Happy Reading

Toni's bookshelf: read

The Godfather of Kathmandu (Sonchai Jitpleecheep, #4)
Ape House
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
Operation Napoleon
Walking Dead
The Sentimentalists
The Heretic Queen
The Midnight House
Cross Fire
Peony in Love
Absurdistan
Nefertiti
Finding Nouf: A Novel
City of Veils: A Novel
First Daughter
A Place of Hiding
Amagansett
Peter Pan


Toni Osborne's favorite books »
}

Sunday, April 22, 2012

"Addicted to Love", by C.J. West

What an alluring title and an intriguing synopsis.

This story is set in the idyllic mountain town of Highland Falls where the residents have a penchant for romance, love permeates in every household. The story explores mainly the seed of undeniable love that blossoms into a heated passion between Wes Holliday, a wealthy entrepreneur, and Leah Donovan, a hairstylist. But not all is merry in the quaint town, trouble is simmering and it all began with a love potion…

The story opens when the local sheriff is murdered and Wes is recruited as interim replacement to keep order. Wes does not have a law enforcement background and is left quite puzzled by this appointment especially when his best friend thought he would be the obvious choice.

Right from the start the story begins to unravel and focuses too much on the protagonists’ obsessions… Leah’s burning sexual needs take center stage and Wes’s mind is easily lured to below the belt. With so little resistance Wes’s newfound responsibilities are overpowered by their mutual lust…..hum…

As the body count goes up a pattern starts to emerge, happily married men are falling victims to their wives sudden change in behaviour. At this point I thought we were getting out of the bedroom and into the real suspense side of the plot. I was soon disappointed as I turned the pages the action became so predictable and the outcome so obvious that my mind started to wander and I fought to maintain interest. The transition between chapters was choppy and became even more rushed towards the end when all hell broke loose and the town fell into chaos. But have no fear our super hero, the great interim sheriff manages to save the day and get on with his life.

Mind altering drugs and the search for the ultimate high are the main topics in this story but unfortunately the conclusion leaves us a very controversial message…… I am a fan of Mr. West and have enjoyed all of his previous novels this one is a bit of a letdown. I was left debating whether this was an entertaining romance or a captivating suspense I found the two together was not a good marriage. If you are not familiar with this author I would suggest reading “Sin and Vengeance” it is a much better display of the author’s talents

No comments: