#1 In the entire Kindle StoreFrom USA Today Bestselling author L.J. Shen comes a new, fun, steamy standalone about a notorious playboy and the nerdy girl who brings him to his knees.Boston’s debauched elite is going up in flames, and it’s the Fitzpatrick family that set it on fire.ʜᴜɴᴛᴇʀI didn’t mean to star in a sex tape, okay?It was just one of those unexplainable things. Like Stonehenge, … 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.
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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.
5 OFF THE CHART STARS for The Hunter by L.J. Shen
I think this author could write a few paragraphs in crayon and I would gladly purchase / devour them up ! This author is an automatic one click for me.
I’m a little late to this book / series but absolutely loved Hunter and Sailor’s story.
Great cover and visual of Hunter Fitzpatrick
Sailor Brennan ( needs no words as the offspring of Troy and Sparrow Brennan she is perfection )
Laugh out loud – funny situations and dialog
Enemies to lovers – this author writes this genre so deliciously …
Great secondary characters
Setting – Boston
Some mafia ties
Great storyline with some great plot twists
Sizzling chemistry
HEA
You will devour this book !! I highly recommend The Hunter and really anything this author has written. L.J Shen weaves magic with her words !!!
I’m probably LJ Shen’s worst fan
After finishing the Hotholes series I devoured everything else
Except the Totholes I didn’t not want to read about my favourite couple Dean and Rosies next installment
If I avoided it , it didn’t happen. I did not want Dean going on to meet someone else, yet I’m a second chance romance fan
But when you know the character it’s a no go for me
So I went into Hunter with a lot of trepidation
Also I don’t do “ young” and he was still 19, but yet it didn’t read like he was 19!
He frustrated me at first with his behaviour and thoughts to wards women and life. Then I said to myself hes 19 remember
I loved it loved him loved his story loved Sailor, loved how she was Sparrow and Troy’s daughter, loved Knight and Luna’s part in this book. Then it hit me , I needed to go back and pull my big girl pants on and read the Totholes, despite my hard limit of Rosie and Dean
I was missing out , missing out on these young men that were part of this story
So to me this book was more than just a great book, it was a turning point and it was history from previous books that I had not experienced
So thank you LJ Shen and the fact that I listened on audio first is a first in itself for me
It was meant to be this way It was meant to be , listening to Hunter help me realise what I needed to do
So I can’t wait to listen to The Villain BB 2 and then the monster
Also I actually bought on PB Broken Knight as I knew one day I would get to it
I see it every day beside my bed , begging me to read it.
So I will
The hardest de idiom is do I go BB 2 or ASH 1
What a story
The Hunter:
L.J. Shen (Boston Belles #1)
This book made me laugh SO hard, oh my god.
Sailor Brennan is a badass, just like her mom. She’s tough as hell and I adore her sass. She isn’t fooled by glitz and glamor and it takes realness to get to her. She knows her worth and she’s not afraid to stand up for herself.
I don’t know if there’s a hero I love as much as Hunter Fitzpatrick. He is innately good, kind, loyal–just like Sailor says. Honestly, I think he’s one of the most severely underrated LJ characters. He’s a different kind of alphahole–one who can’t help but care for everyone around him because he has so much to give despite the upbringing he had.
The Hunter is my comfort book. I was laughing throughout the ENTIRE book. Hunter is hands down one of the funniest characters I’ve ever read in my entire life. He makes my heart so full. Watching him fall in love with Sailor, his talk with Cillian, and the way he stands up for Sailor is literally everything and more.
Their friendship makes me so happy–the sweet things Hunter does for her unknowingly and just how well Sailor knows Hunter. Through all the Doordashing, the texts, the banter, and everything in between, this couple stole my heart!
Every time I read a L.J. Shen book I fall more in love with her writing and her bad boys. The Hunter was addictive, captivating and of course steamy. When I saw that this book was going to be about Troy and Sparrow’s daughter Sailor I couldn’t click “buy” fast enough. Sparrow is by far my favorite Shen book so far. If you have not read it, READ IT!!
