I do miss Susan Andersen’s dark side sometimes. Oh, I like her romantic comedies fine, but they simply are not as intense as her earlier romantic suspense. Thanks to Zebra for reprinting them. Obsessed has a creepy and putrid villain, a heroine who is strong yet vulnerable and a hero who is all but a villain. Vince D’Ambruzzi came this close to being the ultimate alpha heel from hell. At one point I wanted to kick him in a very vulnerable place, but he redeemed himself with an A+ Oscar-caliber grovel.

Vince D’Ambrizzi is the detective investigating the case of the Broken Heart rapist. He is wakened one morning by noise and singing from the apartment next door. When he goes over (attired in only a pair of skimpy red running shorts) he meets Dr. Ivy Pennington and her cousins who are helping her move in. Ivy is holding her cousins housewarming gift, a vase of condoms. Vince makes a nasty remark about orgies and leaves. The Jerk.

One evening in the ER, Ivy has to treat the latest victim of the Broken Heart rapist. The rapist himself is there, lurking in the crowd in the hospital. When he sees Ivy, he becomes obsessed with the beautiful and competent doctor, and decides that she will be his next.

The sexual tension between Vince and Ivy is well and truly hot. I think most readers will not be happy with Vince, who is not only Ivy’s neighbor but “on the case” as well. What can I say? Vince has problems. His marriage to a promiscuous woman has left him distrustful of the female sex and he’s been celibate for three years.

Sure Vince is a heel, one of those woman-hating males who are guaranteed to make me grind my teeth and utter curses, but don’t give up yet. If he had been paired with a meek, compliant mouse I would have closed the book about a third of the way into it, but he is paired with Ivy, who is strong enough to stand up for herself. She may cry over Vince’s behavior, but she lights into him as well. She lets him know that she is not like LaDonna, his ex-wife and to tar her and all women because of the behavior of one woman is wrong!

Vince knows that, but emotions are a hard thing to control. It’s to Vince’s credit (and author Andersen’s as well) that he acknowledges that he is treating Ivy abominably and makes an effort to change. Unlike some alpha heels who treat the heroine like dirt for 99% of the novel then swear undying love (the hero in Diana Palmer’s Paper Rose, for instance), Vince’s change of heart seemed genuine. This guy knows he has problems and is determined to bring about a change in himself, and I believed that he would be successful. Still, there was one particular time when Ivy reached out to Vince and he made one of the cruelest remarks I have ever read. To say more would be a spoiler, but when you get to that point, you’ll know what I mean.

The suspense element of Obsessed is a nail biter. The rapist is evil, creepy and cunning. Ivy is no stereotyped Woman In Peril; she is smart and a fighter even when wounded and in pain. It is at this point that Vince redeems himself.

I know that I will continue to buy Susan Andersen’s romantic comedies, and I have the latest one on my reserve list at the bookstore. But I’d sure like to see her go back to the dark side again. There is nothing quite so good as a hot and tense romantic suspense, and Obsessed is one prime example.