Review: Obsession by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Obsession

Series: Arum #1

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Publication date: May 31st 2013

Publisher: Entangled Publishing

Source: I own a copy

From Goodreads: 

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?

My Review

I remember hearing that JLA was writing an adult parallel novel to the Lux series, and thought yippee!

Then I remember reading an excerpt from said adult alien novel, and thinking: MC sounds a little like Daemon Black—is it him grown up?

But then JLA quashed everyone’s questions on that department (I wasn’t the only one whose line of thought went that way), and so I was intrigued all over again.

I think the easiest way to put my review into words is to let you in on my initial thoughts I headed in and shared with my writer buddies on my latest read.

Here they are:

If you follow the Lux series, whilst you don’t need to read Obsession to follow, I *would* recommend it.

I still stand by this.

I LOVED seeing the Lux world from an Arum perspective. And anyone who reads this will come away with a whole new appreciation for the Arum, as well as a better understanding of both sides of the story as we’ve only received the Luxen version of events so far.

And now onto my list of attributes.

1) There is a small crossover of characters (a character who might have seemed to have a small part in Opal but I suspect is actually so much more)

This is true. I don’t want to give names, because I think this entire book should be allowed to unfold for the reader on its own, and unless I give a ‘bare minimum’ review, then that won’t happen as naturally as it should.

2) Daemon Black DOES make a very small appearance as has been hinted at. However, we don’t really get to spend any time with him, and the reader has to make the assumption that it’s Daemon because he isn’t mentioned by name only described (though it’s obvious it IS him).

Nothing to say here, really, except you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about if you read the book and reach this spot.

3) Obsession is HOT. Hunter is HOT. There’s lots of sexual tension, too, as well as … well, sexy sex kinda stuff, and some sex (ya know, if you like that kind of thing).

Did I mention that Hunter is HOT! I hate to say it, and I may even get hate mail for it, but dayam, Hunter makes Daemon Black look like child’s play. He leaves the arrogant Luxen lost in the dust kicked up by his heels. If this was a fantastical world of dreams come true, and, you know, I wasn’t married and all, I would want me one of these.

4) I’ll admit, I went in thinking Hunter would be another Daemon because I’ve been seeing a pattern in JLAs males lately. Is he arrogant and full of his snarky self? Yes. But, dude, Hunter makes Daemon Black sound like an amateur, because the arum is in a league of his own.

Did I mention I have a thing for this arum? Yeah, it’s a little of an Obsession (<<see what I did there?)

5) Reading Obsession will make you so freakin’ excited for Origin. Because it’s stated very clearly in Obsession what ‘Origin’ pertains to, and so the reader is left with a much better understanding of the title of the next Lux book.

Can’t wait!

And finally, my final thoughts right off the bat when my excited reader head was let loose after that ending:

Dude! You know when you read along thinking yeah, this is good, this is good, this is good, and then the ending just slaps a whopping great smile on your face so big you end up looking like a demented moron and hoping nobody’s watching? That’s how I’m feeling when I got to the end.

Label me one sincerely satisfied customer.

P.S. PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE, Ms A, tell us we’re going to get more from the Arum world. I NEEEEEEEEEED it!

That is all.

Have you read this title? What’d you think?

Cover Reveal: Obsession by Jennifer L. Armentrout

*jig jig* I’m so freakin’ excited.

Anyhoo, on with what you came for.

~~~~~

Title: Obsession

Series: An Arum Novel #1

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Publisher: Entangled Covet (NA)

Release Date: 5/31/2013

Um … is it just me, or does this cover make Arum’s look HOT!?

Dang!

And here’s the blurb:

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?

~~~~~

Is it just me, or does this blurb make Arum’s sound hot, too?

Double diggity dang!

So, what does everyone think of this one? A New Adult spin-off from JLA’s Young Adult Lux series. Everything we’ve come to learn about this author’s created world with the potential for even more heat than Daemon & Katy give us? Dude! Sign me up!

