Believed to be betrayed, Jaxon seeks to kill Libby only to find her with lost memory and physically abused. Both sides feel betrayed and yet find their way
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His Darkest Hunger
3 Stars

Jaxon Castille, were jaguar and member of an elite government unit that tracks supernatural terrorists, has just returned from a mission when he receives intel that Libby Jamieson, his former lover and the woman who betrayed his team three years ago, has finally been sighted. Determined to mete out his own brand of justice, Jaxon is shocked to learn that Libby has no memory of him or her actions. Suddenly, Libby and Jaxon are thrust into a deadly game of intrigue in which they hunter has become the prey.

The basic premise is interesting and the plot develops well during the first half with the introduction of Jaxon and his specialized team of supernatural agents. The mystery surrounding the attack on Jaxon and Libby is compelling and their romance is intense and steamy as Jaxon fights the resurgence of his feelings for Libby and she struggles to remember her past.

At the outset, Libby is suffering from amnesia and severe PTSD, which makes her extremely wary and fearful of Jaxon and his unit. That said, she copes valiantly with the circumstances considering that she is not only the target of unknown assassins, but her self-proclaimed protectors also hate and despise her.

Unfortunately the story loses momentum during the second half once Libby's memories return and she undergoes a complete transformation into Xena Warrior Princess. Moreover, the story devolves into a series of implausible plot points involving a rival shifter clan, a malicious sorcerer and a demon gate - none of which have any foundation whatsoever.

Overall, a disappointing read and neither the story arc nor the secondary characters are interesting enough to continue with the series. ( )

His Darkest Hunger is the exciting debut novel from Juliana Stone and the beginning of her Jaguar Warrior series. Jaxon is a jaguar-shifter and the leader of a governmental paranormal anti-terrorism unit (PATU) whose members also include a vampire, sorcerer and a human named Libby who is Jaxon's former lover.

His Darkest Hunger is a fast-paced, heart-wrenching story of love and betrayal. The author builds an exciting world full of Azetc myth and dark magic. Jaxon is the ultimate alpha male hero. At first it may appear that Libby is weak and needs to be saved, but we soon discover how strong and brave she is. Ultimately the two must put aside their animosity and learn to trust each other again to fight the dark forces bent on destoying them both. The story ends with a nice opening for the next book in the series, His Darkest Embrace. ( )

I have actually had this book sitting on my kindle for quite some time now and just could not get to it before. That cover really does not help, I am sorry. I know you are not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but these types of covers just really turn me off. I get that this is paranormal romance and therefore there is more than likely going to be a shirtless guy on the cover, I just wish I could redesign them. This of course has nothing to do with the author or the content of the book, it is just my personally opinion of this cover. Now that I have that out of my system, let’s get onto the book itself.

Almost every blog I follow that reviews paranormal romance raves about this book. I was craving a good book after coming off a couple of duds and turned to this book. After reading just the first chapter I was hooked. This book was fantastic! When I read a book I am always looking for that emotional connection to the characters and I was not disappointed in His Darkest Hunger. Libby and Jaxon are walking a very fine line between love and hate. They were involved in the past when the loss of Jaxon’s cousin led him to believe that Libby had betrayed him. For three years his life was filled with one thought: revenge. However, when he finally catches up with her, she looks like she has been through hell and back and he hesitates to take her out when he has the chance.

Libby has no memory of her life with Jaxon and can only recall what has happened to her in the past two months. She is a shell of a woman, who has no fight left in her and feels like she has no reason to live. She feels a connection to Jaxon when she meets him, but cannot place the reason for her feelings. Their journey was so emotional and I was a wreck right alongside them. They have both been hurt in the past and felt betrayed by one another in some way. This was almost an impassible barrier to cross, but it was one I desperately wanted them to be able to work through.

Besides the emotional turmoil that Jaxon and Libby find themselves in, there is also plenty of action to go around. From the moment the book begins, until the last page Jaxon and Libby are fighting for both their hearts and their lives. I struggled to put the book down for even a second as I let the outside world melt away and got lost in this book. There was never a dull moment as the mysterious enemy loomed over Libby and Jaxon. There is an obvious answer to who is tracking them, but the leader behind it all takes a while to reveal their identity. There were also a couple of twists that had to do with this person and I will be eager to see how that information will play a role in future books.

I also enjoyed many of the secondary characters laced throughout. Especially Jaxon’s brothers. I read that books two and three are about them and I will be interested to see where their lives will take them. I am more drawn to Jagger at the moment just because he is featured a little more and was hilarious. I also loved Declan and Ana, they were a part of Jaxon’s team in the past and come back to help him try to figure out what is going on with Libby and who is trying to kill both of them.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to any paranormal romance lover. It has the perfect blend of action, steamy romance and mystery to keep you up reading into the night. I look forward to more books from Juliana and will be reading Jagger’s book soon. ( )

Fast-paced, cheesy fun. Good for those days you don't want to think. ( )