Álomszerető

Hunter Legends #1

by Sherrilyn Kenyon, Varga Zsófia (Translator)

Egy férfi, akit arra kárhoztattak, hogy örök élete során több ezer asszony szeretője legyen. Julian mindent tud a nőkről; miként szóljon hozzájuk, mi a lelkük kulcsa és legfőképpen, hogyan tüzelje fel a testüket. Ám Julian átkozza azt a napot, amikor büszke spártai katonából szerelmi rabszolga, dicsőséges hadvezérből vágyakozó nők szexuális játékszere lett. Másnak a gyönyörű testek, a kéjes női sikolyok elérhetetlennek tűnő vágyak, neki véget nem érő kínok. Egy napon Grace Alexander hívatja a szexrabszolgát, hogy kielégítse vágyait, de a fenséges asszony – oly sok nő közül először – felfigyel a büszke férfira, és kettőjük szerelme talán még a szörnyű átkot is megtörheti…

A paranormális romantikus regények királynője, J.R. Ward, és Charleine Harris mellett a legnagyobb név a műfajban. Az Álomszeretővel induló Sötét Vágyak Vadászai sorozata a műfaj legnagyobb sikersorozata, regényei pedig világszerte több, mint tízmillió példányban fogytak eddig, és uralják a sikerlistákat. Kinley MacGergor néven Magyarországon is népszerű kosztümös romantikus regényeket ír.

Genres: Romance, Paranormal Romance, Paranormal, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Mythology, Adult

448 pages, Paperback

First published December 28, 1999

About the author

Official Author site
Official Nevermore site
Official Deadman's Cross site
Official Chronicles of Nick site
Official Silent Swans site
Official Hunter Legends site
Official Witch of Endor site
Official Lords of Avalon site
Official Facebook site

New York Times and international bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon is a regular at the #1 spot. With legions of fans known as Paladins (thousands of whom proudly sport tattoos from her series and who travel from all over the world to attend her appearances), her books are always snatched up as soon as they appear on store shelves. Since 2004, she had placed more than 80 novels on the New York Times list in all formats including manga and graphic novels. Her current series are: Dark-Hunters, Chronicles of Nick and The League, and her books are available in over 100 countries where eager fans impatiently wait for the next release. Her Chronicles of Nick and Dark-Hunter series are soon to be major motion pictures while Dark-Hunter is also being developed as a television series. Join her and her Paladins online at MySherrilyn.com and www.facebook.com/mysherrilyn

Fan Run International Sites:

Argentinian FB Page 

Fans de Sherrilyn Kenyon en Columbia 

Fans de Sherrilyn Kenyon en Chile 

Filipino Fans on FB 

France/French 

Italy/Italian 

Portugal 

Soy Fans de Sherrilyn Kenyon 

Dark-Hunter Spain 

Spanish

Reviews

[Mel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn't wait to finish this book... but for all the wrong reasons. Even a 2 star rating seems generous.

Back in 2002, when this book first came out, it was probably fresh and exciting. But from then on a lot has evolved in UF/PNR-land and I think I've been 'spoiled' with good quality writing.

The writing was extremely simplistic, repetitive and annoying. The POV changing wasn't done well at all. The story was (I know: even for a PNR about a 2000 year old Spartan demi God) totally unrealistic. The characters as well as their actions were unbelievable.

Take for instance our heroine: Grace. Despite the fact that she was a successful sex therapist, she seemed to have little to no sexual knowledge (she kept talking about feelings she never knew that existed, both mentally and physically). She also kept bringing up personal and vulnerable topics with the hero while in the presence of others. Privacy anyone? Oh and the cherry on the cake was that this supposed sex therapist had her own untreated sexual trauma, a fact that makes you project your own problems on your patients and therefore makes you a bad therapist. The big trauma was that she was deflowered (at 24?) by some guy who didn't care for her. And 5 years later she was still all shaken up about it. Booo fucking hoo!

Argh, this book had me rolling my eyes constantly. The dialogues and inner monologues at times seemed to be competing for the prize of 'cheesiest lines ever'. If it wasn't for my compulsion to finish stuff I started and the fact that I wanted to know what the Kenyon-fuss was about, I would have thrown the book out. No, maybe ritually burnt it.

I'm told that the Dark Hunter series is good so I'm actually willing to spend money on the second book. I hope I won't be sorry...

[Beth F · Rating 4 out of 5]

With a title like “Fantasy Lover” I was not expecting this book to be so riotously funny! Gorgeous man, yes. Sexual tension, for sure. Hot sex, hell yeah. But comedy? Who knew?!? HAHA! I’m on the verge of busting out into one of those snorting, wheezing laughs that makes your cheeks hurt just remembering the hilarious heinosity (I realize that isn’t a real word) that filled the pages of this book.

Him
Julian of Macedon is an ancient warrior of the Macedonian variety (hence the name “Julian of Macedon”). His mother was Aphrodite, Greek goddess of love. So obviously he’s smoking hot. Blonde. Has killer blue eyes. And big muscles. And he’s also amazing in the sack. To use one of the heroines phrases, “I wouldn’t toss him out of bed for eating crackers.” Well said, Grace, well said.

