His Darkest Hunger (Jaguar Warriors, #1)

Mar 23, 2010 Sophia (FV) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Jaguar Shifter Jaxon Castille has one objective. Find and kill his former lover, Libby Jamieson. He has been hunting her for three years, ever since she betrayed the anti-terrorist unit they both belonged to resulting in the death of his cousin, and then disappeared without a trace. Vengeance is all he’s thought about for three years and now the moment of truth has arrived.

Deciding to face Libby before he kills her he soon realizes she has no idea who he is, she is poor health and something is...more Jaguar Shifter Jaxon Castille has one objective. Find and kill his former lover, Libby Jamieson. He has been hunting her for three years, ever since she betrayed the anti-terrorist unit they both belonged to resulting in the death of his cousin, and then disappeared without a trace. Vengeance is all he’s thought about for three years and now the moment of truth has arrived.

Deciding to face Libby before he kills her he soon realizes she has no idea who he is, she is poor health and something is very wrong. When a sniper takes a shot at him in the diner while he confronts Libby, Jaxon realizes he has been set up and he is the target. He also realizes that his feelings for Libby are far more complicated than the anger and hatred he’s harbored the past three years. Instead of killing Libby, he takes her to his compound where he assembles his former teammates to track down and discover who has put out a hit on him and what it has to do with Libby.

Juliana Stone has written a story that truly encompasses the saying, “There’s a thin line between love and hate.” Jaxon is angry to the point of hatred toward Libby but at the same time is fighting his physical attraction to her. Disgusted when his body responds her to, he becomes angry and at times takes his frustrations of his own weaknesses out on her. He seems torn between his dedication to vengeance and romantic feelings he thought died with Libby’s betrayal.

Libby also feels some attraction to Jaxon, but has no idea if they had a relationship in the past. She is confused by Jaxon’s hot and cold behavior as he rides a range of emotions from lust and occasional tenderness to anger and animosity. She seems to think he is the key to helping her regain her memory and is basically at his mercy. She feels herself being drawn to him, but then put off by his conflicting behavior.

Once Libby begins to regain her memory and the true circumstances of her betrayal and disappearance come to light, not only must Jaxon face his enemies but also the deeper feelings for Libby he has masked with his anger for so long. However with the return of Libby’s memories comes the strength and determination of her former self. Jaxon is not the only one with enemies and she must find a way to face her enemies and to reclaim something taken from her far more precious than her own life.

Although the sexy Jaxon is pure alpha male, and quite a hero, Libby steps up as an amazing heroine in His Darkest Hunger. Based on her behavior early on in the story, I thought I’d be reading a story with a helpless heroine needing to be saved by the big aggressive alpha. However Libby is revealed as a strong, capable and very likeable heroine that does a little saving of her own. She and Jaxon become a very nice compliment to each other as they battle their enemies, realize things are not always as they seem, and discover a love that runs deeper than either of them ever knew.

The action is fast paced and the fight scenes are exciting with a nice mix of hand to hand combat and magic. What I really liked is although there is plenty of alpha male goodness, it’s the women who really step up and kick ass when it counts. Go girls!

His Darkest Hunger is an exciting, sexy, fast paced tale of love and betrayal. Juliana Stone has created a dangerous and interesting paranormal world with characters that are flawed, but redeemable that will leave you looking forward to the next book in the series. (less)

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Apr 01, 2010 Laurie (Bitten by Paranormal Romance) rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone who likes PNR shape-shifters

Shelves: paranormal-romance, keepers, shifter

Wow! What an amazing book, I don’t want to give out to much there is, so many emotional twist and turns in this book and quite a few surprises that I would really hate to give anything out, I myself love to try to unravel things that happing as I read, so this review you will only read a few spoilers sorry, you have to read to find out yourself what happens. If you love PNR please put this in your TBR pile! This is a very fast action packed with hot sex and sexy shape-shifters what else could yo...more

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Mar 31, 2010 Angela James rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, paranormal, 2012

I thought the book was a fairly easy read and entertaining, though had some pointed issues including Libby overcoming her purported anger/hatred rather suddenly and with no explanation. There's also a plot point in the book that's possibly one of my least favorite tropes an author can use (it would be a spoiler to tell you what it is), but that's clearly an issue on my end, not the author's, though I do think it was dealt with rather quickly at the end with no real emotional conclusion that the...more

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Nov 28, 2010 TJ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, romantic-suspense

Very good read IF one is looking for a paranormal love story with LOTS of action and suspense. The paranormal elements blend in in a believable way (they work for a CIA type government agency that expressly uses paranormals) rather than making up other-world scenarios to create the suspense. The relationship between Jaxon and Libby is heart-rending. He is bent on revenge for what he thinks is a bitter betrayal, she has amnesia and remembers nothing. That may sound a little far fetched but as the...more

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Jun 28, 2011 Laura the Highland Hussy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Warning-this will be a long review and there are spoilers
For anyone who's been following me, you'll know I have read this series out of order. I finally got book 1 and I dove right in. This series has stuck with me long after each book is finished. I've even re-read the third one before netgalley steals it back from my Nook :) BUT it is a much darker PNR series than most out there.

