Unchained (Nephilim Rising Book 1)

Action packed, original, exciting, fast-paced, spicy, well-written, and absolutely amazing. Those are the words I would use to describe this one. I was sucked into this one quickly and I didn't want to put it down. I loved the take on Nephilim and how they live among humans. If you are a fan of JLA and her YA books, and you are OK with a more mature romance and take on the action, then you will love this one. I know I did!

Jennifer has tackled the Nephilim world and she has done it well, my friends! I loved Jen's take on the Nephilim, Fallen angels, and the battle between them. She had a ton of important characters in this book, practically all of them insanely hot guys (I mean, seriously, she killed me with the number of hot guys in this one) who lent their respective roles to the mystery behind this book's plot. I felt like this book was very much character-driven, more so than her other novels, which was great, but I also have to say that the plot was a bit lackluster. Even though I enjoyed the story and felt that it flowed smoothly, there wasn't as much action and intrigue that is supposed to grab at me like I usually see in her novels. I usually feel an undeniable pull when I read Jen's books, Cursed being the only exception so far, and this one didn't really have it. Although I did love it more than Cursed.

Lily was a great female protagonist. I loved her snarkiness, always a key personality trait I've come to love and expect from any of Jen's girls. Not only that, the pint-sized girl can kick butt! I loved that, in a sea of big, strong, sexy men, the girl can hold her own and even knock some of them down a peg or two. She reminded me a lot of Alex from the Covenant series, and you all know how much I love her. This is all about Lily, being a Nephilim who hunts and kills fallen angels and their minions. Somewhere along the way, she realizes things aren't always black and white, especially in a war where she's basically told what to do without knowing all the facts. As she discovers that what she grew up believing may not be true and with the threat of a traitor in their midst, things unravel and secrets are uncovered, one in particular that really shocked me. Then again, it didn't surprise me once I really thought about it.

Ah, Julian! What can I say about this sexy angel of a man? From the very first moment I met him, until the very last page, I was hooked! Man, Jen can create some seriously swoonworthy men! And the fact that each guy can stand apart from each other, in their own sexy, lovable ways; she is the Queen of Swoon. You can sense the attraction and raw sex appeal from the get-go, but throughout the story, you also see the passion, unconditional love, and understanding that Julian has for Lily. I really enjoyed their moments together and loved their dialogue. There is a lot of mystery surrounding Julian and we don't get too much in this introduction, but it's already enough to see his true colors and how significant he is to Lily's story. I loved that he was able to bring out hidden emotions in Lily and make her really see herself like no one else did.

As far as JLA reads go, it wasn't the most exciting, but I still really loved the characters and the writing. Jen is the master of snarky inner monologues, witty dialogue, and engaging characters. Since she wrote this book so long ago (2008) and has yet to write the other two in the series, I'm curious to see how they'll go, how it'll differ in style, or if she has it all mapped out yet. I definitely enjoyed Unchained enough to continue with the series and have high hopes for the plot, in general. If anything, I know Lily will keep me entertained and Julian will continue to make me swoon and sigh for him. Umm, Jen? Can I have a Julian of my own, please?

First reviewed at Red Hot Books

I've shied away from fallen angel books in general because I honestly find the whole mythology confusing. However, I have enjoyed Jennifer Armentrout/ J. Lynn's writing and when I was offered a review book, I thought I'd give it a go.

Lily Marks is a Nephilim, the offspring of an angel and a human. Her life is devoted to working for the Sanctuary, a clandestine group of Nephilim tasked with hunting and eradicating minions (turned Nephilim) and deadheads (possessed souls) while trying to avoid death by the Fallen (angels). She's always been the wild card at the Sanctuary, but her hijinks are quickly forgiven.

Enter Julian, the Fallen angel that has been stalking, and saving, Lily for the last 8 years, ever since she put a blade in his gut. Each time Julian saves her, Lily doubts her training and the Nephilim doctrine that states Fallen are inherently evil. She also can't stop her body from responding their undeniable chemistry. When a mole is suspected in the Sanctuary, feeding important names to the Fallen, the finger is quickly pointed at Lily. She is surprised when Julian vows to help her find the mole and clear her name.

Lily could be and interesting character but there is not much revealed about her background other than she was brought to the Sanctuary very young. The reader is told that she is tough and that others bow to her strength but there isn't a whole lot of evidence to support that. She gained a measure of depth as her conversations with Julian began to progress and she started to question all she had been taught and, more importantly, question herself as to what she wanted to gain out of life instead of blindly following orders without question. Even though much of Julian remains a mystery, I found myself likening their relationship to early Anita Blake/Jean Claude.

