The Course of Conviction (The Obsession Trilogy #2) by Cheryl Butler

ABOUT THE BOOK

Having responded to Abbie’s absence in his own inimitable style, an unexpected reconciliation sees Joe conflicted by a need to seek revenge and a need to seek gratification, but as he wavers between hope and hatred, an unlikely reunion throws all those involved into further turmoil, deepening wounds and threatening fragile minds.

Battling for normalcy, accusations and revelations abound until a devastating discovery proves almost fatal. There are lessons to be learned and theories to challenge, but who is really responsible for the endless stream of fear and betrayal? Dark minds and dirty deeds will only cause destruction when obsession knows no bounds.

Explicit – strictly 18+

MY REVIEW

I’ve been waiting a year for the sequel to A Proclivity to Prurience. Cliff hangers are a killer for me and Abbie and Joe have a lot to contend with in book 2.

Abbie left town to come to terms with her son’s death and her guilt of having an affair with her son’s best friend. Now she’s back and she has chosen a relationship with Joe and to hell with everyone else. But Joe’s past has become complicated with the appearance of a long-lost relative and connections to Abbie’s past which may put her in danger.

Joe is a volatile man with a lot of repressed anger, heartache and loneliness. Now that he has a chance with Abbie, his best friend’s mom, they have a major hurdle to clear when it comes to a serious relationship. Joe has never had one. He has a “cabana boy” reputation in town making all of the ladies and some gentlemen happy. But he’s walking a thin line and something has come to light that could destroy everything and he couldn’t survive losing yet another person he loved.

I’m not a big fan of either Abbie or Joe because of their lifestyle and their mental states. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy reading about mature women and younger men, but they are both so screwed up and self-absorbed. I admit Abbie can appear to be a strong and competent woman and Joe sometimes shows hints of a decent human being, but I got tired of their using sex to make everything better. Personally, I think they both need major therapy.

Overall, this sex-filled, solemn and all-around crazed Peyton Place of a book is one to be read carefully and taken with a grain of salt. Not everyone is who they seem. It’s full of shocking twists and turns leading to another cliffhanger (sigh!) and I suggest you read book 1 to understand the whole sordid tale.

Thank you to Ms. Butler for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Having worked in a variety of industries, Cheryl has met many interesting people and, with a profound interest in what makes them tick, she has spent a lifetime of asking ‘What would I do in that situation?’ and ‘What if things happened this way?’, creating a multitude of plots and twists that she had always dismissed until one storyline nagged her constantly and she decided to alleviate herself of the burden, committing her ideas to virtual paper. Assuming she would run out of steam five chapters or so in, she amazed herself by writing two novels within a year and A Proclivity To Prurience was born. It was difficult to write, given the themes, but Cheryl felt it was a story that would resonate in the current climate. Writing between a part-time job and raising two young children was a task in itself, but, every spare minute was spent doing so or thinking about doing so and her characters took on a life of their own.

Cheryl loves character-driven tales with a psychological edge and aims to produce that kind of work herself, and she’s not afraid to tackle issues that some may find difficult… other than horror – she can’t read or write horror as she scares far too easily!

Aside from writing and her family, Cheryl’s greatest passion is music and she can easily lose herself in a favourite album or song, rather like she does within a book she’s writing or reading, and a musician’s ability to move you on any level is pure genius.

Follow Cheryl on her website, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.