Fantasy Lover
by Sherrilyn Kenyon
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Book Reviews of Fantasy Lover
Book Review: Mytho-licious!
Summary: 5 Stars
Okay, so the plot was a little far-fetched. Seriously, what romance isn't?!This book frequently refers to Greek/Roman mythology, which as all you mythophiliacs out there know, is full of far-fetched situations and characters. A person stuck in a scroll/book is not nearly as crazy as some of the other stuff that goes on good ol' Greek myth. Like there was this one guy Narcissus.....
But Narcissus has nothing to do with this book. Julian of Macedon becomes a sympathetic and believable protagonist from an unbelievable otherworldly situation. I especially love that the female protagonist isn't a foxy man-magnet, but rather an average woman with freckles who worries about her weight and breast size. For those of you who can't relate to that, I hate you. For the rest of us, you'll find someone who you end up cheering for in the end, because not only does she get the man of her dreams, but also everyone else's dreams as well. Go Grace! Get that hottie!
There is a lot of quirky humor and some action which keeps the book sliding along at a brisk pace. I read the whole thing in two sittings. (I would've finished it in one but I had to work. *sigh* The curse of the working woman...)
People who would like this book: those who have a basic understanding of mythology (or the ability to keep up with brief, concise explanations), those who know someone crazy from their college years, people who enjoy seeing the less-than-perfect woman get her perfect man, those who love sugar-sweet endings.
People who wouldn't like this book: those who need to have a semi-plausible plot line (no magic, thank you), those who pay way too much attention to detail (like the whole age of living in the dorm thing. whatever.), those who don't like or don't understand myths (this book sounds like Kenyon took a little known myth and made a modern romance out of it.)
That's my two cents.
Book Review: Great introduction to Sherrily Kenyon's vivid imagination
Summary: 4 Stars
I was shopping with my daughter in Barnes & Noble, searching through the romance section when I ran into a young woman and started a conversation about favorite authors. She was into supernatural romance and highly recommended the Dark Hunter series, beginning with "Fantasy Lover." She raved. I loved her enthusiasm and was in the mood for something different than my typical historicals, so I bit. Thank God I did!
I am now on my 12th Dark Hunter story in the last two months, and completely infatuated with the amazing world and mythology that Sherrilyn Kenyon has created. She has leaped to the TOP of my favorite authors, and that's quite a feat.
I'm not going to summarize "Fantasy Lover," as you can find a thorough description of the plot elsewhere on this page. What I want to say is how surprised I was to find a story that started off as a apparent bit of fluff, turn into such a deep, emotionally satisfying tale of love, redemption, sacrifice, and commitment. I loved how Kenyon built the attraction and affection between Julian and Grace, and how she conveyed their chemistry through believable, endearing actions and witty dialog. I also appreciated Kenyon's introduction and spin on Greek Mythology, weaving unexpected characters into her story, and laying the foundation for the realm of her Dark Hunters. I thought it was so clever of her to bring ancient gods into the arena of modern life.
I give the book 4 out of 5 stars because it was a rather "contained" story. Once Kenyon officially kicked off her DH series, and especially with Talon's story in Book 3, she really kicked it into high gear with multiple character introductions and ongoing storylines.
If you're ready to dive into a phenomenal fantasy romance series, I highly recommend "Fantasy Lover" and wish you HAPPY READING!
