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bellainalaska 's review for:
The Maddest Obsession
by Danielle Lori
“Haven’t you heard? Love is an obsession.
Some would even say . . . the maddest obsession.”
“Why do you kiss me?”
“I wanted to know what you tasted like.”
“What do I taste like?”
“Kak moya.”
CHARACTERS & STORY
“I just had my tongue inside you,” he said, annoyed.
“You can start calling me by my first name.”
I opened my mouth. Closed it.
“You forgot my name.”
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“Do your goddamn homework before getting in someone’s bed, Gianna.”
Gianna Marino: 28 brown eyes, dark brown hair (short term dyed blonde); Hot mess, bad-ass, whipsmart, gold-hearted humanitarian
Christian Allister: 33 blue eyes, dark hair; Psycho, obsessive (for real), possessive, distanced, cold, organized
There's no surprise; I knew that I would totally love Gianna, but how can't I? Seriously, It is impossible not to love her. She is awesome. I want more heroines like her. She is one of those messy characters who is broken inside but never stops fighting. Life wasn't fair to her; even though she carries her scars in her heart, she manages to keep it pure; she is a person help who would help anyone.
On the other hand, it's funny to call a cold-blooded killer a dork, but with all his socially awkwardness, Christian is a total sweetheart with a big heart. He is unusual, it takes a bit of time to understand him, but he totally grows on you. Life wasn't fair with him either; he has a tragic past that left big damage. I think he is a bit misunderstood, even for himself. He just needs a savior and time to heal/trust again.
“You been thinking about me?” he drawled. “Every day, every hour. You’re always there, like a fungus, or an incessant bug swarming around my head.”
PS: Christian's obsessiveness might be a wee problematic in real life, but hey, he is also a killer. Tiny reminder for myself: This is a fantasy/fiction, don't get in there; almost none of the male MCs can't work IRL anyway.
“You’re not afraid of me.” We were so close his cheek brushed my tear-streaked one when he rasped, “And, baby, I’m worse than the dark.”
It's an enemies-to-lovers story in a dark mafia world with all back and forth / ups and downs. Truth be told, they never disliked/hated each other; they intrigued one another from the start, but they believed they were a match made in hell, so they conflicted on everything until they finally understood they were indeed match made in heaven who complete each other!
His gaze met mine. Blue. Cool silk sheets beneath a darkening sky. Although, there was something else. A flicker of something bright and full of life. Like the reflection in a neurotic person’s eyes. It was madness. It was obsession.
So, this was what it felt like to be touched by him . . . Addictive.
PROS
Gianna & Christian, individually and together
Danielle Lori serves the hotness perfectly. The sexual chemistry between Gianna and Christian is unbelievable.
“Fuck me, Gianna.” He sounded on the brink of control, like if I didn’t start moving then I was going to get fucked, hard. That quickly set me in motion; I didn’t think I could handle him unleashed yet.
Reading about their story from the beginning till the end through all those years is so beautiful it breaks my heart. I liked the time structure, the storytelling in different time zones, flashbacks, and now from both of their povs.
The main characters are awesome, but the side characters are so cool, too I love them! Special Love for Kat and Magdalene.
“By the way, why is your TV in Spanish?”
I sighed. “Insolent housekeepers.”
Gianna's love for cereal and chocolate.
“…I am not giving up chocolate, dammit!”
-Your struggle is very real, Gianna-
Their silent games (role-playing kind acts outs in public)
Christian questioning his mentality is a nice touch. I never see those things about the alphas in other books; they are all mad, but somehow there's no mention of their craziness. I like that this fact was dug deeper in here.
Gianna took her mama's cookbook. (I dunno, but I am affected...)
FOOTNOTES
“Look at me, Gianna.” I did. “We have a saying in Russia. S volkámi zhit’, po-vólch’i vyt’. Say it.”
“It means, to live with wolves, you have to howl like a wolf.”
“You’ve got to learn how to howl, malyshka. To tell your demons to fuck off. We all know you have it in you; you tell me to enough. And unlike your demons”—his voice darkened—“I can actually bite you.” I shivered.
Christian adores Gianna, but it didn't stop him from degrading/humiliating her so badly many times. The man is hot and cold; he was the one who glorified and tried to show her real worth, but in other times he was hurtful and mean.
Why do I mention this here?
Firstly I love drama and heartache, so I love reading about mistreatments and misunderstandings.
But most importantly I have a limit, and unfortunately, in most of the books, these mistreatments reach an unbearable level, and the heroine just stands still. Like, you want to scream at her to fight back. I remember being frustrated in many books. I was basically screaming out loud, "Just stand up to this shit, girl, please do/say something." But not in here! Because Gianna isn't here to eat shit; y'all, she is the queen!
“If you dressed a little less like a hooker, the cop who pulled you over might not have searched you.” I pulled the bubblegum off my finger with my teeth and gave him a smile. “If you looked a little less like an anal-retentive asshole, you might get laid every once in a while.”
PS: About the misunderstandings: - I basically heard Nico in my mind (“What did I say about assuming?”) Their biggest downs were always because they thought he hated her/she hated him. If she/he ever finds out about this/that, it's over, yada yada,...
-Why don't these people communicate with words sometimes?- But thanks for the drama!
OVERALL
I asked him what moya zvezdochka meant. He said it meant, my little star.
“You’re the only woman I’ve ever kissed, malyshka.”
4,5 Mad, Obsessive Stars - Right into my top 2021 reads!
“Andromeda was boasted to be one of the most beautiful goddesses.”
“She was sacrificed for her beauty, tied to a rock by the sea.”
“Did she survive?”
“She did.”
“Ask me what her name means.”
“What does her name mean?”
“It means ruler of men.”
This book is angstier than the first one, and the romance aspect is wider than the steam, unlike the first book. It is again a slow burn!
A very little confession: The first burned me harder, but it doesn't stop me from loving this book soo much either. Oh, and I love this book truly.
Okay, a tiny whiny complaint: How can a person remember a drunken memory so clearly after all those years? and Why doesn't for once a girl use google-translate to learn the meaning of something the guy she is crazy about tells her? But these worked their point and added their magic to the book, so it's not an actual complaint.
Is it only me who wanted to see more interaction between Nico, Christian, Elena, and Gianna? Every scene that included either one of the combinations made me feel blessed. I want all of them to love each other, yes, and I want world peace (my blah blah) But seriously, why can't Nico and Christian be loving like Elena and Gianna, it's not fair! At least care about something other than your women dudes!
I thought I liked hfn, but these books leave me wanting more. I need more! I want more! It is not enough never. Maybe a thanksgiving novella that includes all Made MCs, no? I think It would've been perfect! Like a big happy family, altogether!
“Why do you kiss me?”
“Because you’re the only woman who’s ever tempted me.”
“Because you love it.” The last one was soft, with a possessive bite.
“Because every part of you is mine.”