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 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.

***Review not posted on blog***

I have thoroughly many books by Jennifer L. Armentrout. This book was no different. I love Armentrout's heroes especially. Unfortunately I am unable to post a review of this book on my blog at this time. I am excited to read more by Jennifer L. Armentrout and this publishing imprint. Thank you so much for the opportunity.

The Eater of Books!

I'm such a fan of Jennifer L. Armentrout, she was one of those authors that really fueled my interest in the paranormal romance genre. I'm a bit bummed that we probably won't see more from this universe, but Unchained will definitely be one of those books that I'll read over and over again.

Jennifer has a knack for writing kick-ass heroines, ones who can definitely hold their own and a level of insecurity that keeps them real. And her heroes, sexy and swoony for days.

I loved that Julian and Lily already have some history, but there's definitely so much mystery around Julian. I loved the guy asd soon as he was introduced. Always showing up at the right time and oozing his way into Lily's presence.

There's a bit of mystery and suspense of who is betraying the Sanctuary, it's pretty easy to come up with a few names and I was pretty pleased, yet heartbroken, that my guess was correct. It was definitely the ultimate betrayal.

Overall, this was a definite page turner for me, I couldn't put it down. And I hope so hard that we'll get more books from this series. Plenty of action and mystery solving to keep you hooked. And of course, just enough romance to keep us in awe of Julian ;-)

I read Unchained knowing it was written in 2013, and that it's the first book in an unfinished series, but I was willing to look past that for JLA. Unfortunately, this book didn't work for me. I might have enjoyed it more before reading Storm and Fury, but Unchained and Storm and Fury had very similar stories. Storm and Fury was just a shiny new version of Unchained, and that left a sour taste in my mouth.

Both books are about Nephilim and demons, and they include the same archangel's offspring. Clearly, this one angel cannot keep it in his pants, and keeps fathering children that will change the fate of the world. Other similarities were the celestial shields, the main characters, and the plot. Trinity (Storm and Fury) and Lily (Unchained) were both raised and trained to be badass fighters of evil. Their circumstances varied slightly, but they had very similar personalities. Also, they're both betrayed in exactly the same way. It was disappointing how obvious everything was, especially the traitor.

The sexual content was one of the few differences. Storm and Fury had dry-humping, and Unchained had kinky, rough sex. I don't mind sex in books, but Lily's relationship with Julian made me uncomfortable. He freely admits to stalking her for eight years, and she's mostly okay with that. Yes, he's saved her life a few times, but he also doesn't listen when she tells him to stop following her. At the start of this book, Julian is trying to put his hands up her skirt, and continues even when she very clearly says no. Twice. He just keeps chugging along because he thinks her body is saying something different. It was gross.

Speaking of Julian, I feel like he was only there to save and screw. If Lily was in over her head, Julian was there to keep her safe. If Lily was alone, he was there to boink. They grind like two sticks trying to start a fire, but it quickly escalated into more. I wish we had seen more character development with Julian, and been told more about his past. Instead, he's evasive and secretive, until the last few chapters. We still don't know everything, only what caused him to fall from Heaven.

Honestly, aside from Lily, there was very little secondary character development. Some of the book was told from Michael's perspective, but he doesn't really add a lot to the story. He's was crucial component, but I feel like I know nothing about him. Lily drops some big news about his mom, but that's not really addressed again.

There were a lot of inconsistencies in this book as well. I stopped writing them down after awhile. A few examples... 1) Lily, Luke and Remy knew one of the characters was a Nephilim because he shocked them whenever they touched him. "Luke shot back as if jolted—a fine zap of electricity that fired when coming into contact with another Nephilim." However, Luke pats Lily on the head and nothing happens. Lily holds Luke's hand and nothing happens. The Nephilim train together all the time and nothing happens. Lily rubs one out with another Nephilim and nothing happens. "Wincing at the thought of the beautiful Nephilim Luke had most definitely loved, she patted his heavily muscled arm." If they always shocked each other, they shouldn't have been able to touch, like, ever. 2) Lily knew what Michael's name was, and then she didn't.