Hunter is the quintessential playboy billionaire. He loves sex, money and getting his way. When one night goes a bit too far Hunter is given a decision. Either forgo the family money and all that entails or live with a “roommate” for 6 months, someone who can keep an eye out for him and straighten his life out. Hunter might be a playboy, but he is so much more. All he wants is to be accepted by his family and learn what it means to be loved by them. A bit broken, more than a bit sarcastic and determined not to be anything like his Dad, Hunter is determined to make this arrangement work but he never saw Sailor coming…
Sailor willing to put aside her doubt about keeping tabs on the billionaire playboy if it means she can get to the Olympics, her one and only goal. The goal she has set her life around. Sailor is not your typical 18-year-old, she doesn’t party, doesn’t go to school and doesn’t do anything but train. She thought that making sure Hunter stayed on the straight and narrow would be easily doable that is until she sees the man beneath the playboy persona. The man he truly is. The only question is after the six months can Sailor let him go??
You will fall in love with their story!! There was nothing I didn’t like about this book. The supporting characters made the book just as much as the main characters did. Shen started off her new series in the most incredible way. Now I cannot wait to see what lies ahead for the other Boston Belles. Including what is to come with Hunter’s deliciously dark older brother Cillian!!
Billionaire spawn Hunter Fitzpatrick is an heir to the family’s Boston-based oil empire, Royal Pipelines. He’s known since age four that he and his brother Cillian will one day take over the company, but Hunter has no interest in oil, business or his dysfunctional family. While his siblings were educated at the best prep schools in the world, Hunter was getting expelled and has never lived up to the family name. His desperate parents sent him to live with family in Todos Santos, a wealthy California suburb.
Hunter’s the hard-partying sidekick of Knight Cole and Vaughn Spencer from LJ’s All Saints High series centered in Todos Santos, but this is a standalone so you don’t have to read that series first. Be forewarned, however, that there’s a spoiler for one of those books in this story, if you choose to begin with The Hunter. Likewise, this story is second-generation characters from Sparrow, so if you haven’t read it yet, spoiler alert. I don’t think it ruins anything in either case, but some would disagree so I’m just putting that out there as a caution.
Hunter is a laid-back guy who cares about his friends and having fun, specifically sex and partying. The problem is that he doesn’t care about anything else. Despite his parents’ rejection, Hunter is unfazed by being banished to the opposite coast and loves his notoriously hedonistic lifestyle. It’s not without problems but his father’s money and connections mean problems go away quickly and without much fanfare.
Unfortunately, the internet gives Hunter an opportunity to embarrass his family far more than ever before and in a permanent way that can never disappear. It’s the final straw for his family so his father orders him back to Boston to live as a virtual prisoner. He’s being put up in an apartment with a baby sitter to ensure he remains sober and celibate while splitting his time between learning his place at Royal Pipelines and earning a business degree for the next six months. If he fails, he’s cut off completely from the family fortune and his future inheritance permanently.
“My life had seemed to shift from a theme park of orgasms, designer clothes, and eternal sunshine to an ongoing, cloudy, celibate catastrophe.”
His father even found the perfect sitter for his wild child: Sailor Brennan is a shy, antisocial tomboy unlikely to tempt him and expected to rebuff any advances from Hunter quite harshly. She’s mature, responsible and respectable, in addition to having family ties that ensure Hunter won’t piss her off. Sailor’s the daughter of Troy Brennan, the one guy in Boston that even the mob turns to for help, and sister of Sam, who’s followed in their father’s footsteps.
The two are polar opposites and both are horrified to be stuck in this arrangement. Hunter has no choice of course, but Sailor is wooed by her need for sponsorship. She’s an archer with Olympic goals and makes this sacrifice for her dream. They quickly butt heads since they’ve both made assumptions but it’s clear early on that they complement one another, if only they’ll be civil to one another.
