Obsessively Yours

What Happens When the Gods Choose the Wrong Sister?

Alright my fellow spicy book dragons, we're heading back into the fae realms! Obsessively Yours is the second book in Jamie Applegate Hunter's Fae Kings of Eden series, and while it has the same humor, spice, magic, and slightly unhinged characters I loved in Viciously Yours, the romance itself is completely different.

This time, we're getting star-crossed lovers. And ya'll... This one hurt. Imagine falling in love with someone only for the gods themselves to basically look at you and say: Nope. Wrong sister. That's exactly what happens to Violet and Roman.

Their story has plenty of funny moments and some seriously spicy ones, but underneath everything is this heartbreaking relationship between two people who desperately want each other and believe they can't be together.

Meet Violet and Roman

Violet (FMC): Twin sister to Vivian, although the two couldn't be more different. Violet is easygoing, intelligent, kind, loving, creative, and a notorious prankster. She's the daughter of a general in the Tropical Kingdom's battalion and loves collecting shells and pebbles that she incorporates into her jewelry and clothing designs. She's also hopelessly in love with Roman. 

Unfortunately, Roman is her sister's mate.

Roman (MMC): The future King of the Tropical Kingdom, Roman is intelligent, easygoing, kind, and obsessed with strategy games and puzzle cubes. He's playful enough to happily help Violet with her pranks, but when it comes to protecting his kingdom and the people he loves, he's completely serious. And despite what the gods have told him, Roman knows exactly who he wants.

Roman also has a familiar named War, a terrifying tigon about the size of a small horse. Think tiger meets lion, complete with a mane containing quill sheaths that harden when War attacks. 

Terrifying? Yes. Adorable when it comes to Violet? Also yes.

From Friendship to Something More

Violet and Roman have technically known each other since childhood, but their real friendship begins after Violet quite literally runs into him while rushing through the halls on her way to class. From there, the two slowly become friends. And then those feelings start changing.

Their friendship becomes a crush. That crush becomes something deeper. Eventually, these two are completely in love with each other. There's just one very big problem approaching. Roman's thirteenth birthday. As we learned in Viciously Yours, royal fae hear the name of their fated mate from the gods when they turn thirteen.

Roman wants one name. Violet.

Instead, the gods whisper: Vivian.

Her twin sister. Excuse me while I throw something.

Loving Someone You're Not Supposed to Have

This is where Obsessively Yours immediately separated itself from the first book for me. Rennick knew Amelia was his mate and spent years waiting until he could finally be with her.

Roman gets the exact opposite. The woman he loves is right there. He knows her. He loves her. She loves him. But according to the gods, he's supposed to belong to her sister. Roman wishes the gods had said Violet's name. Violet hates herself for being in love with her sister's mate. And neither of them can simply turn off their feelings because fate decided something different.

The angst was angsty.

They try to remain friends, but their connection never really disappears. Then a rebel attack changes everything.

The Rebel Attacks Are Getting Serious

The rebellion we were introduced to in the first book continues to play an important role in the series.

During one attack, Violet nearly dies after Roman is forced to leave her hidden in his rooms while he searches for his family and makes sure they're safe. The experience leaves Violet with lasting emotional trauma, especially when it comes to loud noises. I liked that the book didn't simply forget what happened to her once the immediate danger was over. That fear follows Violet, even as she continues trying to live her life.

And Roman? If he was protective before, nearly losing Violet certainly doesn't make him less obsessed with keeping her safe.

Vivian Has Secrets of Her Own

Then we have Vivian.

Despite being Roman's supposed fated mate, Vivian has someone else she wants too. She's secretly seeing another man. And Roman knows. He can actually feel when Vivian is cheating because of their mate bond.

Awkward.

You would think Roman would be devastated. Except... He doesn't love Vivian. He never wanted Vivian. He wants her sister. Instead, Roman becomes increasingly determined to figure out whether there's some way to break or transfer the bond. He doesn't want the mate the gods chose. He wants the woman he chose.

Violet Tries to Move On

Eventually, Violet realizes she can't keep living like this.

She loves Roman, but as far as she knows, he's never going to truly be hers. So she asks him for space. Roman absolutely does not want to give it to her. But this man is incapable of denying Violet anything. So he does. Well... Sort of.

Because apparently "giving Violet space" and "secretly using glamour so I can still watch over her without her knowing" mean the same thing in Roman's slightly unhinged brain.

Sir. That's not how space works. But I can't even pretend I'm surprised. This is the Fae Kings of Eden series. Slightly unhinged seems to be a requirement.

Roman Is Not Giving Up

While Violet attempts to move forward with her life, Roman continues searching for a way out of his bond with Vivian. And things get messy.

Really messy.

There are secret relationships. There are betrayals. There are people dating people they probably shouldn't be dating. There are hidden motivations. And eventually, multiple characters discover that the relationships they thought they understood aren't what they seemed.

I'm not going into all the details because some of these twists are much more fun when you don't know they're coming. But let's just say the relationship web in this book becomes tangled.

