Review: Fantasy Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon – The Dark Hunter Series

Image from Goodreads

Title: Fantasy Lover
Series: Dark Hunters #1
Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon
Publisher: Piatkus
Publication Date: April 2011
Source: Review Copy
Rating: 3/5

Synopsis from Goodreads

It might sound like a man’s ultimate fantasy – to live forever, destined to be the lover of thousands of women. But for Julian of Macedon, it’s a nightmare. Once a proud Spartan general, he’s now a love-slave, his essence magically held captive in a book for eternity. 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 have taken a lot of the fun out of the physical side of love for Grace. But 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?

REVIEW

I was very resistant to read Fantasy Lover as I know the Dark Hunter series has a lot of books in and I tend to lose interest in a series if it goes on too long. I was very concerned that I would need to be a few more books in order to get the full story. However, I am happy to report that Fantasy Lover is a stand-alone with no cliffhanger *PHEW*

I loved the premise of this book weaving a strong male character cursed to spend eternity as a slave to women’s desires following his less than chivalrous behaviour to the fairer sex while mortal. I kept thinking – where can I get my hands on that book " class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> I honestly didn’t consider how Julian survived during the times his services were not prevailed upon. Or how this life of servitude would affect his sense of self-worth following his glory days as a Macedonian General. I bet you didn’t either, like me you were just thinking smexy man to do your bidding, go on be honest " class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" />

Fantasy Lover is so much more than a smexy romance, while there are thriller elements to the plot, it is the characters and their development that is at the heart of the story.

I really admired Grace, she has such integrity and doesn’t give in to base desires even though Julian is very tempting. Grace takes compassion to super-power level, it was amazing to witness. She takes the time to get to know Julian and endeavours to help him break free from his curse. The chemistry between Grace and Julian is undeniable yet they connect on a much deeper level. Brining the best out in each other. Grace has emotional barriers regarding intimacy thanks to a douche bag ex yet she is willing to go outside her comfort zone in order to help Julian.

The use of mythology within the story added depth to the plot overall and some very interesting insight into the lesser known myths.

The peripheral characters were wonderfully quirky adding to the overall enjoyment of the story. I especially liked Grace’s best friend, Selena and her rather dubious psychic powers

Fantasy Lover is a fast, fun read weaving in thriller plot threads and thankfully little angst. Suitable for both fans of romance, supernatural and mythology.