First off, I'd like to say that this is a hard book to rate (and I know I'm not the only one who had trouble rating...more

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Mar 29, 2010 Lea rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-favorites, read-in-2010

If you are a fan of the ‘Jason Bourne’ movies, then imagine him with the preternatural ability to shape-shift into a black jaguar with extraordinary strength, cunning and hunting instinct, and you have the hero of “His Darkest Hunger” Jaxon Castille. Not only that, sensuality literally oozes from his pores and he possesses an aura that is dark, extremely powerful. Jaxon is a jaguar warrior, a predator who is the descendant of an ancient race created by the Aztecs through dark majick. Jaxon has a...more If you are a fan of the ‘Jason Bourne’ movies, then imagine him with the preternatural ability to shape-shift into a black jaguar with extraordinary strength, cunning and hunting instinct, and you have the hero of “His Darkest Hunger” Jaxon Castille. Not only that, sensuality literally oozes from his pores and he possesses an aura that is dark, extremely powerful. Jaxon is a jaguar warrior, a predator who is the descendant of an ancient race created by the Aztecs through dark majick. Jaxon has a magnificent physique, and clan tattoos that color his left shoulder and curve down around his abs. There is something frightening about Jaxon that as a reader I found literally palpable, I think that it is how Ms. Stone has characterized his nature, his jaguar claws at him just below the surface, he is a hunter, cold, calculating and lethal, and, he is an elite assassin.

Jaxon is the leader of an covert government ‘paranormal antiterrorism unit’ (PATU) and works with team members, Declan, a powerful practitioner of magick; Ana, a three hundred year old vampire; and Cracker, a lethal ex-military man whose heritage is a mystery. Three years before the opening of the story in a secret operation gone wrong, Jaxon’s shifter cousin, fellow team member and Ana’s lover, Diego, was murdered. Jaxon’s lover Libby Jamieson, a human, and a member of PATU was felt to have betrayed the operation. When the team returned from the mission, Libby had vanished off the face of the earth. Jaxon has hunted for her for 3 years with one objective, revenge.

An emotionally and physically frail Libby and has no memory of her life before she arrived in a small town in Michigan 2 months earlier. Prone to anxiety and panic attacks she is functioning minute by minute working in a diner, owned by kind elderly, Pete who took her in and cared for her. Little does Libby know but Jaxon has her in his sniper site, and is ready to end her life.

As Jaxon watches Libby through his scope waiting for the right moment to ‘take her out’ he senses something isn’t right. She is thin, favors her side and appears emotionally and physically exhausted, frighted, not the strong ‘kick ass’ operative he knew intimately. It is because of this sense of unease that Jaxon abandons his sniper post and heads to the restaurant, to evaluate her face to face. Where has she been for the past 3 years? What happened to her?

Following a hair raising action scene Jaxon takes an agitated and terrified Libby to PATU headquarters where what is learned from a medical examination very nearly brings him to his knees. Libby has been tortured and abused physically and emotionally over an extended period. In addition she is under the influence of a mind block from powerful black majick that has caused her amnesia. My heart broke for Libby, Ms. Stone portrays, her fear, panic, confusion, and embarrassment graphically. I could feel Libby’s disorientation and terror and wondered how Ms. Stone was going to effectively mould her character given the horrors she had endured. However, as the mind block lifts and Libby's memories come rushing back, a strong, determined, capable and pissed off woman emerges. Libby wants vengeance against her captors and she blames Jaxon for what happened to her.

The relationship between these reacquainted lovers is complicated and evolves slowly over the course of the story. I will say the love scenes penned between Jaxon and Libby are spontaneous and nuclear grade hot before and after her memory returns. In spite of bitter conflicts between them there is a primal draw that neither can resist. Jaxon particularly has commitment issues because of his heritage which you will have to learn about by reading the story if you choose to.

Libby shares the directions to her captor's lair with Jaxon and the team embarks on a perilous mission to stop the spread of a malevolent, treacherous evil. This story is littered with exciting action scenes from start to finish, which are skillfully integrated into a plot that has a number of suspenseful, surprizing twists and turns, for me this read was a page turning rush.

Strong well developed supporting characters are introduced including Jaxon’s two brothers Jagger and Julian who are also powerful jaguar shifters but each unique in their own way. Ms. Stone crafted some excellent world building into the narrative and the riveting climax and conclusion of "His Darkest Hunger" sets the stage for the next book in the series, “His Darkest Embrace” which is Jagger’s story.

If you enjoy a fast paced, dark paranormal romance with elements of black ops military suspense, you may like to give “His Darkest Hunger” a try. I am so looking forward to “His Darkest Embrace”.

Heat Level: It boils, the sensuality between Jaxon and Libby burns up the pages. :-)

My Rating: 5/5 stars (I loved this story)
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Jan 01, 2011 ♠ Sharon is an emotional book junkie ♠ rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2010, read-in-2011

**3.5 stars**

This book starts off with a lot of strong emotions but it took till somewhere around the middle of the book for me to really get into it. The whole dynamics of Jaxon and Libby was very interesting and the whole hate/love scenario lead to some very hot encounters. BUT....I think I'm spoiled by the sex scene writings of some of the more popular authors. That doesn't mean that this was bad...it was really good.

