Today is my stop for The Obsession Blog Tour. The Obsession is Nora Robert's latest book. It still amazes me that she has written more than 200 books and she still has so many stories to tell. Fun fact, did you know that over the last 30 years, an average of 27 Nora Roberts books have been sold every minute? I have enjoyed every book I have read by her and The Obsession is no exception. Read my thoughts about it:

Title: The Obsession

Author: Nora Roberts 

Published: April 14th 2016 by Piatkus

Amazon | Amazon UK

Blurb: She changed her name. She changed her life. But someone won't let her go. The brand-new novel of love, drama and hope from legendary Nora Roberts.

Naomi Carson is a survivor. As a child, her family was torn apart by a shocking crime. It could have destroyed her, but Naomi has grown up strong, with a passion for photography that has taken her all around the world.

Now, at last, she has decided to put down roots. The beautiful old house on Point Bluff needs work, but Naomi has new friends in town who are willing to help, including Xander Keaton - gorgeous, infuriating and determined to win her heart.

But as Naomi plans for the future, her past is catching up with her. Someone in town knows her terrifying secret - and won't let her forget it. As her new home is rocked by violence, Naomi must discover her persecutor's identity, before it's too late.

First of all I would like to thank the publisher for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

Review: I only started reading books by Nora Roberts a couple of years ago, but the ones I have read since then have shown me what a great writer she is. The first thing I thought when The Obsession landed on my hands was, what a huge book, it is going to take me forever to read. Wrong. This story captured my attention since page one and the hours flew by while reading it.

The story starts when Naomi is only 11 years old, about to be 12, and discovers something horrible about her father. Something no kid should know nor see. After that, Naomi, her younger brother and her mother move with their uncles to leave their old life behind. As the years past, though, we soon discover it is not that easy to leave your past behind. I found this part really fast paced and highly interesting. Naomi won my heart on the first page and held it until the end so I think that this first part was crucial to make us understand her and her actions better.

The main part of the book is set a small village in the state of Washington, where Naomi, already an adult, has decided to finally put down roots after years of moving around the country. She wants a quiet and isolated life but her new friends have another idea and she soon falls in love with the community and an adorable stray dog (he is probably the star of the book). This part of the story starts quite slow, we get quite a lot of descriptions of her new place and the surroundings. But I enjoyed it anyway, especially as we get to know gorgeous Xander. I loved this character and how confident and honest he was. Also, his house was full of books, as in every wall was covered in book shelves!

But then, when everything seems to be going too well to be true, Naomi's past catches up with her and the story turns into a tense mystery. By then, I was so immersed in Naomi's story that I found myself reading non stop, holding my breath with every new developement. I found it interesting to read some scenes from the "monster"'s point of view. They were really chilling, not suited for light-hearted people, but gave another deeper dimension to the story.

All in all, The Obsession delivered what it had promised (and some more): friendship, love, romance, mystery, tension and drama. Another winner by this author in my opinion. I have to admit that I guessed the ending when I still had 80 pages left (after suspecting about everyone possible) but this fact didn't spoil the story at all. Especially with such well crafted and deep characters. 

Rating: 5 Stars

Blurb: To celebrate the rise of their new queen, three goddesses of the moon created three stars, one of fire, one of ice, one of water. But then they fell from the sky, putting the fate of all worlds in danger. And now three women and three men join forces to pick up the pieces…

Sasha Riggs is a reclusive artist, haunted by dreams and nightmares that she turns into extraordinary paintings. Her visions lead her to the Greek island of Corfu, where five others have been lured to seek the fire star. Sasha recognizes them, because she has drawn them: a magician, an archaeologist, a wanderer, a fighter, a loner. All on a quest. All with secrets.

Sasha is the one who holds them together—the seer. And in the magician, Bran Killian, she sees a man of immense power and compassion. As Sasha struggles with her rare ability, Bran is there to support her, challenge her, and believe in her.

But Sasha and Bran are just two of the six. And they all must all work together as a team to find the fire star in a cradle of land beneath the sea. Over their every attempt at trust, unity, and love, a dark threat looms. And it seeks to corrupt everything that stands in its way of possessing the stars…

First of all I would like to thank the publisher for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

Review: I have to admit that I haven't read any of Nora Roberts' previous trilogies. I know they have a lot of fantasy and paranormal in them but given that I never read this kind of genres these days, I never had any interest in picking them. But lately I have read some books by Nora, both her romance books and her crime books, and really enjoyed them and I decided to give this new trilogy a go. I was a bit skeptical at the beginning, as magick and mythological creatures play a big role in the story, but as soon as I got into the story, I really enjoyed it.

This being the first in a trilogy, it is quite an introductory read. We get to know the characters, although you never know what can come next as several major secrets, about who they really are, are revealed during the story and some really took me by surprise. I really liked Riley, the strong and smart archaeologist. Her secret about her identity was the one that shocked me the most as I didn't expected it at all. But it certainly added a new dimension to the story. As per the others, they all had their moment in the story but I was really curious about Annika, the naive girl who seemed to come from another era.  

