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The Obsession
The Obsession
The Obsession
Audiobook14 hours

The Obsession

Written by Nora Roberts

Narrated by Shannon McManus

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

4.5/5

()

About this audiobook

The riveting novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Liar.

“She stood in the deep, dark woods, breath shallow and cold prickling over her skin despite the hot, heavy air. She took a step back, then two, as the urge to run fell over her.”

Naomi Bowes lost her innocence the night she followed her father into the woods. In freeing the girl trapped in the root cellar, Naomi revealed the horrible extent of her father’s crimes and made him infamous. No matter how close she gets to happiness, she can’t outrun the sins of Thomas David Bowes.

Now a successful photographer living under the name Naomi Carson, she has found a place that calls to her, a rambling old house in need of repair, thousands of miles away from everything she’s ever known. Naomi wants to embrace the solitude, but the kindly residents of Sunrise Cove keep forcing her to open up—especially the determined Xander Keaton.

Naomi can feel her defenses failing, and knows that the connection her new life offers is something she’s always secretly craved. But the sins of her father can become an obsession, and, as she’s learned time and again, her past is never more than a nightmare away.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateApr 12, 2016
ISBN9781501223785
The Obsession
Author

Nora Roberts

Nora Roberts is the bestselling author of more than two hundred romance novels. She was the first author to be inducted into the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame. Since her first bestseller in 1991, Nora’s books have spent more than two hundred weeks in the number one spot on the New York Times bestseller list. There are more than five hundred million copies of her books in print, published in over thirty-four countries.

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Reviews for The Obsession

Rating: 4.384984023003195 out of 5 stars
4.5/5

626 ratings46 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The Obsession by Nora Roberts; (4*)I have not read much of Roberts' work in the past as I am 'mind-stuck' with her in the romance genre. While this is indeed a romance it is also a psychological thriller and a really good one at that!I appreciated Roberts' characters (yes, even the villainous ones) and was immediately sucked into this story. Many times while reading it I had to take a deep breath before continuing on. I wish it had taken longer than a couple of hours to read.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    At not quite twelve, Naomi Bowes discovered her father was a serial killer, freed his latest victim, and triggered his arrest and prosecution.

    Four years later, her mother, who has never recovered from her psychological dependence on Thomas Bowes, kills herself. Her mother's brother, Seth, and his partner Harry, give her and her younger brother Mason a secure and loving home, but Naomi carries her own, less obvious scars from her experiences. As an adult, her name legally changed from Bowes to Carson, she's been a nomadic professional photographer for years.

    And then she buys a big, old house in a little town on the west coast.

    It's in the quiet little town of Sunrise Cove, Washington. The view from her new home is astounding. And since the house is very much a fixer-upper, she's got a carpenter and his crew, and soon a landscaper and his crew, working on her new home.

    And the owner of the local auto repair garage stops and helps her when she rescues a half-starved dog on the edge of the road. She's started, cautiously and reluctantly to make friends; Xander Keaton quickly becomes more than just a friend. She's doing great work, too, photographing nature and residents in Sunrise Cove, with sales both online and in a local shop.

    But with everything looking up, the past catches up with her again. A local young woman disappears, and is found, tortured, abused, and quite dead, in very much the manner of Thomas Bowes.

    This is an atmospheric tale, with great characters, and great relationship development. Naomi, Xander, their friends and neighbors, and Naomi's uncles, Seth and Harry, and her brother, Mason, are all real, interesting, and engaging.

    Note for those who share my leanings in this matter: The dog does not die.

    Recommended.

    I received a free electronic galley of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    This book is a shocker. Whoever gave it 3 or 4 stars should be introduced to good literature. The intro looked promising which is why I purchased it. Then it was filled with 20 pages about the dog and about forty or fifty to do with food or furniture. Another 50 pages of innocuous fill re decorating the house and irrelevant characters and conversation. I gave it 2 stars for the beginning and the effort of writing.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Excelente! Tiene the todo. Desde la primera página hasta el final no puedes soltarlo hasta verle el fin.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    So I enjoyed the home reno and decor bits, but understand the frustration of other readers. If you drop the shopping and renovation writing, the book would lose at least 25% of its word-count.

    Romance was meh - honestly didn't care for Xander at all - and I guessed the murderer's identity almost at soon as that plot point was introduced. Per my kindle, that was around the 50% completion point, so it takes a LONG time to get to the suspense in this one.

    I'm unsure how much money a photographer makes, but even with Naomi's trust-fund from her grandparents, I don't think she would realistically be able to afford the house, its renovations, and her furnishings/decor. Yeah, this is a romance, but the fact that Naomi didn't have to budget at ALL bothered me a bit.

