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Marina Petrocelli’s life is about as mundane as it gets for the sister of an infamous psychic/paranormal PI. Which is why she’s pretty shocked when a couple of vampires try to kidnap her on her way home from work. And don’t even get her started on the sexy-as-all-hell Irish dhampyre who gallantly (if somewhat drunkenly) rushes to her rescue out of nowhere, kisses the ever-lovin’ crap out of her, then disappears without a trace. It’s all too weird to comprehend!

Quinn Connell’s life is anything but mundane. As an ex-convict with a shady past and an even shadier employment history, all he has to do is obey the terms of his parole, which are exceedingly simple: get a job, and stay out of trouble. Unfortunately, getting involved with Marina is the very definition of trouble for someone like him. And, as it turns out, her sister is the only employer in town willing to hire him. Quinn’s head tells him Marina’s officially off limits. Too bad his heart—and body, which can’t seem to stop touching her—didn’t get the memo.

But when Quinn and Marina find themselves in the middle of a brutal life-or-death situation, Quinn knows keeping his distance and staying out of trouble is no longer an option. He’ll do anything to keep Marina safe, even if it means relying on a few of his quirky (and sometimes scary) new coworkers and utilizing the very same dubious skills that landed him in prison in the first place. Nab the bad guys, stay out of prison, and (hopefully) get the girl. Easy, right?

Yeah, not so much.

WARNING: Semi-Obsessed is a novella in the Harper Hall Investigations series. You can read it as a stand-alone, but it works best if you've read the other books in the series, starting with Semi-Charmed. It also works best if you like kick-ass heroines and the sometimes befuddled alpha heroes who love them. You also might want to skip this one if you don't have a healthy appreciation for cussing and pop culture references. But for everyone else, enjoy!

133 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 19, 2018

175 people are currently reading
98 people want to read

About the author

Isabel Jordan

33 books498 followers
The normal:

Isabel Jordan writes because it’s the only profession that allows her to express her natural sarcasm and not be fired. She is a paranormal and contemporary romance author. Isabel lives in the US with her husband, her son son, a neurotic Shepherd mix and a ginormous Great Dane mix named Jerkface. (Don't feel bad for Jerkface. He really is a jerk.)

The weird:

Now that the normal stuff is out of the way, here’s some weird-but-true facts that would never come up in polite conversation. Isabel Jordan:

1. Is terrified of butterflies (don’t judge…it’s a real phobia called lepidopterophobia)
2. Is a lover of all things ironic (hence the butterfly on the first edition cover of Semi-Charmed)
3. Is obsessed with Supernatural, Game of Thrones, and Dog Whisperer.
4. Hates coffee. Drinks a Diet Mountain Dew every morning.
5. Will argue to the death that Pretty in Pink ended all wrong. (Seriously, she ends up with the guy who was embarrassed to be seen with her and not the nice guy who loved her all along? That would never fly in the world of romance novels.)
6. Would eat Mexican food every day, if given the choice.
7. Reads two books a week in varied genres.
8. Refers to her Kindle as “the precious”.
9. Thinks puppy breath is one of the best smells in the world.
10. Is a social media idgit. (Her husband had to explain to her last week what the point of Twitter was. She’s still a little fuzzy on what Instagram and Pinterest do.)
11. Kicks ass at Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.
12. Stole her tagline idea from her son. Her tagline idea was, “Never wrong, not quite right.” She liked her son’s idea better.
13. Breaks one vacuum cleaner a year because she ignores standard maintenance procedures (Really, you’re supposed to empty the canister every time you vacuum? Does that seem excessive to anyone else?)
14. Is still mad at the WB network for cancelling Angel in 2004.
15. Can’t find her way from her bed to her bathroom without her glasses, but refused eye surgery, even when someone else offered to pay. (They lost her at “eye flap”. Seriously, look it up. Scary stuff.)

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
Profile Image for Dali.
2,095 reviews595 followers
October 21, 2018
If you’re looking for a witty, fun and sexy paranormal romance for your weekend, you can’t go wrong with Isabel Jordan. With Semi-Obsessed, the first novella in the Harper Hall Investigations series Jordan adds yet another laugh-out-loud, charming and quirky tale to her collection.

Marina Petrocelli has lived a dull life under her sister’s well-known shadow until the night a couple of vampires try to kidnap her. But thanks to her brother-in-law’s instruction and the gorgeous Irish dhampyre who swoops in to help, gives her the best kiss of her life and then vanishes into the night, her life will never be the same.

