The Hunter

Boston Belles, Book 1

By: L.J. Shen

Narrated by: Virginia Rose, Jason Clarke

Length: 11 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's Summary

Boston's debauched elite is going up in flames, and it's the Fitzpatrick family that set it on fire.

Hunter

I didn't mean to star in a sex tape, okay?

It was just one of those unexplainable things.

Like Stonehenge, Police Academy 2, and morning glory clouds.

It just happened.

Now, my ball-busting father is sentencing me to six months of celibacy, sobriety, and morbid boredom under the roof of Boston's nerdiest girl alive, Sailor Brennan.

The virginal archer is supposed to babysit my ass while I learn to take my place in Royal Pipelines, my family's oil company.

Little does she know, that's not the only pipe I'll be laying....

Sailor

I didn’t want this gig, okay?

But the deal was too sweet to walk away from.

I needed the public endorsement; Hunter needed a nanny.

Besides, what’s six months in the grand scheme of things?

It's not like I'm in danger of falling in love with the appallingly gorgeous, charismatic gazillionaire who happens to be one of Boston's most eligible bachelors.

No. I will remain immune to Hunter Fitzpatrick's charm.

Even at the cost of losing everything I have.

Even at the cost of burning down his kingdom.

©2020 L.J. Shen (P)2020 Audible, Inc.

Female narrator is AWFUL

I decided early into this that I would rather read the book and not ruin the story with the female narrator's voice of Sailor. She sounds like an old smoking hag with a fake Boston accent. It isn't sexy and turns me totally off of this audiobook. I hope LJ Shen never uses her again. I listened to the entire All Saints High series and LOVED them. A narrator can literally ruin a book

It paints me to write this...

I will begin by saying that I enjoy LJ Shen stories. I've been a fan of hers for about 3yrs and this was the story I almost did not finish. I'll start with the overall story. I really couldn't connect with it or the stakes of the characters. It felt "Meh" for me. Second, the characters really did nothing for me. Sailor felt way too whiney at times and Hunter basically gave me nothing to hold on to. Third, the casting. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy these narrators, but these characters are in their late teens and the voice of these performers is way too mature. The pace of the story dragged and it just made it difficult to engage and enjoy. This kills me! :-(

5 star story but that narration is NOT what I expect from her......

L.J Shen is my favorite author and I’ve loved every book by her. This book was no exception, tying with Broken Knight as my top read by her. Totally different types of books, totally different emotions while reading. And totally different Audible experiences as well sadly.

The story isn’t the problem, I read it prior to listening and I loved it. But this is the first dual-narrated Shen book on Audible that I’ve absolutely hated. That’s sad for me to say. She normally does an AMAZING job at selecting narrators that truly fit the character, bringing them to life in a way that is an experience in itself. I was so excited for this one, even when I realized Jason Clarke didn’t have the Boston accent Hunter is said to have in both BK and Angry God. I got over it, I mean he didn’t grow up there anyways. Jason was okay, a little too serious sounding for a character like Hunter but whatever, I found myself praying for his chapters. I give him a solid 3.5 out of 5.

The root of the problem came down to Virginia Rose. I’ve yet to listen to anything else from her so I don’t know if her Boston accent is natural or not, it definitely sounds natural. That wasn’t the problem at all. The problem was she sounds like she’s pushing 50 years old narrating for a character that is like 18/19. It was way to gruff and far too mature. Not to mention, any intimate scene she ruined bc again.....I pictured Hunter with a 50 year old gruff-sounding rough around the edges woman. But what was even more infuriating is the times that she actually did other female characters Sailor’s age, SHE SOUNDED BETTER. Why are you using a more appropriate voice for a support character?

I love Leigh and her work, so I hate criticizing any aspect of it (including her choice of narrators), BUT I am desperately hoping that she keeps to her habit of using new narrators for each new book.....bc I will not waste credits on it.

And what’s worst? I used FIVE CREDITS to gift this Audible to other fans....that’s how much I love her past ones, I’m just hoping those readers don’t immediately use this one as a deciding factor for others bc Broken Knight is the best Audible EVER.

GREAT COVER.. EVEN BETTER STORY

Usually, when I find out the hero and heroine are in their teens, I don’t hold out much hope that the story will have the goods to keep me interested.. but, right from the start, this skilful author drew me into her wickedly delicious web. A web surrounding Sailor.. a shy introvert Olympic Archer hopeful and Hunter.. a carefree, handsome, one-track minded Player whose future, gazillions and place within the family were suddenly being threatened because of a sex tape staring him and various women. They were opposites in every way and they both walked into the six month contract with their eyes wide open, their self-serving motives were clear and their zero expectations of anything more happening between them firmly set in the ‘laughable never going to happen’ zone. However, as the seasons changed through their six month contract, so too did their feelings.. and their crumbling walls unearthed far more than either one was expecting as the twists, secrets and tensions grew.. along with their love.