This book definitely sets up for future books. You get to know more of the...more

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Oct 01, 2010 Victoria rated it 3 of 5 stars

I am torn about this book. First I think the editing was the worst I've ever seen. Whoever edited this should have picked up on the proper use of "then" and "than". Sometimes it was the wrong word entirely. And in some places it was hard to understand who was doing what. At one point it mentioned someone (he) but I never figured out who "he" was.

On the other hand, I found the storyline and premise to be very interesting. There were definite twists and turns and toward the end the suspense was go...more

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Nov 01, 2012 May Mostly Romance rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. His Darkest Hunger ของจูเลียนนา สโตน

หนังสือเล่มนี้เป็นเล่มแรกในชุด Jaguar Warrior ที่เล่าเรื่องราวของนักรบมนุษย์เสือจากัวร์ที่เป็นส่วนหนึ่งในหน่วยงานของรัฐบาลที่ทำหน้าที่ปราบปรามเหล่าร้ายที่มีความสามารถเหนือธรรมชาติเช่นกัน

แต่ทีมที่เจซอน คาสทิลส์เคยเป็นส่วนหนึ่งได้พังทลายไปหมดแล้ว นับตั้งแต่เหตุการณ์เมื่อสามปีก่อน เมื่อเขาถูกลิบบี้หญิงสาวที่เป็นคู่รักของเขาทรยศ ลิบบี้ส่งข่าวเกี่ยวกับภารกิจของเขาและเพื่อนให้กับศัตรู และเป็นต้นเหตุให้ดิเอโก้ ญาติของเจซอนเสียชีวิต หลังจากนั้นทีมของเขาก็ถูกจับแยกออกจ...more

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Oct 21, 2012 Vanessa theJeepDiva rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, paranormal-romance

Jaxon has spent the last three years looking for his lover who betrayed him and caused the death of a teammate. Through a tip he has finally located Libby and he can get his revenge. The problem is that once she is in his sights he immediately notices that something is off. That something turns into many something’s that takes readers on a journey filled with explosive action, through the amazon, where once lovers have to find trust in each other again.

I enjoyed reading Libby. Readers are initi...more Jaxon has spent the last three years looking for his lover who betrayed him and caused the death of a teammate. Through a tip he has finally located Libby and he can get his revenge. The problem is that once she is in his sights he immediately notices that something is off. That something turns into many something’s that takes readers on a journey filled with explosive action, through the amazon, where once lovers have to find trust in each other again.

I enjoyed reading Libby. Readers are initially introduced to a weak and broken female. Libby has been missing for the past three years. She does not even know what has happened to her. Her loss of memory keeps her confused. The fact that she was tortured and abused has put her in a very vulnerable position. She is extremely withdrawn and has little desire to continue on this broken path she has found herself on. The turning point for Libby is when she gets her memories back. The memories slowly trickled initially, but when she regained all of them she got angry. I liked angry Libby. She had put up with enough of the hate that Jaxon and his teammates were putting on her and she took charge and went after something that was taken from her. I really liked angry Libby.

Jaxon and I had a love hate relationship. He is filled with a vengeful hatred of Libby. He has reasons (weak ones) to believe that Libby betrayed his team and caused the death of a family member. The entire PATU team shares his hate of Libby. They all want to see the person who deceived them die a slow and painful death. Libby gets all of this animosity. Jaxon is cruel to Libby. Once the answers to Libby’s whereabouts are revealed and the whys behind what happened to her come to light Jaxon has a big change of heart. Sometimes his actions towards Libby left me feeling too little too late. Like I said Jaxon is easy to hate even when you want to like him for his devotion to him team and family.

I read the League of Guardians series before I read His Darkest Hunger. I enjoyed reading Declan and Ana before they were Declan and Ana. I’m looking forward to reading the next two books in the Jaguar Warriors series. I’m very curious to see how some things that I’ve read in the League books plays out in the Jaguar books.
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Aug 27, 2011 Lisa Jo rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, paranormal, physical-collection

Juliana Stone’s debut novel His Darkest Hunger is an absolute jem. Paranormal fans will love this adventurous, spellbinding, dangerous tale with plenty of passion!

Our heroine Libby Jamieson is a waitress. Well, at least she has been for the last two months. Before that? She finds that she can’t really remember anything from her past. Yet, her former lover Jaxon Castille knows. Libby once worked with him on a team known as PATU (Paranormal Anti-Terrorist Unit). Their affair had been something tha...more Juliana Stone’s debut novel His Darkest Hunger is an absolute jem. Paranormal fans will love this adventurous, spellbinding, dangerous tale with plenty of passion!

