Author: Claire Kingsley
Series: Haven Brothers Series book #1
Category: Romantic Suspense
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Obsession Falls had all the makings to be a cute, thrilling, and suspenseful romance story but somewhere along the line, it fell flat for me.
The Good
Audrey was a spunky ball of delight and although she was down on her luck and a tad resentful for needing to move back to her hometown for a job she wasn't initially thrilled about, she made the best of it.
Tilikum was the definition of a quirky town and I want to visit. What other place would band together to create a squirrel protection squad when a couple of squirrels are murdered?
The Okay
Josiah was a stereotypical grumpy man, but he didn't have much of a personality outside of 'I'm alone but not lonely.' I do love the part in sunshine x grumpy books when the man fights with himself about stepping out of their comfort zone and this book was no different.
His relationship with Audrey felt more like a friends-to-lovers vibe, despite the fact they hadn't known each other previously. There wasn't a whole lot of chemistry between the two aside from butterflies and an urge to protect. Their romance was on the sweeter side of things and I prefer more heat.
The Ugly
I typically jot down notes while I'm reading a book, so I have something to build off of when I start to write the review. For romantic suspense stories, I always try and guess the villain but I hate to be right.
Audrey's stalker was obvious pretty early in the book and their motive felt like a sly last-minute revelation that was consistent with the plot, but still out of left field.
In the End
Obsession Falls was not my favorite romantic suspense book, but it wasn't horrible either. It was a very sweet story, and even with a murderous stalker the stakes never seemed too high. Still, I'd say it was a decent start to the Haven Brothers series and I will probably pick up the second book when it comes out next year.
Tropes and Themes: Small Town, Romantic Suspense, Mystery, Forced Proximity, Stalker, Friends to Lovers.
Blurb
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.