Wednesday 11 May 2011

Review: Fantasy Lover - Sherrilyn Kenyon

It might sound like a man's favourite fantasy - to live forever, destined to be the lover of thousands of women.  But for Julian of Macedon, it's a nightmare.  Once he was a proud Spartan general; now he's a love-slave, his essence magically held captive in a book, cursed to spend all eternity pleasing women.  Then, one day, Grace Alexander summons Julian to fulfill her passionate dreams - and sees beyond the fantasy to the man himself.

Long years as a sex therapist, listening to other people's bedroom problems, have taken a lot of the fun out of the physical side of love for Grace.  But with or without sex, the rules of the enchantment cannot be changed - Julian is hers for the next month.  And, as their time together slips by, Julian and Grace find more to share than sympathy and conversation and they begin to wonder if love might be within their grasp.  That leaves only one question.  Is love enough to break a 2,000-year-old curse?

The Dark-Hunters Series:
The Beginning (Short Story)
Fantasy Lover
Dragonswan (Novella) (Were-Hunter 0.5)
Night Pleasures
Night Embrace
Dance with the Devil
Kiss of the Night
Night Play (Were-Hunter 1)
Seize the Night
Sins of the Night
Unleash the Night (Were-Hunter 2)
Dark Side of the Moon (Were-Hunter 3)
The Dream-Hunter (Dream-Hunter 1)
Fear the Darkness (Short Story)
Devil May Cry
Upon the Midnight Clear (Dream-Hunter 2)
Dream Chaser (Dream-Hunter 3)
Acheron
One Silent Night
Dream Warrior (Dream-Hunter 4)
Bad Moon Rising (Hellchaser 1, Were-Hunter 4)
Dark-Hunter: An Insider's Guide (Hellchaser 2)
No Mercy (Were-Hunter 5)
Retribution
The Guardian (Dream-Hunter 5, Were-Hunter 6, Hellchaser 3)
Time Untime (Were-Hunter 7, Hellchaser 4)
Styxx
Dark Bites (Short Story Anthology)
Son of No One (Were-Hunter 8, Hellchaser 5)
Dragonbane (Were-Hunter 9, Hellchaser 6)
Dragonmark (2016)

Chronicles of Nick Series:
(This is a YA spin off from Sherrilyn Kenyon's adult Dark-Hunters series)
Infinity
Invincible
Infamous
Inferno
Illusion
Instinct
Invasion (2016)
Intensity (2017)

Visit Sherrilyn Kenyon's website for more information

Review:
Julian has spent the last 2,000 years trapped inside a book suffering from endless loneliness and torment.  The only time he is free is when a woman summons him but even then he becomes an unwilling slave for a month - the conditions of his curse ensuring that he must do whatever is requested of him by the person who called him.  Grace is a sex therapist and listening to other people's problems, along with her own disastrous relationship history, has put her off men.  When her friend gives her a book and promises her a month of passion if she follows the ritual inside she thinks it's a joke but fueled by alcohol she decides she has nothing to lose.  She couldn't be more shocked when Julian appears naked in her front room but she has never been interested in a casual relationship.  Julian is surprised to find he has been summoned by someone who doesn't seem to want him just for his body, as they get to know each other better they both start to develop feelings but can they find a way to break the curse before Julian's month is up?

I've heard people raving about the Dark Hunters series for a long time now, in fact I bought the first 4 books in the series about 2 years ago but still hadn't got around to giving them a try.  Now I'm kicking myself for not picking this up sooner!  If Fantasy Lover is any indication this is going to be a series I love and I can't wait to get started on the next book.  I have to admit from the description I was expecting the story to be nothing but a sex fest (which would have been fine as I do love some well written smut occasionally) so I was pleasantly surprised to find that there was much more to the story.  Don't worry if you're a smut lover though - there was enough of that to keep me happy too. 

I really liked both of the main characters, Grace has been hurt in the past and hates the idea of just using Julian for his body and then letting him be sucked back into the book to wait for the next woman to call on him.  Julian has suffered endlessly since he was cursed, alternating between loneliness inside the book and being used by women who are only interested in sex when he called on.  Even before the curse he didn't have the best track record with love so he has become disillusioned about romance and never expected to meet someone like Grace.  Seeing what life could be like with her he feels hope for the first time but is there any way that they can be together?  The two of them make a great couple and I enjoyed watching their feelings develop throughout the book.

I loved the smattering of Greek mythology and hope to see more of that in the rest of the series.  I can't wait to actually get to know the Dark Hunters now - although this novel is in the Dark Hunter series we haven't actually met any of them yet.  If you're a paranormal romance fan and haven't started this series yet I'd definitely recommend giving it a try.  I'm sure Sherrilyn Kenyon is soon going to join my list of favorite authors!

Source: Received from Piatkus in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

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