    3/5 for my own enjoyment, but would be more of a 2/5 if I was reviewing it for anyone else.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I'm going to preface this review by saying, I love Nora Roberts. She's my favorite author. With that being said, while The Obsession was a good read, it was horribly predictable from prequel. I think it's safe to say, anyone who read this book knew who the stalker was during Naomi's teenage years. If I can predict who the villain is before I even get to chapter one, you have failed as an author. There was no element of surprise once he was revealed. What's the point in reading a suspense/thriller novel if the reader can figure out who the killer is before they get to chapter one?!!! That just ruins the book no matter how good it is.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I just listened to the audiobook version and I definitely enjoyed it. it was a bit intense for me at moments... But had me guessing and re-guessing several times. This is a good read... I recommend it. Sidney ?
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Eleven-year-old Naomi Bowes followed her father into the woods one late night and walked into a nightmare. Her father had a young woman locked in an underground cellar beside a burnt out cabin. He had raped her and tortured her and would have killed her like he had killed countless others before her if Noami hadn't rescued her and taken her to the sheriff.That act of courage changed Naomi's life. She and her brother and her mother became almost as notorious as her father. They couldn't escape the media frenzy until her mother's gay brother and his husband swooped in to rescue them. They moved first to Washington, DC, and than later to New York City. Each time Bowes wanted something from prison, the media frenzy kicked in again, and the family moved again. Naomi's mother couldn't deal with the situation and took her own life when Naomi was in high school. Naomi and her brother Mason changed their name to Carson which was their mother's maiden name. But determined reporters kept finding them ... when the tell-all book came out, when the movie was released...Naomi grew up to become a photographer who traveled almost constantly. She didn't set down any roots or let anyone into her life except her brother and her uncles. But then she arrived in Sunrise Cove on the West Coast and fell in love with an old house that needed major renovation, very reluctantly found herself adopting an abandoned dog, and found a man to love too. Xander Keaton was born and raised in Sunrise Cove, owned his own garage, played in a bar band, and wouldn't let Naomi keep him at a distance. Only, though Naomi didn't know it, she had attracted a stalker who had followed her to Sunrise Cove and who committed a couple of murders that were eerily like those committed by her father. Her first instinct was to run because that was what she was used to doing. Xander convinced her to make a stand and try to end the problem once and for all.I loved this story. The relationship between Naomi and Xander was so well written. Neither one of them was looking for love but love had a way of finding them. I loved watching Naomi become part of the Sunrise Cove community and make some good friends. I think that this building of community and connections is a hallmark of Nora Roberts' writing and it is done very well here.Fans of romantic suspense and Nora's fans won't want to miss this excellent story.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This was fantastic. It has been one of my favorite Nora Roberts stories. How does one continue on with your life after you discover something bad about one of your family. Naomi Bowes must learn to deal with just this dilemma. I look forward to many more Nora Roberts books. I received an ebook copy of this from First to Read for a fair and honest opinion.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Nora Roberts has a way of bringing her characters to life like no other author I've read. The dialogue seems real and the emotions are spot on. She is also impeccable at research, giving her characters occupations and lifestyles that are true to real life. Her stories always manage to draw me in. I find myself reading so quickly, that the story is over before I want it to be. In The Obsession, twelve-year-old Naomi discovers that her father has been raping and murdering women in a cellar located in the woods near their home. When she saves Ashley from a similar fate and brings her to the police, her father is arrested and Naomi's world is changed forever. Paparazzi, a true crime book, and a movie make life impossible for Naomi and her family, so they move to New York. Naomi finds a career as a photographer and travels the world until she discovers a house near Seattle where she makes the decision to finally settle down. When she meets Xander and falls in love, Naomi thinks that maybe she has found what she has been searching for her entire life until women start turning up dead, and the nightmare her father brought her has a child seems to have returned to her life. I never tire of reading books by Nora Roberts, and I enjoyed this one a great deal. I'll be looking forward to her next story.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I Love this. She is one of my favorite authors.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    When this books begins we meet 11-year-old Naomi Bowes.  One day she follows her father to an abandoned shed on their property where she discovers a tied up naked woman covered with cuts and bruises. She frees the woman and leads her to safety.  Her father is arrested and sent to prison for the rest of his life is a serial killer.  The family is taken in by relatives and Naomi tries to forget the past, even though it's hard sometimes.

    We catch up with Naomi seventeen years later.  She's enjoying a wonderful career as a photojournalist.  She's just purchased a big fixer-upper house in Sunrise Cove, Oregon and has met a great guy named Xander Keaton. The first half of the book focuses on Naomi, her fantastic dog, and the renovation of the house.  But before long the young woman disappears and Naomi's past comes back to haunt her.