Random question: Does anyone know what it means to on "on a nut-jump killing spree"?

Lily's in her mid-twenties, but doesn't act her age. Her personality leaves a lot to be desired, and most of what happened throughout the book was just too unbelievable for me. After a funeral, Lily walks away and immediately gropes someone else, and I feel like she should have mourned her loss a little before trying to get her rocks off.

I hate to say it, but I think I'm starting to outgrow Jennifer L. Armentrout. I really loved the Lux series, and some of her contemporaries, but lately her books have felt off. They're just not clicking for me liked they have in the past, and it's a bummer. I really didn't like how much this one resembled Storm and Fury, even though I know it's probably just a coincidence.

This was a great read I still don't know why I haven't read it sooner since I love all these author's books!I just feel it didn't get a lot of recognition to be more popular,anyway it was a great read.Lily has is a born and breed demon hunter, it's practically all she knows. She's a part of the Nephilim race which are half-angel, half-humans and basically protect humanity from the evil fallen angels.I actually loved the fallen angel and Nephilim politics and history and it was one of my favourite aspects about the book.

Despite wanting to like it this book just wasn't for me. Other people might enjoy it. Except for the Cassandra Claire books I've never read any about angels and demons.

I seriously wanted to love Unchained: Nephilim Rising so bad but honestly, this book is not up to par to Jennifer L. Armentrout's other books!

As you know, I was mad in love with Wait for You with all the amazing characters and a freaking AWESOME brave heroine, but Unchained: Nephilim Rising failed in all the things that matter! First, we have a SUPER IMMATURE heroine who made all the stupid decisions which also didn't make sense! Plus, she was THE ONLY female character in the book! Aside from that one dead female that was mentioned multiple times, there weren't ANY! Gaaah.

Second, we have this stalker alpha hero fallen angel that was attracted to the heroine Lily but we never knew WHY she was super special! Also, I don't get his motive for doing what he did. I seriously don't get it!

Third, there was a lot of sex that didn't really move the story along! I'm not a prude or anything, but the sex didn't really mean anything to the whole plot. It also didn't make me believe that Julian and Lily were in love at all! So, the scenes, while not really that explicit, wasn't even that important.

Fourth, was the confusing plot about a traitor Nephilim and a newly found Nephilim that didn't really play a huge role in the overall plot? It did feel like it was all over the place with multiple plots. Yeah, it was pretty confusing.

It was really obvious that was Jennifer Armentrout's earlier work and it really shows! I read her author's note and this was the second book that she wrote and apparently, it was published in 2013? I thought this was a new release!

Also, is this book a series? The ending felt a little rushed and if she wrote this in 2013 and there hasn't been a book 2? I'm absolutely confused!

Overall, I was disappointed and I just couldn't give this book a high rating. It just didn't work for me. As someone who loves strong heroines, this book DID NOT have one.

I honestly can't recommend this book. For fans of Jennifer L. Armentrout/J. Lynn, if you have read her other books, I don't advice you to even read this book. AT ALL.

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!

According to the information at the end of this novel, this was the first book that Jennifer L. Armentrout wrote, and when I think about it, it's obvious that she hadn't developed her voice 100% when writing this. The novel itself is a great read, and the writing is good. The characters are interesting and flawed and humorous in a way that only JLA can pull off, but her big reveal, while shocking, was a little obvious. Usually in her novels, she surprises me, at least a little bit.



I really liked Lily, though she made me mad a couple of times due to her prejudice that she'd had beat into her, more or less, since day 1. Overall, she was a good leading character, though, and unapologetically herself. She didn't try to change for anyone, and she did what was right for her (for the most part). She was brave in many ways and selfless, though at times she was too selfless. Julian was also a really complex character, and I absolutely adored him. The entirety of his story surprised me, and it made me love him even more when it was revealed at the end of the novel. They made a great couple, and their chemistry was through the roof. The secondary characters felt like real people instead of cardboard cutouts, which is something JLA has always excelled at.



