Needing a change, Jane quits her accountant job in the city and flees to a small beach town for the summer with her best friend, Sara. Acknowledging that art’s her passion and acting on that desire are two different things. So she’s gone to the beach town to find herself and discern her future.

Never in a million years would she have believed that she’d fall for a man who would consume her. Completely.

Jane first met Stone at one of the few bars in town. Gray, intense eyes met hers across the room and pierced her very soul. From the moment they met, Jane began an internal battle with her will and her heart. It was apparent from the way that Stone would appear at her home without notice, have fierce, mind-numbing sex with her and then disappear back into the ether from which he came that he wasn’t looking for any sort of relationship. It was also clear from some not-so-subtle clues that he had a secret and was willing to shut her out of his heart to avoid discovery. But her need for Stone was so enthralling, so addicting that she could just as easily cease breathing permanently as she could stop thinking of him, yearning for him.

When Sara helps Jane see that what she and Stone share isn’t healthy and assists Jane in quitting the addiction she has for Stone, she admits she’s fallen for him and wants more from her sensual, edgy lover. Stone insists he doesn’t have it in himself to give. Will Jane discover the reason for his distance and secrecy? If she does, will she still love him? Does she have what it takes to break the wall he’s built around his world? What’s more, does she love him enough to help him see that he’s addicted to her too?

Addicted is a fabulously intense and darkly erotic debut romance from author Devon Gray. The reader is immediately drawn into Jane’s world as she intersperses thoughts about her current experiences with events from her past. An intelligent and strong character, it was mesmerizing to witness her fall into addiction. Stone is a magnetically sexy character—a brooding, tortured, almost anti-hero that pulses with intensity and pheromones. Like a true addiction, he pulls Jane into his aura seductively and leaves her hungering for more, even as he’s pushing her away. The push-pull between these two characters keeps the story moving briskly as they struggle between the seductive temptation of addiction and the goal of a more healthy relationship.

Ms. Gray’s writing is fresh, intelligent and wickedly sensual, and reads as if you’re catching a glimpse of the forbidden. Addicted will ensnare you on the first page and keep your attention until the last word’s been read. I cannot wait to see what Ms. Gray has in store for her readers in the future.

Reviewed by: Bella