Obsession

I read and critiqued the prequel to this novel Devotion without realizing Trey's story continued in Obsession. Trey, the Duke of Salterdon, was going to throw his duty to family away by wedding a poor vicar's daughter, Maria. She had saved him from madness and now she ran from him, later marrying another (or so he thought). Trey found out the truth moments before his own marriage. Maria was alive, imprisoned in Menson, a mental asylum. And she was, by the time he reached her these six years later, mad. You can imagine the brutality and horror of an asylum for the criminally insane in the 1800s. Trey's grandmother, the ruthless dowager duchess, was responsible for Maria's placement in the asylum. Trey sets out to save Maria. He still loved her. Maria lives in a dark cocoon comforted only by the voice of her long dead brother and as she begins to enter the light again, remembers feelings of betrayal by Trey. She too has been misled and told lies and only remembers that her beautiful baby, Sarah, had been wrenched from her arms after giving birth to her in the asylum. The story focuses on Trey's struggle to regain pride and fortune, with the undercurrent of mystery surrounding his own birth and that of his missing child Sarah. From Devotion, we meet again with Trey's twin brother Clayton and his wife Miracle. There is the added element of tension with Lady Edwina, Trey's fiancé, literally left at the altar. Will Maria ever be whole again? The ending to this novel, unlike the prequel, is very standard and appealing. I enjoyed it very much. I did not find the descriptions of Maria's stay in the asylum as oppressive as it could have been. The elements of mysticism (ghosts & miracles) are all right. The tale is uniquely told in first person. Different, wonderful reading. A must if you have read Clayton's story (Miracle) and Trey & Maria's first story (Devotion). As other reviewers note, this book lacks the sensual appeal other novels have, but I didn't miss it in the storyline. Katherine Sutcliffe has not disappointed me yet.

I haven't read a story by Katherine Sutcliffe and been disappointed and this is no exception. I did not read the prequels (Miracle and Devotion) before reading this and I have to say that it didn't matter. I was able to gleen enough of their previous story in this one and didn't feel lost at all. It was compelling and riveting. I found the characters to be very well written and the love in which Trey felt for Maria (and yes, his brother)was poignant. What they went through was nothing short of tragic and what he did to get Maria back and bring her back to normalcy was incredibly heroic. I even felt sorry at times for Edwina (I wouldn't mind reading her story in the future). I love a good romance with a touch of tragedy thrown in as long as there's a happy ending. In a way I'm glad I didn't read Devotion first because I have a feeling I wouldn't have been as satisfied. With Obsession I know there's a happy ending. I didn't care that there were no sex scenes. I was riveted from cover to cover and Trey and Maria will stay with me for a long time to come. That's the mark of an excellent story and a superb story teller.

I didn't think a sequel to Devotion was really necessary, since I appreciated Sutcliffe's ending, but from what I understand, she got a lot of negative feedback about the book. Because the story didn't end with the hero and heroine in a clinch, readers weren't really sure if they were going to live happily ever after. So Sutcliffe wrote Obsession, another novel that, to my satisfaction, is different. It's written mainly from the hero's perspective and shows a very different side of the Trey Hawthorne readers knew in Devotion. He takes the chance to nurse Maria back to health, as she nursed him. It's a beautiful story, refreshing for its originality.

Okay...the other reviewers stated Sutcliffe had no real sex...But you know what? You don't need a lot of sex to write a great book...Just some shining characters that have that something that sparks the readers interest and a tale that inspires you...Obviously Ms. Sutcliffe did that or you wouldn't have purchased the book. Neither here nor there because IMO (In My Opinion) I thought this story was fantastic...The angst, the drama and best of all the characters and an unbelievable plot that was so dramatic it stunned me. But that is what I like. I want to be surprised and shocked, I want something that is going to make me sit up and take notice. And I was all that through-out this story.You got it there isn't a lot of sex, but my goodness the love and horrific tale told is just as incredible and enthralling, at least for me it was. I enjoyed reading the characters growing, learning and, in some, becoming better than they were. Each discovered depths they didn't even know they could reach, high and low. This in my mind made this story that much more powerful to read. Thank you Ms. Sutcliffe I enjoyed this story.

The book starts with the hero speaking in first person, may be annoying to some...then again is not criteria enough to slander this book. It is not a book written with romantic babble, yet it is very deep, very emotional, and bittersweet. You will not find sexy scenes, however, the story does not needed for it is a dark yet, beautiful book...It is just different from all its counterparts in this genre, that's all. If you are looking for something different, then this book is for you. However, it is not a keeper.