Stolen Obsession

Annalisse Series, Book 1

De: Marlene M. Bell

Narrado por: Katina Kalin

People die, but legends live on.

New York antiquities appraiser Annalisse Drury recently lost her best friend to murder. The killer's identity may be linked to her friend's expensive missing bracelet, a 500-year-old artifact that carries an ancient curse, one that unleashes evil upon any who dare wear the jewelry created for the Persian royal family.

Weeks later, Annalisse sees a matching necklace at a Manhattan gallery opening. She begs the owner to destroy the cursed piece, but her pleas fall on deaf ears, despite the unnatural death that occurs during the opening. With two victims linked to the jewelry, Annalisse is certain she must act. Desperate, Annalisse enlists the gallery owner's son to help, even though she's afraid he'll break her heart.

Wealthy and devastatingly handsome, with a string of bereft women in his wake, Greek playboy Alec Zavos dismisses Annalisse's concerns, until his parents are ripped from the Zavos family yacht during their ocean voyage near Crete.

Annalisse and Alec race across two oceans to save his mother, feared dead or kidnapped. When the killer changes tactics and goes after Alec behind Annalisse's back, can her plan to rescue Alec's mother save them all?

©2018 Marlene M. Bell (P)2018 Marlene M. Bell

Mystery and action. Narration well paced.

Story kept me engaged. Unique mystery which still has me trying to undersrand motives. I primarily listened to this. I did have ebook also. I found myself having to look up some characters to figure out who they were and when they were introduced. A number of characters are introduced and I am not sure how some of them were impotant to the story. I also was confused on MC family background and if I missed an explanation. I liked the two main characters. The story was well paced. I listened at 1.25 speed.

Fantastic!!!

Marlene M Bell kept me entranced with this book Stolen Obsession. I have been drawn to "art collection" mysteries lately, and fully enjoyed this story. Annalisse Drury is a complex character, who is resourceful, driven, and compassionate. I loved the vivid imagery and exotic locations (not small town USA) described in this book. This book has action, adventure, history, mystery, and murder, my favorite topics in audiobooks. Katina Kalin was impressive performing this book. I could hear exactly who was speaking. She brought the characters to life with her distinguishable voices. I requested this review copy audiobook and have voluntarily written this review. I will most definitely listen to more books by this author and narrator. I am looking forward to the next book in this series. This book is a standalone listen.

Adventure, Suspense, Mystery, and Romance!

A cursed jewel and murders.

What more could a person ask for in a story?

As an appraiser, Annalisse has seen it all…or so she thinks. So when cursed jewels come into her possession, she doesn’t know what to do. After suspecting they were behind the death of her friend, Annalisse embarks on a quest with her friend/romantic interest in a plan that will either stop the curse or kill them.

There is plenty of suspense and even some romance in this story. I love the blend of genres as well as the author’s ability to create both suspense and light-hearted moments.

The narration was distinctive and wonderfully done.

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

Wow! I’m blown away...

I downloaded this book after seeing it on a website I visited. The story summary provided by Audible peaked my interest. I give this five stars across the board. Reason for that is the third chapter. That was what grabbed me emotionally than the first chapter. The narrator did a great job reading it slow. I highly recommend this book. It is a smooth listen and it keeps you guessing. The chapters go by fast when you listen on Audible. Will get the next book soon. I’m blown away, wow!

This is an exellent romance/mystery

 Annalisse loved her job but her boss's brother-in-law was a major irritation and her boss was slightly intense. They were enjoying an evening of the gallery opening of a client when she noticed some unsettling anomalies culminating in a tragedy. Annalisse believed this tragedy was related to a curse attached to an antique necklace. One she believed led to the death of her best friend. 

Alec was the gorgeous playboy son of the gallery owner. Although he was truly interested in Annalisse, she couldn't allow herself to believe someone so attractive, rich, and sought-after could be seriously interested in her. She kept avoiding his flirtations but found in him someone she could confide her fears to and obtain his help in keeping the necklace from doing more harm.

As the police and FBI get involved, Annalisse did not know who she could trust. Could she even trust Alec?

As various situations arose, Alec and his mother, convince her to flee to a relaxing time on their yacht in Greece. Relaxation was far from what she received.

This fast-paced novel keeps the reader/listener o his/her seat's edge. One adventure and mystery leads to another. The endearing relationship between Alec and Annalisse evolves resulting in a climactic ending. It contains a strong ending and at the same time an intriguing intro to the next book of the series.

The characters are very realistic and the scenes are easy to feel a part of. It has some in-depth moments which aroused various emotions in the reader/listener. 

I listened to the audiobook. Narrator/performer, Katina Kalin, did an excellent job in her delivery of this book. She maintained vocal fluxations and accents of each of the characters. SHe maintained the emotions and energy of the story without faltering at all.

*There are a few words of profanity and an explicit sex scene ad other sexual implications. I would have preferred to be eliminated.

The literary accomplishment earns a Five Stars rating.

This audiobook was gifted me with no pressure to post a positive review. This is my honest review.