Eleven and a half hours is a long time for audiobooks these days.. but those hours absolutely flew by with witty snarky banter, push n push chemistry, stormy sizzles, sexcapades and much more as the arrogant charismatic comic reveals his inwardly broken side and the ‘one goal’ driven sassy inexperienced single girl changed her focus. And slowly instead of fighting with each other.. they were fighting for each other. A good lineup of secondary characters as friends.. and especially family, play a major part. The dual POV narration was expertly handled by Virginia and of course Jason’s sexy smooth capable voice (love you Jason) and together their tone, tempo and awesome narration deliciously delivered 5 star perfection.

Worth a credit? Yes. it’s a weighty full-length entertaining romance with lol antics as two enemies slowly mesh and meld into a loving twosome.. and it was lovely to witness the wallflower bloom and the sinner become a Saint.

Narration CHOICE Fail

I would first like to say that both Virginia Rose & Jason Clark are excellent performers/narrators. However, there are limits. The characters in this book are teenagers in high school. Virginia Rose actually pulled off a pretty believable lead teenaged boy voice. Teenaged lead girl voice... WITH Bostonian accent... not so much. Jason Clark absolutely nailed a 20 something hottie voice... unfortunately, the lead male character is a teenager. Both are actually in my top 10 of favorite narrators, so it kills me to see all of these bad reviews, targeting THEM. THEY didn't fail. Whoever chose them for this particular book & these particular characters, is who failed. I think Jason's narrative age range is easily anywhere between 21 & 50. Virginia's narrative range is probably between 35 & 70. That's just my opinion. I truly wish that authors (or whoever is in the decision making seat) understood how VITAL the choice of narrator is to their story. It makes or breaks the experience! Bottom line is that this is a good story & these are great narrators... they just weren't good together.

I’m a bit conflicted...

Overall ★ ★ ★ 1/2
Performance ★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2
Story ★ ★ 1/2

I went back and forth with how I felt about this book. I think L.J. Shen has a great way with words, which I quite enjoyed. It’s one of those things where if this were written very basically, I’d skip it.

I get what I wasn’t a fan of, how women are portrayed and described. Honestly, this is a book and I know I have to see it that way, but sometimes you have to acknowledge what makes you uncomfortable. Some parts of that didn’t mesh well with me, but at the same time, some of the sex can be degrading, but kind of hot as well. This is something the heroine, Sailor, mentions during a tryst with the “hero” Hunter.

Ah yes, Hunter. I had a hard time with him, too. I didn’t seem to get why he was the way he was. We get a little bit of his brother and sister and I still don’t get it despite the backstory. I did very much enjoy him with Vaughn and Knight. They ooze of cocksure attitude which was nice. That found family feeling I seem to always be drawn to in stories.

Sailor was a lit bit of awesome though. She’s a Brennan, so that makes sense that a young woman on her own path would be that way. Twisting that into a sort of nanny matchmaking deal was just a big set up for failure. Hello, obvious plot point. I did feel pretty disconnected with making archery her “cool” factor. It just didn’t seem plausible at all. It’ll never be curling, okay? Plus, movie deals? Guesting on shows? This is the Boston Belles’ world, I guess, and I just do not (thank goodness) live in it.

Which brings me to the character of Junsu. I just didn’t like him at all. He was a very unlikeable character. A big part of my dislike was how he was written and how he was voiced in the audio. Make no mistake, Jason Clarke and Virginia Rose were very good with the narration, but there were a few mispronounced words and knowing how Junsu is supposed to be said really threw me off. (It probably didn’t help that Junsu being Korean with a touch of a British accent was just something doomed from the get.)

So yeah, not my favorite read, but I did very much enjoy buddy reading with my fellow close Sparrows.

Wonderfully Filthy

I loved this story the Hero was an %#@ with interesting layers just the way I like it. The Heroine was strong and relatable. LJS delivered another masterpiece!
Before the pandemic I listened/read a book a day. These last two months it’s been maybe 5 new finished... total Now 6 The Hunter gave me all the FEELS.

I’m the Hunter and you are my prey!

I love this book and I am so excited for this series to start. Nobody does sex scenes like L.J. or writes lovable a-holes like her. Hunter is someone I needed to know more about. Carefree and into anything that has a hole. Sorry not sorry for that comment. Seeing him have to struggle a little was a huge enjoyment. Seeing him fall in love and grow up even better. I love that this reflects Sparrow and Troys love story in many ways. I love how much of a part they had in this. Sailor is such a breath of fresh air when it comes to heroines. She’s not the perfect beautiful strong female. She is flawed and strong but insecure. She was brought up tough and you see that in every decision she makes. She sticks to her morals, but is also playful and funny. I’m so happy to see our tot holes make an appearance. Please write everything yesterday I need all the books. I’d like to make one comment about the narration. I was nervous about Jason Clarke playing this carefree touch of a jerk kind of character. I didn’t know if he could pull it off. I hate even writing that because he is one of my all time faves. But he does it so well. I’m telling you the man can do it all. I loved getting to see him read a character like this.

