From an art gallery opening to the island of Crete, the search for the answer to an ancient curse is on.

STOLEN OBSESSION is the first book in Marlene M. Bell’s "Annalisse" series featuring antiquities appraiser Annalisse Drury. Although still grieving over the horrific murder of her best friend, which is related to a cursed bracelet, Annalisse steps forward when gallery owner, Generosa Zavos, reveals she owns the necklace from the same set of ancient jewelry.

Annalisse is in a fragile state at the gallery opening, and the author's descriptions of her thoughts and reactions upon seeing the necklace made me feel how untethered she was after being the one that found her friend’s body. Its presence terrified her, and the feeling was palpable. But she still has the gumption to perform CPR on her boss, who collapses in the middle of the opening. Of course, I liked the more focused and capable woman of action. Her old friend and coworker, Chase, is a real “ride or die” pal, and Alec is a sexy and romantic love interest.

The story has a global setting but starts off on a rainy New York City evening. I really thought the author made the city feel real, with the chill in the air, running to get undercover from the rain, and that small cozy restaurant. Once Annalisse and Alec are on Crete, I could almost feel the sun and smell the lavender. The author had me envisioning the surroundings so effortlessly.

With the mysteries of the ancient pieces of cursed jewelry and related deaths to puzzle out and an engaging couple you’ll want to root for, I recommend STOLEN OBSESSION to readers who enjoy romantic mysteries and tales of suspense, armchair traveling to iconic locations, and stories of dangerous cursed jewelry.

I can't keep up with the author's writing style. A lot of times I had to stop and reread, just to understand what is being said. It's also weird having to read a book that is the start of the series but then you feel like you're missing a couple of books. It's like you're just plunged into the moment. No introduction or development, whatsoever.

The story's also not so much farfetched as it is inconsistent. Is Alec an American of Greek-Italian ethnicity? Why isn't he fluent in Greek? Was he even fluent in Italian? I mean, he's the only heir to a company that's gone global plus his mother's into arts and antiques. And why did it take him so long to make a move on Anna? Why does it seem like there was something about that that just wasn't divulged. As for Anna, she's an experienced appraiser with an art history degree. You'd think she'd be more logical, considering she usually goes about sizing the worth of an item. Yet, she insists about the reality of the supposed curse.

And it's weird how they all feel in the midst of a major tragedy. You see your friend standing next to a man, whose dong is out, writhing in pain on the floor. And all you could say is "dam dude zip it up." Seriously? Another is, you've just witnessed a death and had your own near death experience but instead of being negatively affected, you're more concerned about your teenybopper like romance.

I have to give it to the author, though. Amid all those that I have mentioned above, I still stuck through to the end because I just have to know the answers! She cooks a mean mystery.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily and it reflects my personal opinion.
This book is labelled a thriller but although the plot was based on a good idea I found the many themes, Russian and police / agent names and minute detail slowed the pace too much. Quite a lot of the action was barely credible, with Alec and Annalisse apparently successfully performing risky actions while federal agents were injured or killed through their own stupidity. Annalisse 'would give the detective an earful' and 'insisted that Steve removed his glasses so she could get a look at his features' - this is completely unbelievable, as is removing screws with the tines of a fork! In the later stages of the book she is talking to herself when this should be her thoughts and I tired of the number of times she was about to be sick through the book. This wasn't for me, and I won't be reading any more by this author although some readers might enjoy the final twist.

Stolen Obsession by Marlene M. Bell
Annalise believes her best friend died due to a curse on a piece of antique jewelry her friend wore. When she sees a similar piece and hears of another death, she tries to get the jewelry destroyed. This is the first book in a series. It was just average, didn’t hold my interest for the entire book, although I did finish it.
Thank you to BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for this EARC.



#BooksGoSocial, #NetGalley

I love stories about cursed antiques, and this one adds just a touch of murder, mayhem and romance. No one believes in the ancient curse even when bodies start to fall. The protagonists race against the curse to save his family. A well written story with heart.
Thank you NetGalley for providing this copy. The opinion here is solely my own.

Probably the most disappointing book for me this year. I didn’t like the style of writing, i was half way through the book and found nothing that sparked my enthusiasm to continue reading it.

This was not the book for me. I hope that it works for someone else but I was disappointed by it. I really thought it was something other than what it was.

Kind of interesting about jewelry, curses and murder. When someone sees a second piece of jewelry on a woman after losing her friend to the 'same' piece by murder, she is compelled to follow it up. Dramatic location, handsome people, ok story.

Annalisse Drury's best friend was murdered. She believes the death is linked to a piece of jewellery that carries an ancient Persian curse.
She sees a matching piece weeks later which leads to another death. She embarks on a mission to ensure the piece is destroyed. This act leads her to Crete, with Alec Zavos, where more deaths occur.
Will she finally destroy the item? Will she and Alec overcome many, family related issues and deaths to make a new future together?
Fast-paced and action packed. Love it

It's pretty rare for me not to finish books, but I just couldn't get through this title. The writing style and dialogue was rather unsophisticated and basic, it was very distracting.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced read copy.