Quinn Connell is an ex-Sentry, ex-convict who needs to keep out of trouble. An impossibility from the moment he decided to help Marina. Especially since she doesn’t only need his protection, he’s also Semi-Obsessed with her. It could all work out right?

It’s always a pleasure to pick up one of Isabel Jordan’s books. They’re a fresh and delightful cross between Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Moonlighting with a dash of Isabel’s own witty humor that always bring a smile to my face.

After what felt like hours but was only seconds of clashing teeth, dueling tongues, and kisses that tasted like whiskey and rough sex, Quinn pulled back and rested his forehead on hers as they both panted to catch their breath.
“It was lovely to meet you, Marina.”

Getting to read about the wacky Harper Hall gang again was a side treat to the sexy, swoony and fun romance between Harper’s sister Marina and the delicious Quinn. The spark that came with every one of their interactions was sizzling hot and absolutely enjoyable. I wanted to know see how their relationship would evolve and how their predicament would resolve as fast as my eyes could read, but I also wanted to savor each moment and not have it end.

Solving the mystery behind Marina’s attempted kidnapping came with an excitement that only Harper Hall and her band of crazy friends can pull off, and the overall plot thickens. I can’t wait to the next installment.

Semi-obsessed is novella #5.5 of the Harper Hall Investigation series by Isabel Jordan. It is a standalone paranormal short story. It is told from several points of view with a happy ending.

Amazon -> https://amzn.to/2PLblma

* I was given an ARC of this book courtesy of the author. I am voluntarily reviewing this title. *

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Profile Image for Shelby.
3,392 reviews93 followers
September 21, 2024
I'm enjoying this series. This story felt a little rushed though. I wanted more time with Marina and Quinn. Quinn is just out of prison, not really sure there's any chance he can find a job out there with his history. Of course, as a dhamphire his type is pretty well known around Harper Hall Investigations and Harper knows what she's doing. He's was always going to be a good hire for her, but knowing he'd already saved her sister from kidnappers only solidifies things. For his part, while he's a little bowled over by Harper, finding out Marina is her sister only solidifies his plans. He's not ever going to let anything happen to her.

I loved seeing Marina realize that someone's interested in her instead of her overwhelming sister. These two were lovely together and despite things being very very insta-lovey and it all happening pretty much over night, I liked the chemistry and was cheering for these two.

This series always makes me smile. I enjoy the snark levels and there's always some good action. I just wanted a little longer of a story.
Profile Image for L.E. Wilson.
Author 38 books392 followers
October 23, 2018
Semi Obsessed is a great addition to the Harper Hall series! It has everything you'd want in a romantic comedy- a strong heroine, a swoon-worthy hero, hysterical banter between characters, and lots of snark. This is one of my favorite series!
Profile Image for Tiblu.
1,255 reviews49 followers
October 10, 2019
I'll start by saying,it's been a while since I was in this world but when I was reminded of Harper and co.
the other day I was eager and excited to see what was going on in Harper's world.
I haven't read all the books in the series but Marina caught my eye,She and Quinn sounded interesting in the books desc. and I couldn't wait to see their story unfold.
Sadly for me, I was quickly turned off by two things.
One,(which is a big pet peeve for me) More inner monologue than outer dialogue.
Both MC's seem to spend more time love in their own thoughts than talking to each other. Hey, We ALL want and often NEED to know our MC's thoughts and feelings but when your having to scan page after page to find
where they are actually talking out loud to another person, it starts to drag and get old real fast.
Especially when (second thing that ruined it for me) both MC's musing and thoughts seem to center on
their raging insecurities. Now letting us see some vulnerabilities and fears is good,it helps us learn about who they are and what motivates their actions . It shows us their imperfections (or some of ) and can help make them more relatable,and that's great. Awesome even. But when it goes to far.when all you hear in their thoughts is how their not good enough,how their not worthy, it can quickly turn into a pity party.
and NO ONE enjoys that . Not from your heroine and especially from your leading male character.
I swear if I had to hear Quinn go on one more time about how he wasn't good enough or how he wasn't worthy, I was going to find away into the story just to slap him upside his stupid head. The very first things we hear in Quinn's thoughts are how he views himself as a screw up and how seeing Marina across the street as she walks to her car is how unworthy he is for a "angel like her".
And that was ok,he doesn't have to start out perfect. perfect doesn't exist. But dear lord,as time worn on his insecure unworthy puppy just waiting to be kicked attitude got on my last freaking nerve.
I was starting to want to deliver that kick just soo he might move on. These two were made for each other in some sense.. When these two finally get around to having sex (I say finally ONLY because all their inner BS made it feel a LOT longer than the only 24 hours it was) We had to wade through Marina's insecurities,then Quinn's. First Quinn has to get her out her assumption he regretted kissing her the night before because he left right after. That had me rolling my eyes . He had told he at the time he was running off because the police were coming and he was an ex con fresh out of prison and was afraid of being scene. So how the heck she turned that into what she did was beyond me... Then we have wade thru more insecure disclaimers from Quinn,than before taking a bungee jump. Soo many pages of "Are you sure, I'm ........., or I'm ...........,because I'm so ......
Dear lord. I hope Quinn was thankful Marina was too horny to care about all his insecure/I'm not worthy BS!
Now while I prefer my men more alpha in nature,I don't want false confidence either. I appreciate ppl who aren't afraid to admit their fear or flaw or imperfections.
I'm trust anyone who thinks their perfect. None of us are. but this was over the top for me.
I like how Marina wasn't one of those h's who are too proud to accept help or think sudden;y now that their in danger even if they don't have the skills or training or even really the personality for it,they are to suddenly jump into danger and risk no only their lives w/their incompetence but every one around them as well. And while I loved learning about Haven and seeing that Harper and Riddick had a chip off their blocks to carry things on and add to their crazy , it was the only part I really enjoyed.
I recommend this if you love this world and want to see what's going w/these delightfully crazy characters.
But otherwise I'd say only go on if you don't mind a huge amount of inner monologue ing and two MC's who are soo insecure and down on themselves they can barely see past them...
Profile Image for Romance Rehab.
351 reviews81 followers
October 19, 2018
I’ve been down on paranormal romance lately. I just get tired of the same old, same old, you know? If I see one more fated mate, instalove-fest with a dude jacking off and a wolf on the cover, I’m going to hurl. And don’t even get me started on all the paranormal menage erotica that’s out there masquerading as romance these days. So, I was super happy that 2 of my favorite PNR authors, LE Wilson and Isabel Jordan had new releases this month. And—THANK THE READING GODS—they didn’t let me down.