You can add the title to your Goodreads by clicking on the coverart image.

~~~~~

# 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell, Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen.

She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

Review: Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Opal

Series: Lux #3

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Publisher: Entangled Publishing

Publication date: December 11th 2012

Source: I own a copy (or 3)

From Goodreads: 

No one is like Daemon Black.

When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well… There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going on.

But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love.

After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different… And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable of. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.

Together we’re stronger… and they know it.

My Review

Okay, this review was a real toughie to write, to the point I’ve taken 24 hours to gather my thoughts before putting fingers to keys.

Anyone who knows me will already know that Jennifer L. Armentrout ranks right up at the top of my list of favourite authors. I mean, I fell in love with her writing from the moment Daemon Black captured my heart in Obsidian, and my review of that more than reflects my opinion of her ability as a great author. And then when I read Onyx—man, that one pretty much blew my head off with its awesomeness.

But Opal? It just didn’t wow me as much as I hoped. And I’ve spent the past hours trying to figure out why.

Firstly, I think its editing stumbled my flow a few times. As well as a few typos/errors, there were a couple of inconsistencies that had me going ‘Huh? WTH?’ that, by no means, should have been missed in the edits. However, I’m not going to go into detail about those, because I know they’ve already been brought to Jen’s attention, and that she has made a statement about them, and that’s good enough for me. Authors and editors, at the end of the day, are only human.

Onto the actual story then. *heaves huge sigh* Daemon’s snark is so what attracted me to the guy in the first place. In Obsidian, we get it constantly, all aimed at Katy, right up until the very end. Even in Onyx, when he’s changing his mind about Katy, we still see it in his attempts to p-off Blake. First book had me snorting every chapter; second had me laughing out loud. In Opal, I think I only ‘tittered’ twice. This is a big comedown. And I missed Daemon Black. Damn, did I miss him. Even Katy didn’t seem as sharp with her wit—though I imagine Daemon’s lack of digs at her had a whole lot to do with that.

Instead, the wit and extremely fun banter seemed to have made way for a serious amount of kissing.

Now don’t get me wrong. I like kissing in a book. But, dude, this seemed to be on almost every other page. To the point it got repetitive (sorry). It was also to the point it vastly slowed down the pace of the book. I normally whizz through these titles. This one didn’t seem to really get started until around 47% when I thought, okay, now it’s getting interesting. There was also some foreshadowing done that made me suspect most things that were going to happen as the book progressed. Considering it’s Katy’s POV, I’m surprised she wasn’t on the ball about them sooner—especially as she spent most of the book in suspicious mode. Some of them were just little things, like Blake showing up. I think a little less obvious mention of him prior to his first appearance would have given his appearance more of an impact. But that might just be me, and a personal preference.

So did I enjoy the book?

Well, yeah, of course I did. Admittedly, if this was a title by any other (less loved by me) author, then it would most likely have rated only a 3. However, due to the fact Ms Armentrout long ago suckered me into her worlds, and I loved Daemon (and Katy, I guess :p) enough to keep reading until I got happier with the juicier (not sexier) bits. Plus, not to mention the ending. Now, I know some folk are going a little wild about the ending, and the fact it’s such a cliff-hanger, but I kinda appreciated it. I mean, sure, I saw something coming, because it always does in JLA’s books, but I’d already convinced myself it was going to swing the other way, and so I was left somewhat surprised. For these reasons, mostly my love of JLA’s writing, it hurts me to rate this one less than 5. But it wouldn’t be honest of me to do otherwise. So, for that reason, I give this one …

Have you read this title? What’d you think?

Early Review: Midnight City by J. Barton Mitchell

Title: Midnight City

Series: Conquered Earth #1

Author: J. Barton Mitchell

Publisher: St Martin’s Griffin

Publication date: October 1st 2012