Our heroine Libby Jamieson is a waitress. Well, at least she has been for the last two months. Before that? She finds that she can’t really remember anything from her past. Yet, her former lover Jaxon Castille knows. Libby once worked with him on a team known as PATU (Paranormal Anti-Terrorist Unit). Their affair had been something that affected them both deeply, but then Jaxon discovered Libby betrayed their unit on a mission and played a significant part in the death of his cousin Diego. It has been three years since Libby and Jaxon have seen each other and he has only one thing on his mind: Libby’s death. He has been order by PATU to assassinate Libby and after their rocky past, he is happy to enact his revenge. Little does he know, Libby has absolutely no idea who Jaxon is.

Jaxon realizes something isn’t right and delays ending Libby’s life until he can figure out what it is...or until Libby receives her memory back. It doesn’t help matters that now someone if after them, wanting to kill them. Is there a higher power at work against them? Jaxon reunites the PATU team to find out, and together they realize nothing is what it seems. The more time Jaxon spends with Libby, the more his feelings for her emerge. He also realizes there is more to Libby’s betrayal and the reason she has no memory, something no one ever expected.

The twists and turns throughout this story are why it’s a fantastic read. His Darkest Hunger is the kind of book you pick up and don’t put down until you finish. If you love paranormal and shape shifters, chances are you will enjoy this irresistible novel. It’s an original story that grabs you in the beginning and pulls you along for a perilous, emotional adventure. The silent, heartfelt connection between the main characters will give you chills and bewitch you with its sincerity.

Libby was such an interesting character. The first half of the book she has no memory of her past, which is why Jaxon initially frightens and terrifies her. She doesn’t understand how Jaxon could be so angry with her, why it feels like they have a past, and the reason she feels such a magnetic attraction to him. The point where she reclaims her memories is a true moment to behold. She transforms into a brazen, confident force of strength. Nothing and no one will stand in her way.

Jaxon is the alpha hero you have no choice but to swoon over. You can’t help but find his macho, kick-butt attitude as the ultimate turn on. He mentality is to shoot first and asks questions later. All of this is why his attraction to Libby is so disconcerting. Libby shakes up his entire world, and while Jaxon wants nothing more than to hate her, he can’t ignore his reaction to her. Jaxon is the loner who thinks he can never give his heart to any woman because it would be too dangerous. Which is ironic because Jaxon never appears to be intimidated by anything or anyone. He can take out any obstacle in his way except the woman who holds his heart.

He grabbed his bag and strode toward the door, barely contained fury humming along behind him.

“But you can’t just leave. The police are going to want to talk to you.”

Jaxon didn’t bother turning around, but his voice drifted back toward Pete as the door closed behind him. “Just keep her safe. She belongs to me.”

The story is mysterious at first and action packed until the end. Libby and Jaxon share a past and a passion that both of them have to work to overcome. At times, it’s a painful story filled with plenty of heartache because of the obstacles theses two individuals go through. Jaxon shuts himself off from his feelings for Libby because of her betrayal. When Libby has no memory of her past, she feels vulnerable, alone and scared. This is a novel about both people changing for the better, but first they have to face the truth and their feelings for each other.

Overall Rating: 4/5
Heat Level: 4/5

Lisa @ Once Upon A Chapter(less)

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Oct 12, 2010 Rory G rated it 3 of 5 stars

I received this book as a prize from Anya Bast's blog.

This is the first Juliana Stone book I have read. His Darkest Hunger is a shifter suspense story. The first 120 pages or so cover the back story for the book and in my opinion should have been edited down. I found there was a lot of repetition that just did not need to be there. It also caused confusing for the Libby/Jaxon relationship. First he hates her, then she hates him. I found them wishy washy. The suspense portions of the book were wh...more

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Jul 08, 2010 Melindeeloo rated it 2 of 5 stars

Jaguar shifter Jaxon Castille has spent three years waiting to extract his revenge on his former lover Libby, but when Jaxon finally catches up to her he finds not the vibrant sassy human who was a member of his paranormal special ops team, instead Libby is a frail broken woman with no memory of her past. As much as Jaxon wants to hate Libby for her betrayal, his instincts demand that he protect her. And as Jaxon's team comes under attack once again, it becomes imperative that Jaxon help Libby r...more

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May 14, 2010 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2010, books-i-own-print

Jaxon and Libby used to work together in a paranormal anti-terrorist unit until they were betrayed leading to the death of one of their team members. Libby has been missing ever since and Jaxon and the unit are convinced she was the one who betrayed them. When he receives information about Libby's whereabouts he goes looking for her ready to make her pay for the damage she caused. Things aren't as simple as they first appeared though and when he finds Libby he realises she has no memory of eithe...more Jaxon and Libby used to work together in a paranormal anti-terrorist unit until they were betrayed leading to the death of one of their team members. Libby has been missing ever since and Jaxon and the unit are convinced she was the one who betrayed them. When he receives information about Libby's whereabouts he goes looking for her ready to make her pay for the damage she caused. Things aren't as simple as they first appeared though and when he finds Libby he realises she has no memory of either him or their unit.

Jaxon is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery and Libby is the key but he needs to help her regain her memory before she can be any help to him. The more time he spends with her the harder he finds it to resist the attraction between them. Libby is very aware of her physical responce to Jaxon but she doesn't remember their history or understand why he keeps blowing hot and cold. As her memory starts to return she realises that she has good reasons to keep her distance from him. They are both going to discover that nothing is what it originally seemed but they are going to have to rely on each other and the rest of their unit if they are going to make the people responsible pay for what they did.

