Author wasn't lying. These books get darker as they go along in the series. First one was rough for me to finish. Not sure why I thought book 2 would be something I would be interested in. I finished it but it was too dark and gritty for my liking. Plot and storyline were interesting. Just the romance was hard to grasp.

This book was the perfect mix of dark, delicious, suspenseful, and sexy. It kept me reading until the very last word, and left me wanting more. I cannot wait until the next book in the series...even though I know it's going to hurt.

“People like me don’t play in the daylight.” 🖤

Tristan is stalking Natalie hoping to learn more about her connection with her brother, who she recently became aware about. Natalie is still unsure how she feels about her newly found family…something is off about Alex and she can’t put her finger on it. Plus, she knows someone is stalking her and she doesn’t know whether she should be scared or excited….😬

This book was okay. I really enjoyed book 1, but this one just didn’t live up to my expectations 🫤. The spice was good and I really enjoyed it. Tristan and Natalie really have chemistry. I loved the plus size representation, but was looking for Natalie to be a little stronger & more confident than she was. I wanted more plot too. It just wasn’t there.

🖤 Dark Romance
📝 Stalker Romance
💪🏻 Bodyguard
💗 Plus Size Heroine
👥 Forced Proximity
🔪 Touch Her & Díe Vibes
📚 Stand-alone Series

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶🌶🌶/5

Obsessive Messages by M.L. Philpitt
Book 2

Thank you Netgalley for this book in exchange for an honest review.

I think we could all see this going the way it did, but I love how we got there. Natalie is so shy but determined to the world, but she acknowledges her darker desires and fully submits to them. We don’t see that a lot in some female mc’s, so it was definitely refreshing to see someone who wasn’t being pushed and pulled in her own emotions.

I can’t get over Alex. How much I hate him, how sinister and manipulative he is…I can’t get over it. I wonder if there will be any chapters or a book in his point of view, because I’d be really interested in hearing his inner thoughts, especially about the plans for Natalie and WHY. I need more!!

I absolutely cannot wait to hear the story of Brent and Teagan! The little we saw of her was heartbreaking, so I can only hope she’s not the bad guy that Brent seems to think she is.

If you’ve ever known the sheer panic of reading then looking to see how much you have left in the book, only to realize there isn’t NEARLY enough time left for all of the things that need to happen….then you’ll understand my struggle. I have a love-hate relationship with this series. I absolutely love how the story is drawn out throughout the series. I HATE that I’m having to wait though! Ryker and Elena’s story in Ruthless Letters drug me in, but Tristan and Natalie’s story in Obsessive Messages kept me in. There’s a lot of sequels that lose me, so this did not disappoint.

This is the second book in the Captive Writing Series with Natalie. Natalie is shy and sees herself as a dull introvert, but she is determined to unleash her darker desires. Alex is Natalie’s newly discovered brother, who is manipulative and mysterious, and he hires Tristan as a bodyguard for her. Tristan is meant to blend into the background, but he becomes obsessed with Natalie, and will do whatever he must to protect and keep her safe from a stalker. More to Natalie's role than he realized, Tristan is torn and Natalie is compelled by seemingly two different men. Their night games were steamy; and their daytime gazes, interactions, and pull, magnetic and enticing.

Great sequel. Hot and steamy with memorable characters.

A bit rushed at times, especially in the end and announcing who the stalker was-despite it being obvious, I wish we got more of that added to the story.

Looking forward to the third book.

Obsessive Messages is book two in the Captive Writings series and is Tristan and Natalie's book. These books do need to be read in order. Tristan and Natalie's book is slighty more unhinged than Elena and Ryker's. I do recommend checking the TWs before reading. I can't wait to see what is in store for this series next.

Obsessive Messages is a continuation of a series of bully romances. The book's description contains adequate trigger warnings which should be heeded. The stories are described as increasingly darker, but I found the previous title, Ruthless Letters, to be darker than this one.

This story sees Natalie assigned a bodyguard to prevent her nightly intruder, who is also said bodyguard, from returning. The arc that ties this story to the first one continues, although I could not remember many details about the connecting arc as it was peripheral to the main story, so I was a bit fuzzy on some of the references.

I couldn’t help jumping on this one especially after the way things ended in book 1! I was super excited to dive into this and get to know Tristan and Natalie better and it does not disappoint, we got some more answers about the bigger plot and I’m so invested in this story at this point, I need to know how it’s all going to end!

One of my favourite things about these books so far is that they’re so unpredictable. Sometimes in romance books you find yourself being able to tell what’s gonna happen, don’t get me wrong I still love them but being able to read a good book and not see what’s coming just makes the experience better.

I love these characters, Tristan’s history is so heartbreaking but I think learning about it in this book really makes you understand every decision he’s made. Natalie is my kinda MC, she comes across as the outsider, quiet and keep to herself, but she knows how to put her foot down and that’s always a nice balance on characters.

Will definitely be hitting up the last two books in this series! I’m beyond excited for Hawke’s book, a girl can hope at least 👀

**Please check triggers before reading! This one is *technically* a stalker romance but the books get progressively darker as they go on!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with and ARC to review.

3 stars!

I enjoyed reading this lol which shocked me as some parts I didn’t enjoy, such as how quick the reveal of Tristan being the stalker to Natalie, kind of wanted that to build up more for some reason as it was interesting to see how Tristan would get away with it.

