LynneC’s review of An Inconvenient Obsession by Natasha Tate
Contemporary Romance published by Harlequin Presents 20 Sep 11

This is definitely a guilty pleasure book. I shouldn’t like it, as it contains many elements I’m not fond of, but it was downright fun to read.

The hero is a self-made man, who Cate sent away years ago, although they grew up together and fell in love. She thought he should move on and have his chance and knew he wouldn’t while he was in love with her. But he resented that and subsequent events she doesn’t know about. So when she puts the island where they both grew up on sale at a charity auction, he bids on it and wins. He wants it for his father.

This brings them into close proximity and rekindles their attraction for each other. It isn’t long before Ethan realises he doesn’t just want the island, he wants Cate, too. So strike one, revenge. I don’t generally like revenge stories, but it doesn’t last too long, although the ramifications do.

She has been injured by a fall from her horse and has spent years in recovery, but she doesn’t tell him. He has heard of the accident, but she makes light of it. Strike two, the makings of a big misunderstanding, and it could also lead to the martyr syndrome. There’s no doubt that the heroine is a martyr, but I couldn’t help but admire her nerve and courage in coping with her problems. She is also very conscious of her scars. I do think her recovery from self-consciousness is a bit too easy, though.

Strike Three is her virginity. I did, however, understand why she kept it for so long, but losing your virginity up against a door strikes me as more than painful. And the hymen is misplaced again.

I did enjoy the progression of this story, the way Ethan moves from revenge to understanding. He is too ruthless at the beginning, too ready to hurt. Then he realises some things he should have known and grows to want her more. He does railroad her, and I did feel for Cate at parts of the story. Ethan’s obsession doesn’t rise to the level of Edward in Twilight, but it comes pretty close. I mention Edward because at one point, Ethan stands outside Cate’s window to watch her sleep.

Cate is definitely a victim. She is hurt by her father, then by pushing Ethan away, then by her accident. What redeems her somewhat is her courage and her determination to live her life on her terms. Unfortunately, Ethan puts paid to that, and by the end of the story, Cate is entirely dependent on him. I would have rather she had a life of her own.

Tate’s style is very intense, occasionally moving over into near-farcical, but she certainly has a way with emotional scenes. That is the main reason I read the story to the end, because of the way Tate gets inside the characters and makes us feel with them. Sometimes even if we don’t want to. She does tend to have disembodied body parts, “his eyes moved around the room,” that kind of thing, but on the whole it’s solid and well done.

Strike four, if I’m allowed to bend the rules a little, is the epilogue, but I can’t say too much about that because it would be a spoiler. But that does make me roll my eyes.

Grade: B-

Summary:

The Carrington family’s island is up for auction…
Now, that’s an invitation Ethan Hardesty just can’t refuse. This groundskeeper’s son turned global entrepreneur has it all. All, that is, except a piece of the Carrington estate—the island that holds all his most pleasurable and painful memories.
Ethan doesn’t count on the beautiful Cate Carrington handling the transaction—and providing him with the perfect opportunity to take her into the bargain. But toying with the woman who was once the girl he loved and lost soon turns from a game into an all-out obsession.…

Read an excerpt. (scroll down)