This story has certainly picked my curiosity and I am already looking forward to the next book in this trilogy. I now understand why Nora's trilogies are so popular. Actually, I had read some reviews that said this one had a lot of similarities with her previous stories, but as it was my first that didn't really bother me. 

Stars of Fortune has more fantasy than I first expected, which turned out to be a nice surprise as I found myself really invested in the story, always wanting to know more. Plus, I liked the ancient mythology line. This just confirms me that Nora Roberts is a woman of many talents. Her style works in many genres but keeps her essence. There's also romance in the story and it fits well, it doesn't seem forced or gets in the way. All in all, a very intriguing start to this series.

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Blurb: When her husband Richard dies in a freak accident, Shelby Pomeroy is devastated. But his death reveals a horrible truth - Richard was a liar and a cheat. Now Shelby is left with the consequences - huge, terrifying debts and mounting proof that her late husband betrayed her in every conceivable way.

Heart-broken but unbowed, Shelby is determined to fix her problems - if only for the sake of her gorgeous little daughter Callie. Returning home to Tennessee and the family she thought she'd lost for ever, she discovers a new sense of strength and freedom. And hope, too, in the handsome form of carpenter Griffin Lott - a straight-dealing man who couldn't lie to her if he tried.

But not everyone is thrilled to see Shelby Pomeroy back in town. And when a shocking act of violence is traced back to Richard's shady business, it becomes clear that she is not safe from him, even in death. With her life in danger, Shelby must face the lies of the past - or lose everything.

*First of all I would like to thank the publishers for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

Review: The first thing I thought when The Liar landed on my hands was, gosh, this is a huge book. And after a really slow week with my reading I was afraid it was going to take me ages to finish this one. I could not have been more wrong. It's true that the first bit of the story is kind of slow, mainly because it's all about Shelby's shock after her husband's death and subsequent discovery that he was the biggest liar on earth and left her with huge debts. So she has to start dealing with all their possessions and try to sell all she can to start paying back. We already knew all this because of the blurb. But then, once she and her lovely daughter leave their old life behind and land in Tennessee where all of Shelby's family live, the story gets really intriguing, really.

There's an atmosphere of mystery surrounding his late husband's death that had me flying through the pages wanting to know what was going on. Every time I thought, nothing more can happen, it did. People kept appearing making Shelby's effort to build a new and fresh life very difficult. The narrative became really fast paced and I was totally immersed in the story.

It also helped that Shelby was a joy to read about. It was a pleasure to read how she, after such a horrible experience, started being her old lively self again. Surrounded by her loved ones, she was a force to be reckoned with. Ready to fight for what she deserved and not easily intimidated (which happened a lot, by the way). And Griff was ever so gentlemanly. I loved reading their scenes together, and even more with the little Callie. He had a golden heart.

The Liar really lived up to expectations and Nora Roberts did not disappoint with this intriguing tale about betrayal and abuse but also love and family. I highly recommend this read, and don't be afraid of the page count, it really is quite an addictive read.

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Blurb: A crisp winter morning in New York. In a luxury apartment, the body of a woman lies stretched out on a huge bed. On the wall above, the killer has left a message in bold black ink: FOR LIEUTENANT EVE DALLAS, WITH GREAT ADMIRATION AND UNDERSTANDING. Eve Dallas is used to unwanted attention. Famous for her high-profile cases and her marriage to billionaire businessman Roarke, she has learned to deal with intense public scrutiny and media gossip. But now Eve has become the object of a singular and deadly obsession. She has an 'admirer', who just can't stop thinking about her. Who is convinced they have a special bond. Who is planning to kill for her - again and again...With time against her, Eve is forced to play a delicate - and dangerous - psychological dance. Because the killer is desperate for something Eve can never provide - approval. And once that becomes clear, Eve knows her own life will be at risk - along with those she cares about the most.

Review: This is my first book by J.D. Robb but Obsession in Death is the 40th book of the In Death series. So I can tell you that it can perfectly be read as a stand alone or as an introduction to the series, even. I never felt like I was missing any crucial information, quite the opposite, I could see there was a lot of back story to the characters but this only made me want to pick the previous books, because I really enjoyed meeting them for the first time and I wanted to know more about them.

Lieutenant Eve Dallas is a very complex character, clever and strong, determined to do her job the best way she can. So when her latest case hits too close to home, with a supposed true and loyal friend who is getting rid of her opponents, she is not going to stop until she puts them behind bars. The story is fast-paced and unfolds from beginning to end in only 5 days. I was really impressed with the development of the story and the multiple twists in the investigation. A special mention to Roarke, Eve's husband, who was key to the story, always ready to help and console her. He certainly was a rock for her and I can't wait to find out more about their story in the previous books.

With a really clever plot and a futuristic setting (New York in 2060) Obsession in Death will draw you in and you won't be able to stop reading until you know who the true and loyal friend is. And I am sure that old fans of the series will appreciate this story even more as it is so personal to Eve. We get to know her better, her fears and her determination. Eve Dallas is a joy to read about. 

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