I've been looking forward to reading this ever since I first saw the cover and I have to say that Juliana Stone's debut novel is not a disappointment. The story takes you on a complete emotional rollercoaster alongside both Libby and Jax. At first I thought that Libby was going to be quite a weak character but as she gets her memory back she grows into a kick ass heroine who gives as good as she gets. Jax is a real alpha male who I absolutely loved and the 2 main characters really complimented each other.

His Darkest Hunger is action packed with plenty of twists that make it impossible to put down. We are also introduced to some great secondary characters, in particular Jax's brothers Jagger and Julian, but I also loved unit members Ana and Declan who I hope we will see more of in future stories. I can't wait to read Jaggers story in His Darkest Embrace. His Darkest Hunger has a well earned place on my keep shelf and I'd definitely recommend it to any fans of paranormal romance and urban fantasy.(less)

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Sep 16, 2010 Crystal ♥ RBtWBC rated it 4 of 5 stars

A very exciting & smexy tale about jaguar warrior Jaxon Castille and his former lover, Libby Jamieson. WARNING: Contains heartache, treachery & mystery, steamy mythical creatures and fast paced adventure that will have you wiping your mouth and hungering for more!

I won this book from the fab. Supernatural Underground and loved it! It drew me in right away and I couldn't put it down.

After searching for his former lover for three years Jaxon, a jaguar shifter, finally catches up with Libb...more A very exciting & smexy tale about jaguar warrior Jaxon Castille and his former lover, Libby Jamieson. WARNING: Contains heartache, treachery & mystery, steamy mythical creatures and fast paced adventure that will have you wiping your mouth and hungering for more!

I won this book from the fab. Supernatural Underground and loved it! It drew me in right away and I couldn't put it down.

After searching for his former lover for three years Jaxon, a jaguar shifter, finally catches up with Libby, a human that use to be a team member. (The hero wanting deadly revenge on the heroine, how’s that for an opening heh?) He has the perfect shot to take her out but he decides to see her face-to-face before completing his revenge and killing her. But instead of the cold betrayer he was expecting he finds the broken shell of the women who was responsible for the death of his cousin. Libby remembers nothings, not even the dark & sexy Jaxon. But while Jaxon is contemplating what to do next an unknown sniper takes aim at him.
Jaxon and Libby, with the help of their former team members, must figure out who is gunning for them while trying to recover her memories and find out the truth of what happened on that dark day three years ago. During this adventure Jaxon has to fight with his feelings of love and hate. He is disgusted with himself that he can still lust after the treacherous Libby and Libby is confused by his hot & cold emotions but is equally drawn to him.
Finally Libby recovers her memories and her kick-ass attitude along the way and emotionally, the tables are dramatically turned. Can Jaxon cope with his past beliefs, can Libby forgive, and will she be able to find the one thing that is more important then anything else?

A great debut for Juliana Stone's Jaguar Warriors series, her characters will grab at you from the pages. Fantastic plot without an overabundance of world building, you learn just as much as you need to as the story moves along.
A very enjoyable paranormal romance to say the least. I am looking forward to Stone's second book in this series, His Darkest Embrace coming out this October. But I really can't wait for Declan's book, oh why must it be the fourth book Ms. Stone? That's so long to wait! His Darkest Hunger (less)

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Apr 03, 2010 Wicked Lil Pixie (Natasha) rated it 4 of 5 stars

His Darkest Hunger is the first in Juliana Stone’s new series and it doesn’t disappoint.

Jaxon & Libby were part of a team of paranormal & human government agents, trying to keep the supernatural underwraps from the general population. Not only were they teammates, they were lovers. Libby wanted a commitment from Jaxon, but he didn’t want to give her one as he is a shifter & when they mate, they mate for life. Libby requested a transfer from their unit & as a direct result one of...more

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Oct 25, 2011 Heidi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook

*SPOILER ALERT*

What a great new series! So much suspense, drama, and passion! This was an amazing story. I love shape-shifters of the animalistic variety, they are so passionate and wild, they jump on instincts most of the time!

Libby was an amazing character to read about, she is one character in the beginning, then totally does a 180 and becomes someone else. From the beginning she is fragile, confused, and defeated. She has no memory up until the last two months of her life. She looks in the m...more *SPOILER ALERT*

What a great new series! So much suspense, drama, and passion! This was an amazing story. I love shape-shifters of the animalistic variety, they are so passionate and wild, they jump on instincts most of the time!

Libby was an amazing character to read about, she is one character in the beginning, then totally does a 180 and becomes someone else. From the beginning she is fragile, confused, and defeated. She has no memory up until the last two months of her life. She looks in the mirror everyday at the scars on her body, that she can't recollect getting. She has no real reason to keep on going. Then when Jaxon comes into her life she is lit from within, which shows that they are soul-mates. When her memory comes rushing back, her character return is overwhelming!Now she is her spunky, determined, confident, strong and beautiful self. Her attitude is one to envy and I love that she can push all of Jaxon's buttons just the right way. Her determination and anguish for the life of her son that was ripped from her is heart-wrenching.

