This was a crazy week - back to school, back to work, back to kids and my activities, and a snowstorm to boot - and this reading this book was my daily treat! Deadly Obsession by Kristine Cayne is a romantic suspense , and boy does it deliver! Nic "The Lover" Lamoureux is a hot Hollywood star who deals with his share of overzealous fans, but NicsBitch is a whole new kind of creepy. She knows where he is, who he is with, and makes sure Nic knows it. When photographer Lauren James comes into the picture, Nic quickly feels the pull towards this woman who is so different from all the Hollywood starlets. However, NicsBitch has already laid her claim. How far will she go to make sure Nic will be hers, and how far will Nic go to protect Lauren from not only from his stalker, but also the secrets of his past?
This book was well written with great attention to detail - from hockey teams, to music, to jewelry, and more, Ms. Cayne definitely did her research! It adds so much to the story and to the characters. (I hate it when authors say, "he put on his favorite song" and then don't tell you what it is! LOL) The characters were very well developed, real with real flaws, and I felt like I knew them and rooted for them from the very beginning! And the villain...wow. The insight into that character and the workings of her mind was phenomenal. I could see the crazy, but at the same time I could see where things went wrong and what she believed and actually felt some sympathy for her. You know the author has done an excellent job when you feel for the bad guy!!
This story had meat - lots of varied and interesting events to build the suspense and the story - not like some that have one or two incidents and then a happy ending. The only thing I can say that might be a negative is I did figure out the villain very early into the book - but that could just be because I am all sorts of awesome, lol. Even though I had the villain pegged, it didn't take away from the story. It was written in such a way that I still was intrigued with how the villain was going to "solve" each situation and I still enjoyed watching the puzzle pieces fall into place.
Now as for the important part, lol, the romance!! As with everything else, it was well thought out and most importantly, BOY did I feel for these characters. I watched them fall in love in a real, and sweet way, and for me this makes a romance book. There was instant attraction, sure, but none of this one look and they fall in love instantly and wham bam thank you ma'am by page 20 kind of junk that seems to be so popular at the moment. It was real, and touching, and oh so hot because I knew what it meant to the characters. Yes, I am a total sap.
So what's my verdict? For romantic suspense, I give this a 4.5 out of 5 stars. I really enjoyed this, and I can't wait to get started on Kristina Cayne's second book in the Deadly Vices series, Deadly Addiction!