more seth/ava time and not just the last chapter or 2 of them being together. I also wouldn't peg this book as a step sibs book so much as a teacher/student/stalker book. The book opens up to them seeing each other for the first time both 21+ and then later that day introduced as soon to be step sibs.. there was no relationship prior no nothing so it didn't give taboo feelings as if they were actually step siblings that had been living together for a certain amount of time. Overall I did like seth he stuck to what he wanted and that was ava. Ava... she wanted love but then pushed it away only to come back when he saved the day. I would have like maybe either more pages to have their relationship develop more.. or cut out some of the stalking parts (although I did enjoy this as it is my fave trope).

[Xandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Dark Mafia Romance books and this one I absolutely loved. It was short but it had so much in it. Short books you are always like I wish there was more...what happened next...answers left unanswered but this book gave it all. I was left with no questions about this book. Spice..stalker...masked man...🥵🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶 what more could you ask for?

[Katie Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Bri (Azriel’s version) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.8⭐️

[hitynka · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️
"My dear sweet Ava,

I’d hate for you to torture yourself with these thoughts, so I’ll confirm them for you. You are being stalked. I’ll see you soon. XOXO"

Gdyby książka była dłuższa i było więcej konfrontacji między bohaterami dałabym 5⭐️

[Plottwistsandchill · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was included on audible membership and I was looking for something light to listen to while doing chores.

I went in blind and while step-siblings is not one of my go to tropes. it was an average quite predictable story but it was fine enough to pass the time.

[Tabatha Reed]

DNF

[Melissa Houpt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet Little Obsession was addictive. Imagine going to dinner to meet your soon to be stepfather and 2 stepbrothers just to find out one is your hot professor. 🫣 Seth is immediately draw into Ava, what started as being curious quickly turns into obsession. Ava is strongly attracted to both her stepbrother and the man who keeps sneaking into her room at night. This was a rollercoaster I’m glad I got on!! Soon Seth realizes he’s not the only one stalking her. The plot kept me intrigued from beginning to end and the spice was just the icing on the cake.

🖤Stalker
🖤Stepbrother
🖤Professor
🖤Mafia
This book has a little bit of everything for everyone.

5/5⭐️ 4/5🌶️

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insta Obsession to stalking

The first few chapters of the book I wasn’t sure how I really felt about the book but I became invested. The suspense mixed in with the murder of her father and her mother reappearance in her life right after along with the obsession from her new soon to be step brother made it a good read and kept me interested. If you like stalking and obsessive men (not your normally teen just turned adult romance) you might like this. It is between a novella and full length. DPOV and is a standalone with a HEA.

[Kimberly Rahr · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book!!! I couldn’t put it down even if I tried. Sent and Ava are amazing together. This book is dark, spicy and delicious.

[Cortney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, I am back to review this.

It only got 2 stars because I did not DNF the book. I stuck through it. I am still trying to figure out why.

This book is jam packed with tropes:
- mafia
- morally gray MMC
- masked stalker
- step siblings
- teacher student
- pregnancy
- instalove
- instaobsession
- touch her and die
- touch starved-energy (FMC is giving i've never been touched before and this is all consuming and the best thing ever, every time.)
- slow burn, but not at the same time. IDK how to explain it, but the masked stalker touches her in the beginning, and it makes her come alive

This book and all the tropes just did not work well together.
At one point, Ava (the FMC) leaves her window open cause she has a stalker and wants him to come touch her because of course, she is starved and always horny. Like ready to go, constantly. But, she has two stalkers, so she doesn't even know which stalker touched her and which one didn't (or did they?). They have thrown a brick threw her window, ransacked her apartment, and of course, held her at knife point. But okay, let's not use our big brain and leave the window open.

Let's take a moment to talk about the pregnancy trope... I don't mind this trope, but they aren't my favorite, ya know? Seems a little ... over played these days. Anyway, Seth (the MMC) switches her birth control out for fake ones, so she does get pregnant. She doesn't even know she is pregnant once she gets kidnapped, she learns when he saves her and brings her the test - because who the heck does that?

Anyway, I didn't enjoy it. That's my rant.

[Nic D · Rating 4 out of 5]

First I’ll start off by saying read your trigger warnings if that bothers you.

I enjoyed this book a lot it was just dark enough but didn’t take away from the romance of it all. I also love when a novella reads like a full length book. The author didn’t rush the story and I loved that.

Ava’s life was turned upside down when her mom showed up after her dad passed. She’d always kind of felt unwanted and uncared for so it’s new to her to be part of this family dynamic. She’s coping with the changes in her life when her mom decides to get married. Her new step brother also happens to be the TA in one of her college classes. He’s also really hot and she finds her thoughts straying.


Seth is a broken man. Taking what he wants and that includes Ava. He spent his life trying to hunt down the man who ended his mothers life. His attention is soon drawn to a timid blonde in his class who he soon becomes obsessed with. Only to find out she is about to be his new step sister.

He finds himself following her home and watching her at night. He’s never far behind lurking in the shadows. However he is done the moment he touches her and she officially becomes his obsession. He does whatever it takes to make her his without revealing his identity.

He said something in the book about perception and sensation and how it applies to psychology which was a funny foreshadow to a scene later in the book. So I got a good chuckle out of that.

I enjoyed reading this and the little twist at the end when you find out the truth about her ex. If you’re looking for a good short dark read with steam this is the one for you. I throughly enjoyed the internal banter in this book.

4.5 out of 5.

🌶️🌶️🌶️ out of 5.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Patti · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't really feel like the "step-sibling" trope stands true for this book. Especially when they meet as adults and the relationship starts before or soon after the parent's  marry.

I found Ava's inner monologue in chapter 8 so funny the way she was berating herself.  While she was trying to pretend to still be asleep and then because of how she was feeling towards her "stalker."

[Darkdirtysmut · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved that there was a pretty equal balance of spicy, dark, and light. Engaging page turner that had me on the edge of my seat at times and laughing at others!

Definitely recommend reading Seth and Ava's story!!.

[Aisling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast paced and top tear smut, but the plot was lacking a bit. She was kinda giving “not like other girls” which was annoying but then the plot got wrapped up way too quickly and not very tidily. It was still goodish but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it

[Lynnett · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was kinky in a non creepy way and entertaining. I liked the characters too. But, something was missing that I cannot put my finger on. Maybe it was just too short and the story not vetted through enough, but I still felt like I knew what was going on, so I am not sure.

[Vanessa Ouellette · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG! This book is SOO 🔥 🥵 HOT!
Professor, Stepbrother, Mafia, Stalker, masked men! This book has it all. Ugh, soooo good!

[Tereza Jurakova · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5*

[Yvonne Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it