When Julian was 32, he seduced a virgin he had no business seducing and was cursed to spend eternity as a love slave. And what, pray tell, is a love slave? Well. A love slave exists solely to pleasure whatever woman summons him to her secret chambers. From one full moon to the next, Julian fulfills his masters every sexual fantasy. For an entire month, he is compelled to want her. To crave her pleasure. Every man’s dream, right? Right. Except the gods seem to have taken away his ability to have an orgasm. Poor thing.

2,000 years later...

Her
Grace Alexander, 29, has only had sex a couple times and wasn’t overly fond of it. Despite these odds, she is a sex therapist. At the start of the book, she admits that she has been celibate for four years. The therapist in her needs to help people and realizes that there is more to life than sex. So when she summons Julian the love slave to her side (as a joke, Grace is far too practical to believe in something so silly as a Macedonian love slave) and he actually shows up (gasp!), Grace makes it her mission to help Julian break the curse and give him back his humanity. Saved by Grace indeed.

Cheese
I desperately wish I’d written down all the references to cheese in this novel. Who knew one would find so many references to cheese, eating cheese and playing with cheese in a smut novel? To be perfectly honest, cheese is one of my favorite things. Ever. Cheese will single-handedly be the reason I am destined to walk around for the rest of my life with a little extra padding on my curves and I’m perfectly comfortable with that knowledge. So the cheese references really spoke to me and sold me on Sherrilyn Kenyon’s bizarre sense of humor.

***mild spoilers after this point***

Breaking the Curse
1 Love Slave + 1 Born Again Virgin Sex Therapist = the following conditional statement: if they want to break the curse, they can’t have sex for a whole month.

Sex
Uh, yeah. There’s a lot of it. Sherrilyn Kenyon is a total perv and I love her for it. To break the curse, Julian and Grace can’t have at it for an entire month, but they’re both highly creative people who find all kinds of ways to have sex without actually doing it. The voyeur in me was highly satisfied with this arrangement. And once they finally had at it, I was so happy I cried. Okay, that’s a lie. But I was very happy for them and was laughing so hard over the last few pages that I was near tears and am pretty sure the other people in the cafeteria were wondering what I was on because I was laughing. Quietly. But definitely out loud.

Laughed so Hard I Cried and Almost Peed
Cupid (Julian’s brother) makes his appearance in this novel as a biker dude and Psyche is his blonde, biker bimbo. Both Athena and Aphrodite also show up and both make comments about “kicking ass” or say “kick his ass” which is the absolute last thing on Earth I would have expected to hear from Greek goddesses. I laughed so hard I almost peed my pants.

I’ve queued up another Kenyon novel to my account with booksfree.com and can’t wait!

[Exina · Rating 5 out of 5]

"So, what’s your style preference?"
"For what I have in mind, nudity works best."

Fantasy Lover is an amazing prequel to the Dark-Hunter series, based on Greek Mythology, the love story of Julian and Grace.

Julian, who was the most feared Macedonian general of his time, was betrayed and cursed to be a love slave for all time. Grace is the only one who is able to break this curse.

Grace is always rational, maybe too rational: she tries to find sense even in lust.

She couldn’t very well let him join her in bed like that.
Sure you could.
No I can’t.
Please?
Hush, self, let me think.

But eventually her steadiness saves Julian. She is honest, perceptive, and always gives regards to Julian’s feelings. She has a strong empathy for him, she understands him, sees him as himself, not only his perfect appearance.

She was the first woman to see him. Not his looks, not his body, not his warrior’s prowess. She saw inside his soul.

I love Julian, I feel so sorry for his sufferings both in his human life and in the immortal one. Despite his incredibly cruel childhood, and past, Julian managed to remain a gentle, caring man.



Sherrilyn Kenyon has a special talent to write heart-wrenching lines. She doesn't simply give a description of emotions, but she is also able to make you feel them. Though there is no Dark-Hunter in this novel, Julian will appear in the following books, which is more than welcomed. Fantasy Lover is a really great start to the Dark-Hunter series.

[Jilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best part of this book? Grace's dinner: Four pieces of pizza, two Hostess cupcakes, and four glasses of wine. Now, that's something I can relate to. Conjuring a Greek-god sex slave that finds the normal, slightly chubby Grace irresistible? Not so much.


Considering how much this guy has been around....

Anything Greek mythology related and I usually love it. There was a little bit of mythology, along with some Roman and Greek history. *But*, there was mostly a romance that included a lot of "heat swirling stomachs", "deep moans", and "hot looks". And, the main point of the story was for them to avoid having sex so that they could break his curse. So much longing...

Aaannnd, he's been with thousands of women and is angsty while she is pretty much a virgin.


soooo original!

But, I thought this was a prequel to the Dark Hunter series, so that's why I read it. Apparently, I was wrong. I know!?! Me, wrong? I guess it could happen. So, on to the first Dark Hunter book. There is someone who has been trying to get me to read this series for years. Happy now, Jen?