Jaxon is wild, passionate, strong and emotional. He really is more vulnerable than he wants people to believe or even himself to believe. His attraction and need for Libby is consuming, it was amazing. His relationship with his brothers Julian and Jagger is adorable, and Declan his long time friend is heart warming.

I love this world of Jaguar shifters and the Eagle shifters which we only got a brief glimpse at. Cormac is pure evil, and gives me the creeps. How could Libby and Declan have come from such an evil man. Declan seems lost with himself. He tries to deny the Dark side of himself and needs to find someone who can complete him and keep him grounded...I thought maybe there was something between him and Ana but I dont like her...She is all bark and no bite, which is weird for a 300 yr old vampire.

Jagger maybe missing from the Unit after the explosions, but it seems to me he is the black jaguar in the forest, with amnesia. And it seems he has his sights set on Skye the eagle shifter, who hates jaguars...

I can't wait for the next book!(less)

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May 03, 2010 Melissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have to admit it, but I probably wouldn't have picked up this book because of the cover. I know, don't judge a book by it's cover, right? Other than the black panther, I may not have really given it a second look. It looked like a bodice ripper and although I don't mind reading one once in a long while, it's just not really my thing. However, after reading a review of this book, I became interested. Then I actually won the book! Luckily those things happened and I now admit I really enjoyed th...more I have to admit it, but I probably wouldn't have picked up this book because of the cover. I know, don't judge a book by it's cover, right? Other than the black panther, I may not have really given it a second look. It looked like a bodice ripper and although I don't mind reading one once in a long while, it's just not really my thing. However, after reading a review of this book, I became interested. Then I actually won the book! Luckily those things happened and I now admit I really enjoyed this book. I'm still no fan of the book's cover as Jaxon is darker and his tats are SO much more interesting. Okay, I'm done talking about the cover since it really doesn't do this book justice.

In this book Jaxon is alpha male all the way. He decides to give Libby a chance at explaining her treachery before he kills her and that is where the story really gets going. After finding out she was not the woman he expected to find, he sees a shell of a woman she used to be. It tugs at him and he has to protect her and now himself to find out what happened. The simple betrayal has now become a action filled mystery that he must solve to find the real truth of what happened. He finds out more than he bargained for and also finds that he has found his true mate. One who can awaken the love within the hard shell of man/beast. The ending in this book also sets things up for the next in the series. It's not a cliffhanger, but it really makes you want to see what is going to happen next.

Oh yea, there are a lot of hot lusty scenes in this book, but it doesn't take over. The action in this book is really what takes over and had me turning the pages to see what was going to happen. What I really loved about this book that even in Libby's weakened state, she finds that being a victim is a choice, and it is one that she no longer is willing to choose. She found her strength within herself before she even knew who she was! She was stripped of her dignity, health (both mental and physical), and memory and yet still found the strength to no longer be victimized! To me, that is a strong person.

Do I recommend this adult book? Yes I do. Despite the cover... ;) I give this book 4 stars. (less)

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Apr 14, 2010 MissyC323 C rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: paranormal romance readers

Shelves: pnr-romance, read-in-2010

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Rated 3 stars but its more like 3.5*
I did like the authors writing, Jaxon Castillo is dark, sexy and alpha male. He is a jaguar shapeshifter, with his "tattoo's" marking his as the warrior class, meaning he mates for life.
He and Libby worked together in a govt sanctioned military-like paranormal team, whose job is to keep the criminal paranormal element in line, fighting on the fringes of human society, who are unaware of the paranormal population. Libby is human.
Although I liked the pnr genre...more Rated 3 stars but its more like 3.5*
I did like the authors writing, Jaxon Castillo is dark, sexy and alpha male. He is a jaguar shapeshifter, with his "tattoo's" marking his as the warrior class, meaning he mates for life.
He and Libby worked together in a govt sanctioned military-like paranormal team, whose job is to keep the criminal paranormal element in line, fighting on the fringes of human society, who are unaware of the paranormal population. Libby is human.
Although I liked the pnr genre, and Stones description of shapeshifters, vamps and magic users was good. I thought there were some bothersome plot holes, that to me were glaring enough to be very annoying.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~SPOILERS~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jaxon has been looking for Libby for 3 years to kill her. He believes she betrayed his team, setting up a former team member to be murdered.
Libby disappears for 3 years, shows up suddenly in a small midwest town, thin, battered and with anmesia.
Jaxon gets an anonymous tip on her where abouts, goes to kill her, but instead, ends up surviving an assasination attempt, grabs amnesia Libby and goes on the run.
Suddenly, and without satisfactory sequence or explaination. Jaxon is hunting his attempted killers, Libby gets her memory back, there is a missing baby and sexual mating heat conquers all.