Semi-Obsessed is part of the super fun Harper Hall Investigations series. It can be read a standalone, but it works better if you read the whole series, starting with Semi-Charmed. If you want to live dangerously, you can go ahead and 1-click this one; you’ll still like it. But you won’t get as much enjoyment out of the quirky characters and the way they interact with each other as a follower of the series would. (And frankly, why would anyone NOT want to read the whole series? We NEED more light, funny paranormal romance in our lives, and finding a new series is like unearthing the literary Holy Grail!)

On a side note, I was browsing through Isabel's website recently and came across this downloadable poster featuring a cover model from Semi-Sane, book 5 in the Harper Hall Investigations series. If anyone is interested in sizzling hot, super yummy guys with killer abs (and seriously, who isn't) I highly recommend checking it out. I may or may not have it hanging in my office right now.

This is a nice, light, quick read—a novella, technically. I LOVE novellas. And this one manages to include just enough character development—and a good HFN ending—to be satisfying to pretty much all romance readers.

Haters of instalove will be happy to learn there are no big, unrealistic love declarations in this one. The romance moves along quickly, but without any face-palming, hey-wait-that’s-not-how-love-works moments. There’s enough here to let you know Quinn and Marina are going to be a great couple, but not so much that you’re left scratching your head and thinking that no one in real life develops feelings for anyone that fast. In PNR, the romance doesn’t get any more realistic than that, folks.

The sexy times are well-balanced with lots of action, and as usual, the dialogue is snappy and fun. (If you’re not a fan of snark, you’ll want to look elsewhere. But if, like me, you LOVE snark, you’ll want to 1-click immediately.)

And if that doesn’t do it for you, the hero, Quinn, is Irish.


(PS: Irish heroes are a great weakness of mine. I blame Colin Farrell. But I digress…)


So, long-story-short, I guess my only complaint is that the book isn’t longer and that there aren’t 12 more books planned in the series. (Although the authors hints at her next project at the end of Semi-Obsessed, and it looks fun, to say the least. Can’t wait!) Get to 1-clicking, folks. You won’t regret it!

And don't forget to follow the Romance Rehab blog for more rants, raves, and other fun romance-y stuff: http://www.romancerehab.com/
Profile Image for Ashley.
51 reviews2 followers
May 27, 2020
I really enjoyed this Novella.
Mariana and Quin were great characters.
I mean really, who doesn't want to read about how this quote comes from.
'“You collect ex-convict dhampyres like some women collect shoes and handbags.” She shrugged. “Everyone needs a hobby. And I already have plenty of shoes and handbags.”'
Profile Image for Jennifer Tyner kirk.
9 reviews
July 31, 2019
It was a good lead in to the spin off series. The fact that it had a hot 🔥 Irish dhampyre in it is a bonus. Seeing Marina step out of her sisters spotlight was awesome. Can't wait for the next book in this series.
45 reviews4 followers
December 2, 2019
Loved it

Your work is not done here. This series was fun to read. I actually caught myself grinning and a couple of chuckles fell out. This does not happen to me. I need more and soon. Please?????

