Review: Addicted by Charlotte Featherstone

This is a beautiful friend’s to lover’s tale between the characters of Anais Darnby and Lindsay Markham. Friends since childhood Lindsay has finally decided to take the next step and see if Anais feels the same way. However, over the years he has picked up an opium habit that is getting harder to deny, and when a disastrous betrayal and the consequences ensue, Lindsay plunges deeper into his addiction to numb his pain, and eventually leading him the difficult choice of the love of his life or his dark habit.

What I first liked about this book was the cover, it is really striking and beautiful, and I am pleased to say that the enclosed story was also just as striking and beautiful. Although this book proclaims itself to be an “Erotic Novel” I wouldn’t necessarily describe it as such, although it is explicit and raunchy, more so then most normal historical romances, this isn’t a book describing a series of sexual encounters. It is to me first and foremost a love story. I think this line describes it perfectly:

...I am forever loving, forever waiting, forever yearning...forever yours.”
“Oh God,” she whispered, smothering her tears. “You hurt me when you talk of love, for your love is all I ever wanted, and now that I have it, I cannot accept it. It kills me to know I might have had your love. Oh, Lindsay, opium might have been your weakness, but you, you have always been mine.”

These lines immediately grabbed my attention as is was reading it as I think they describe the tone of the story perfectly

Both the main characters are very empathetic, they are both flawed human beings who have made mistakes and have to live with the consequences of their decisions, with heartbreaking effect. They are outstanding characters, Lindsay is not your typical hero, he is too flawed and romantic and very human and Anais is definitely not you normal young blushing virgin either. This story also introduces Lindsays friend Wallingford, who is the main character of the next story and I cannot wait to read the love story and meet the heroine who will inspire such a jaded character.

This was a brilliant book that I would recommend to anyone who likes romance; it shows the ill effects of drug taking without preaching and has a beautiful love story between two characters that seem to walk off the page.