[Beatriz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Relectura de la que fue mi primera novela en este género de romance paranormal y la precuela de mis adorados Cazadores Oscuros. A pesar que la devoré igual que la primera vez, reconozco que con varias sagas más en el cuerpo la apreciación fue bien diferente y logré involucrarme más con las carencias afectivas de los personajes, que con sus tórridos interludios. Mantengo mis 4 estrellas.

Reseña 1a lectura
Un libro romántico hasta la médula, con una muy buena dosis de erotismo. Es una novela livianita, pero muy, muy entretenida. Debo reconocer que me la devoré.

Al principio, la utilización de la mitología griega para sustentar la parte fantástica se hace un poco absurda (probablemente es así hasta el final), pero la historia se va poniendo tan entretenida, que hasta eso se perdona.

[Maya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not my first book by this author and I actually started off with this series by reading the sequel of this story. I know, strange, but it worked for me. I liked the sequel enough to read this story. And I love, love, loved it!!! The story is a mix of greek ancient time, where gods still rulled the world and the present time where the gods sadly still rule but more so in the background. But it's not just gods and myths, there are also some other supernatural beeings that make the plot really interesting. The hero, Julian, is to die for, he's a tortured old soul but with so much love to give. He's been a love slave, trapped in the book,  for almost two thousand years and surprisingly enough he's still sane. I adore him. The same goes for Grace, she's got such a big heart and loved the way those two found their way to each other. So sweet!!! They have to sacrifice to gain but the wait is so worth it. What a wonderful read. 

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 wishful stars

Blessed by Aphrodite’s divine touch, he grew into such a man that no woman could deny him her body. For when it came to the Art of Love, he knew no equal— his stamina far beyond that of any mere mortal man. His desires hot and wild, he could never be tamed. Or denied.

Fantasy Lover is the first book in the Dark Hunter series, a delicious paranormal take on the genie in the lamp, except instead of rubbing the lamp you make a birthday wish, substitute a Greek love-slave for the genie, a book instead of a lamp and a month long pleasure vs. three wishes. Sounds like a good time right !?!

His only goal will be to please you, to serve you. To savor you. In his arms, you will learn true paradise.

But in this case you have Julian, who is trapped in a curse for more than two thousand years, so he is pretty jaded and on the other hand you have Grace, who is too kind who felt for him and couldn't imagine using someone for their own pleasure...no matter how tempting they may be. Now she has a month to come up with a way to break his curse and set him free.

“What if we could find a way to get you free?”

“I assure you, there isn’t one.”

“Fatalistic, aren’t you?”

He cast a droll look at her. “Being trapped for two thousand years does that to a person.”

Grace takes Julian under her wing and teaches him how to live in the present, wanting to get to know him and shows her the things she enjoys outside the bedroom. Julian forgot what it was like to be respected, live with some kind of dignity and have a woman who sees you for you and not just what you can do for them. Grace isn't keen on the idea of having sex with out the emotion, she needs to feel for the person and more importantly they need to feel for her. How much longer can she keep on saying no, when he wakes everything up inside her willing her to say, yes!

“Do you know, I can feel your presence all over my body? With every sense I possess?”

Fantasy Lover was an definitely an entertaining read, it had whit, sarcasm, humor, heat and heart. While we get caught up in the who's, the why's and the what next, it wasn't that hard to follow and connect the dots. It is a sweet touching read, I personally expected it to be all sex, so it was a nice surprise... did I wish there was a tad bit more, of course, but that is just me for you. The book was written in 2002, and in some weird way it was noticeable, I usually don't pick up on those kind of things but while I read it felt a bit outdated. Regardless, it was an enjoyable read, not really sure how this coincides with the Dark Hunters, since there really wasn't any hunting going on, but I guess I'll find out as soon as I move onto the next book.

[Julianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantasy Lover is the first full-length novel by Sherrilyn Kenyon that I have read, and I absolutely loved it. It was packed with thoroughly romantic moments and beautiful sensuality that was sheer perfection for me, and that was even without the hero and heroine actually having sex until the very end of the book. I consider myself to be a very girly girl, and I find that Ms. Kenyon's writing style has a very feminine quality that is very appealing to me. I like the balance that she finds between the serious side of life and finding humor even in dark circumstances. I thought that the use of Greek gods and goddesses as secondary characters was a very unique element that made me want to go brush up on my knowledge of Greek mythology. Some people seemed to think that the ending was too rushed, and while I could in some ways see where they're coming from, I really didn't mind. For me it was full of unexpected twists and turns that engaged my attention so much that I completely lost track of time.