First books in a PNR/UF series usually suffer from information overload in trying to world build, but unfortunately, this is not the case here. The pacing for the first half is slow. The story would have been better served by cutting out at least half of the love scenes and amping up the action because when it finally gets down to the nitty gritty in the last 15% of the book it really flies. There are also a couple of side characters storylines that I assume will be developed in later books. The author states in the afterword that this was the second book she had written (I'm assuming that it was a while ago and was recently pick up by the publisher) and the roughness shows. Despite this, I think the premise is interesting though and I'll probably read on to see where the author takes this.

Rating: C

*ARC provided by Entangled

Review: 3 ½ out of 5 stars

This book is Adult Paranormal Romance - Please be advised that this book is NOT YA friendly, not even in a New Adult category.

Thank-you kindly to Entangled Publishing for the opportunity to read and review Unchained by J. Lynn, the first book in her new paranormal/Urban Fantasy series, Nephilim Rising. Unchained is a book that has been on my radar since I first glimpsed the cover and read the synopsis, and despite angel books generally being hit or miss with me I found it to be enjoyable none the less.

Our main protagonist is 22 year-old Lily Marks who is a Nephilim, she spends her days/nights guarding the Sanctuary where other Nephilim reside, protects the humans from soul sucking freaks and disposing of the fallen angels who cross her path, except for Julian who has managed to work his way into her life.

Lily was an interesting heroine, she was protective of those she cared for, had faith in what she believed in and was kick-butt awesome with a fast trigger temper and a quick wit; there was a loneliness and vulnerability about her that I couldn't help but sympathise with. I came to admire her for her beliefs and decisions.

Julian was just ok for me, I have come to adore JLA's smexy, snarky heroes and the way he was described certainly ticked all of the boxes but he unfortunately fell flat, when I would read his dialogue for some reason it came across as robotic (that probably doesn't make sense at all), it didn't seem to flow or sound natural but that could have been because of his age? Not quite sure. I did enjoy the way he cared for Lily but his stalking was a little creepy.

The romance was sweet and slow to build; I liked the forbidden love aspect, the banter between them was amusing and the smexy moments were written very well. I'm curious to see how their relationship will progress.

The plot was entertaining with a few surprising twists to keep it all exciting; it mainly follows the search for a traitor within the Sanctuary who has been discovered to be working with the Fallen who are corrupting the Nephilim by turning them into their minions. I found the action-sequences enjoyable and it kept the pacing flowing well. Unfortunately the premise isn't completely unique and there was a lot of information to take in but it wasn't overwhelming or confusing in any way and the world-building I found to be convincing.

There were quite a few side characters and each played a pivotal role, I really liked Michael; he has me intrigued and the twist we are given about his character has me eager to learn more about him. Nathaniel was a great father figure, I liked learning of his link to a certain Fallen.

Overall, I enjoyed Unchained but I wasn't completely wowed by it as I have been by JLA's other series. Her writing is wonderful and the many plot twists and turns kept me engrossed, I'm keen to read the next book in the Nephilim Rising series.

Overall, I really enjoyed Unchained. Though this isn’t my favourite book by Jennifer, her series’ always improve book by book and I think that this series has the potential to be my new favourite. I loved the gritty Urban Fantasy world of the fallen angels and the Nephilim whose duty it is to kill them and their minions.
Lily is pretty much my ideal female main character; she is feisty and tough but still has vulnerable moments that keep her realistic. She is very protective of her friends and loves fiercely. In true JLA fashion the male lead is sexy and powerful and to top it off he is an actual angel – ok a fallen angel. Julian is certainly top book boyfriend material and he has many moments that will make you swoon. The passion between Lily and Julian was scorching and I thought the fact that we couldn’t be fully sure if Julian was trustworthy made things even more exciting.

I love that while this book was dual POV the second perspective was not that of the main love interest. It helped take the focus of the novel to places other than the romance and it allowed Julian’s thoughts and motives to remain secret. Michael is a wonderful character and I wish we had seen more of him in Unchained, I’m pretty sure we will see more of him in book 2 though.
I really liked the elements of mystery and suspense in this book; it is a guessing game for the reader right up until the end. Jennifer L. Armentrout can certainly write a gripping Urban Fantasy novel and I hope that she continues to write more in this genre.

As far as the writing goes, this book is more like Jennifer’s earlier books and you can tell this was written a while ago but that doesn’t mean it is not amazing. The ending was great, no big cliffhanger but it leaves a few things open and unresolved for a sequel. I can’t wait to find out more about Michael and I also hope we get to more of Lily and Julian.

* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, this has not affected my opinions or rating in any way*

I spent my Sunday afternoon and evening reading it, and I hated when I had to take a break to eat or call my sister, ha ha!
It was another gem of a read. I LOVED it!

I still can't believe that this book was only the second book that J. Lynn wrote way back in 2008. I'm so glad that she finally shared it with us.

The world of Nephilim, fallen angels, demons, deadheads, etc. and their individual roles are well explained. The story is set in the DC area which seems entirely appropriate and therefore easily plausible. I was sucked right into Lily's life and the intrigue taking place at the Sanctuary where most Nephilim live and train.

We meet Lily, a strong female (rare) Nephilim hunter, and Julian, a fallen angel who is supposedly 100% evil and therefore Lily's enemy, really quickly. No long build up or slow world building thankfully.

Events happen that cause Lily to doubt her long held beliefs about the evil nature of fallen angels and she and Julian begin a secret relationship. Eventually the relationship is exposed and Lily must prove that she hasn't betrayed her Nephilim brethen by sleeping with the enemy.

Lily is also in charge of training Michael, a new older Nephilim that has drawn the attention of enemy fallen angels Baal & Asmodeus. I really enjoyed the climax and the intrigue resolution. It fun trying to guess who the traitor was (Remy, Luke, Micah, the twins, etc.) but also stressful trying to figure our how it would all shake out. All the supporting characters seemed interesting so I can't wait for the sequel to learn more about everyone.

Bring it, J. Lynn! It'll be another automatic buy for me.

"Of all the people, Nephilim and humans alike, you've been the only one who has ever made me wish I was a man and not what I am. You did that-Lily, not the Nephilim."

"Eight Years I've waited for you to realize that. I've waited for you to see yourself for who you really are. You're Lily Marks,a beautiful, extremely clever woman whose capacity for compassion sets you apart from the Nephilim. It's not your fighting skills or how good of a warrior you are. It's the fact you look at me and see a man rather than a Fallen."

I cannot praise Jennifer L. Armentrout enough for her. This woman is a writing machine and an amazingly talented writer. Unchained is a new adult paranormal romance and the first in the series Nephilim Rising. Jennifer Armentrout writes her New Adult books under her pen name J. Lynn just in case for any confusion. Lily marks is a nephilim, a breed of fallen angel and human. Lily works with the sanctuary, a group of Nephilim that protect humans and other Nephilim from other demonic creatures. Lily is a total badass that wears bracelets with retracting blades on it. Julian is a fallen angel who has an obsession with Lily and seems to show up at the right time."He's like the friendly neighborhood angelic stalker" In his offense he has saved Lily's life twice. The sanctuary teaches Nephilim at a young age that fallen angels are evil and not to be trusted. They did fall from grace for a reason right? There is some chemistry between Lily and Julian, but with previous incidents and their beliefs any relationship is forbidden. The sanctuary starts to suspect a traitor amongst their organization and guess who is the first to be suspected. Lily starts to regret her life choices and just tries to stay alive. This book has it all, great heroine, action scenes, and very hot romance. I would recommend to anyone who loves romance, even if you are not into the whole paranormal thing.

ARC received from Entangled Publishing. This review is not biased in any way. There was no money, gifts, discounts, or favors exchanged for this review.

I should hate this. I should rant and rave about how it's just another angel book, and how it's so predictable, and all things like this. But for some absurd reason, I love it.

The sad thing about the summary is how it gives away half the book. It's nothing too hard to guess, once you start reading, but it gives out too much information for a few paragraphs.

Lily is a Nephilim, the daughter of a Fallen angel and a mortal. She's part of a society called the Sanctuary, which are a group other Nephilims dedicated to destroying the Fallen and their followers. Ever since she was sixteen, a fallen angel named Julian has been following her. He's saved her life multiple times, but she still doesn't trust him, since according to the Sanctuary, all Fallen are bad.

Lily and Julian are two characters that wouldn't be interesting alone, but when they're paired up, they're amazing. They're carefully developed, and they seem "real" to me, and probably to all other readers.

Lily is like many other of Armentrout's characters: tough, but at the same time, extremely sweet and kind. A thing I really love about her is that she doesn't immediately trust Julian just because he's pretty. She doesn't want to get herself killed, and she's understandably cautious around him.

Julian is a mix of Hunter and an older Daemon. He's extremely protective, possessive, and predatory, like other Urban Fantasy characters, but Jennifer makes him seem real.

The world building was extremely realistic, but I can't get rid of the feeling that this is an older version of the Covenant. However, I still loved the detail of the Sanctuary and the normal world.

I've stated above how some parts were predictable. However, others weren't. For example, the identity of the antagonist is cleverly hidden until the reveal.