The pacing of the story was pretty spot-on. My main contention with the story was that about 3/4 of the way through, it became glaringly obvious who the traitor was. Usually JLA is sneakier than that, and the big reveal was still shocking due to the reaction of the traitor, and everything the traitor did was actually more twisted than I'd thought. That being said, the lack of surprise is what made me give this book a B+. The writing was entertaining and engrossing, and like all JLA books, once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down. I also think the story really shows what happens when you assume certain traits about people, or in this case supernatural beings, based on their race alone, and that's always a good reminder to have in a book.



Overall, I'd recommend this novel to anyone who is a JLA fan and who loves urban fantasies with flawed yet wonderful characters and a lot of steamy romance.

Unchained is a highly imaginative story of fallen angels and their offspring, the Nephilim, who live among us humans. Lynn creates good, multi-faceted characters and a gripping story. I was unable to figure out who the traitor was until the very end.

The story was an interesting reflection of the dangers of believing everything one is told when Lily starts getting close to the fallen angel Julian. She's always been taught all fallen angels are evil and she can't let that training go even as she becomes Julian's lover. She has plenty of evidence that he has done nothing but protect her yet she's quick to think he attacked one of her fellow Nephilim. The lesson here seems clear that perhaps we should all take the time to assess the evidence and determine for ourselves if others are good or bad.

I always enjoy a good paranormal story and Unchained was a fun read. Lynn does a good job of weaving ancient beings into modern day situations while creating characters I was invested in and a story that kept me guessing.

reviewed by Jem

I have read and fallen in love with Jennifer L Armentrout! I loved her <i>Lux</i> series and reading the synopsis of this story, I couldn’t wait to dive in.

I was so bummed during the first half of this book. The world building felt choppy, and I wasn’t quite sure what all was going on. I couldn’t connect with any of the characters very well in the beginning. However, the character development got much better as the story went along and the story flowed much better in the second half.

My favorite part of this story was the forbidden romance which took off at kind of a weird time in the plot line. I wish it would have started out with this and everything else changed and built around that part of the plot.

I do hope that Jennifer revisits and continues this series one day. Her writing has progressed so much from where this book is and I think it can be amazing!

Grateful to have received a complimentary ARC copy to honestly review.

I'm so glad that I finally read this! Entangled is re-releasing it or something, and sent our ARCs recently, and I knew I had to read it. As expected, it read like some of her earlier work. It felt a little less something compared to what she's releasing now. While it's marketed as a standalone, Goodreads has it marked as first in a series, which makes me think that the re-release is so that they can release a sequel, which I am definitely down for!

Unchained was nothing like I expected but I'm looking forward to learning more about the Nephilim world.

With all first in this series, Unchained required some in depth world building, character introductions and developing and all the general goodness you need when discovering a new world the author has created. Lynn capitalizes on this introduction by vividly painting a world in the reader's imagination.

Enjoyable, entertaining and setting the scene for things to come, Unchained is the spring board for what I am sure to be an amazing series by J. Lynn.

I received this copy of Unchained from Entangled Publishing, LLC - Select. This is my honest and voluntary review.

My Rating: 4 stars
Written by: J Lynn
Series: Nephilim Rising
Sequence in Series: 1
Print Length: 400 pages
Publisher: Entangled: Select
Publication Date: September 17, 2013
Sold by: Macmillan
ASIN: B00BMKRL86
Genre: Romance

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6 likes

I have wanted to read this one for such a long time, this is one of those books I would always forget about until it popped up in my emails one day. I loved that it was Sweet, gut wrenching, heart warming and sexy and more.

