Obsession by Jennifer L. Armentrout

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He’s arrogant, domineering, and... To. Die. For.
Hunter is a ruthless killer. And the Department of Defense has him firmly in their grasp, which usually doesn’t chafe too badly because he gets to kill bad guys. Most of the time he enjoys his job. That is, until he’s saddled with something he’s never had to do before: protect a human from his mortal enemy.

Serena Cross didn’t believe her best friend when she claimed to have seen the son of a powerful senator turn into something... unnatural. Who would? But then she witnesses her friend’s murder at the hands of what can only be an alien, thrusting her into a world that will kill to protect their secret.

Hunter stirs Serena’s temper and her lust despite their differences. Soon he’s doing the unthinkable—breaking the rules he’s lived by, going against the government to keep Serena safe. But are the aliens and the government the biggest threats to Serena’s life… or is it Hunter?

My thoughts

There was no doubt in my mind that I had to read this book. First of all, it's by Jennifer L. Armentrout! Second of all, it's set in the same 'world' as the Lux series. And, well, that's the only thing I needed to know before diving right into it - after a very long wait, that is. You don't have to have read the Lux series to understand this book, but if you've read it (which I strongly suggest) you'll get to know a lot more about the 'world' and definitely get a new perspective on things. There's also little hints dropped several places that links back to the Lux series, and there's some character crossover, which I got all kinds of excited about. But as I said, you don't have to have read either this book or the Lux series to understand them seperately. 

So Obsession is told from an Arum perspective, which was very interesting as these was labeled the bad guys, the enemies, in the Lux series. But reading this you come to understand that everything is not always what it seems, and there are certainly two sides to a story. I was surprised by some of the things that was revealed. And I have to say that I cannot wait to read Origin now. I think I've got an idea where things might be going there. 

Obsession was a great book, and I liked every single part of it, especially Serena and Hunter. There were a lot of funny parts in it, and I was laughing out loud several times. The banter between Serena and Hunter were hilarious, but also hot, and you could just wait around for everything to explode.
The book is told in alternating POVs, and I think that gave a good understanding of both characters. I was amazed by how different the POVs were, you were never in doubt about who was narrating, because Serena and Hunter's voices were so very different. I think this - once again - shows what an amazing writer Jennifer L. Armentrout is. 

I really liked Serena. She was very feisty, determined and strong character. She didn't let Hunter order her around, but she also wasn't stupid; she listened when it was needed, and didn't just want to cross him for the sake of it. She went through a lot, and it was impressive how she just kept going, even when things didn't look very good for her. Which they didn't most of the time. I also liked how she reacted when she discovered about the Luxen and Arum, that she was genuinely scared, and that it took some time before she even trusted Hunter. I think that made her all the more believable and real.  

Hunter was an amazing character. When you're introduced to him he's arrogant, cold and indifferent to most things. And, as Serena would say, he is very bossy, always wanting it his way and never listening to anybody else. That is until he meets Serena. Being with Serena and taking care of her, Hunter slowly changes bit by bit. He begins to care for Serena, which is very new to him and something he's not that comfortable with. He starts questioning his actions and motives, and what excatly he is feeling and why he is feeling at all. I liked that he only slowly changed and each step was very cautious and profound.

Overall, I really liked Obsession and I can't wait to find out what's coming next in this world. I already thought the wait for Origin was excruciating, but this didn't make it any easier! 

I'll definitely recommend this book whether or not you've read the Lux series, because JLA knows how to write and how to make a story absolutely consume you so you'll never want to stop. 

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