“Out of my way, Prince Syphilis.”
“Have dinner with me, Princess Psychotic.”
As their tentative friendship evolves, we get to see inside the horribly dysfunctional Fitzpatrick family and learn that Hunter’s been ignored his entire life. It’s obvious that he’s spent his life desperately trying to get his parents to pay attention and became this caricature without ever having a true identity of his own. After all, even negative attention is better than being invisible so he’s crafted this court-jester, all-around-fuck-up façade that’s come to summarize the whole of his being but he’s so much more.
There’s a lot of drama in his family, including multiple subplots, one of which only gets resolved at the very end of the story. In contrast, Sailor’s family is loving and supportive and picture-perfect, in spite of her father and brother’s careers. Yet she’s struggling with the same issues as Hunter, albeit for totally different reasons. She crafted her own persona long ago and now she’s desperate to figure out if that’s who she really is or if it’s just something she’s hidden behind all these years to avoid making tough choices.
Sailor freely admits that Hunter’s a gorgeous specimen from the beginning, while Hunter is critical of his new roommate for her red hair and tomboy look. That’s not surprising from a shallow party-boy but when we see his attraction to her blossom, we learn there’s more to him that he’ll admit. And although Sailor can admit he’s nice to look at, she doesn’t want to like him so she’s horrified when she first discovers that he’s actually not that bad.
“In that moment, I wished I’d never laid eyes upon Hunter Fitzpatrick, because I knew with certainty that for all his spoiled ways, corrupted behavior, and obsession with pleasure, he was innately good, loyal, and courageous.”
The family and relationship drama aren’t the only things happening here. There’s a corporate espionage-type intrigue that may or may not involve an assassination plot, plus a completely unrelated enemy and both make for a great story. There’s a lot of angst here but the humor balances it nicely because this book made me laugh out loud more than once. I love Sailor and Hunter as well as an interesting supporting cast. In addition to cameos from a few of our favorites from Todos Santos, we meet family, including siblings, Cillian and Ainsling Fitzpatrick and Sam Brenna, along with Sailor’s friends, Emmabelle and Persephone Penrose, all of whom will be featured in other books in this series.
It’s not necessary to read the prior books before this, as it is a standalone but if you’re so inclined, begin with Sparrow to learn the story of Sailor’s family because it makes this one a little more fun, in my opinion. Cillian Fitzgerald’s story is next in The Villain, and The Monster tells Sam Brennan’s story.
I wasn’t expecting to like this book as much as I did. Hunter particularly surprised me. I didn’t think I could fall for him, but as the story unfolds, you start to see why he gives up and acts like the notorious playboy everyone labels him to be. And Sailor was such an easy character to relate to. She was fierce and strong-willed yet introverted when it came to socializing and making friends. If it weren’t for the cliche ending, I would have given this book five stars.
Sinners was much better! Love the spin off, but didn’t seem her heart was in these characters
Why hadn’t I read this sooner?! For some odd reason, I didn’t realise it was Hunter from the All Saints world!
This story follows playboy and rich boy “Hunter”, who accidentally makes a sex tape, with 5 other girls! His father then snaps and says he will lose his family inheritance if he doesn’t pick up his act, which includes moving from California to live in Boston while working for his father, sober and celibate for 6 months. The other catch? He will have a baby sitter, Sailor Brennan.
(People who have also read the authors precious novel, Sparrow, will also recognise some old characters).
Hunter and Sailor despise each other. And for them forced to live together for 6 months, not a joy to either of them.
Or is it? Living with someone, you get to know every side of them. The bad, and the good.
Will the bad or the good win in the end?
I love this author. She truly writes addictive emotionally connected characters and I felt connected to both Hunter and Sailor from page 1.
5/5 Stars.
I devoured this book over my Christmas break and have now started the sequel – The Villian.
