REVIEW: Deadly Obsession by Katie Reus

Author: Katie Reus

Genre: Romance - Suspense

Publisher: Carina Press

AMAZON: Deadly Obsession

Deadly Obsession was kindly provided to me by Netgalley for Carina Press

Release Date: 15th August 2011

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

The chilling words of a killer: This is just the beginning...

Ten years ago, Lilly Carmichael left town without an explanation, breaking Braden Donnelly's heart. The death of her aunt has brought Lilly home—and face-to-face with memories she thought were long buried. Still getting over a traumatic incident from her work as an NSA agent, Lilly initially dismisses the face at her window as a figment of stress-induced paranoia.

Now the sheriff of Hudson Bay, Braden has spent the past year hunting a sadistic murderer. His investigation is turned upside down when new evidence indicates that Lilly is the killer's next target. Determined to protect the woman he's never stopped loving, Braden must race against the clock to trap a dangerous psychopath—before it's too late...

REVIEW: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Deadly Obsession was kindly provided to me by Netgalley for Carina Press.

Lilly Carmichael, an NSA agent is recovering from a traumatic incident incurred through her job as an analyst which left her with devastating injuries and PTSD. After receiving news of her aunt’s death she takes a few weeks leave and returns to the place she was raised, Hudson Bay to finalize the preparations for the funeral/wake.

Lilly begins to question her sanity when she sees a masked man through the window, thinking she is hallucinating she brushes it off until she finds out a serial killer could possibly be targeting the local women.

Sheriff Braden Donnelly was left heartbroken when Lilly left him as a teen with no more than a kiss on the cheek and a wave good-bye. A former marine, now the town Sheriff he is investigating the murders around town that seem to have a direct connection to Lilly as well as himself.

Braden’s first instincts are to protect Lilly, they have spent a decade apart but there is no doubting the attraction and chemistry they both share; I was quite eager to learn the truth behind Lilly’s leaving all those years prior.

The women being murdered have in some way or form been linked to Braden but the killer’s anger is more focused on Lilly. They combine their resources and work together to investigate the murders – Lilly’s aunts included.

The suspense of the story was well written and Reus does an amazing job of describing the setting and events in this book - at times it was quite detailed, the villain was evil to the core and the way he terrorized the women for his own cheap thrills was certainly disturbing. There are a number of graphic scenes that had me cringing so if you have a weakness when it comes to at times gruesome details you’ll most likely need to skim. The title of the book is perfect for this storyline.

I really liked the main characters, their history and their reunion was really sweet and you could tell they were truly meant to be together; the chemistry between them was sexy and when they hit the sheets – hot! I just wish there was more of an epilogue, their HEA seemed quite abrupt.

One minor thing I found to be repetitive was the number of times Braden appeared to be on the phone or answering his phone, it seemed to happen quite often (enough for me to really notice it). Other than this I really liked this novel.

Deadly Obsession is a gripping thriller with an evenly paced, enjoyable plot and sensual romance. Katie Reus is an auto-buy for me these days after reading and enjoying a number of her other novels. I like her writing style, characters and the suspense and mystery she creates with each of her well-written stories.