    The story is told at a pretty slow pace but I enjoyed it nevertheless. There's something comfortable about the way Nora Roberts tells a story. There's enough violence and tension to make this story suspenseful and a couple of gorgeous main characters to make it sexy and romantic. This was a very enjoyable read and I can recommend it to anyone who is interested in the character driven romantic suspense story.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I enjoyed this quite a bit, and a lot of my enjoyment was Naomi's reluctant adoption of the dog. He's found his human pack and he's not going to let them get away, no matter what she thinks about it. I find myself picking this book up and flipping to the page where she finds the pooch on the side of the road then reading the next 10-15 pages just because it's so familiar to anyone who's had a stray animal walk into his or her life.The rest of the book was standard Nora Roberts. Strong stubborn woman, strong obstinate man, both fighting the obvious attraction. If that's formulaic, so be it.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Another good one by Ma Roberts, it totally hits the spot ??
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Really good, cozy and fun and thrilling, so grateful I found Nora Roberts finally!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    5⭐ wow , I love everything about this audiobook ♥️?
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Very good with exceptional characters. You get emotionally involved...
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I resented sleep for this one, in fact while I intended to have a bath on Saturday and finish this I made the error of taking it downstairs when I had my breakfast and delayed the bath until the book was finished.Naomi Carson's father was strict and stern but it was her birthday and she was curious if he had got her the bicycle she was hoping for, so she followed him and entered into a nightmare that no 12-year-old should. She finds out that her father is a killer and her life will never be the same again. She has to deal with the aftermath of all this, including her mother's reactions and it all will be complicated.Now she's found a home, a place to live, a beautiful old house where she could possibly put down roots and live, she's a photographer, her brother is an FBI profiler and her uncles who brought her up care deeply for her, she has to work out how to live and how to trust again, and then bodies start turning up and it appears that nothing is ever safe, her father is still in jail, but who could be doing this and why are they haunting her?It's relatively predictable but Roberts just dragged me in and kept me reading, I really enjoyed the read and the characters and could see the growing relationship and the feelings throughout. Naomi is pretty broken at the beginning of the book and by the end she's still broken but she has found people to be around her to help her keep together and who can pick the pieces up when they fall.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Another solid romantic suspense novel from Roberts. As a girl, Naomi discovered a serial killer and rescued his last victim. The repercussions upended her life, and she spent her adolescence avoiding the publicity. After college, she spent years drifting from one place to another, never quite ready to settle down. Until, to her surprise, she falls in love with a house, a small town--and the town mechanic.Appealing characters with solid and believable backstories, and a supportive romance. The suspense plot feels almost superfluous, however. The childhood incident is important for explaing who Naomi is and why. But the romance would work--does work--just fine without any outside forces.Not one of Roberts's best, but thoroughly enjoyable.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    It's so upsetting when a book peaks in the first chapter because as a reader, you assume it will only get better from here... and it never does. I honestly like this author but dear Jesus was this book dull. How is it a thriller when most of the plot is devoted to the main character´s love life, her new dog and decortating the new house. I honestly started skipping chapters hoping the pace would speed up but it never did. It was consistenly boring. Again, how you can devote less the one chapter to the final confrontation, yet multiple chapters to home renovation and still have the gal tocall this a thriller is beyond me. Perhaps if, we would've gotten a switch or at least a red herring to the love intrest being the killer, it would've had me invested in their relationship because I might've wanted to give a damn about what the country playboy had to say. But, because of his POVs I was able to discard him in all sense of the word and so every damn chapter I was asked to care about his love for cars (a mechanic liking cars, that's new) or his dead dog or his life grandfather all whilst wonfering, "wasn't this a thriller?" was laborious. Also, the villian was easy to spot out. I mean... the title literally is called the obessesion.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Nora Robert's is one of my favorites, but this story was over the Top! This was the 3rd time I read it and still couldn't put it down.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Great read and suspenseful. Enjoyed the story line and ending.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    It was good! Would have given 5 stars if I didn’t guess the killer at the beginning. Good read though!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The Obsession
    4 Stars

    A good mix of romance and suspense. Naomi and Xander are both appealing characters and their connection is both sweet and sexy. The other residents of Sunrise Cove are charming, but it is Tag, the lovable mutt, who steals the show.

    The serial killer aspects are intense although the identity of the killer is fairly obvious and the final showdown a little anti-climactic.

    In terms of the writing, the first and last 3rds of the book grab on and don't let go. That said, the middle is somewhat drawn out with a little too much detail on the house renovations and the photography elements, but even these have their moments.

    All in all, a highly enjoyable read from the Queen of Romantic Suspense.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Another great suspenseful story from Nora. I prefer these books to her mystical novels.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    When I start to read a Nora Roberts’ novel I have very high expectations. The Obsession does not disappoint. Just when I have settled into a nice romance the tension is kicked up a notch and I am gripping the book with two hands. Then that settles until it goes a bit higher on the next ledge. The characters are people I would like to know and join to chat over coffee or dinner out. Her descriptions of the place make me feel like I have been there at some time. I enjoyed reading this novel and look forward to her next one!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    3.5 maybe 3.7 stars this is contemporary-romance that have some thriller and its was fine.
    the beginning was interesting. and then halfway through the book I got lost interest.
    the romance was okay. but man, this was way too long and I think, someone just show up and kill her already. and the ending was a bit rush. I thought there were more action scene.

    don't get me wrong I do love Naomi she been through a lot. and I love her relationship between her brother and uncles.

    the suspense part was cheesy, I don't think my dumb brain would have guest who the killer right.
    and reading his POV make me sick.

    overall this was enjoyable if you like romance and a bit of a thrill from serial killer
    this might be for you.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Enjoyed the story, enjoyed the characters. I love JD Robb but don’t usually like her other books. It was a pleasant surprise
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Excellent reader! That makes all the difference with an audiobook. Great story! Nora Roberts never disappoints.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Really enjoyed this novel, it kept me in suspense. I would recommend for good reading.