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Fantasy Lover (Dark-Hunter #0.5)
Sherrilyn Kenyon
Published: 2002 (St. Martin’s)
Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon
Reviewed by: Chelsea
Rating (out of 5): 4 stars
Nothing like a Greek love slave to keep you up all night. Well, it didn’t go exactly like that, but I did read the entirety of Fantasy Lover in a single sitting in the wee hours of the night. So, we can pretend, yes?
While Fantasy Lover is, technically, the first book in the Dark-Hunter series, readers consider it a prequel. Now I understand why. The story focuses on Grace and Julian. Grace is a sex therapist who hasn’t been laid in four years. (Let’s pause a moment and take that in. Poor woman.) Her best friend, a tarot card reader in the French Quarter of New Orleans, decides getting her friend to summon a “Greek love slave” is the best idea. Like the infinitely more sexy version of Beetlejuice, she calls out his name three times (at a full moon) and he manifests with the purpose to please her sexually for a month.
That’s great, if you don’t mind using people. Grace has a big problem with using people. Her past has her being used—thus the celibacy—and she sees this godlike man as more than just someone sent for her amusement. And this, readers, baffles Julian. In 2,000 years, no woman has denied him. Grace flat out says no. He has been cursed into this life of sating others’ lust, but never having his own sated. He was to be punished and never loved.
The dichotomy of self-discovery and finding love make this novel engaging. Julian has spent so much time learning not to feel that he isn’t quite sure what’s happening as he falls for Grace, and once he does he is sure he doesn’t deserve her affection. Grace, on the other hand, can’t imagine this guy would really want her. Even when she falls for him, she is confident he doesn’t truly reciprocate. Really, the only hitch here is a sex therapist should know communication is key and choosing to not talk about our feelings makes things frustrating. Luckily, that also makes for good reading.
Despite Grace’s refusal to have sex with Julian, there are oodles of near-sex scenes. Let’s just say I now get what you guys have been talking about with Sherrilyn Kenyon’s romantic scenes. Damn.
Romance was high in Fantasy Lover and it made me wonder why I delayed reading this series for so long.
I feel a book binge coming on…
Sexual content: Graphic sex (and near-sex)
They get way better then Fantasy Lover, keep reading.
This book is what made me fall in love with this series and SK is a must buy no matter what. Like Misty says it really gets better and better.
they do get better & better. i really like the dark hunter series. her writing is superb. it’s what i measure other series by. my fave of the series is #15 Acheron. i stumbled across these when i was reading comments on what to read if you like the anita blake books. lucky me! i did have a book binge for quite some time 🙂