Bravo!!!!

Absolutely LOVED THIS BOOK!!!! I HAVE READ every one of of lj's books and this one took my breath away!!! Can't wait for the next. Mm

Loved it!!

This book was great! I loved seeing characters I know and love and meeting new ones to fall for! Hunter is a dream boat and I can’t wait for the rest of the series!!


Jason Clarke did AMAZING, as always. Virginia Rose was definitely not my favorite. I kinda hated her Boston accent, especially when it sounded more southern.

A Return To Form For Shen...

Let me start this review by admitting that I didn't even realise that this book was about THE Hunter from the All Saints High Trilogy, so you can imagine my surprise and delight when Knight Cole showed up. These books and these characters are really special to me, so I love it when I can have a peek and see what my fave characters are up to. Vicious also had a cameo, and as usual he was fricking hilarious.

Anyway, moving on, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked Hunter. By Chapter 5, I knew that it was already better than Angry God - a book I had salivated for, and had been ultimately disappointed by (I wasn't a fan of the heroine). One of the main reasons I loved Hunter was because I loved Sailor, and again, it took me to the end of the book before I realised that she was the child of THE Sparrow and Troy Brennan. For whatever reason, I just never put two and two together until i was nearly at the end of the book, but oh my, it was such a lovely surprise. Sailor definitely lived up to her parents and I loved that Shen included them in this book.

Hunter Fitzpatrick was of course an asshole, but you can't love these books and not love the heroes. I loved his interactions with Sailor, and it was fab to watch these two people fall in love.

Anyway, a good plot that although predictable was still fun, great banter between the main characters, and some nice set-ups for the next book in this series.

Oh and this book was wonderfully narrated by the excellent Jason Clarke and Virginia Rose.

I took a chance and loved the book!

I'm going to be completely honest here, until now I'd never heard of this author or the book.... however, I'm INCREDIBLY glad that I took a leap of faith reading this going off the reviews alone! Especially since I'm obsessed with the Driven Series....so this is definitely my cup of tea.

I couldn't put it down!!!

Several times I honestly giggled out loud, especially when listening to Hunter's banter/ inner monologue. The plot is almost every girls dream of being loved by someone, entirely; no matter how you feel about yourself/ your own issues... and there's also other plots within that keep you excited about the next chapter. There's also passion, excitement and eroticism that are described in a way that you can feel what's being read!

I'm DEFINITELY going to be reading more by this author!

Also.... I want my own Hunter! Yum! hahaha.... btw I had to write this quickly so I haven't reread it for errors, I'm in a rush and I didn't want to forget to write a review.

Excellent

That was a fantastic book! I love Hunter!
I was hoping Killian would meet his match, but maybe that can be another story...
The narrators were excellent, I really enjoyed the whole thing.

Loved his voice

Loved his voice, and that his tongue in cheek persona, and that his character development seemed sincere and didn’t happen overnight.
Very enjoyable!

meh

The narrators' accents keep bouncing between attempts at Mid-Atlantic English/American Theater Standard (think 1930s Hollywood films - Virginia Rose often sounds like she's trying a poor Katherine Hepburn impression) and General American English (contemporary US news reporter/"flat" American accent).

There was little compelling in the story to keep me listening. Neither lead character was particularly likeable.

amazing

Really good book like all from LJ Shen it’s unputdownable ... 🔥 I listened within 24hours I am excited for the next book. 🥰😍

best book yet

I really really loved this book it gives you all the feels 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
cant wait for the next!

Bad boy....

This book started off with a bang...literally and really set the tone for the main male character. I love the whole concept of this book and who two families created a situation for their children to fall in love.

When I think of the main female character all I think about it Merida from Brave. Strong, fearless and Bold! The narrators really brought the characters to life and I was fully immersed in the story!

I also love that the author intertwined another book series briefly within this book!

Pretty bummed I didn't like this

I have a complicated history with Ms. Shen. There are works in her bibliography that without a doubt pivotal to my reading journey. But this? Is not one of them. Can LJ write a prime grade A-hole character? Without question. So what was Hunter? He tried FAR too hard to be hated, to be an fboy and it came across really badly. Almost all of the characters in this were deplorable, the plot was bonkers and not in the fun way and the only thing that saved it was the banter between Sailor and Hunter and the girl friendships. Other than that this is not it and far from it.

Wow

I asolutely loved it!
Thought it was really good!! It 100% worth the listen!