There is something that annoyed me, though. Jennifer seems to have an obsession with eyes, especially on the main characters. Lily's eyes are pale green, Daemon's, from the Lux series, are a vibrant green, Aiden's, from the Half-Blood series, are silver, and the list goes on. This probably won't irk other readers, since many of my friends seem to love this aspect of the characters, but it is something that I wouldn't mind toning down.

I also would have liked more background to both Lily and Julian. There seems to be so many hidden secrets, and I would have liked it if there was just a little more information.

Overall, this novel was amazing, as I would expect from Jennifer Armentrout. I demand the next book immediately. But since that probably won't happen, I have a Mission-Impossible-like plan of breaking into Jennifer's house from the roof and stealing her flashdrive I mean- I'll be anxiously awaiting it for the next year.

I really like Jennifer Armentrout, but found myself turned off by the amount of graphic sex, ultimately skipping parts that repeated and annoyed. I'm hoping this is toned down A LOT in the sequels so that I can actually enjoy characters who seem capable of life outside their penises or vaginas. I am fine with SOME graphic sex so long as it doesn't detract from the plot or make the characters seem stupid or irritating. One graphic scene is ENOUGH; if I want plain porn, I'll get a Hustler & "read the articles."

Great characters, great storyline, just fabulous all around!! I really wish J.Lynn, real name Jennifer L(Lynn) Armentrout, would continue the Nephilim Rising series!! You did again Jennifer!!! I read this book from my library.

3.75 Stars

What I Liked: Whoever made the cover change call, was one smart cupcake because this one definitely depicts the story much better than the original cover did. I always enjoy JLA's writing style, whether she's telling me a story about turtle loving college guys, pure-bred protectors or glow worms, and UNCHAINED was no different.
I liked the characters of Lily, and Julian (especially Julian), even if I did feel the need to cover my eyes while reading certain parts. Lily is a great mix of strength, compassion and vulnerability while Julian is an intoxicating blend of swoon and danger.

Lily is surrounded by other Nephilim like herself who are charged with killing demons, but it's Julian, a Fallen and her supposed sworn enemy, who challenges her to question all she's believed to be true. The closer she gets to him, the more the lines of good versus evil and right and wrong begin to blur, leaving Lily even more confused. She wants to do the right thing, but she also can't deny that Julian isn't like all the other Fallen, or the way he makes her feel. He's always there when she needs him and only seems to want what's best for her, but when a traitor surfaces, Lily will have to decide whose been telling her the truth all along and whose only out to destroy her.

What I Wasn't Fangirling Over: There are a lot of graphic sexy parts.

Would I Rec This Read?: If you are under the age of 18 or a reader who is not fan of explicit sexy scenes, then you'll want to pass. This may not have been my favorite JLA book, but I have no doubt Julian and Michael will have their megafans right along with her other book guys. ;)

Great characters, great storyline, just fabulous all around!! I really wish J.Lynn, real name Jennifer L(Lynn) Armentrout, would continue the Nephilim Rising series!! You did again Jennifer!!! I read this book from my library.

3.75 Stars

What I Liked: Whoever made the cover change call, was one smart cupcake because this one definitely depicts the story much better than the original cover did. I always enjoy JLA's writing style, whether she's telling me a story about turtle loving college guys, pure-bred protectors or glow worms, and UNCHAINED was no different.
I liked the characters of Lily, and Julian (especially Julian), even if I did feel the need to cover my eyes while reading certain parts. Lily is a great mix of strength, compassion and vulnerability while Julian is an intoxicating blend of swoon and danger.

Lily is surrounded by other Nephilim like herself who are charged with killing demons, but it's Julian, a Fallen and her supposed sworn enemy, who challenges her to question all she's believed to be true. The closer she gets to him, the more the lines of good versus evil and right and wrong begin to blur, leaving Lily even more confused. She wants to do the right thing, but she also can't deny that Julian isn't like all the other Fallen, or the way he makes her feel. He's always there when she needs him and only seems to want what's best for her, but when a traitor surfaces, Lily will have to decide whose been telling her the truth all along and whose only out to destroy her.

What I Wasn't Fangirling Over: There are a lot of graphic sexy parts.

Would I Rec This Read?: If you are under the age of 18 or a reader who is not fan of explicit sexy scenes, then you'll want to pass. This may not have been my favorite JLA book, but I have no doubt Julian and Michael will have their megafans right along with her other book guys. ;)

I really hope that J. Lynn will consider going back and writing a second book for this series. I loved Lily and Julian, would really love to see more from them. The ending surprised me and I could easily see Michael with his own book. If you like stories about Nephilium/angels and the battles they fight, then you will like this story!