Unchained by J Lynn

The fact that she and Julian are civil to one another is enough to have her thrown out of the Sanctuary, but she can't shake her not-so-angelic stalker or how he brings her dangerously close to ecstasy.

Her forbidden relationship with Julian provides the perfect fuel for suspicion when a traitor is discovered to be working within the Sanctuary. Lily quickly finds herself hunted by well, everyone.

Her only hope is to discover the real traitor before she loses everything—and she'll need Julian's help. That is, if Julian is really there to help her...and not destroy her.

Yeah, being a Nephilim isn't everything it's cracked up to be.

LYNSEY'S REVIEW

Must be talking to an angel

Fallen angels, Nephilim warriors, possessed humans and corrupt minions all battling it out on the streets and rooftops comic strip styleeeeee? Uh... okay!

This was very different from anything I've read from this author so far. It has an ensemble cast and a few different story threads, but your main focus is on Lily Marks. Lily is the youngest of the Nephilim warriors Contracted to battle the Fallen. Lily's a bit of a smartass and definitely has enough attitude and swagger to share around. Kicking butt in her leather pants and dropping snarky one-liners, she was maybe a bit predictable, but I enjoyed her shenanigans nonetheless. Whether she was fighting deadheads or just her own attraction to a certain Fallen angel, she was always entertaining.

Speaking of angels... Ah, Julian. I wasn't at all sure at first what to make of his character - is he a good guy, bad guy, what? Well, I'm thinking maybe he's a bit of both and maybe that's okay. There's definitely more to his character than first impressions convey, and also, you know, he's super hot. Just sayin'.

There's also Michael's story - a cop who finds out he's more than he thought he was. I'm not quite sure what the purpose of Michaels's storyline was - he didn't seem to actually serve much of a purpose, as nice as he was. You could literally take his character away and have more or less the same book and the mystery would be completely unaffected. Weird. The only thing I can think of is that he must play a BIG, BIG part it things to come, which would be intriguing.

All together, this hasn't been my favourite read from Armentrout/Lynn, but it's definitely worth a look (if just for Julian alone) and has some hot sexy scenes and a decent mystery.

3.5 Stars ★★★1/2
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

JANICE'S REVIEW

Fallin' for the Fallen

Ahhh, angels. There's just something about them. Is it the wings? Their unearthly beauty? I don't know, but whatever that mysterious "it" quality is that they possess, it works.

Lily is a Nephilim, and it's her job to take down minions and the Fallen who control them. It's a violent task, to be sure, and one she takes very seriously. She's lauded as the best of the best, even among her fellow Nephilim, and she is fully committed to her mission to keep the world safe. Only one problem. She can't seem to shake her Fallen stalker, Julian, and the more she's around him, the more he turns her life upside down.

I'll admit, it took me a little while to warm up to Lily's character and really "get" her. I'm still not convinced she's as "all that" as the other characters kept telling me she was, but she did kick enough butt to convince me she's got skills. I enjoyed her sarcastic humor and snappy one-liners, and I think her character ended on a really strong note, which more than made up for her rocky start. By the time I turned that final page, I was fully in her camp.

Julian, on the other hand....whoa, mama! I was his from the very first scene. I loved him. Looooooooved him. JLA/J.Lynn has a knack for writing swoon-inducing heroes we would all drop our panties for, and believe me, Julian will have you dropping yours in a matter of seconds. Seriously, if he doesn't make your heart race, your skin flush, and your girly bits feel all warm and tingly, then you really need to see a doctor, because something's clearly broken. But all sexiness aside (and trust me, the man has sexiness in spades!), he's just an all-around fabulous character. Mysterious, mischievous, sweet, supportive, totally badass and HOT....did I mention how hot he was? Because I really can't stress that enough. Julian owns this book, and by the time you finish reading it, he'll own you too.

The action of the story is kinda hit and miss. Sometimes it was spot-on and perfectly pulse-pounding, and other times, it felt rushed and just...sketchy, like I was getting the Cliff Notes version of a much bigger scene. I thought the world-building was a bit thin, too, and I'm hoping the next book will open things up a bit more and take us deeper into the lives of the characters and the world they call home.

While UNCHAINED wasn't a perfect read, it lays a solid groundwork for the series and I'm curious to see where things go from here. I do plan to read the next book - and I swear, that decision has nothing at all do with my deep and fangirly love for Julian. Really, it doesn't. You believe me, right? Right?! ;-)

4 Stars ★★★★
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.