There is never any explaination of why bad guys want Jax dead.
The bad guys are mafia-drug ring type villians, who very suddenly not the "main" bad guys, but are being lead by a magic wielding witch who has great power. He has no apparent ties to the drug family.
Still no reason why he wants Jax and team dead. And all the sudden,
at the end, baby is found alive, in a cave, with no explaination of how he got there, who was taking care of him for the last 2 years,
or why he was "cut out of his mothers womb", and allowed to live.
Lots of stray plot lines and devices were not tied up or explained to this readers satisfaction. I understand that some loose ends are left hanging to have a cliffhanger ending to introduce the sequel. I just felt the last 50 pages were rushed, scattered and made the entire story without satisfactory, or understandable resolution.
Last words. I still liked the book, liked the characters enough that I will read the next installment. Hopefully the author will polish up and tighten those loose end plot devices that lead to nowhere. (less)

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Sep 16, 2010 Jo (My House of Books) rated it 3 of 5 stars

I was really surprised by how quickly I fell into this book. There's action, adventure and intrigue almost immediately -- something I really look for in my paranormal romances since becoming tired of them (due to overindulgence) in 2007. Beyond the standard vampire or shifter sub-genres, I hadn't anticipated any other kind of shifter, which is what drew my initially attention to His Darkest Hunger.

There are some slow spots in the middle, particularly where Jaxon and Libby are fighting their res...more

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Apr 22, 2010 Sparklybearsy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Section of my review taken from my blog:

Now any paranormal fan loves a good shifter book right? so what is different about this one? picture your favourite action movie, bad guys chasing good guys, good guys fighting bad guys, assassins, explosions that go boom. Now add in sexy assed Jaguars, a vampire chick, a dark magic man, revenge, betrayal and a whole package full of intense toe curling romance and sex and that is what you get from His Darkest Hunger by Juliana Stone!

Jaxton is a shape shi...more

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Apr 05, 2010 Samantha rated it 4 of 5 stars

Ms. Stone introduces readers to a hot, dark, steamy, action packed story. His Darkest Hunger is a tale of a jaguar shifter who was betrayed years ago by his lover. Vowing to seek his revenge, he waits patiently to find her, only to discover the woman he once knew no longer remembers him or their turbulent past. Hold onto your seats because Ms. Stone brings the qualities I love most to this story: betrayal, passion, and forgiveness.

Jaxon Castille is a jaguar that once head up a government paranor...more Ms. Stone introduces readers to a hot, dark, steamy, action packed story. His Darkest Hunger is a tale of a jaguar shifter who was betrayed years ago by his lover. Vowing to seek his revenge, he waits patiently to find her, only to discover the woman he once knew no longer remembers him or their turbulent past. Hold onto your seats because Ms. Stone brings the qualities I love most to this story: betrayal, passion, and forgiveness.

Jaxon Castille is a jaguar that once head up a government paranormal antiterrorist unit. Strong, sexy and oozing sensuality, Jaxon is a force to be reckoned with. He is a man on a mission to find the one woman who had destroyed his world. Three years ago, Libby (a human) betrayed Jaxon by seducing him and leading the opposing DaCosta clan to ambush them. The betrayal caused Jaxon a member of his team.
Libby Jamieson is now a shell of the woman she used to be. Scared, battered and broken, she struggles to find safety in a small town. Her small haven is rocked when Jaxon, a mystery man to her, enters her life. After a high packed action scene, where Jaxon learns that Libby has no recollection of her former life, he whisks her off to his compound.

Once Libby is safe in the confines of Jaxon’s home, she slowly learns that she has had some past with him and his team and they parted on bad terms. Slowly, the author reveals the physical and emotional abuse that Libby had endured. As she fights to regain her memories, she can’t help but to find herself attractive to Jaxon. My heart broke for Libby. She was so lost and confused for the better half of the book. Stone was able to express Libby’s emotions in a realistic manner. When she finally gained her memory back, whoa, did readers get to see why Jaxon was initially attracted to her.

The relationship that the author depicted was intense, turbulent and passionate. The two lovers are both strong willed and fight to accept one another. I enjoyed reading Jaxon’s turmoil as he fought the battle between loving and hating Libby. Though at times, I felt the story dragged in places, I did understand that it kept the suspense up and never once deterred me from the book. The love scenes were hot and steamy. At times, I was unhappy that the couple resolved their issues through sex. I wanted more conversation between them.

Secondary characters Ana, Declan, Jagger, Cracker and Julian all add an interesting element to the story. Each one, though dysfunctional, have a story waiting to be told. The vibe between the members of the unit, though shaky at times, resembled a family. I wonder what Ms. Stone has up her sleeve for this bunch. The world that Stone builds is full of shape-shifters, practitioners of magick, vampires and other paranormal beings that add excitement to this dark tale.

His Darkest Hunger is an excellent start to a promising series. Readers can expect many twists and turns to keep them excited. Paranormal fans, gear up! Ms. Stone is marking her place. I look forward to her next installment, His Darkest Embrace.
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Aug 22, 2010 Ally rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook, 2010

Another new author with an interesting new series about jaguar shifter's.

