Tome Thursday: Obsession Under the Southern Stars

 

Hello everyone!

 

We're well underway into 2025 now, and I feel as though I have a pretty good grasp on how this year is going to unfold (spoiler alert: it's going to be busy, LOL), which hopefully means that everyone else is settling into their paces as well.

This ALSO means that, considering I'm now out of my Christmas blogging, I can focus on all the stuff that I had to push to the side while that was happening, and catch up with all that I read prior to December hitting with full force.

And it gives me the perfect excuse to start the yearly book blogs with my favourite contemporary romance author, Serenity Woods.

Not only is she a fantastic writer, but she's also just a lovely person in general, so if you ever get the chance to read any of her books, give them a go! She writes strong heroines who nevertheless don't act like witches (another word rhymes with this one ...) and heroes who sweep them off their feet, but who always brighten your day and don't just flash their money and expect things to be solved.

Tonight we're continuing with her Southern Stars series, the end of which is coming sometime in the beginning of this year, and I'm excited! But first, the bridge book if you will, the second of the lot leading the way to the finale, Obsession Under the Southern Stars.

Links to previous related posts can be found at the bottom of the page, as per usual.

Obsession being the second book of the lot, you kind of have to read Seduction if you want to understand some of the characters and their motivations as it's all closely-connected. Interconnected, I should say! However, even if you just pick this one up for a read, it won't be detrimental if you haven't looked at the introductory novel.

Obsession covers Joel and Zoey's story, and it's beautiful.

See, Joel is an underwater archaeologist, who's currently excavating on a ship everyone thought would never be found, but of course HE found it, and he's searching for the treasure trove rumoured to have sunk along with it.

Zoey works for the museum where Joel's brother is the director, they've known one another forever, so of course their paths have crossed before.

Nothing has honestly happened until this point, however, but now Joel invites her along to the dig dive, to see whether or not something from that trove - a specific necklace, actually - could be used for a museum display that his brother's planning on organizing.

Zoey agrees to tag along, under strict instructions that NOTHING will ever happen between them, no matter what Joel says or wants (Joel has his own opinion on the matter, and it's neither insulting nor aggressive, it's simply ... a statement? I don't really know how to explain it haha, you'll have to read for yourself to truly understand!).

See, the both of them have scars from the past to heal through: Joel's doing everything he can to win the approval of his deacon father, but the man is literally an asshole who can't be bothered to be proud of his son's achievements, no matter that the dude is basically half-God at this point what with his diving expertise and experience.

Joel also didn't go along with Elora to the party where she was assaulted, so that's an added layer of guilt for him, and why he's so happy once she and Linc reconnect again.

Zoey, meanwhile, well, HER story is even more complicated.

Her parents are divorcing, no matter that she and her two younger siblings don't really want it to happen, but on top of that, her mother wants to hightail it to Australia with their youngest. This becomes a complication, because, as Joel finds out through the ups and downs of this book, Zoey's brother isn't actually her brother.

He's her son.

She had him incredibly young and nobody really knew, since her parents took her away, she gave birth, then they made it look like the mom was actually the mom, and she signed away parental rights so that her parents would raise him as their own. At this point, however, particularly because of some other complications that arose from the action which, again, I think it's best if you read for yourself, she wants to at the very least be able to stay in touch with the boy, and not have him disappear Down Under, particularly as he also doesn't want to go.

This comes out as the relationship between our two main characters deepens, Joel saves Zoey from drowning when her equipment malfunctions during one of the dives, and then later takes her on a picnic which leads to them being stranded on one of the smaller islands in the bay when a massive storm hits, causing them to abandon ship and take shelter.

... also, if you're thinking this is where it all gets physical, too, you'd be correct!

Honestly, Zoey holds out against Joel much longer than I think plenty of other women would, but that's what helps make this book magical, in a way.

The two of them certainly help one another in trying to understand the other's pain and making it lighter, somehow, with Joel offering suggestions on how she might handle the situation with her mom and her son, and Zoey tagging along to meet his family where she gets to politely but firmly tell his dad to shove it where the sun don't shine, because simply being proud of your achievements isn't even in the same league as bragging whatsoever.

Oh and, while we're at it, they didn't manage to find the trove they were looking for - but Joel DID have a replica of the necklace made for Zoey; he also turns down a promotion at work, regardless that winning some other awards at a show he invited Zoey to would have basically made him a shoe-in, but his buddy who was also in the running is pretty much perfect for the job, while Joel wants to run around the world and dive for a little while longer.

So all's well that ends well, as the two of them decide maybe they could go with Elora and Linc to the UK, travel a little, see the world, have archaeological adventures, that sort of thing. They're young, full of life, they have so much still left ahead of them - plus, they'd be with their family and best friends! What's not to like with this idea??

Which is where we leave them.

As you probably already guessed, I so very kindly got sent an ARC of this book; then fell sick and couldn't do anything but bare minimum functioning until much later.

It was totally worth the wait, as you can probably tell!

I love Joel and Zoe, and I especially like Joel's job, because I also happen to be a David Gibbins and his Jack Howard series fan, so this was right up my alley! I think the both of them have a lot of work left ahead to recover from their past experiences, and my heart broke a little for them both, but they have each other now, and Elora and Linc.

I would have perhaps liked a bit more resolution regarding Joel's relationship with Atticus, and Zoe's situation as a whole, but I'm confident we'll see some more of that in book 3.

Overall, Ms Woods continues to deliver heartwarming (and wrenching!) stories wrapped in beautiful prose, and I can't wait to conclude this trilogy with Fraser.

Absolutely recommend!

xx

*image not mine

One Night Before Christmas - Seduction Under the Southern Stars - Serenity Woods