Bobbi from the Flatlands of Kansas
1,234 reviews4 followers
January 21, 2020
Hilarious and thrilling!

I highly recommend this series. If you like to laugh during kickass action these books are exactly your reads. Even the secondary characters are totally fantastic. Enjoy!
412 reviews5 followers
March 23, 2020
I love this series

It's fun, savagely snarky, fast paced, with great dialogue and pop references. The characters feel like family (the crazy side, that you don't talk about ;)), and I love reading their latest adventures!
Profile Image for  BookwormMomma7.
982 reviews
April 6, 2020
Semi Obsessed

Marina gets her man in the gorgeous Quinn but before she can, they have to overcome a silent attacker trying to get to Harper through any means. Great set up for Semi-magical can wait to see what happens next!
Profile Image for Kathy Zuercher Diveley.
1,630 reviews11 followers
July 11, 2020
Marina and Quinn

Marina is Harper's normal responsible sister. She's a makeup artist for a local TV Station. But someone is after her, and tried to kidnap her. Harper hired a dhampyr for her bodyguard- Irishman Quinn Connell. And the chemistry between them is scorching.
2,643 reviews
November 6, 2020
Fun read!

I love this bunch of miss-fits and Quinn and Marina fit right in. Another great read, action packed, sexy with laugh out loud banter and snarky comments - what's not to love! This series would make a great tv program!
589 reviews2 followers
January 18, 2021
I want more of this series

Step aside Buffy and Angel cause Harper Hall is up there on your level. I love this series and hope to see it on tv sometime soon. Love the characters, the action the quirkiness and the badassness . Never a dull moment that's for sure.
Profile Image for Christel Owens.
292 reviews
April 9, 2021
New to me series

I don't care for series that carry the same character in every book and I started on one in the middle I think, and it has made me a fan already. I will go back and start at the beginning to see if the others are as good as this one!
Profile Image for Kimberly L.
63 reviews3 followers
August 29, 2021
So much fun

Great writer.super strong female characters with unique personalities! Lots of action plus plenty of fun dialogue. Diane Jordan is a new favorite. I'll read anything she writes!
1,090 reviews
October 19, 2018
Short but great

I love this world. Marina and Quinn make a fantastic addition to the series. This is a novella but you won’t feel cheated.
9 reviews
November 30, 2018
Jordan does it again !!

I have read all the Harper Hall series and this one can stand tall and proud with the rest.Outstanding as always slam dunk for Isabel Jordan !!
221 reviews2 followers
March 10, 2019
So funny!

An excellent novella in this series. I got hooked by the first booh and I'm looking forward to more of them.
Profile Image for Charlene.
205 reviews3 followers
May 11, 2019
Great Read

The Harper Hall series are so good! I love the characters and the stories! The trend references make the stories even better
102 reviews2 followers
July 6, 2019
So good

I'm really loving this series and very much looking forward to the next installment because they seem to keep getting funnier, sexier and crazier.
84 reviews
February 5, 2020
Amazing

Omg! I love these books. Funny, sexy, action, mystery! Can’t wait to read more. You will not regret it. Amazing
390 reviews4 followers
February 5, 2020
Awesome!

Short story but action packed nevertheless! Marina deserved this ending. Happy to know that the stories will continue! Section 8!
Profile Image for Malisa.
35 reviews
April 8, 2020
Love this series
You’ll find yourself laughing out loud at times and some of the characters grow on you
Profile Image for Sherri Shade.
114 reviews
May 5, 2020
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Love these books! The characters are quirky the action is intense and the comic relief is always there to lighten the mood.
Profile Image for Bronwyn.
384 reviews3 followers
May 6, 2020
Another winner!

This series just keeps getting better! Each new character that is introduced becomes a part of the family. And this story throws a new kink in the mix.
Profile Image for Chrystina.
248 reviews
November 20, 2020
Loved it!

I really enjoyed getting to know Marina and boy what a shocker at the end! I really love all of these characters and can’t wait to read the next book!
73 reviews
July 26, 2021
Great series

Great book all the books in this series has been awesome great characters I love watching all of them grow.can't wait to read the next one
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews

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