His Darkest Hunger by Juliana Stone

From the book:
Jaxon Castille: jaguar shifter, warrior, 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 and a dark, desperate hunger quickly reclaiming their bodies and souls, 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…

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 Fiction Vixen's 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.  


I won this signed book from Fiction Vixen's blog.