Addicted by Charlotte Featherstone
Rating: 3 stars
Genre: Historical Romance, Erotica
Recommended for: Readers looking for a beautifully written, unique and very heartwrenching story
In Addicted, we start with the hero, Lindsay, declaring his love to Anais, whom he has loved for over 10 years. She has always been his closest friend but he wants something more than that; he wants her love. Happily for him, Anais seems to share his feelings, which leads in a magical night of passion. Their happily ever after is ruined however when a fortune hunter manages to seduce the opium induced Lindsay and Anais sees them together. Despite Lindsay's efforts to make amends, Anais refuses to listen to his excuses and leaves for France. Lindsay tries to find her there. Failing to do so, he goes to Constaninople with his friend Wallingford, where he becomes an opium addict in his attempts to forget Anais.
Ten months later Lindsay comes back home to find Anais mysteriously ill and courted by his close friend Broughton, with whom she seems to be sharing a secret. Is Broughton Anais' lover? What is this secret they're hiding? What caused Anais' mysterious illness? Can Lindsay overcome his addiction for a future with Anais? But first, can she forgive him for what he did to her? Can he forgive her and Broughton? All these questions are what this book is about.
I admit at this point that I was misguided, by none other but myself. I somehow formed the idea, that this would be a book about the unconditional, palpable and extremely passionate love between Lindsay and Anais, as she helps him to fight his opium addiction. I was wrong. This book is mainly about forgiving and learning to accept the people you love with their mistakes and faults; not as you imagined them to be as they really are. I seem to be the only one here, thinking that Lindsay's opium addiction played little role in this whole drama until the last 40 pages, except to justify his initial betrayal. That was my first disappointment about this book.
Most of the story dealed with Lindsay trying to find out Anais' secret and her, trying to convince him that they have no future together, but at the same time not being able to deny their attraction and giving in to it again and again. While I never doubted Lindsay's love for Anais in the entire book, I cannot however say the same for hers. Her relationship with Broughton might have added suspense, but IMHO also made her unlikable to the reader for the most part of the book. And I can't say that Broughton seemed to act like a true friend in any case. When the author tried to redeem them, it was too late to change my mind for both of them. And the fact that Anais kept lying to Lindsay until the very end -even if it is "white lies"-, when she promised to tell all the truth to him, didn't endear her to me at all:( I had guessed Anais' secret early on and came to grips with that. Her decision though to keep that secret from Lindsay forever, is what made me dislike her. It follows I guess, that when a reader doesn't like the hero or heroine, she also can't feel the love & passion between them; that's what happened to me. I read their story with no real empathy for their troubles. I liked it, I wanted to see how they would solve their problems, but I didn't loose my sleep over them. Hence, the 3 stars.
I did like Lindsay however with his fierce love for Anais, his passion, his integrity, his honesty and his weaknesses. I also love Wallingford; the libertine, cynical but true friend who has never loved. If Featherstone writes a book about him, I'm gonna buy it asap!
Ten months later Lindsay comes back home to find Anais mysteriously ill and courted by his close friend Broughton, with whom she seems to be sharing a secret. Is Broughton Anais' lover? What is this secret they're hiding? What caused Anais' mysterious illness? Can Lindsay overcome his addiction for a future with Anais? But first, can she forgive him for what he did to her? Can he forgive her and Broughton? All these questions are what this book is about.
I admit at this point that I was misguided, by none other but myself. I somehow formed the idea, that this would be a book about the unconditional, palpable and extremely passionate love between Lindsay and Anais, as she helps him to fight his opium addiction. I was wrong. This book is mainly about forgiving and learning to accept the people you love with their mistakes and faults; not as you imagined them to be as they really are. I seem to be the only one here, thinking that Lindsay's opium addiction played little role in this whole drama until the last 40 pages, except to justify his initial betrayal. That was my first disappointment about this book.
Most of the story dealed with Lindsay trying to find out Anais' secret and her, trying to convince him that they have no future together, but at the same time not being able to deny their attraction and giving in to it again and again. While I never doubted Lindsay's love for Anais in the entire book, I cannot however say the same for hers. Her relationship with Broughton might have added suspense, but IMHO also made her unlikable to the reader for the most part of the book. And I can't say that Broughton seemed to act like a true friend in any case. When the author tried to redeem them, it was too late to change my mind for both of them. And the fact that Anais kept lying to Lindsay until the very end -even if it is "white lies"-, when she promised to tell all the truth to him, didn't endear her to me at all:( I had guessed Anais' secret early on and came to grips with that. Her decision though to keep that secret from Lindsay forever, is what made me dislike her. It follows I guess, that when a reader doesn't like the hero or heroine, she also can't feel the love & passion between them; that's what happened to me. I read their story with no real empathy for their troubles. I liked it, I wanted to see how they would solve their problems, but I didn't loose my sleep over them. Hence, the 3 stars.
I did like Lindsay however with his fierce love for Anais, his passion, his integrity, his honesty and his weaknesses. I also love Wallingford; the libertine, cynical but true friend who has never loved. If Featherstone writes a book about him, I'm gonna buy it asap!
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