I felt some parts were rushed when they didn’t really need to be and could have made the story more suspenseful or thrilling. But despite this I actually enjoyed the dynamic between Tristan and Natalie.

Primero que nada gracias The Next Step PR y M.L Philpitt por el E-ARC via Netgally a cambio de una reseña honesta.
*Este es el segundo libro de Captive Writings , los cuales no se pueden leer como autoconclusivos ya que te perderas del hilo.
Obsessive Messages sigue la historia de Tristan y Natalie , los cuales son introducidos en Ruthless Letter. El libro es un poco menos oscuro que el primero; Es necesario prestar atención a las advertencias al principio del libro, ya que algunas situaciones pueden asociarse al recuerdo de alguna situacion traumatizante para algunos lectores.
Fue bueno estar de vuelta en el mundo de Elena y Ryker. Es un tipo diferente de historia,creo que nunca había leído algo así y me encanto cada segundo. No creo haber leído un libro en mucho tiempo en el que ambos personajes fueran súper interesantes y me dejara transnochar solo para saber como terminaria. Me gusto el crecimiento que tuvo Natalie al final de la historia y como llega a aceptarse a si misma y salir de su zona de confort; Tambien como Tristan llega a abrirse con ella y contar cosas de su pasado y como este de alguna manera se relaciona con el caso que estan tratando de resolver.
“As long as I’m breathing, you’ll never be alone.”
“Maybe I don’t want a hero. I want you to be my villain.”
"Mr. Darcy has nothing on my stranger in the night."

TW: Acoso,Manipulacion,Consentimiento dudoso,Encuentros sexuales sin consentimiento,Contenido sexual explisito,Referencias a esclavitud, Referencias a asesinatos,Abuso ,Violaciones ,Negacion al orgasmo y Violencia fisica.

This book gave me everything I didn't know I needed!

Book one was amazing, but Obsessive Messages really did it for me. Natalie is a shy girl who sees herself as dull and is content to live her life as a homebody, that is, until Tristan comes into her life and changes everything. Their chemistry from day one is unmatched. Though their relationship is built on a very crazy dynamic, the pair make it work through their shared obsession with one another. The addition of the characters similarly dark past creates a bond that is so strong and understanding, it made my heart both hurt and swell for them.

I also really liked being able to see the previous books characters, Elena and Ryker, and witness how their own relationship has progressed.

I'm so excited to see what new mysteries book three will uncover between Brent and Teagan. What dark secrets is she hiding, and just how far does Alex's power over her go?

This is the second book in this series and is Natalie’s journey. This is an unusual story, but is enjoyable, Natalie is shy and sees herself as a dull introvert, but she is determined to unleash her darker desires. Alex is Natalie’s newly discovered brother, who is manipulative and mysterious, and he hires Tristan as a bodyguard for her. Tristan is meant to blend into the background, but he becomes obsessed with Natalie, and will do whatever he must to protect and keep her safe from a stalker. This is a good story which is dark, raw, and gritty, with undeniable chemistry, suspense, intrigue, mystery, and tension, which leads to a steamy all-consuming read. I look forward to reading more from this author whose work I recommend.

This story about Natalie and Tristan is quite unusual, and I loved that aspect. Both lead characters are super interesting, even though Natalie sees herself as a dull introvert. It’s great seeing how much she grows in this story plus how much Tristan accepts himself, too. Together they have incredible chemistry, as is evident by the amount of intimacy in the book. Getting to know a tiny bit more about the other characters was good, except for Alex, grr the evil character always makes my blood boil and the way he is portrayed is excellent—steam almost comes out of my ears thinking about him.

I absolutely loved the start of this book and honestly, I enjoyed the story throughout but felt a bit frustrated that the tension in the story was built to a great crescendo and then left. I get that the next book will keep it going but I was a tad disappointed that after Natalie had made a deal with Alex concerning her graduation, I expected something to happen but that might be on me. I know the next story is going to be interesting, the questions of where Teagan has been and what she’s involved in are burning through my mind. Bring on book three, Vicious Texts.

4 Stars for this stalker romance!

Once again, I was torn while reading this book ... but I couldn't stop reading. Tristan is supposedly one of the good guys, but at times I found he was straddling the fence between good and bad. I found Natalie a little wishy washy as to what she actually wanted. This is a dark story that may have triggers for some people.

Tristan is assigned to keep an eye on Natalie to see exactly what her involvement is with her new found brother, Alex. But when Natalie catches Tristan in her room one night, he can't help but become obsessed with his Little Bird. Natalie knows that she should be afraid the man who is constantly watching her, but she finds she craves the excitement it has brought into her boring life.

I received an early copy courtesy of Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

This continuation was just what I wanted. I loved seeing the old main characters but getting to know Tristan and Natalie was so much fun. I loved the little bird nickname and how it all came together. I loved the tension between them and the fact she felt connected between Tristan and her night buddy was hilarious reading. The story progressed really well, I think I wished it had more behind the scenes of Tristan meeting with Hawke and that crew a bit more but it's nothing to complain about because we did see them in the second half when stuff started going down. Im loving all these connections between everyone and its such a complex story and I can't wait to see how it all unfolds in the next books.

A very dark book with lots of potential trigger warnings: stalker, revenge, bully...etc.etc. It's not for everyone. But it's admittedly an intriguing book. And it's a good book for people who love the first book. For sure, they'll love this book too. And it's still very over-the-top.... very dramatic and over-the-edge. It's great when you are in the right mood for it.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.