I loved both Grace and Julian. They were just as perfect for me as the story was as a whole. Julian is the classic tortured hero, completely gorgeous on the outside but feeling unworthy of true love because of his past. Grace was just as sweet as could be and very relatable for me. While some readers thought her to be weak because of her tender-heartedness, I thought that she had a quiet inner strength and determination that was endearing. What I liked most about Grace and Julian's relationship is how they gave so freely and unselfishly to each other. When Julian sold his most precious possession to replace Grace's most precious possessions that were destroyed, my heart just did flip-flops. Also, being the book lover that I am, I thoroughly enjoyed the scenes where Julian derives so much pleasure from Grace reading to him. Sometimes it's just the little things that make a character or a story special for me. I know I probably sound like a gushing fan-girl, but I really did love this book, and can't wait to read more of the Dark-Hunter series. I borrowed this book from the library, but I will definitely be getting my own copy to place on my keeper shelf. It is very rare for me to place an author among my favorites when I have read so few of their works (I've only read one other novella by her), but I relate to Sherrilyn Kenyon's writing style so much, I couldn't imagine that I wouldn't enjoy almost anything she's written.

[Viri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mi primera relectura de la saga. Y fue tal como esperaba. Sigo y seguiré amando estos libros hasta mi muerte. Fin.

Pd: ya intenté lo de repetir el nombre tres veces.

NO FUNCIONÓ.


Mala suerte la mía.

[Jessica's Totally Over The Top Book Obsession · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW I love love love it!!!! Great book I would give it more than 5 stars I cant wait to read the rest of the series

[Em Lost In Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

somewhere between 2.5 to 3.

[Danielle The Book Huntress · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book. Definitely an A+. Sherrilyn just has a gift for making characters that you shed tears for and fall in love with. Julian really touched my heart and I felt for him in his pain. SK also has a great way with telling ancient history so that you're riveted. I admit I'm a history buff anyway, but she just brings it to light in a vivid and interesting way. And she seems fairly accurate in a way that Xena and Hercules aren't always. Her books make me want to go out and buy a book on ancient history and dive in headfirst. At first I was wondering if I shot myself in the foot reading the other Dark Hunter books first, but I'm glad I hadn't read this one. It gave me something to tide me over until Night Play comes out in August. This book has so many layers. I enjoyed the romance but also there was a family drama played out through Julian's relationship or lack thereof, with his godly relatives: Aphrodite, his mother; Eros, his brother; and Priapus, his other brother, who is also his mortal (or immortal enemy). I cried with Julian for his feelings of rejection by his mother, and the loss of his children. I also felt for Grace and her family issues. Her parents died in a car accident, leaving her alone in the world, with only their possessions and her memories to keep her warm at night. Since I lost my father last year, I could identify with her feelings of grief. Fantasy Lover is also very sensual. There are lots of scenes that involve exploring the woman's pleasure, and SK did this very cleverly with her premise. Julian is a sex-slave (and he cannot have an orgasm). IE he makes love for the woman's pleasure and is very good at his job. Grace had a bad first sexual experience that causes her withdraw from the dating world. She feels lonely, unwanted and unfulfilled, and her friend Selena gets the idea to conjure Julian out of his cage (which is a lovely ancient book.) Julian comes ready to serve, but Grace isn't interested in another empty sexual experience. So Julian must seduce her, while Grace tries to get his mind off sex and onto the modern world. This storyline makes for quite a few fun and poignant moments, as Julian gets to experience being more than just a sexual object for two millenia. Julian exudes one of a kind sex appeal that is irresistible, even and most of all to Grace. But he also makes her fall deeply in love with him. I liked how SK worked to build their relationship and also gave reader just enough sexual tension to add spice. This tension definitely builds since there's a reason why Julian and Grace cannot consummate. Instead Julian takes those opportunities to unselfishly bring Grace pleasure, not because he's supposed to, but because he loves her and wants her happiness. I don't want to tell too much, but I felt a need to rave about this lovely book. It definitely cemented my love of SK and her universe. Fantasy Lover ranks in as my number two favorite Dark Hunter book (although technically Julian's not one, he exists in their universe and so he gets counted.). Run, don't walk to get your copy of Fantasy Lover.

[Azet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes i ask myself why i don`t read more of Sherrilyn Kenyon`s lush romantic novels,because they meet my expectations everytime.I loved her "Night Pleasures" and "Night Embrace."Fantasy Lover" is the introduction to the "Hunter Legends"-series about the Greek cursed love-slave Julian of Macedon who gets summed up by the modern sex therapist Grace Alexander.As always he have one month to give in to her every desire,but what both Grace and Julian never expected was that they soon wouldn`t be able to live without each other!

Ah my heart,HOW I CAME TO LOVE THIS BOOK!Grace Alexander is a practical,intelligent but very lonely soul whose gypsy bestfriend makes a spell from a book that turns her whole ordinary life upside down when the inhumanly sexy man from the picture turns real in front of her,at her mercy!Lord thats every woman`s dream!I love how she took care of him and shared him of her world.And she really impressed me with her urge to fight for him and break the curse.
Julian of Macedon is too perfect of a hero to be true.He is one of the most tortured,haunted,lonely,love-starved,beautiful,soulful and caring man i have ever stood upon in the Romance genre.I can`t imagine being stuck in a book for 2000 years,and having to have sex with selfish bitches who only cared about their pleasure and treating you like an animal.His past is so sad that i cried,and his longing for Grace made me melt like butter.He is so seductively sexy without even trying,so vigorously beautiful without knowing.He falls madly in love with Grace for her pure brave soul,and she loves him for the fearless warrior that he is.Grace and Julian combined each other perfectly,i loved them so much i wanted to squeeze them in a hug.