Roman, however, sees one thing very clearly. He loves Violet. And if there's even the slightest chance of being with her, he's taking it.

Violet Chooses Herself

One thing I really loved about Violet was that her entire character didn't revolve around Roman.

She's incredibly creative and has a genuine passion for fashion and design. After another dangerous encounter makes her reevaluate what she wants from life, Violet decides to pursue her dream. She travels through the other kingdoms, learning different styles and techniques that can help her develop her craft as a seamstress. I loved this!

We get to see more of Violet's creativity, including how she uses her skills to customize clothing, uniforms, and armor. She isn't simply waiting around for Roman and fate to sort themselves out. She's building something for herself. And Roman supports her. Of course, he's also Roman, so there's no way she's traveling around completely unprotected.

Can We Talk About War?

I loved War. This terrifying giant tigon could probably make most people reconsider every decision they've ever made just by looking at them. But he absolutely adores Violet. War spends time with her, protects her, and becomes this constant presence in her life. There's something about a terrifying monster being completely attached to the FMC that gets me every time. But do you know what War is apparently not prepared to deal with?

Babs.

Roman's chicken. Yes. This enormous, deadly tigon is afraid of a chicken. I love it.

The Chicken Prank

Speaking of chickens... The classroom chicken prank was one of my favorite funny moments.

Violet's prank-loving personality adds so much needed humor to what could otherwise be a very emotionally heavy romance. And Roman helping her? Even better.

I love that these two aren't only romantically obsessed with each other. They're genuinely friends who enjoy being together. Roman doesn't simply tolerate Violet's ridiculousness. He participates. That's my kind of relationship.

Roman's Mother Knows What's Up

Another character I loved? Roman's mother.

This woman knows her son. She sees how Roman feels about Violet, and she knows where his heart truly belongs. And apparently Roman's slightly unhinged tendencies had to come from somewhere because his mother has some of that energy herself.

Suddenly, Roman makes so much more sense. I loved watching her interactions with him and Violet, especially because it adds another layer to Roman's relationship with Violet.

Fate Might Not Be Finished Yet

Without spoiling every twist, the mate situation is much more complicated than it originally appears. Roman never stops loving Violet. And eventually, fate itself might have something else to say about these two.

Their twenty-fifth birthday becomes incredibly important, and I loved where the story ultimately went with the concept of mates, choices, and love. Because Roman might live in a world where gods decide who belongs together... But he's spent years knowing exactly who owns his heart.

Meanwhile, Those Rebels...

The romance might be the center of the story, but the larger plot surrounding the kingdoms continues developing.

The rebels have their own plans. And some of the people involved are much closer to Violet, Vivian, and Roman than anyone realizes. There are hidden motives, betrayals, attacks, and some revelations that make earlier events look completely different once you know the truth.

Things eventually get dangerous enough that Violet becomes a target herself. This is where Roman's protective side really gets to shine. Because hurting Violet? Terrible idea.

And Yes, It's Spicy

My fellow spicy book dragons, don't worry.🔥 The emotional angst does eventually come with a reward.

Roman has been obsessively in love with Violet for years, so when these two finally get the opportunity to stop pretending their feelings don't exist... Yeah. Things heat up. The spice works especially well because there's so much emotional history behind it.

This isn't two characters meeting and immediately wanting each other. They've loved each other. They've lost each other. They've tried to move on. They've been jealous. They've been heartbroken. And Roman has spent an unreasonable amount of time trying to figure out how to tell fate itself that it picked the wrong damn sister.

There's some serious built-up tension here.

The Verdict

Highly Recommended For: Fans of fae romance, star-crossed lovers, fated mates, forbidden romance, friends to lovers, second-chance mates, possessive MMCs, touch-her-and-die energy, royal romance, emotional angst, magical kingdoms, protective familiars, funny banter, and spicy romantasy.

Obsessively Yours was another great read in the Fae Kings of Eden series. What I really liked was how different the romance felt compared to Viciously Yours. Instead of waiting years to finally meet his fated mate, Roman has already found the woman he loves.

I loved Violet's creativity and watching her chase her dream. I loved Roman's obsessive devotion to her. I loved War, constantly protecting Violet, the chicken prank, Babs somehow terrifying a gigantic tigon, and Roman's equally unhinged mother knowing exactly where her son's heart belongs.

Then you add the rebels, betrayals, secret relationships, emotional trauma, magic, spice, and the question of whether fate can possibly give these two another chance? I was completely invested. And yes, my fellow spicy book dragons, despite everything these two go through, we do get our HEA.

After finishing it, I was more than ready to jump straight into book three. Especially considering a certain screaming-about-a-giant-spider scene is what got me into this series in the first place.

Bring on book three.

Happy reading, and remember my fellow spicy book dragons, before starting a book please check the tropes, and always check for trigger warnings. Nobody likes an unfinished book because the tropes aren't your cup of tea or having a bad reading experience because of unexpected trigger warnings.