Source: Review copy received from publisher via NetGalley.

From Goodreads: 

In a post-apocalyptic world controlled by alien invaders, two teens and a young girl with mysterious powers embark on a dangerous journey. What they find will change everything…

Earth has been conquered. An extraterrestrial race known as The Assembly has abducted the adult population, leaving the planet’s youth to fend for themselves. In this treacherous landscape, Holt, a bounty hunter, is transporting his prisoner Mira when they discover Zoey, a young girl with powerful abilities who could be the key to stopping The Assembly. As they make their way to the cavernous metropolis of Midnight City, the trio must contend with freedom fighters, mutants, otherworldly artifacts, pirates, feuding alien armies, and perhaps most perilous of all: Holt and Mira’s growing attraction to each other.

Midnight City is the breathtaking first novel in the Conquered Earth series, and a stunning work of imagination from debut author J. Barton Mitchell

Before I go on: LOVE this cover!

My Review

This title was a DNF for me.

I found I had major issues with the POV in Midnight City. At some points, it seemed that it’s 3rd person, and at others it almost seemed omni. Because just when you think you have a handle on whose head your inside, it switches into the head of another character, describing their motivations/reasonings for their actions/behaviour. And, whilst the characters are extremely likeable and the plot intriguing, it’s simply became too distracting for me to continue as it was beginning to mar the enjoyment of my reading. So at page 113, I came to a halt.

If, unlike me, you don’t have issues with POV hopping, I would recommend this title, as the characters do get your attention from the get-go, and they have a lot of likeable qualities–I certainly spotted nothing to make me dislike them–as well as decently developed personalities. It just wasn’t for me.

Have you read this title? What’d you think?

Early Review: Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Onyx

Series: Lux #2

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Publisher: Entangled Publishing

Publication date: August 7th 2012

Source: Received a copy for review from Entangled.

From Goodreads: 

Being connected to Daemon Black sucks…

Daemon’s determined to prove what he feels for me is more than a product of our bizarre connection. I’ve sworn him off even though he’s running more hot than cold these days. But against all common sense, I’m falling for him. Hard.

Our relationship issues aren’t out biggest problem…

The Department of Defense is here. If they ever find out what Daemon can do and that we’re linked, I’m a goner. So is he. And when a new boy shows up a school with a secret of his own, things get complicated fast. I need to choose between my own instincts and Daemon’s.

But then everything changes…

I’ve seen someone who shouldn’t be alive. Daemon’s never going to stop searching until gets the truth. What happened to his brother? Who betrayed him? And what does the DOD want from them—from me?

No one is who they seem. And not everyone will survive the lies

My Review

Wow! Holy Hawt Chemistry, Batman! Awesomesauce! A-Mazing!

I think that pretty much sums it up.

I guess, really, I should just leave it at that. Especially as I’ve just finished reading an ARC of Onyx, provided to me by Entangled (you have no freakin’ frackin’ idea how much bowing in their direction I did when I spotted that email) and I’m (perhaps idiotically) writing my review within an hour of finishing before cohesion is a stable presence in my mind. But I’m sorry, folks, I simply have way more to say on this matter so you’re going to have to put up with my ensuing waffle. Here goes:

**WARNING: CONTAINS MILD SPOILERS**

Did I think JLA could possibly write another ‘blow my frickin’ head off’ novel?

Of course not! I thought she’d HAD to have hit her pinnacle with Obsidian. I don’t think I’d ever been as impressed by a YA novel before reading Lux #1.

Until now.

Dudes! You think Obsidian is awesome & Kicka$$? You ain’t seen nothin’ yet!

There is HUGE character development in Onyx. HUGE!

Is Daemon still an a-hole?

Of course he is!

BUT … he is also totally swoon-worthy, ridiculously hilarious, and scorchingly HOT!

Oh yeah, and those ‘totally swoon-worthy’ moments?

TO. DIE. FOR!

And Katy has grown even bigger balls than she’d developed by the end of Obsidian, too. Yeah, there were moments when I wanted to smack her upside the head—like when she went out with Bart or Biff or Flake, or whatever the hell his name was *snort*; or like when she kept stuff to herself that I just knew in my gut was going to lead to some craptapular s***; or when she let the dude of many names (thanks to Daemon) keep treating her the way he did … BUT I did kinda get her reasoning behind it and so can forgive her—well, except at the point where Daemon was hurting so bad over it all coz that made me cry.

