The Hunter (Boston Belles #1) – L.J. Shen

Genre: Romance
Publisher: Self-Published
Pages: 394
Release Date: May 11, 2020

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. 

>

The Hunter is my first L.J. Shen novel and it will not be my last. The Hunter is a fun enemies-to-lovers romance.

The Hunter follows Hunter as his party boy ways catch up to him and he’s forced to either reform his lifestyle or risk being disinherited. Enter Sailor. She’s hyper focused on her dream of making the Olympics and will stop at nothing to realize it. She’s tasked with keeping Hunter in line for six months by becoming his live in babysitter.

The Hunter is told from Hunter and Sailor’s perspectives. Hunter’s perspective is crass and direct. It’s exactly how you would imagine a playboy’s inner monologue would be. Hunter is unapologetically himself, even when it’s cringe worthy to read.

Sailor is driven and focused. It took her a lot longer to fall for Hunter than I expected (something I appreciated). Sailor gives as good as she gets and refuses to cower before Hunter.

‘”Submit, prey,” he growled darkly.
“Fight harder for it, Hunter.”’

Hunter is the son of a very successful oil business man, so his family life has been less than ideal. Hunter’s family dynamics reminded of HBO’s Succession. So, if you liked Succession you will definitely like the subplot of The Hunter.

My biggest issue with The Hunter is the final few chapters. The ending feels long and dragged out. This feeling is partly due to the fact that I wasn’t all that invested in the plot not connected to Hunter and Sailor’s relationship. This subplot takes on a greater role at the ending of the novel that I did not enjoy.

Overall, The Hunter is a fun and sexy enemies-to-lovers novel that I actually enjoyed. I’m usually not a of fan of this romance trope, however Shen created just enough tension between Hunter and Sailor to make their relationship addicting to read.

<

Have you read The Hunter? What did you think?