3.5 stars
GoodReads Summary:
He’s arrogant, domineering, and… To. Die. For.
Hunter is a ruthless killer. And the Department of Defense has him firmly in their grasp, which usually doesn’t chafe too badly because he gets to kill bad guys. Most of the time he enjoys his job. That is, until he’s saddled with something he’s never had to do before: protect a human from his mortal enemy.
Serena Cross didn’t believe her best friend when she claimed to have seen the son of a powerful senator turn into something… unnatural. Who would? But then she witnesses her friend’s murder at the hands of what can only be an alien, thrusting her into a world that will kill to protect their secret.
Hunter stirs Serena’s temper and her lust despite their differences. Soon he’s doing the unthinkable—breaking the rules he’s lived by, going against the government to keep Serena safe. But are the aliens and the government the biggest threats to Serena’s life… or is it Hunter?
Hunter is a ruthless killer. And the Department of Defense has him firmly in their grasp, which usually doesn’t chafe too badly because he gets to kill bad guys. Most of the time he enjoys his job. That is, until he’s saddled with something he’s never had to do before: protect a human from his mortal enemy.
Serena Cross didn’t believe her best friend when she claimed to have seen the son of a powerful senator turn into something… unnatural. Who would? But then she witnesses her friend’s murder at the hands of what can only be an alien, thrusting her into a world that will kill to protect their secret.
Hunter stirs Serena’s temper and her lust despite their differences. Soon he’s doing the unthinkable—breaking the rules he’s lived by, going against the government to keep Serena safe. But are the aliens and the government the biggest threats to Serena’s life… or is it Hunter?
How I feel when I see Jennifer L. Armentrout has written another book:
Now, I do not make It a habit to pick up books with salacious covers. This is probably the ONLY book with a cover like this that I have ever picked up (or bought on kindle) in my entire life. I am not a huge fan of romance novels. I’m barely a fan. I’ve read a few, but by a few, I mean, like, 5. At the most. Too much language, too much sex, not enough plot. Though the ones I have read are usually more plot driven than testosterone driven.
But, since I am a firm believer that Jennifer L. Armentrout can do no wrong, I got this book immediately. And when I say immediately, I mean I pre-ordered it. I feel safe recommending JLA’s YA series to everyone: The Covenant Series and The Lux (BEST EVER) are fantastic. Probably some of my favorite books at this point in my life. Obsession is set in the same universe as The Lux series, so I was thrilled to read it, although appropriately wary knowing the genre.
Yes, there was a lot of language. Yes there was a lot of sex. I personally could have done without most of both. But it is an adult romance novel, so I wasn’t really expecting anything else. Let’s just say that in the world of people who do read romance novels, of which I am not really a part of, there was a lot of this in reviews:
Yeah, it was hot. Sexy. I mean, again, romance novel. And JLA’s YA books are hot enough. Add sex, you’re like, into the last circles of hell. Before you get to the frozen part. Of hell, that is.
So this book is written in dual POV. Some chapters are in Hunter’s voice, some in Serena’s. JLA does a fabulous job writing distinct voices for both so it is fairly easily to differentiate who is talking. There’s no title telling you when the voice changes, so it was important that she made this distinction.
Hunter. He was one of those alpha male characters that you want to kiss and punch all at the same time. He’s gorgeous, deadly, sarcastic, and quite frankly one of the biggest jerks I’ve read in a long time. Which is what makes his transformation so beautiful. He really does not want to deal with Serena at the beginning of this book. He makes it quite clear. Sure, he finds her attractive. But he finds her equally annoying.
Serena. Not my least favorite damsel in distress. She didn’t take crap from Hunter, even though she was scared of him. I honestly felt bad for her for a while. She pretty much gets kidnapped by an alien who is pretty mean to her and keeps sucking the life out of her. Literally. It’s an Arum ability to suck the energy out of people. But she was feisty. She had spunk, I guess is what they say. She was willing to risk her life to bring justice to her friend’s killers, a plan which Hunter, the big bad alien, was wholly against.
Me when an unnamed character from The Lux series showed up for a cameo:
I actually started giggling. It was embarrassing.
So, if you’ve never read JLA’s fantastic books, I recommend starting with Covenant or Lux Series. The quality of Obsession is up there with her other books, but I just don’t like the genre as much.
I still believe JLA can do no wrong 🙂