Review: JLA strikes again! A great paranormal story for the older crowd.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 17, 2013
4.5 stars (ARC received from Entangled Publishing in in exchange for an honest review)Jennifer L. Armentrout has done it again. She has swept me away with her amazing story telling, vivid characters, and the compelling worlds she creates. Yes, the Angel world, Nephilim and Fallen Angels has been done, a lot. But I felt that Jennifer brought a fresh new light into the angel world.From the start I knew I was really going to enjoy this book. And let's be honest, I enjoy pretty much anything written by this chick! But nonetheless, JLA has added her own unique flair. A flair that captured me and took me on a great ride.First, let's talk about characters. Unchained introduces a nice cast of characters. They were all interesting and played a great role within her story. And, in good ol JLA fashion, her heroines are flippin' tough chicks. Lily is a pretty hardcore, stubborn chick. And I loved her. Though she does battle a few things in the book, small and large alike, she's a strong and determined character.And of course, a JLA book wouldn't be a JLA book without some smexy men. She definitely delivers a nice dosage of male hotness. First, there is Julian. Let's just say he took my breath away. Though I don't typically lean towards the blond hunks, I definitely did fall for him. He had just the right amount of cockiness I love, along with a side of heart stealing lines.  Julian is another male I am so crushing on right now.Now, as I mentioned, Jennifer delivers a nice dosage of male goodiness...male godliness...whatever.  She introduced a few other characters that played amazing roles, and were also nice mind candy, too. I enjoyed that immensely.  (I always love me some good mind candy).I also loved the heat that was between Lily and Julian. Jennifer definitely gives her older fans a good dose of smexy.  So, if you don't care for explicit sex scenes, I would be a bit weary reading this one. Unchained is definitely for the more adult JLA fandom. However, I enjoyed all the lovin'.Unchained is also told in third person POV. It switches between many characters. To be honest, I've never been a fan of third person, but Jennifer plays it out nicely. Giving great detail into, not only the character's personalities, but the world she created. Now, I do wish that the book focused more on Lily's POV.  I just couldn't thoroughly enjoy all the alternating POVs.The pacing in the book also flows nicely. Though it moves fast, I never got lost and it all felt natural.  The action scenes also held my interest, which is rare. I tend to skim action scenes. The detail, as mentioned, was good. I was able to clearly see the world Jennifer painted and I was swept away with it. That being said, I loved Jennifer's take on the whole Angel, Nephilim world. Again, though it's been done before, she brought freshness to it.Unchained was beautiful, unique, action packed, and intense. I simply loved it! I cannot wait for the rest of the story and to see what is going to happen next. I definitely recommend this book to older JLA fans, or those who love a good paranormal love story that gives you good twists, action, and a fresh take on an old story.