Admittedly, I was around 50% through when something clicked in my brain and hit me *KAPOW!* right between the eyes. Actually, it was a hard enough brain wallop that I quit reading and rushed straight to PM Kay of K-Books (coz she’d already read it) just so I could say: please tell me X who’s dating Y isn’t Z’s Uncle, to which I got the response of: OMG how the heck did you figure that out? But I’d had my eye on this dodgy character because I’d taken as much of a dislike to him as Katy had.

AND Blake/Flake/Biff/Whatever … the second he showed up in Katy’s class, the alarm bells in my head started going DODGY! DODGY! RUN AWAY! ABORT ABORT ABORT!

Oddly enough, Katy didn’t listen to me.

And she paid the price for that. *nods head*

Oh yeah, and let us not forget the biggest mystery of the book. Because the blurb of Onyx alone has brought strangers together across the globe just to share their conspiracy theories surrounding the potential reappearance of early disappeared characters.

Did it happen? Were everyone’s theories true?

Hell, I’m not telling you that. You’ll have to read the book, for goodness sake.

What I will say on the matter, though, is that niggle of worry that *should* be creeping into readers right at the very end, when what should have been a tender moment wasn’t quite as tender as peeps (or the character’s) may have been hoping for … I expected that.

After all, this is JLA, and when has she ever been known to take it easy on her character’s OR her readers?

Never, right?

So … if you read Obsidian (or anything of JLA’s) you’ll LOVE it!

If you don’t mind going on an emotional roller coaster (coz I went from smiling to grinning to laughing to giggling to crying to sniffling to laughing to rubbing my chest coz it ached like crazy over the emotional torment …), you’ll LOVE it!

If you HEART Daemon Black? Dudes, you will so LOVE it!

If you like mystery and intrigue and kicka$$ fight scenes and hot scenes and funny scenes and just about any kind of scenes, you’ll LOVE it!

Okay, in other words? JUST READ IT! Coz Onyx WILL blow your mind!

That is all.

My rating for this has to be 6.5 stars out of 5. HAS to be! I can only begin to imagine what Opal will score and I cannot wait to find out! Where the FUDGE is OPAL?!?!?!

My rating: 6.5 (out of 5) stars

Have you read this title? What’d you think?

Review: Shadows by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Shadows

Series: Lux #0.5

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Publisher: Entangled Publishing

Publication date: February 21st 2012

Source: I own a copy.

From Goodreads: 

The last thing Dawson Black expected was Bethany Williams. As a Luxen, an alien life form on Earth, human girls are…well, fun. But since the Luxen have to keep their true identities a secret, falling for one would be insane.

Dangerous. Tempting. Undeniable.

Bethany can’t deny the immediate connection between her and Dawson. And even though boys aren’t a complication she wants, she can’t stay away from him. Still, whenever they lock eyes, she’s drawn in.

Captivated. Lured. Loved.

Dawson is keeping a secret that will change her existence…and put her life in jeopardy. But even he can’t stop risking everything for one human girl. Or from a fate that is as unavoidable as love itself.

Before I start … DAYAM, I just love that cover! Okay …

My Review

This is the second time I’ve read this novella. As my view hasn’t changed in the slightest, and I still feel exactly the same way, I figured I’d stick with my original review (which is fairly small as it’s a novella).

**SPOILER ALERT**

Is it … um .. . normal to sniffle whilst trying to write a review? Dayam! I’m so sad. (

People, do not be fooled by the light hearted tone of this book. Don’t even let your guard down when Dawson’s TOTAL ADORABILITY turns you to mush. Because something bad is coming. Oh, hell yes.

Even reading Obsidian and going into this with eyes wide open didn’t prepare me for the emotional shitfest, which smacks you upside the head like a freight train: the soul crushing ending to this tale.

Oh, Daemon, how I understand you so much better now. That is all.

And because I snorted out loud at it, I abso have to share my favourite line:

Hey, honey, I’m an alien and apparently I just doused you with some radioactive loving!

Jennifer L. Armentrout, you’re an absolute hoot.

My rating: 5 stars

Have you read this title? What’d you think?

And whilst I have you here, can I just say how thrilled I am to be an Elite Team Member for the Daemon Invasion.

Want to know what this is? Check out my post explaining it all.

Or if you want to be part of my team, email me at: bookarooju@live(.)co(.)uk