Sherrilyn Kenyon is an amazing writer,she lures you into her world and never lets you forget it.I love how she creates her characters,the natural way Grace and Julian fall in love and the strong way they faced hardships together.They did everything to be together,and that epiluge made me shed some tears of happiness,i just love happy endings with babies!!!

[Jen · Rating 1 out of 5]

The only way this book is even remotely tolerable is to read it aloud with a friend so that you can truly appreciate the ridiculousness of it. It is repetitive, stupid, and horribly written. I can't believe this woman is being published, and is a best-selling author on the NYTimes list. It's kind of scary. This books also takes the prize for being the worst book I've ever read in my life, and that includes that ones I read during my 8th grade romance novel phase.

[Grecia Robles · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 STARS

Julian de Macedônia, Julian de Macedonia, Julian de Macedonia

NADA, no aparece mi esclavo sexual.



Ya poniéndome seria, me gustó mucho este libro y es que todo lo que tenga que ver con mitología griega me encanta sacan mi friki interior.



Es una historia muy romántica, en muchas partes me conmovió sobre todo Julian por todas las cosas que tuvo que pasar y también tiene partes divertidas y otras sexys. Julian y Grace eran muy monos hace tiempo que quería usar esa palabra hahaha me encantaban la ternura que transmitían.

Para ser el primer libro o ya no sé si es el primero, estuvo muy bien aunque tuvo sus fallos como la personalidad de Grace que no coincidía con su profesión se supone que ella es una sexóloga/terapeuta y más que nadie ella necesitaba uno y nunca recibió ayuda. Pero dejando de eso a lado debo reconocer que es adictivo y luego luego me enganchó ya quiero conocer a los dark hunters porque en este libro no me enteré de nada.

[Penny Well Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantasy Lover is the first romance book I ever read. So I guess I should blame this book for my addiction to romance. I have never stopped reading the genre once I started and I doubt I ever will, I am too in love with love after all.

Back then, I was used to other kinds of literature and writing stiles, so even though I liked it I did found it poor and weak. Also, since I didn´t know better, I remember that I thought it idealistic, everything in the end was too ideal and perfect; I felt like I read a kid’s story with smut content, a fairytale for adults. Now, I obviously do know better, that´s just the way most of this genre’s books are like, we get HEA. Looking back at my notes about this book I can´t help but smile at my younger self.

This book was my first so I will always look at it in a good light; it opened me to a whole new world, I can´t help but like it.

[Blacky *Romance Addict* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this is the first book from the Dark Hunter series, and I have to say there wasn't any dark-hunting in this one XD As is with all the first books, we get to see the introduction in this whole new world the author created (Greek gods! I mean - YUMMY!) I was always fascinated with mithology, and this one is right up my alley :)

Julian is a half-god, cursed in a book to be a love-slave through eternity. He is immortal, and has been cursed for two thousand years (!!!). One night, Grace and her friend get drunk and they summon him. Although he is here for only one reason - to give her pleasure, Grace doesn't want to have meaningless sex with a stranger, but still, they create some good fireworks together XD

I felt really bad for Julian, the way he grew up was horrible, and he was used as a sex slave for centuries. He doesn't believe he deserves love, to a point he actually thinks no one can ever love him. But he meets Grace and they form a friendship. She is the first female who is not guided just by his penis XD She actually wants to know him better, and when she does, she begins to fall in love with him. But the bi*ch of it all is the curse, it can only be broken if they don't have sex during the month he gets to be free. Yup. But there are lots of sexy scenes, don't worry XD

I liked this a lot, even though it wouldn't have killed the author to insert some more story/action in this one. It basically revolved around the fact that they want to have sex but can't XD But I guess it's ok considering it's the first of the series, we got to see some of the Olympian gods, and it was left open for another character (Julian's only friend from the past heheh can't wait to read about him).

[Alex is The Romance Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fantasy Lover is the 1st book in The Entire Dark-Hunterverse Series and whilst it was not one of my favorites, I did enjoy reading it.

One of the things I liked about it was the main character, Julian –son of a legendary Spartan general becoming commander of the Macedonian army.

Betrayed and angering the Greek gods, he was cursed for all eternity, trapped inside a book and released once a month to be used as a sex slave by whoever opened the said book.

Now, that doesn’t sound too bad!!!! To be used as a sex toy and you don’t even get to choose if you want to or not!!!! Hell, that does not sound good to me!!!! The poor guy is about to give up when…something or someone good comes along into his life!!!!

That someone is sex therapist, Grace Alexander,

who has gone off men forever!!!!!