I accidentally found this book as a recommendation and thought the blurb was so interesting. I LOVE feisty FMCs, and Sailor sounded perfect. I’m so glad I gave it a chance! The plot was detailed and suprising. The characters have such great development and chemistry. I can’t wait to read the next book.
This book is simply amazing! I loved, loved this enemies to lovers romance. This story has angst and is an emotional rollercoaster as we ride every high and hit the withdrawal symptoms that the characters endures. I was enthralled and captivated from start to finish. This book had so many fantastic lines, witty banter and inner dialogue. Hunter Fitzpatrick is Boston’s billionaire extraordinaire who is one of the most eligible bachelors, handsome, sexy, tall, brooding, charismatic, and a playboy whose reputation precedes him. His lives his life the way he wants, no concern for the opinion of others. He cares for no one, is completely unrepentant, and he has no desire to change his ways…until he was caught in a scandal. Sailor Brennan is a nerd, archer, tomboy, and she is a force to be reckoned with. Since playboy Hunter enjoys a reckless life style, which got him into trouble with his father, his punishment was to return home and be babysat by none other than Sailor—the nerdiest girl in the city. I loved Sailor—she was entertaining and loved her outgoing spirit. Hunter and Sailor are polar opposites. In fact the only thing they have in common is living in the same house—can opposites attract? Or can they find enough common ground to let their attraction ignite and risk falling in love? The chemistry between Hunter and Sailor is irresistibly adorable and palpable. Their battle of wits is tremendously fun—acerbic and sexy and filled with tension. The result is wicked, witty romance that will capture your heart long before Hunter manages to capture Sailor’s heart. I bought this book because I liked the cover and the blurb. This is the first book I have read of L.J. Shen’s, and I am lost for words of wondering why it has taken me so long—I will be buying more books. L.J. Shen’s eloquent, fluid writing style is flawless and addictive with an engaging love story of artfully developed main characters.
Another great book!! This one follows Hunter, a friend mentioned in the All Saints High series. I found him intriguing so I was pleasantly surprised to see him get his own book!
What a great way to start off the Boston Belles! I loved this book. Hunter and Sailor make a great enemies to lovers couple. She is strong and he needs everything she can give. A good story about growing and learning from those you thought you couldn’t. Definitely a must read!
Audio review:
First, the narration is great. Virginia and Jason did an amazing job.
Second, Sailor is wicked awesome. I want to be her when I grow up.
Third, I wanted to junkpunch Hunter several times during this book – although I did have to give him props for showing Sailor his true feelings near the end. Still, there were comments throughout the story that didn’t sit right with me.
Overall, I generally enjoyed the story and their blossoming relationship, the cameo from Luna and Knight was also appreciated.
Another masterpiece by the amazing and talented L.J. Shen. I was hooked from the very beginning, and I couldn’t put the book down. And after it was done, Hunter and Sailor became one of my favorite characters. “The Hunter” is the first book from the “Boston Belles” series.
If you look up the definition of the word manwhore, there are 99,99% chances you’l find Hunter Fitzpatrick name and picture. He is young, wealthy, strong and hot A.F, and he knows it and owns it.
After one of his sexcapade became viral, his father has enough of Hunter’s behavior and decides to teach him a lesson. He has to restrain himself, became celibate and sober for six months, or he loses his inheritance. Easy said then done.
All her life, Sailor had one dream: to participate at the Olympics aș an archer. She is driven, strong and extremely talented, but doesn’t know how to sell herself to the public. So, when Hunter came crash-landing in her life with an opportunity to good to refused: his father will offer her a full ride to the Olympics (PR team, national coverage, spotlight), she had a hard time saying no. All she had to do was make sure he stays out of trouble, sober and celibate for six months. Piece of cake, right?
I think it is impossible to not love Hunter, I mean the man describes himself as Bambi “cute AF but super stupid and in total need of supervision.” He is loyal to a fault, smart and so funny, with his charm and potty mouth.
