Laura’s Review of Still Obsessed (Obsessed, #4) by Deborah Bladon

If you have read and enjoyed Into the Light (The Dark Angel Series, #2) by Kat T. Masen, Forever With You (Fixed, #3) by Laurelin Paige, and Pulse (Collide, #2) by Gail McHugh then you will LOVE this book!

Synopsis

                     Life couldn't have been more idealistic for Ivy Marlow. She owned the business of her dreams, worked alongside the man she loved, and her future was bright and filled with unending promise. Looks can be deceiving though and as much as she loved her life, she knew that she and Jax Walker were destined for a collision course if something didn't change.

                  Destiny stepped in and one fateful night on a dark street, everyone's life transformed in a profound way. Ivy is tossed back into the past she thought was behind her and Jax is determined to reclaim what was rightfully his.

                  What neither of them could have predicted is that life doesn't let you plan your own course. Sometimes you have to let fate take you by the hand so you can find your true destiny. Is Ivy's future with Jax or will the ghosts of her past destroy them forever?

What I Loved

           There is just craziness in this story; I don’t even know where to begin.  Surprisingly this one picks up about 6 months from where Part 3 left off.  We get to see Jax and Ivy in a more settled relationship, with Ivy designing her jewelry pieces in her own store and Jax a little unemployed.  I love that we get to see them in more of a routine with their lives, because once again they each get thrown into drama pretty quickly.  Ivy is given some pretty devastating news that is a game changer for both of them and starts to cause a rift between them.  Jax finds himself back in the world of business again, and becomes that shrewed closed off business we met in Obsessed which starts to cause a rift between the two of them.  My heart broke a little for Ivy to see how stressed out and depressed she becomes, and eventually we find out why, which I was happy and guessed pretty early on. 

    

Not So Much

                As much as I loved this series, and it was great that this story gave a great ending, but it was probably the least favorite one for me.  It was just very scattered and unorganized at parts, and there seemed to be huge holes in the plot line for me.  Especially towards the end, it all just seemed very rushed and because of that the details of each plot line were just swept under the rug.  The epilogue of the book introduces someone new, and his name is never even mentioned, he’s just referred to as “him” (at least give us a name).  I needed more details from the supporting characters, not just that they were shipped away or moved somewhere else; give me a couple more sentences at least.

This Short Story…

                Pretty good!  There is a lot that happens in this last installment of the series.  I love that we got closure to this crazy story, and I love that it was a somewhat of a happy ending.  There was definitely huge surprises thrown into this one, which kept me on my toes the entire time.  I really loved this series, it was truly addictive and I probably read the last two parts in about 4 hours because I couldn’t get enough of it.  I love the sizzling chemistry between Jax and Ivy and each book does not disappoint when it comes to how hot the two of them are for each other.  I really enjoyed the character of Ivy, and of course I am totally in love with Jax.  If you are looking for a quick read that is along the lines of 50 Shades, then this definitely the series for you.  At time I do wish more details were added to the story, and I wish it was longer but that’s just because I loved this series so much!  

Laura’s Review of Obsessed: Part Three (Obsessed, #3) by Deborah Bladon

If you have read and enjoyed Found in You (Fixed, #2) Laurelin Paige, Claim Me (Stark Trilogy, #2) by J. Kenner, and Damaged (Damaged, #2) by H.M. Ward then you will LOVE this story!

Synopsis

           Ivy wanted Jax to be the man of her dreams. After all the lies, the mysteries and the manipulations she was ready to start on the path towards a new beginning. That all came to a crashing halt that blindsided them both. The images that flashed across his computer screen are burned forever in her memory. They're inescapable and the only way out of the darkness leads straight back to him.

           She knows what she saw. He knows what he believes. Will his unending drive to possess her push her away forever?

           As Ivy puts the pieces of her shattered life back together, she's confronted with a reality she never saw coming. Is she strong enough to find her way to the truth? And who will be waiting for her when she gets there?

What I Loved

            This story picks up the minute Part Two left off, with Ivy’s heart once again being shattered into a million pieces because of Jax’s secrets.  Once again I sucked back into the crazy roller coaster of a relationship, and my heart just ached for Ivy who has to pick up the pieces of her life.  I probably for the first time in this series went into this book kind of hating Jax, you definitely have a sense that there is more to the story and as you read you see there is, but initially I was not team Jax.   I do love that we got to see Ivy making her own business decisions, and eventually going with her gut about what she wants out of her professional career and her personal life.  I love that she is becoming more sure of herself and self-confident, because she was sorely missing that in the other two stories.  

   

Not So Much

                I really don’t like how Ivy kind of makes these split second decisions, and is all ready for her to pick up her life and go one way then back away from that decision.  It’s making her look kind of flighty and not as steady of a character as she could be.  I get why she’s making those decisions but I can’t take someone seriously who is all about the drama one minute then going back on all that the next.  Plus I felt like the follow through with certain scenes wasn’t there, I wish there was more padding from one scene to the next.  I get that this is a short story, but I feel like twenty more pages wouldn’t have hurt.

This Short Story Was…

                Very interesting!  This part started off in a rather dark way, with Ivy just completely broken from Jax holding things back from her.  Once again we went through the ups and downs of Jax and Ivy’s relationship and unlike the first two parts; this one ended a very high note.  Obsessed: Part Three was filled with drama, lots of hot sex, and lots of action.  I won’t give too much away but I like the place that Jax and Ivy are in now and I can’t wait to see where they go in Still Obsessed. 

