[Book Review] From Infatuation to Obsession by Emma Husher

Posted on February 21, 2014 by thegrandshuckett in Book Reviews // 0 Comments

Plot Summary: Patrice Minner has had a horrible day. In fact, her life has been nothing but one loss after another. Through it all, her two best friends have been by her side. When the object of every woman’s fantasy passes through her life, Shelby and Becca persuade Patrice to go after him. Never have been the one to investigate her girlie side, Patrice lets her friends show her the finer ways of the sensual woman. But will it be enough to entice the infamous Austin Tate?

Author: Emma Husher

Genre: Romantic Comedy Novella

Length: 96 Pages

Publisher: The Writer's Coffee Shop (January 21, 2014)

Review: by Lee

I was excited by the prospect of reviewing an upcoming romance novella. I spent long hours in my teens holed up in my room with every kind of romance novel under the sun, and I still feel the strong urge to bury myself in them again every once in a while. Given my history with them, I couldn't wait to get into From Infatuation to Obsession.

What I Liked:

As far as the romance genre goes, there aren’t always strong plots, but From Infatuation to Obsession not only had one but had a decent one. It wasn’t the free-for-all that so many romances tend to become. It was interesting and had a strong foundation. I particularly enjoyed the opening sequence, which focused mainly on the main character’s job as a nurse. I probably would have read an entire novel just about that.

The characters, while not necessarily complex, were likable. They were modern and didn’t feel entirely unrealistic. There was a bit of a believability stretch with the main character’s love interest, but he was by no means the main focus of the book.

Surprisingly, the main love interest, “Steely Eyes” was absent for the majority of the novella, which focused almost solely on the main character, Trish. One would of course think that a story should focus on the main character, but it is unusual to find a romance that focuses so exclusively on the main characters inner thoughts and desires.

I enjoyed the author’s descriptions, though they sometimes erred on the side of cliches. They were colorful and interesting, just like her upbeat characters.

What I Didn’t Like:

While I found From Infatuation to Obsession interesting and even fun to read, it was not exactly complex. Rather than developing over time, the characters were presented “as is” with explanations of all you needed to know about them. The story was very short, so it is understandable that not a lot of character development was possible; however, if the author had focused entirely on one budding relationship rather than three, what little time there was could have been used to delve deeper.

The simplicity was not contained to the characters, either. The sentence structure left something to be desired. While I appreciated the brevity and straight-forward nature of the sentences, they could have been combined in certain areas to create a more natural and pleasant flow.

Also, the conversations were rather unlikely to take place in reality. I’m pretty sure the average girl would not throw street lingo into her attempts to flirt impressively with anyone. I could be wrong, though. Maybe, I’m just unusual that way.

Finally, I must return to the author’s time management. For a novella, there seemed to be a lot of unnecessary scenes. She focused on creating the world in which Trish lived, but the numerous descriptions of her very specific music selections and the story of her brief affair with the bartender could easily have been left out in favor of more character or plot development.

Summary

Despite the seemingly negative nature of my review, From Infatuation to Obsession was really an enjoyable read, which is all that really matters. It may have lacked depth, but what romance novel doesn’t? All in all, I would recommend it to fans of the genre but not to book snobs who usually stick to “the classics.” I would honestly read more from this author, especially considering the fact that the preview of her next novel was very intriguing.

You can purchase this book for your Amazon Kindle and at The Writers Coffee Shop.

Author Bio: Emma Husher is a storyteller with a mind occupied by romantic fantasies, comedy, and steamy nights between the sheets. She spends her extra time putting pen to paper, creating characters and storylines that leave her readers begging for more. Her works delve into her world of late nights, hot bods, and erotic dreams.

Emma lives on the West Coast where she enjoys sunsets, walks on the beach, and writing in the warm sun.

Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Google +