After giving men a miss for a while, she is given the most outlandish present ever by her best friends…who has been worrying about Grace’s “manless” situation!!!! A Greek sex slave…who is known to be good at what he does…wink wink!!!!! How could any sane woman refuse such a present!!!!!!

So, is Grace the one who will break Julian’s curse?

Will she accept the world he lives?

I enjoyed the flashbacks to Julian’s history in ancient Greece and Rome.

This being the first book, there’s very little world building – some interesting secondary characters that will have their own books in the future.

There were some funny moments …

“Um, Dr. Alexander, there’s a couple out here who say they’re related to you. They…um…they’re biker people. (Nurse)
Hey, Julian. Tell Attila the Hun here that we’re okay so we can come and ooh and aah over the babies. (Eros)”
“You have the optimism of a child. (Julian)
Peter Pan all the way. (Grace)”

“Cupid, you worthless bastard, I summon you to human form! (Julian)
Gee, I can't imagine why he wouldn't respond to that. (Grace)”

I’m happy that I read this book….how the Dark Hunters world begins!!!!!

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an okay paranormal romance, but it dragged a bit.

Grace was a woman who didn’t have much experience with men, but knew that she didn’t need one, no matter what her best friend told her. I liked that she didn’t immediately drag Julian to bed when he showed up, even though she was attracted to him.

The storyline in this centred on Julian trying to break his curse, and Julian and Grace slowly falling in love. That being said, although they spent time together, it still seemed like one moment Grace was still resisting, and the next she claimed to be in love with him! Bit of a sudden about-turn.

The ending to this was okay, but it was pretty obvious how this was going to end from the start (a Ouija board once told her she’d marry a Greek god and have 6 children). This was an okay read, but it wasn’t anything special for me.
6 out of 10.

[Buggy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Opening Line: "Honey, you need to get laid."

This was my first Sherrilyn Kenyon book and honestly it was a struggle to get through. All I could think was what am I missing? I mean the Dark Hunter series is SO popular there must be something wrong with me because this, well this was a grind.

Fantasy Lover has its moments, the premise is unique and intriguing; an ex Spartan general cursed to spend eternity as a love slave trapped inside a book. He’s released every so often to be the sexual plaything of whoever has called him forth but Julian is aware inside the book and therefore also anguished and claustrophobic. His mortal past is full of pain too and I enjoyed the flashbacks into it and all the Greek/Roman history. The only reason I managed to finish this at all was because of Julian. Just tortured and sexy enough to peak my interest, unfortunately though he had to fall for a dip shit like Grace.

Grace Alexander would have to up there as one of my least favourite heroines ever. Anytime she spoke or we were in her head I ended up cringing. Even in the closing pages I was still rolling my eyes through every single bit of her dialogue Talk about cheesy, immature, silly and painful. With expressions like holly guacamole and greasy grimy gopher guts it was also unrealistic. And really, a sex therapist? She must not be very good at her job because she’s clueless about sex and has her own hang-ups.

Julian of Macedon has been condemned to spend eternity within the pages of a mysterious book. Called forth many times over his two thousand years of confinement he definitely knows how to pleasure the ladies (his curse makes it mandatory) but he expects little else from his duties. When Grace’s friend Selena presents her with the book on her birthday, on a drunken lark the pair calls forth the sex slave and because this is a paranormal romance what do you know it works.

Grace utters some ridiculous remarks when she finds a gorgeous naked man in her house and then to Julian’s surprise she puts clothes on him and wants to talk. She doesn’t want to have sex. What!? Actually neither would I because initially Julian is all suave and creepy bad one liners, like some desperate drunk guy at last call. Anyways, Julian has a month to spend with Grace and since she doesn’t want to get laid they get to know each other instead, slowly falling in love and trying to find a way to break Julian’s curse.

For some reason Kennyon includes a mini stalker plot which doesn’t really go anywhere. There’s lots of sexual tension but not much actual heat, we meet a couple other gods and goddesses all dressed as bikers, Julian gets a haircut, buys tight fitting jeans and fixes Graces’ bookshelves (that part was actually very sweet) I just don’t know if I’ll be continuing on with this series, I still think I must be missing something and may give the next one a try but its going to have to get a lot darker and mature for me to finish. Cheers
289jn3

[Noemí (Mysticnox) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Le doy la máxima puntuación no porque sea una obra maestra, sino porque me ha enganchado de tal manera que me ha sido imposible despegarme de sus páginas.
La sensualidad, el erotismo que desprende Julian en cada gesto, en cada cosa que dice, me ha vuelto loca. Esos dioses que aparecen y desparecen a su antojo, esas referencias a la historia antigua de Grecia, Esparta, Macedonia, han aumentado mi interés y me han entretenido muchísimo.
¡Voy a por el siguiente pero ya! 😍😍😍😍

[moi, k.y.a. · Rating 5 out of 5]

dördüncü okuma notu: Sisli Dağların Ötesinde rereadi yapıp Julian okumadan olur mu? ASLA!

