Addicted by Charlotte Featherstone

Publisher: Spice Books
Pages: 443

From the Cover: Friends since childhood, Anais Darnby and Lindsay Markham have long harbored a secret passion for one another. When they finally confess their love, their future together seems assured, sealed with their searing embrace.

But when a debauched Lindsay is seduced by a scheming socialite, a devastated Anais seeks refuge in another man's bed........

Anais and Lindasy had been best friend longer than each other can remember, it's only natural for those feelings to grow over time, right? Each is thinking of the other as their eyes meet across the room kindling unknown fires, not knowing if these feeling will be shared or destroy a friendship that has lasted a lifetime.

When each confess to the other their true feelings, Lindsay sets about proving just how much he cherishes the insecure Anais. Her mother has done a pretty fair job of undermining any confidence she's had about her voluptuous body. When Lindsay professes his love and shows her what it's like to be desired, she can hardly believe that someone as beautiful and strong as Lindsay would find her the least bit attractive, let alone propose marriage, but that's what he's says he is going to be at the Masquerade Ball. He begs her to attend as a harem girl, his own personal odalisque.

But Lindsay has another mistress, Opium, the red devil smoke, the only thing that rivals Anais. When he see Rebecca, conniving social climber and Anais' best friend in Anais' costume through the clouded mind of Opium and Hashish, he mistakes Rebecca for Anais, his one true love. How can he convince Anais that it's all a big mistake, what must he do? Anais turns to Garrett, Rebecca's intended, as a willing shoulder to cry on. Lindsay has betrayed and belittled their love. She runs away, leaving her mother to tell Lindsay she has left the country.

Lindsay makes a mad search across Europe and into Paris only to come up empty handed, Anais is not to be found anywhere. As a means to escape his broken heart, he agrees to travel to the East to Constantinople with his best friend, Wallingford, and to attend to his other mistress, Opium. His seductive mistress that erases all his feelings and thoughts, leaving him numb.

Through all of his searching, Anais has kept hidden, hiding her secret, her shame, her love, and her broken heart. When Lindsay returns to his home, it is to find that Anais has returned, but she will no longer see Lindsay. She can only remember him as an Opium addict, not the best friend or the passionate lover. The thing she doesn't realize is that not only is Lindsay addicted to Opium, but to her, and he can't live without either. But she is also hiding a terrible secret of her own that no one, especially Lindsay, must ever find out.

Charlotte Featherstone has created a world where love is the answer, the only salvation, to the wrongs Lindsay and Anais have committed against each other. Addicted is a beautiful love story where Lindsay and Anais have to accept that they are human, and no matter what, they will always have each other. As Lindsay sinks further into his addiction, Anais is the only thing that is stronger than the call of the Opium. Without her love, his life isn't worth living and the sooner it's over the better, only death can take away the pain and betrayal, and fill the hole that resides where his heart once was. This story grabbed my heart, making me want to see the happy ending and not knowing if it was possible. It's a masterfully told story that will keep you turning pages, hoping against hope that it will end well, with exotic locations and the mysterious draw of the Opium. For more information about her other books, please see Charlotte Featherstone's website. For readers out there that have become Addicted, she's giving a taste of her new book, Sinful, to be released May 2010. She also has a new contemporary romance, Hot In Here coming out in June 2009, under her pen name, Sophie Renwick. For information about Hot In Here, see Sophie Renwick's website. I can highly recommend picking up Addicted, you won't be able to put it down.