He acts like a clown, pretends everything is a joke to him, but in realty all of that is just an act. He spent all his life thinking he isn’t good enough for love, that he does not deserve it. He is so used to people not taking him seriously and leaving him, that he builds walls and walls around him. Walls that made it difficult to get through him, because in his experience people weren’t there to stay, and so he decided to protect himself. See who cares enough to fight and break down those walls. Because that is all he wants, someone to fight for him, to love and care for him, and to show him that he is worthy.
I knew I was gonna love Sailor moments after I started the book. She is so down to earth, simple, hardworking and determined, all qualities I admire at her. She is strong and independent, and doesn’t need a man in her life to feel complete.
She was so unfazed by Hunter’s smooth talk and charms in the beginning, and I knew that both of them were in for a hell of a ride.
Piece by piece, she tore down Hunter’s walls, and slowly making room in his heart.
The two act like cat and mouse, trying to post-pone the inevitable: they are the perfect mold, they are made for each other.
Hold for one moment while I go catch my breath. Woah! I mean woah! Hunter lived up to his name that’s for sure. I loved hunter during the ash series and even more so now. The hunter had me laughing and crying non stop. I felt so bad for hunter. I can’t imagine growing up feeling like the black sheep of my family. My family is the Brennan’s and my husband the Fitzpatricks, in a sense. So I felt a connection with this story. I devoured this book without feeling. Then read it again slowly making sure I didn’t miss anything the first. The banter, loved it! Hunter proving how wonderful he really is, loved it! Sailor blossoming, loved that too! I didn’t think it was possible to love anything more than vicious until we were brought Hunter Fitzpatrick. Heir to royals, playboy, alpha sex god who really wants nothing more than to love and be loved underneath his facade.
LJ Shen truly did I again. This book deserves to be number 1! And I cannot wait for the story of Cillian!
Not my cup of tea, which is why it is the 4 stars instead of 5.
Well written… good character development… good story
First 50% of this book was fun and I liked it a lot. Hunter and Sailor had great chemistry and their banter was really entertaining. Hunter is not one of my favorite characters but Sailor more than made up for his mishaps.
After the 50% mark, I started to enjoy myself less and less. Sure, it was steamy and the banter was still good. I just didn’t like where the story went. The main conflict points felt weak and I didn’t enjoy the suspense sub-plot.
Then, at the 80% mark it just turned into a cheese fest.
So yeah, needless to say, I was a bit disappointed.
This book is the first book that I’ve read by this author, I think I must have sleeping LOL! This book is the first in the Boston Belles Series and is an absolute awesome read and once I started reading it I was totally captivated.
Hunter is a very sexy heir to the company after his brother that is and at the moment he keeps getting himself into really really sticky situations especially after the sex tape and his father is about to put a stop to it all.
Sailor is a very beautiful, independent, sassy young lady and she don’t take no crap from no one. When both of their parents strike up a deal to get these two to live together for 6 months and she needs to now watch over him to make sure he behaves himself, only the both get much much more than they were expecting from each other.
I really enjoyed reading this book and is a fantastic start to the series and once you are apart of Hunter and Sailor’s world you are inside it for good. I loved the characters and the way that this author has written them and brought them to life to the reader and I was completely gripped and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. The story flows and really explodes your mind and gets you totally ready for book #2 The Villan. I cant wait to read ore books for this author in the future and I highly recommend this hot and sexy book to everyone.
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First 50% of this book was funny and entertaining. Hunter and Sailor had great chemistry and the banter between them was well done. I really enjoyed myself although I didn’t like Hunter’s character.
After 50%, I started to enjoy myself less and less. Sure, it was steamy and the banter was still good. I just didn’t like how the plot evolved. The author tried to make it more suspenseful but the plot felt weak and went down hill fast for me.
Then, at the 80% mark it just turned into a cheese fest. Only Cillian remained true to his character.
So yeah, needless to say, I am a bit dissapointed by this book.