Finished: The Hypnotist's Love Story (Moriarty) Another page-turner by this Australian writer...though not quite as page-turnery as the last one. :-) Still, a good read for doing my walking on the treadmill! So, basically the story is about thirty-something hypnotherapist, Ellen, who lives in her grandparents' old house by the sea, and runs her hypnotherapy business from the house. She's got a variety of patients she helps through hypnotherapy...one young woman who is trying to quit smoking before her wedding, one young woman with inexplicable leg pain, one young man terrified to speak in front of people, etc. etc. When Ellen finally meets (through a dating service) a man she's falling for, Patrick, also thirty-something, surveyor, widowed, and father of 8-year old Jack, she can't believe how quickly they begin to fall in love. There's just one catch....Patrick has a stalker...his ex-girlfriend, Saskia, who lived with Patrick and Jack from the time Jack was two to five. Jack's mother Colleen had died when Jack was just a baby and so Saskia was like a mother to Jack. When Patrick had broken up with Saskia one day rather abruptly, Saskia never got over the loss of Patrick OR Jack. So, for the last three years she's been stalking Patrick...writing him, texting him, following him on dates, showing up at his house, showing up at Jack's soccer games, etc. She's completely obsessed because she's still so in love with what they had as a family. The page-turning part is when you realize that Saskia is actually one of Ellen's patients and you have to try and figure out which one! The Saskia stumbling block, plus the fact that Patrick doesn't truly seem to be over the beloved Colleen's death, provide for some tensions in Ellen and Patrick's relationship. Even when Patrick proposes, the moment is ruined by Saskia who shows up! Anyway, Ellen actually feels empathy for Saskia. Ellen becomes pregnant and Patrick becomes more and more worried about Saskia's behavior. It all culminates one night when Saskia sneaks into their house and stands over Patrick and Ellen's bed as they sleep. Patrick wakes up startled and as Saskia begins to run out of the room, she runs smack dab into little Jack who has heard the commotion and they tumble down the stairs. :-( Jack suffers only a broken arm, but Saskia suffers a broken ankle and pelvis. Patrick finally takes out a restraining order and he and Ellen finally discuss his deep feelings for all things Colleen and Saskia. Patrick genuinely loves Ellen, it turns out, so they end up being ok. Their baby, Grace, is born and the family of four begins a happy and mostly sane life. Saskia finds out during her hospital stay that she actually has not alienated all her friends. She's got a couple who come to see her every day and she finally begins to see her own self-worth. Her court mandated therapy sessions follow and she finally works out her complicated feelings towards Patrick and Jack. Finally, after a year's time, she is also moving on with her life and tentatively happy in her new and old friends, and mostly in her own self-awareness. A good book! I will probably read more of Moriarty's books. :-)