Jaxon Castille is a jaguar shifter, warrior and assassin. He has long hungered for the chance to make his former lover, Libby Jamieson, pay for her deadly betrayal. After three long years he’s finally found her. The hunt is over but the Libby that he finds is not what he expected. She has no memory of their tumultuous affair; of her treachery; of anything beyond her own name. A shadowy and deadly clan has marked them both f...more Another new author with an interesting new series about jaguar shifter's.

Jaxon Castille is a jaguar shifter, warrior and assassin. He has long hungered for the chance to make his former lover, Libby Jamieson, pay for her deadly betrayal. After three long years he’s finally found her. The hunt is over but the Libby that he finds is not what he expected. She has no memory of their tumultuous affair; of her treachery; of anything beyond her own name. A shadowy and deadly clan has marked them both for death, and in an instant the game changes, the hunter has become the hunted. On the run, with the ghosts of their past between them Libby and Jaxon must discover the truth behind the dark forces working against them. Together, they must grab hold of a destiny that has the power to either heal them or destroy them. But the truth is far more shattering than anyone could imagine.

His Darkest Hunger had so much potential for me but sadly I found it lacking because so much time is spent between Libby and Jaxon being stuck in the past about the betrayal's each have dealt the other. To be fair it's only halfway through the book that Libby remembers what happened to her and her personality changes and I'd have to say not for the better. It's expected that she's be angry (not giving anything away) but His Darkest Hunger is so angst ridden that it really struggled to keep my interest. I didn't expect it to be a happy, happy book but I didn't expect the majority of the book to be so angsty and full of drama.

The touture that Libby went through was really awful and I disliked that even though Jaxon saw the marks on Libbys body he still couldn't seem to get past his anger at what he thought she had done to his unit and forgive her. It's not til Libby regains her memory and Jaxon sees and hears Libby's anger towards him that he seems then to forgive her. Which I really didn't like.

I enjoyed the secondary chacacter's much more than the main couple. Jagger and Julian who are Jaxon's brothers (but Julian can't shift), Declan a powerful practitioner of magick and Ana a three hundred year old vampire add another dimension to His Darkest Hunger.

However much I didn't enjoy His Darkest Hunger I still thought it was an interesting read and extremely well written for a start to a new series. I am looking forward to the next book in the series His Darkest Embrace due out in November, which features Jagger and Skye.
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Jun 23, 2010 Marquetta (LoveToReadForFun) rated it 2 of 5 stars

I read this book two weeks ago. I wasn't going to write a review. But at the beginning of the year, I made a vow to myself to review every book I read. With that being said, I'm going to keep this short and sweet. When I started reading His Darkest Hunger, I really enjoyed it. The mystery of how Libby lost her memory and who was trying to kill Jaxon kept me enthralled. But somewhere along the way, the book stop holding my attention. I think the moment the events of her past comes rushing back to...more

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Apr 14, 2010 Diana Leigh rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: shifters, paranormal-romance

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. Three years earlier, the team is ambushed and a fellow teammate and shifter, Diego, is killed. The team then discovers that Libby has disappeared. They believe she has betrayed them by givi...more

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Jun 01, 2010 Cindy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: pnr-shapeshifter, favorites, favorite-series

I was pleasantly surprised by this debut pnr by Juliana Stone. It is the first of the Jaguar Warrior series, and I for one, cannot wait for the next installment. Jaxon Castille is a jaguar shifter and a member of an elite paranormal anti-terrorist unit (PATU). Three years ago his unit was betrayed by his lover, Libby. As a result of that betrayal, his cousin was killed and the unit disbanded. Since then Jaxon has lived for revenge. He has finally found Libby and plans to kill her, but at the las...more

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Apr 26, 2012 Caro rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-fantasy

This book was pretty good. I liked the action and suspense, the emotions, and the twists and turns. There were some pretty good steamy scenes and the characters were varied and complex. Jaxon and Libby are great for each other, temper temper. Loved the ending and hope to find out what happens with Skye and Jagger, that's gonna be a good one. They're gonna have some love/hate going on. Gotta watch out for Declan too. This was the first book I've read (happens to be the first in the series, yay go...more

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Dec 13, 2011 Edna rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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May 25, 2010 Sarah rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: supernatural

Sadly this book let me down. I've been on a serious shifter kick this week and this one dropped the ball. The story could really have used a prequel or even a prologue to get you into the world the writer was developing. The female lead, Libby, is annoying at best. Jaxon was neat but still not amazing. The only characters I really liked were a few of the side characters. I ended up doing a lot of scanning because the story involved a lot of wandering through the jungle from one bad guy's base ca...more

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May 28, 2012 Lisa Annesley rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, pnr, shifter, feline-shifter

I'll let the back cover blurb speak for itself and just give my opinion here. This book had some flaws, no doubt about it. As others have noted, Libby forgave Jaxon too easily for the way he treated her. And Libby made some decisions that were close to TSTL. Yet I was fully engrossed in the story and turning the pages as fast as I could. If you can overlook a few problems, it's actually a gut-wrenching book that's full of deadly danger. I liked it enough that I'm going to move on to the next boo...more

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His Darkest Hunger (Jaguar Warriors #1)

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