Fantasy Lover
by Sherrilyn Kenyon
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Book Reviews of Fantasy Lover
Book Review: Loved it!!
Summary: 5 Stars
This was the first book I have really read by Kenyon and I couldn't put it down....
It starts us off with Grace Alexander, who has bad history with men and doesn't have too much confidence in herself. For her 29th birthday her best friend gifts her with a mysterious book that holds a picture of the absolute most sexy and gorgeous man Grace has ever seen. This man happens to be Julian of Macedon, a spartan general who is the son of Aphrodite and a mortal spartan commander. He's been cursed for the last two thousand years to live within the book and can only be summoned by a woman right before midnight on the night of a full moon by saying his name three times. After he's summoned he is compelled to stay with that woman for an entire month until midnight of the next full moon and he has to pleasure her in any way she wishes, which he is very skilled at.
Grace, not believing a word of the curse and also slightly drunk, summons him - and the fun begins.
This was captivating, funny, heartbreaking and an extremely exciting story. I began it last night at about 8 o'clock, just figuring I would read a chapter or two and ended up halfway through it at 5:30 in the morning. I finished it this afternoon and enjoyed every minute. I love the story that Kenyon spins with this tale and the substance she gave to each character. I must end my review here as I don't want to give too much away but I would highly suggest reading this book. It isn't technically a dark-hunter novel, although amazon lists it as one, Kenyon's website lists it as just additional reading to the series. I am glad I read it first though...it gives some insight and hinting to Kyrian of Thrace who appears in the first Dark Hunter novel "Night Pleasures" - I plan to start that one tomorrow.
Book Review: I was disappointed
Summary: 2 Stars
I have never read this author before. Based on the reviews here, I got this book and settled in to be entertained. It just didn't happen. Other reviews posted have detailed the gist of the book very well, so I won't be repetitive. Honestly, I found the heroine Grace, a 29-year-old 21st century sex therapist with a Phd and sexual hang-ups of her own, to be unbelievable. "Physician, heal thyself" kept going through my mind. When the author wrote about thoughts and feelings in this story, she seemed to capture the emotions of the characters beautifully, but when she wrote actual dialogue, it seemed like a completely different author to me! I found much of the dialogue immature and unbelievable. Example: Grace calling this Greek love-slave "buster" on a few occasions as she avoided his advances, as well as her highly-educated yet quirky friend Selena using the phrase "holy green guacamole!" several times was just odd to me. I just do not know a 29-year-old highly professional woman who would use the term "buster" in this day and age, nor would Grace's friend Selena be old enough to remember the Batman series (holy this and holy that, Batman)!
Lastly, the sexual foreplay episodes Grace and Julian engaged in were interesting, no doubt, but when they finally "did the deed", it was a let-down. The man, after all, was not only Aphrodite's son, but had been a "love-slave" for 2000 years, and I do believe the "act" would have/should have been much more creative than the way Ms. Kenyon wrote it. It just seemed like she was rushing to finish this book and just got it over with as expeditiously as possible.
I wish I could be more positive, and I really tried to see what the other reviewers saw, but in my opinion, this book feel way short of my expectations.
Book Review: Bodice ripper for the romance junky.
Summary: 3 Stars
This book was loaned to me because of the fantasy aspect, and I read it to be polite. At first I planned a scathing review, but as I look over the feedback this novel has received so far, I realize I am not being fair to the novel, or the genre. As a fantasy/romance novel, this book was okay. I get the strong impression that fans of this genre are not terribly concerned with character development, or plot complexity. That being said, what I liked about this book was:
The imprisonment of Julian, and the fact that he was conscious, and experienced normal human needs that could not be fulfilled while he was trapped.
The Greek God/Goddesses that popped in and out.
Julian's backstory, and the fact that he wasn't always a saint, erring not once, but twice in a major way.
What I did not like about this novel was the extreme simplicity of the plot. The main conflict between Julian and Grace is the ONLY conflict. Okay, so there's a creepy stalker used to endanger Grace's life and give Julian a chance to save it. I imagine a romance novel is not complete unless the damsel is saved at least once.
The characters were simple little things, and the reader knew exactly how their development would wind up.
This novel is for readers who want a sexy brain vacation. This novel is not for serious fantasy-heads that are seeking extensive plot/character development. People who enjoy this novel may want to try Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake (books 11-current) or Merry Gentry (all) series. Those recommended series have easily deciphered plots, and plenty of sex. Those seeking more in-depth fantasy with a touch of plot driven sex may enjoy Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carrey.
Book Review: I really wanted to like this book but . . .
Summary: 3 Stars
I do enjoy books like this one with its mixture of fantasy, humor, and hot sex - but this book had too many flaws to make it a keeper. In this book, a Spartan general is imprisoned in a book. He is periodically released from the book when summoned to act as a sex slave for a month. Our vulnerable heroine is persuaded to summon him and then decides to save him rather than jump his bones.
The book did have its good points. The hero is not just sexy, but also nurturing (which does not seem altogether realistic for a Spartan general). The heroine tries to heal her wounded hero. The book was written well enough that I finished it - but I was dragged out of the fantasy too often by inconsistencies in the plot.
For example, the heroine was 24 when her parents were killed. Shortly thereafter, she is seduced by a heartless scoundrel - this is her first and only experience with sex until the hero appears. At the time of the seduction, the heroine was living in a dorm! - how many 24 year old grad students live in dorms?
The heroine is a sex therapist, but she can't be a very good one. She can't handle her own trauma. Even worse, in the only scenes in the book where she is at work, she is either silently mocking here clients or tuning them out while she day-dreams about the hero.
I don't mind sexually experienced heroines, but I guess many authors prefer to use innocent or semi-innocent heroines. Now that contemporary romance heroines tend to be in their mid to late twenties (instead of their late teens), it is harder for authors to convincingly make them virgins. In this case, Sherrilyn Kenyon had to go too far in her plot manipulations and spoiled a story with a lot of potential.
Book Review: Why was this recommended to me?
Summary: 1 Stars
I've seen Sherrilyn Kenyon's books all over the place, and finally went to pick one up at the used bookstore. Apparently the one I grabbed was a newer one, so the woman very helpfully steered me toward the first in the series, and said that the title was silly but the book was great.
Okay, I'll go for it, she seemed to genuinely like it.
Now I'm not really sure what there is to like about it. The characters were completely flat and contrived, and the constant "woe is me" and lack of any real plot made it like slugging through molasses.
~SPOILERS!~
There were a couple of "conflicts" in there, but the one at the end that should have been the climax of the novel was resolved in a single page. And oh, surprise! Now Julian is rich, and suddenly has a teaching degree in addition to being amazingly sensitive and gorgeous. Oh, and she's so "plain" but he thinks she's beautiful!
It reminded me of Twilight, sans sparkly vampires and with more (oh-so-meaningful) sex. There are so many deus ex machina situations in this book, it felt a lot like the author had no initial plotline, just wrote things in as she thought of them.
A good drinking game would be to go through and take a shot at every mention of Julian's erection, or every time he says that he wants to feel Grace's hair on his chest.
I'm undecided as to if I'll read another one of her books or not - many people seem to say that her later books are significantly better. I did find one at the dollar store (hardback even!) though that fact doesn't bode very well for it.