Lily is brave, she is a Nephilim, she has always known and has learnt to be as it is. but lately she wants more, what else is there out there that she is missing out on?

Julian, he is a Fallen angel and man, I really liked him. Once he sets is eyes upon our Lilly that is all he wants.

ONE Problem, That is that a Nephilim are to KILL Fallen Angels.

I'm happy that I finally had the chance to read this story, and I am looking forward to more. I loved that this was written almost 10 years ago.

OK I really wanted to like this book, the blurb drew me in and a dark fallen after the Nephilim it sounded perfect BUT it just didn't do it for me. I read until 35%, and still hadn't connected with the characters at all. I really couldn't care if they won or got the hea in the end, so decided to mark it DNF, I don't like to DNF books but sometimes you have to.

I would definitely try another book by this author as have heard some of her other books are fab.

I am late reading this story, but I am dying for more. This story was unique and intriguing and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time I read. I could not put it down. I will definitely be reading more from this series.

"Unchained" is a paranormal, forbidden romance with hints of mystery. Lily is a Nephilim, the child of a fallen angel (aka Fallen) and a human woman. Like the other Nephilim, her mother died when she was a child. She was brought to The Sanctuary, which is a security firm for humans but also hosts many Nephilim who are in special classes and working for what they believe to be the greater good.

As such, Lily is in the class known as Hunters, who seek out Fallen, minions, and deadheads and kill them. "Minions" are the term for Nephilim who have been corrupted by the Fallen and now do their bidding- unfortunately, there seems to be no way to bring minions back to the light. "Deadheads" are the name for humans whose souls have been degraded. Angels (and thus the Fallen and Nephilim) can help to guide a soul who is not sure if it should go to heaven or hell. The Fallen and their minions will convince the souls to jump into another human body, which degrades the soul and the soul in the body it entered, leaving a death-thirsty zombie-like creature, which they call a deadhead.

The Sanctuary is losing their ability to locate Nephilim children, because someone is feeding information to the Fallen who are picking them up before the Sanctuary can. Once the Fallen get a hold of them, they can easily corrupt and turn them into minions through torture and/or false promises. The search for the traitor is on.

Lily is brash and immature but skilled- she is one of the best Hunters at the Sanctuary. She also happens to be the only woman- female Nephilim are rare. As such, the misogyny is pretty high and they are always wanting to hold her back and "protect" her- even though it also seems generally acknowledged that she can do a better job of protecting them. I didn't really understand why, except maybe just... men. Nephilim can't have children, except in rare cases, but no one knows what those are (but I would put money on this coming up in future books), so it doesn't seem like there's a reproductive goal in their protection. There's a lot of repeat about Anna who was a Hunter who fell in love with a Fallen and ended up brutally murdered, and they all seem to think it will happen to Lily too. I guess it's just the cultural gender thing.

When she signed the Contract at 22, her body was frozen, but she is now 26. Since she was 17 when a Fallen named Julian saved her, Julian has been following her around (in a very stalkerish manner) and has had a crush on her. Considering he's probably thousands of years old, this is a little iffy (especially since she was 17 when they met and he started liking her). She also pushes him away a few times and he persists until he wears her down (although he does offer her an out if she says to stop, there's not a lot of affirmative consent here). Anyway, they ended up growing on me when I could suspend some disbelief, though I do wish their attraction/relationship had built later in terms of her age and that we could see it grow more slowly. But, hey, it's a romance novel, so that doesn't always get a chance to happen.

In terms of the mystery, I felt like it was pretty obvious, but I didn't mind, since it was really a side part of the overall book, which is focused on the romance aspects. Overall, it's fast-paced and heavily focused on romance. Aside from the intimate scenes, it read a lot like a YA book, which is definitely my cup of tea. I enjoyed it enough to read the whole thing, and I hope in future books, we'll see a more mature side of Lily that fits the adult book category. I would be interested in reading more from this series.

Please note that I received a copy from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.