Book Review: Fantastic love story
Summary: 5 Stars
Everyone else has given a background on the characters, so I didn't feel the need to be repetitive. I couldn't put this book down, finished it in about 4 hours and I didn't want the story to end. This was an ultimate love story. The hero, Julian, is this gorgeous man whom every woman wants to get with, but he has inner demons that continually plague him. The heroine, Grace, doesn't particularly think she is a very attractive woman, not one to get catcalls at, and was used in the past by a cruel lover and has issues with intimacy, which I find funny, as she is a sex therapist. =) Julian has done some things in the past for which he is being punished for, hence being trapped in a book as a love-slave and can't even begin to think that he would be worthy of Grace's love. She, on the other hand, doesn't feel like she is beautiful enough for him and of course, has her own intimacy issues. The story kept me laughing. I especially liked the fact that the heroine isn't some hot babe that every man drools over, it was the other way around. I also liked the fact that Julian couldn't keep his hands off Grace and it wasn't due to the love-slave job he was there to perform. He really did see her for who she was and loved her. She also didn't just see a hot male, she wanted him for who he was. When they do find love, it is one that is unmatched in any other romance novel I have read. Oh, don't get me wrong, I have my favorite authors and love their books, but this love story was so strong and heart wrenching that I was crying towards the end. With a really good romance, I might sniffle a little but I usually don't think of myself as a romance crier. But boy, was I sobbing last night. They would do anything for each other and proved that in the end. Wonderful story. Can't wait to read the next installment with the Dark Hunter series.Book Review: But be warned, have a pair of oven mitts handy.
Summary: 5 Stars
Grace Alexander is a modern day sex therapist who doesn't care about dating. A born again virgin, she has sworn off men forever. At least until her zany best friend unearths a book in an antique shop that contains one fab ancient general who was cursed to be a sex slave to whoever summons him out of the book. Julian of Macedon was an ancient general who lived to thwart Rome. But after a few thousand years, he has learned to want nothing except to experience what pleasures he can before he is forced into the book again (he has a month to please his summoner). Until he meets Grace. She doesn't treat him like a nameless sex object, she treats him like a man. She finds his wounded heartthat has suffered untold centuries of torment and sorrow and brings light back into it. Throw in a few Greek gods, some for Julian, some against, cast of memorable secondary characters and a love story larger than life, and you have a fun, fab mix that is guaranteed to win over every reader's heart. Words can't express just how much I enjoyed this story. Sherrilyn Kenyon's imagination should be considered a national treasure. Julian is one of the strongestheroes I have read in a long time. It's been a week since I read this and I still can't get it out of my thoughts or heart. Fantasy Lover is sure to become the standard by which all paranormals will be measured and found wanting. Not since Dara Joy have we seen so powerful a voice, so imaginative a writer and so steamy a love scene. My only complaint about the book is that I wanted to see more of Kyrian. But just from the snippets I saw of him, I know his book will be every bit as great as this one and I can't wait to read it too. I give this book a resounding Pinerock salute and urge everyone to run out and buy it as soon as it comes out. But be warned, have a pair of oven mitts handy.
Book Review: I did not "hiss in pleasure"
Summary: 1 Stars
Being a huge fan of Greek mythology and of dark fantasy, I was hoping for so much more. I was under the impression from the stellar reviews that I had finally found an original series weaving together both ancient and more recently created mythological beings (ie., vampires) that would be punctuated with a couple of pulse-quickening romance scenes to spice it all up. Instead, I found corny sex scene after corny sex scene weakly strung together by an even weaker plot.
I wasn't expecting it to be realistic. I mean, seriously- it's a book about Greek deities thrown into the modern world. Sorta. I was, however, hoping for some realism in the "modern" day human characters. I didn't buy the whole "if you can't play, coach" thing going on with Grace as a sexually traumatized sex therapist. Not did I buy her tarot-reading PhD pal, Selena, who rattles off ancient Greek at the drop of a hat. Julian is a sex-slave half-deity whom women can't resist but, gosh darn-it, can't someone just love him for HIM? Poor abused Spartan General. If Momma Aphrodite had only hugged him once in a while...
The sex scenes, which unfortunately dominated the book, were down right silly. I found myself gritting my teeth in annoyance everytime Grace "hissed in pleasure". Cats hiss and I don't find the sound to be at all erotic, nor have I ever been tempted to imitate the sound in the throes of passion. Julian's groin was constantly on fire (put a bag of ice on it already), nubs and peaks are referred to over and over again, and there are lots of tongues leaving trails of fire. Yawn.
The idea of the book was creative and imaginative but the execution did a giant belly flop. I was wishing for a riveting new series. Instead, I find myself wishing I could get the money and time back that I wasted on this novel.