Book Review: Fantasy Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon
The characters in this book were very lovable and real. Grace and Julian had great chemistry and it positively sizzles as you read through the book. Their story is very sweet, but not too much.
The lack of action in this book took out the 0.5 on the perfect rating. it would have been nice to have a bit more.
1This was the first book in the Dark Hunter series by paranormal romance author Sherrilyn Kenyon. It was released on February 2, 2002.
Julian of Macedon, one of the greatest generals of the Spartan army and son of Aphrodite, was stuck in a book. If that wasn’t bad enough, he was cursed to be a sex slave to whoever summons him from the book. He had one month of sex slave duties and no hope of being free. Two thousand years of living in a book with no food, no water and no light. He had seized to fight the curse and surrendered his feelings of humanity with it. What was the use? He had tried, but all had failed. His mother left him to his misery and this looked to be a punishment for all eternity. If he could only kill his brother for this, he most definitely would. So when he was summoned, he was definitely not expecting someone who didn’t want to have sex with him or to be attracted to her out of the bedroom.
Grace Alexander had a practical mind. She never believed in the paranormal stuff that her best friend Selena keeps spouting about. Having no sex life whatsoever, her best friend thought it would be a good idea to summon a sex slave to liven up her boring sexless life. Really?! She had no intentions of ever doing this crazy stunt that Selena had cooked up. Plied with drinks and more than a bit tipsy, she got into the spirit and did it anyways. She expected it to be a joke and got the surprise of her life – a month with Julian of Macedon. Instead of having sex, she tries to help free Julian from his curse. For a man who has no hope, she is more than willing to help him out. Will they succeed?
This is the first book of the series and really entertaining. Although this is the first book of the dark hunter series, it barely had any information about them. The only connection that is apparent is the involvement of Greek gods. The greatest part about this book is the cast. Julian and Grace are very endearing. Julian’s character is very Old World, which makes him chivalrous and a bit romantic. He has strength of character and endurance that I found fascinating. Grace is not the perfect girl with perfect features. She is portrayed as an average adult on a sexual hiatus. The most noticeable character trait for her is her kindness. It was what Julian really needed. There were also twists in the story and surprises that made the book stand out.
From my standpoint, there wasn’t much action in this book. There was a sizzle of sexual attraction, but no fight scenes that keep the readers on the edge of their seats. For the most part, it contains Julian’s story and their struggles on breaking the curse and ending his suffering. The time limit of one month was just right. Regardless, the book wasn’t boring, but actually pretty sweet.
For Dark Hunter series followers, this is really a must-have. This is a book that shows compassion and determination in the face of impossible odds as well as the fact that sometimes help can come in the most surprising packages. It just takes a little bit of courage to open it. To those who are new to the Dark Hunter series, this would ease your way into the paranormal world and leave you curious as to what would be the next book. You won’t be disappointed.