3. re-read eklemesi

Son bir aydır, ne zaman çıbık makarna (spagetti değil, çıbık makarna) yesem aklıma takılan bir şey vardı. Bugün ayıptır söylemesi, gene hunharca makarnaya dalmışken aklıma düştü: Hangi aşık olunası kitap karakteri kendinden beklenmedik kibarlıkla yiyordu bu meredi?
İşsizliğin böylesi! 😂

Bugün sonunda hatırladım; Julian, Julian, Julian!
O an yaşadığım mutluluğun tarifi yok inanın. Bunun şerefine hemen bir re-read yaptım.
Çünkü. Neden. Olmasın?
•
•
Bu kitabı bin kere de okusam tepkim resimdeki gibi olacak sanırım.



Kitap, beni PNR romanlarına âşık eden iki kitaptan biri olması bir yana (diğeri de Sisli Dağların Ötesinde) gerçekten, bambaşka bir adamın, Makedonyalı Julian’ın, tüm o çekiciliğini kelimelere yansıtılıp iliklerinize kadar hissetmenizi sağlayan bir kitaptı. Çünkü adam duygusal ve yaralı! İki bin yıl boyunca bir kitaba hapsolmuş olmakla kalmamış yaşamı boyunca sevgi nedir bilmemiş bir adamdan bahsediyoruz.

Ah Julian, Juliah, Julian...
Bir kitaba hapsedilmiş aşk kölesi. Çağrıldığı kadınlar tarafından iki dolunay arasında istedikleri her şeyi yapan, kadın mıknatısı adam. Asil, gurulu Spartalı komutan…

İşlemediği suçların bedelini ödeyerek geçen hayatı, yaptığı bir hatayla iyice mahvolan Julian, tanrı olan kardeşi tarafından bir kitaba hapsediliyor. Dolunay zamanında çağırılan ve iki dolunay arasında Dünya’da kalabilen bir seks kölesine dönüşüyor. Kadınların karşı koyma dürtüsünü kökten bozan bu yakışıklı, iri savaşçının tek istediği sevilmek iken bulduğu her daim ihanet ve yalnızlık oluyor. İki bin yılını ise kadınlar tarafından kullanılarak geçiriyor tabii Grace onu çağırana kadar.

Yirmi birinci yüzyılda tekrar Dünya’ya dönen Makedonyalı Julian görevlerini yapmak, kadına hizmet etmek isterken hayatı boyunca karşılaşmadığı bir şey oluyor: Grace. Onu. Reddediyor.

Grace’in karşı koyma çabaları, Julian’ın hamleleri derken seksi, soluksuz bir kitap okuyoruz.

Julian’ın tüm yaralarını tek tek sarmak, daha fazla sarılmak sghhdfg istediğinizde oluyor okurken elbette ama adam bunun için yaratılmış gibi.

Böyle kitapları bir biz bulamıyoruz zaten!

[Carmen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this because after reading The Pleasure Slave by Gena Showalter, everyone told me that her book was a pale imitation of this one.

Not so.

While I found Showalter's novel to be silly, funny, and sweet, this one seemed dark, sad, and clichéd. (All romance novels are clichéd...but this one was worse than normal, IMO).

I expect one or two problems in the novels - personal problems that the characters have - that will be solved by love and good sex. However, instead of presenting me with a manageable problem or two, Kenyon stuffs this novel full of every single problem she can think of.

Julian's problems:
- Even before being a love-slave, Julian is cursed so that every woman who looks at him lusts for him and any man who sees him will have his "heart swell with envy."
- Julian is cursed to be a love-slave. Trapped in a book, he serves whatever woman calls him for one month. (No word on what happens if a man summons him.) He's cursed with a permanent erection and he's physically unable to orgasm. This seems beyond cruel to me. And what's more? Trapped in the book he's starving and dehydrated, but cannot eat or drink. Or die. I just feel like Kenyon is being too mean to the character. I mean, come on!
- Julian's mom (Aphrodite) abandoned him and he's never seen her.
- Julian's dad was a heartless Spartan who hated Julian, beat him, tortured him, and tried to break him.
- Julian was homeless for a while in Ancient Greece, and slept with women in exchange for food and shelter. This starts at age 14.
- Julian's wife really loves Julian's backstabbing "friend" Iason. Julian knows that even though she's "chosen" him and sleeps with him, she doesn't really love him. He doesn't love her either.
- Julian and Iason get in a swordfight, Iason dies. Penelope, in a psychotic rage, kills her two children that she had with Julian and then herself.

Grace's problems:
- She's a sex therapist who hasn't had sex in four years.
- She hasn't had sex in 4 years because her first time was with some dirtbag who not only was sleeping with her as part of a bet, but also seemed to sadistically enjoy hurting her physically.
- She might be a bit chubby? Honestly I have no idea, because this is mentioned exactly twice and never in any kind of serious manner. I feel like Kenyon is just trying to be like "Oh, my heroine isn't physically perfect" but then doesn't put in any work to show us this or even tell us this. It's an epic fail if she WAS trying to make Grace chubby, because I didn't get a sense of that AT ALL. Gena Showalter does it MUCH better in Heart of the Dragon. It's such a non-issue in this book I'd much rather Kenyon just didn't mention it at all.
- She's being stalked by a patient who's obsessed with her...seemingly out of the blue. Of course Julian saves her! But this whole plotline and resolution seems forced, faked, and stupid to me.

