Book Review: The Maddest Obsession

I recently shared my book review for The Sweetest Oblivion, the first book in the Made series by Danielle Lori – a mafia romance. I loved The Sweetest Oblivion so I was excited to continue on with the next book in the series, The Maddest Obsession.

I was actually a little unsure of whether I would like this one as much as the first book because the female main character is Gianna, who seems like a bit of a train wreck in the first book. But, it is so good!

When we first meet in Gianna in The Sweetest Oblivion, she is part of the Russo family (I won’t get into how she’s related to them through marriage(s) even though it’s not really a spoiler). She is in her late 20s and is portrayed as being a bit of a mess. Drunk or high half the time and usually wearing overly flashy clothes that border on inappropriate.

The male main character in The Maddest Obsession is Christian Allister, a dirty FBI agent who works with the mafia. We also meet him in the first book, but don’t know much about him. However, there is one scene in The Sweetest Oblivion when there is a party going on at Nico’s penthouse apartment. Gianna was high (we find out why in her book) and when Christian arrives, he takes one look at her and is visibly annoyed/upset with her. So there is a hint that there is something between them.

The Maddest Obsession overlaps with The Sweetest Oblivion. I would say the first 1/3 or so shows Gianna going to things or mentioning things that happened in the first book such as the lunch at the Abellis’ house, the party at the penthouse, and Nico and Elena’s wedding and then it continues on with Gianna’s story, Christian’s story, and their relationship.

While I was unsure of Gianna in the first book, the second book makes you understand why she is the way she is. Her dark and traumatic past and her marriages shaped her into the person she is today and what she wants for her future. Likewise, there is much more to Christian than meets the eye. He isn’t just a dirty and high ranking FBI agent with compulsive/OCD tendencies like needing to tap the face of his watch 3 times or as rumors suggest, never sleeping with the same woman more than 3 times. Christian has a dark past as well, possibly darker than Gianna’s. Because of his past, he thrives on order, but Gianna throws his life into chaos and disorder.

Because of her past, Gianna never wants to answer to another husband/man again, but she also longs for love like the love he sees between Nico and Elena. Christian likes to be in control and he has a tendency to be cold, so can he give her what she wants? Christian likes order and doesn’t like to get emotional, but he needs Gianna in his life. Can he work through his issues to let Gianna in?

I loved this book and quickly grew to love Gianna and Christian.