Never Hollowed By The Stare

The District: His Coveted Obsession – Courtney W. Dixon

PLEASE READ THE BLURB AND WARNINGS IF YOU’RE SENSITIVE TO TRIGGERS! And please, please be careful of spoilers and giving away endings of books. Use spoiler tags.

When obsession and possessiveness collide…

Thomas Lauder

Easton is my hero, and I’m obsessed. He comes into my life like a knight in shining armor, saving me from a horrible customer at the coffee shop. Then, out of the blue, he asks me out on a date. How could I say no to the mysterious, handsome man? My life revolves around surviving my lying, gambling-addicted father and taking care of my younger sister while trying to earn my degree. Easton gives me the stability and honesty I didn’t know I needed. He’s straightforward and knows exactly what he wants. I do, too. I want Easton in my life forever.

Easton Virgil

I have a new family, but my life is still incomplete. Now that I’m nineteen, I have strong needs, and the loneliness is consuming. Thomas isn’t typical, but he’s attractive, and I enjoy his worship of me. He’s obsessed, and I feed off it. It makes me hungry for him. He’s perfect for me, and I’ll do whatever it takes to keep him. He belongs to me and no one else. But when his useless father is the reason Thomas is ripped from me, I nearly burn the world to the ground to find him. No one better have harmed him, or they will pay.

Reading in order will add more pleasure to the reading experience and understanding the characters better, but they can technically be read as standalones.

Mentions of molestation of a child, abuse of a child, neglect, murder, torture, organ harvesting, death of a parent to cancer (off page), gambling addiction, sociopathy, violence, explicit language and sex.

---

The District by Courtney W. Dixon is a found family of assassins headed by Sid Virgil (His Reluctant Savior) and Malik Amin (His Bane). The youngest member is Easton, who was recruited at 15 after Sid found him newly orphaned. Later, he was officially adopted by Sid and his husband Dalton.

Like the rest of his District family, Easton survived an abusive childhood and emerged stronger and deadlier. Easton comes from wealth and, now 19, enjoys wearing suits to appear more mature. He has autism and ASPD, and his pedantic, blunt manner is off-putting to many. He was trained in all kinds of weapons; his preferred one is the knife.

Easton saved the barista, Thomas Lauder, from a rude customer, and Thomas was immediately drawn to the young man, calling him his hero. The attraction was instantaneous and mutual. Easton didn’t waste time asking for a date, and the two became exclusive right that very night.

Thomas is juggling college, work, caring for his sister, and trying to make his gambling addicted dad stop. The addiction got so bad that not only he and his sister were neglected, but they ended up as collateral when the bad guys came calling for their cash.

Easton was having none of it, and once again he’s the hero with the District family as his backup. It’s touch him and die!

With both MCs at 19, the romance has a teen cute, fluffy vibe to it mixed in with the adultier primal play and possessive-obssessive vibes. Not a fan of the naked chases in the woods because of ants, insects, poking branches, and it did feel like just sex and material gifts at first.

Easton has always been a compelling character since the beginning. He’s very self-aware and unapologetically himself, narcissistic, brutally honest, and tightly holds the reins of barely controlled rage. He can’t feel love or empathy in the typical way, but with Easton, it’s always action speaking louder than words, and he spoke volumes!

I loved that he’s willing to learn to connect with Thomas emotionally. He might not understand Thomas’ POV at first, but he listens to Sid’s or Dalton’s advice and mulls it over until he understands. Easton, being a dark knight saving his damsel, is swoony as hell!

It would have been easy to dislike Thomas as weak, but our boy is nothing if not resilient. He calls Easton “Superman,” and I loved that his complete trust in Easton never wavered, even when rescue seemed impossible. He adored Easton from the beginning, and Easton needed that kind of worship.

“He was honest about everything, even with his anger. Easton was…pure.” 

My favorite part about Thomas is that he never asked Easton to change. And he appreciates his honesty, something that most people find rude. He saw Easton for what he truly is and loved him for it. Even defended East when Sid and Dalton said Easton can’t love.

Easton’s intensity and dominance play so well with Thomas’s adoration and devotion, and their chemistry is electric! Watching their relationship evolve from insta-attraction to emotional connection makes this a joy to read!

While still less disturbing than His Death Bringer, please heed the trigger warnings. Easton’s family history is pretty dark, and as a teen, he took matters into his own hands because nobody, not even his father, who knew of his mother’s abuse, did anything.

Thomas also has to deal with his mother’s illness (off-page) and his father’s neglect. Later, he also had to rely on Easton’s money because his dad sold everything of value. During their captivity, Thomas was tortured, and there are mentions of organ harvesting.

Overall, His Coveted Obsession is a captivating journey of finding one’s person. A raw and honest love story of wanting to be wanted and giving everything to give.

Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bits

Sountrack: Trust
Artist: Alina Baraz
Album: Trust

P.S.

The District is best read in order.

His Death Bringer is Luca and his dark angel, Dante.

His Bane is Malik and his beloved psychopath, Sully.

His Reluctant Savior is Sid and his boy scout, Dalton.

---

If you like my content, please consider using my Amazon affiliate links below to buy your copy of His Coveted Obsession. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying Amazon purchases at no additional cost to you.

HIS COVETED OBSESSION: Amazon UK | Audiobook

If you like my content, please consider supporting me on Ko-fi or PayPal. Your donations will help keep this website going. Thank you so much!