Laura’s Review of Obsessed: Part Two (Obsessed, #2) by Deborah Bladon

If you have read and enjoyed The Arrangement 2: The Ferro Family (The Arrangement, #2) by H.M. Ward, Fixed on You (Fixed, #1) by Laurelin Paige, and Disastrous (Disastrous, #1) by E.L. Montes, then you will LOVE this story!

Synopsis

When Ivy first met Jax, she knew he was everything she wanted, but she didn't need. She couldn't have been more right. She thought she was done with the lies, the secrets and the betrayals, but her past is inescapable, no matter how hard she tries. That pain that she once thought was buried forever is slowly starting to resurface and it may just be too much for her already fragile heart to take.

If there's one thing that Ivy loves most about Jax, it's his relentless need for control. He does everything he can to win her back and to prove that there's more to him than his past demons. He swears he's a changed man, but can a man like Jax ever really change?

As Ivy begins to believe in Jax again, an unexpected secret tears her world apart. Past lovers return, schemes are exposed and Ivy is left standing in the center of it all.

What I Loved

          Wow!  I thought the first story was dramatic, but damn this one blows the first one out of the water!!!  Once again we find ourselves plunged into Ivy Marlow’s world, and her trying to put the puzzle pieces of Jax’s relationship with her and with Mark’s company.  The first story ended with a big cliff hanger, and this story picks up right where the first one left off.  I love that this story line isn’t just a love story but also somewhat of a mystery.  We find out some more things about Jax in this story, but once again by the end you feel like you don’t know him at all.  On top of Ivy trying to find her way around Jax and Mark’s relationship, she gets a whole other bomb dropped on her that puts her into a tailspin.  Hell if it was me, I probably would’ve punched someone in the face and then faint! 

   

Not So Much

              I don’t enjoy how transparent Ivy is in this series so far.  I hate how many of the female leads in these types of stories kind of lay out their feelings and their lives to these men who give them very little in return.  Jax shares almost nothing with Ivy, and although it frustrates her at certain points I wish she would be more insistent or hold something back herself because their relationship to me, is very unbalanced.  For once I would love to see the female lead be the mysterious one, holding more power instead of the other way around.

This Short Story Was…

                Amazing!  There were so many twists and turns packed into this one story, I literally couldn’t put it down.  I think I read the whole thing in the matter of three hours because I couldn’t get enough.  Not only is there a huge curve ball thrown at Ivy in the middle of the story, another smacks her in the face at the end, leaving an even bigger cliffhanger than the first one. I can honestly say my heart shattered for Ivy at the end of this one, and I just NEED to find out what happens next!  Seriously, this series is addicting! 

Laura’s Review of Obsessed (Obsessed, #1) by Deborah Bladon

If you have read and enjoyed The Arrangement: The Ferro Family (The Arrangement, #1) by H.M. Ward, Fifty Shades of Grey (Fifty Shades, #1) by E.L. James, and Promised (One Night, #1) by Jodi Ellen Malpas then you will LOVE this story!

Synopsis

                Independent jewelry designer, Ivy Marlow, had it all – the man, the security and the ring. Now, all she has to her name are a broken engagement, the crushing worry of a flailing business and the haunting feeling of complete betrayal.

               The last thing Ivy expected to find attending a posh New York art show was him. Jax Walker is everything she doesn’t need but can’t resist. He’s gorgeous, brazen, unapologetic and powerful. He becomes the escape Ivy has been craving and longing for. He knows what she needs, anticipates her desires and offers it all to her, but at what price?

               What once seemed to be a chance encounter designed by fate becomes more enigmatic than the man himself. Jax is full of secrets and Ivy is about to learn that his obsession for her runs deeper and darker than she ever imagined.

What I Loved

        Well there is so much I loved about this short story.  I of course love the mysterious Jax Walker, even after finishing this story I still can’t get enough of him.  This story and probably over all series is very much along the lines of 50 Shades, with the wealthy beautiful business man and the seemingly innocent and shy female lead.  This story is strictly from Ivy’s point of view which was fine for me; I don’t think it took away from the storyline with no switching point of views.  The sexual chemistry between Ivy and Jax is instant, and eventually that leads to some pretty steamy sex scenes that had me blushing a little. 

       

Not So Much

                I felt like for this being the first in the series that the foundation for it was laid out properly.  The synopsis kind of leads you to believe that Ivy is some desperate penniless jewelry maker, and that’s not at all the case.  You kind of learn as the story unfolds that she doesn’t have the funds to free herself of things but she’s not poor either.  I felt like her past relationship with her ex-fiancé Mark, should’ve been explained in more detail to really establish Ivy as the protagonist in this series. 

This Short Story Was…

                Really great!  I loved the heightened chemistry between Jax and Ivy; there is nothing like that great feeling when reading a story and your heart beat picks up the minute two characters are in the same scene together.  I definitely experienced while reading this story, and I want more.  I do wish Ivy didn’t fall into that stereotypical inexperienced female lead that so many of the women in this kind of genre are portrayed, but it’s an easy thing to get over while reading.  This story ends with a HUGE cliff hanger and I literally cannot wait to get my hands on the second story, I’ve already downloaded it and I have feeling I will finish it in one sitting because that’s how obsessed I am with Obsessed!