And I don't really LIKE Julian. Feel sorry for him? Sure. Like him? Nah. He came off as whiny, pouty, and sullen to me.

Every other cliché is in here. Julian is a great dancer. Julian kicks the ass of not only Grace's stalker, but the creep she lost her virginity to. Etc. etc. etc. Bullshit.

I don't think Kenyon writes sex well. I didn't think the sex scenes were sexy. Once again, Gena Showalter does it better. Also, I don't think shoving your tongue into someone's ear and swirling it around is sexy. I associate this kind of behavior with what your Golden Retriever does to you, not your lover. And Julian does it to Grace ALL THE TIME. Gross. (I'm not talking about nibbling on earlobes here, I'm talking about making out with someone's ear canal.) In addition, it was just very sad to me that up until the very, very end of the book, Julian is unable to orgasm. That is just sad and unfair. I can't enjoy these sex scenes when he's suffering like this. Not sexy.

The only thing I DID like: Grace teaching Julian how to read English and the cute little scenes of her reading to him at night. She reads him Peter Pan, the Illiad, and the Odyssey. That was sweet and cute.

Overall, no characters I liked or could have feelings for. The side characters are one-dimensional. The main characters are poorly constructed. The plot is ridiculous - tons of potential, great concept - badly executed. Kenyon just shoves in every single cliché and plot device she can think of, to ill effect.

P.S. Oh. And Julian's a PERSON. No one in the novel except Grace treats him like a human being with feelings and rights. Not even Grace's best friend and so-called "good guy" Selena. This offended me A LOT.

ONE REAL STAR, ONE ROMANCE STAR

[Maria Clara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pues la verdad no sé qué decir... La historia está bien, me ha gustado, pero hasta ahí; no hay más tras cerrar el libro. Supongo que leeré alguno más, a ver si soy capaz de enamorarme de esta serie. :)

[myo ⋆｡˚ ❀ * · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was fine? like it had a decent romance and a good plotline but something just didn’t click for me?

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Posted on Under the Covers

I’m late on this one, I know. But better late than never, right?

The premise of Fantasy Lover is so unique and genius that I’m baffled to find that no other author has attempted to write something like this before. A Greek sex god emerges from a book to fulfill all of a woman’s sexual needs until the next full moon. Really, what more could a romance reader ask for? If only it were true...

I enjoyed Julian and reading about his tortured past. Cursed forever and trapped in a book, he is forever under the command of his summoner, fulfilling every sexual desire they may have. Blessed with good looks but treated as an object, Julian sees his appearance as a reminder of what causes him so much pain. I really enjoyed reading about his backstory. Filled with lots of drama and pain, it certainly grips you in until you turn that last page. And all that Greek mythology? Wow. I may have been like Grace and slept through those classes in school, but reading about them now makes me wish I paid more attention back then!

Grace is a sex therapist, so I obviously loved her from the beginning. I’m a little biased since I went to school for the same thing (therapy, not sex). Grace is a very likeable character. I liked that she saw Julian as a person and not just some sexual object. Hurt by her own experiences, she knows how painful it can be to be seen as an object to be used.

The emotions roll throughout this story. It’s deep and provoking and pulls on those heartstrings, but I can’t help but think that some parts were a little too melodramatic for my taste. For instance, the whole thing about having a woman of Alexander being the only one to have the ability to break the spell and what do you know, Grace’s surname is Alexander!! And some of the scenes from Julian’s past were also very theatric. Sometimes too much for my taste. Also, what are the chances of a patient stalking you and getting caught in an elevator with him? Close to hmm...zero point zero!

Nevertheless, Fantasy Lover is a really good book. If this is any indication to the type of work for the rest of the series, then I’m going to need a bigger book shelf! This is a biiiiiiiiiiiiig series!

[☼♎ Carmen the Bootyshaker Temptress ☼♎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love, love, love this story. Can I have a Julian :)

[Lefthandedbibliophile · Rating 2 out of 5]

No matter how much I tried, i couldn't take this book seriously. I don't think it was intentionally funny...

[Josephina · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐4.0 stars

..Because who doesn’t love the idea of a sexy fictional character coming to life in the night to please you?? Julian appears in Grace’s presence straight out of a book in all his sultry glory to do just that.. but for the first time in his cursed life, the woman that summons him doesn’t want him to be her sex slave– she wants to free him. This jumpstarts a genuine interest in Grace that Julian does not expect.. After centuries of being used for sex by countless women in the night, this one is different. She actually cares for him. 'Fantasy Lover' was as hilarious as expected and also rather sweet.

[⋆Lara⋆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 'sparkling' stars🌟

Phenomenal book! It's been a long time since I enjoyed a PNR this much.

It captivated me from the beginning! Totally loved it!