Review: Lots of Steam. A Little Bit of Story.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 06 3, 2013
Wait. So the Arum aren't all bad ... and the Luxen aren't all good? This book definitely throws all of my preconceived notions about the alien presence introduced in Jennifer Armentrout's Lux series out the window. And I loved that. A lot. It gives me so much more to think about as I continue that series with Origin that releases in August.I knew as I was reading this book that it was going to receive LOTS of five star ratings. Those who love to read lots and lots (and lots and lots) of steamy sex scenes in your books will love this one. Jen does know how to write steam. It is probably good at this time to mention that this book is NOT young adult like the Lux series. It takes place in the same world with the same alien presence, but this book is absolutely adult in all ways. Nothing is left to the imagination in these scenes. It is all out there, so if that is something you'd rather not read, you probably are going to be a bit disappointed in this book.I have to admit that I have struggled a bit to know just how I wanted to rate this book. Three or four stars? It is a fast and entertaining book to read. I did like the characters, especially Hunter. And I thought that Hunter's big struggle to overcome his innate nature as an Arum and his eventual recognition that he could put the needs of another ahead of his own was fascinating. There are so many ideas in this book that I want to see developed further, either as a continuation of this story in a series, or at least through the Lux books. What is really going on with the Luxen and the Arum? How is the government involved? I read this book very quickly, and I enjoyed it, for the most part, as I read. But I ultimately could only give it three stars. Why?Well, this is probably more of a personal taste thing for me, so not everyone will feel this way, but I prefer for my romances to involve a lot more buildup and a lot less bedroom action. There is obviously a TON of chemistry between Serena and Hunter. A ton. Hunter can't stop thinking about getting Serena undressed from the moment he meets her. To be fair, his race of Arum are almost entirely focused on WANT and NEED. If they want something or need something they just take it. Simple as that. Hunter wants Serena. Hunter is going to take Serena. His inner thoughts simply illustrate this tendency. But, I felt like this story was all about Hunter pushing past his natural tendencies and becoming a little more human in his relationship with Serena. That does happen. It does. But, let's be honest, these two end up humping like rabbits for most of this story. All the time. And frankly, I got bored with it after the tenth scene or so. Take out the sex scenes, and this 370 page book is more like 100 pages of actual story.The story was pretty interesting. Serena witnesses a Lux murdering her friend who has witnessed two Lux turning into their true forms while speaking about some project that seems dubious. Now the government asks Hunter to protect her. It turns out that the government might not be so benevolent. The Luxen are involved in higher levels of government and might be manipulating things for an evil purpose. Serena is being protected by an alien species that isn't known for their kindness and altruistic tendencies. Hunter and Serena find themselves falling in love despite their obvious differences. All of this was super interesting, but 90% of the book simply focused on their intense physical attraction. It would have been a better book if more time had been focused on personalities and Serena's struggle to come to terms with her new world view. Why do these two people fall in love despite all the reasons they shouldn't? What draws them to one another? Using this book as a guide, it would seem as if most of the draw is purely physical, and for me at least, this didn't fly. I wanted a bit more.So take this review for what it is. I recognize that this is the sort of review that automatically gets voted as "unhelpful" on sites like amazon because I haven't jumped on the five star bandwagon with this one. I do see that many will love it because Jen truly is an entertaining writer, and this is an entertaining book. I do want to know more about Hunter and Serena's future, and hopefully they'll show up in the Lux books (Daemon makes an un-named appearance in this one). But I think I prefer this story being told through the young adult prism as it was in the Lux series. Three stars.