Review--Unchained by J. Lynn

Between the pissed off creatures that want demon-hunter Lily Marks dead and the fallen angel who just...wants her, Lily is about ready to trade in forever for a comfy job in a cubicle farm.

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.

J. Lynn's Unchained was a freaking awesome read! I wasn't sure what to expect being that it's called New Adult and lately the New Adult books I've seen are all contemporary, but I was definitely pleased that this read doesn't follow the contemporary route. Obviously, since Lily herself is Nephilim.

Lily likes her job. She works with the other Nephilim basically destroying demons and protecting humanity...you know, saving the world eradicating one demon at a time. Of course there are also the Fallen Angels to deal with as well and one particular Fallen has taken a shine onto Lily these past eight years. Julian has been her unwanted shadow, granted he did save her life once and has just kind of been hanging around her like some sort of guardian angel. Then things start to change.

Julian is one of those heroes you just can't help but love from the moment he steps onto the page. He's not the dreamy, swoony kind of hero that makes you crumble. He's a little bit arrogant, yet he does have Lily's best intentions at heart...sort of. I mean, there is a definitely sexual tension between these two...so wanting to say all good intentions may not be exactly proper since Julian is definitely an alpha male kind of guy!

One of the few rules among the Nephilim is to never have a romantic relationship with a Fallen. Really, any kind of relationship. The Fallen are their enemies. Having fell from God's grace, the Nephilim are to want nothing to do with them. So basically a forbidden romance grows between Julian and Lily, because honestly, how Lily could resist him for eight years is beyond me!

There are other problems going about town though. Firstly, Lily has a new trainee. A police officer named Michael is a newly discovered Nephilim, which is odd since most Nephilim know from an early age of who they are and they start training in the Sanctuary for the day that they sign a contract to battle demons. And Michael being a full grown adult presents ad oddity for Lily and the other Nephilim, but they still bring him into their "club", you could say.

Then there's also the fact that a demon named Asmodeus is planning something sinister and it's up to Lily and the other Nephilim to stop him. Only thing is, there's a traitor in their midst. One of them is working for the enemy. And soon, Lily even begins to question Julian's integrity.

I was very thoroughly enamored with this read! I love J. Lynn aka Jennifer L. Armentrout's books! Her YA series are incredible and oh, how I adored Obsession! Unchained is a New Adult series that is a far cry different from her previous ones. Here we get into angels, the Fallen, Nephilim, demons and the like! Lily is a quick-witted character and I must say that I loved her attitude and the fact that she didn't easily fall for Julian. Yes, I say I loved the romance and question why it took Lily so long, but still, I love that it did! I love the romances that take time to build and then explode with a pop of intensity! Those are the most enjoyable kind to me!

Lily is quite the kickass heroine as well! She's got the sass and attitude down perfectly. She's determined to find the traitor among them and even has a suspect lined up. But when her fellow Nephilim start to turn a questioning eye on her, things get past complicated in a blink!

Julian, as I said, was freaking awesome too! He's got a bit of that alpha male attitude in him, but I wouldn't say it was totally full blown! Compared to other alpha males that I've read and have enjoyed to a point, Julian isn't quite as alpha intense as some of them. And I absolutely love that about him. He's not controlling or totally arrogant, he's...just Julian! Pretty much perfect! But don't get me wrong, he is still fierce. He can kick some major ass to his enemies, especially when they threatened Lily.

All in all, this was a fabulous read! I enjoyed every moment of it! It was told in multiple third person points of view, but for the most part it was Lily! Michael at times was narrating and so did a few enemies. No Julian sadly, but maybe next time!

If your a fan of Jennifer Armentrout than I highly recommend reading this one! There is quite a bit of sex in the book, not a lot, but more than the usual one or two scenes that I find in my other "adult" reads. So just a heads up to anyone for that matter! But don't let it stop you from the awesomeness that is J. Lynn!


Overall Rating 5/5 stars

This read was read for the Clean Out Your E-Reader Challenge