Julian has been forced into being a love slave. Cursed to spend eternity alone. He has been called upon hundreds of women to fulfill their sexual fantasies. Julian knows every way to please a woman yet he has never known love.

Grace Alexander is celebrating her 29th birthday with a girls night in. An old book recently found by a friend in an old bookstore ends up being center stage of the parties activities. A book that promises that all of your desires will be made true. She finds herself completely enthralled by the photo of a man that can only be described as a Greek god. Not taking it seriously Grace gives in when her friends persuade her to do the chant that will bring forth her fantasy lover.

Julian has never been shown kindess, concern or love and is baffled when Grace does not react to his advances. She teaches him that he can be loved. Together they discover what true love is and conquer the boundaries that will try and stop it. ( )

The story is brilliant, I love the presence of Greek mythology characters and the way fiction and the present time was blended perfectly. I have to admit I didn't really warm up to the characters, I felt like someone from the outside looking in. It does have a page-turning quality to it, we have a not-so-perfect hero and obviously flawed heroine. I like the way the story progressed, there were a lot of unpredictable moments, it seems like all the scenes were foreplay waiting to explore to a shattering orgasm. There was a little humor with the way they argued, Julian's background was explained in detail and he is the focus of the book. His life is really colorful and I appreciate the part where he adapts to the 21st century. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of Ms Kenyon's works in her Dark-Hunter series. Her writing style is fluent, fast-paced, and vivid. ( )

This is the second of Sherrilyn Kenyon's books I've read (yes, I'm reading them out of order) and I didn't like it as much as the other one. I liked both of the characters well enough, and the plot was entertaining, but I got very tired of the constant talk about how they got hot for each other with each glance and touch. Come on, really? ( )

Later books in this series may be better, I hope so. I won't rush out to buy them though. The actual writing was good. The overall story was neat & somewhat different than I've read lately - Greek mythology opened up in interesting ways. She's opened up a world where almost anything could happen, but the number of players, their powers & motivations were confusing. Most were super powerful, but ineffective & what their limits were & why was not clear at all. They seemed to change & I wasn't impressed by her characterization at all. While there were a couple of steamy sex scenes, the book wasn't devoted to sex as so many are now. They were easy to skip through without losing any of the story. She's laid the basis for a good set of stories, though. ( )

I really liked this book. It was one of the truly perfect romances I have ever read, it had a strong plot with good momentum, strong characters, and steamy love. I really recommend this book, great read. ( )

I really thought this was a nice introduction into Sherrilyn Kenyon's series. Personally, I felt the story started a little slow, and was more of a romance than a paranormal that everyone was telling me this series is. Luckily about halfway through, it really picked up for me. That's where Kenyon really started to mix the Greek Mythology in with the present day, and started to get really interesting. Having read the second book in this series, I can say that it definitely picks up from this one and is more entertaining. Fantasy Lover was a nice, but not great, introduction to this series. ( )

I listened to this book on Audio and after getting over the melodrama of the readers voice i actually enjoyed this story. It's not meant to be a deep read and it was fun to listen to. A little romance never hurt anyone. Great book to break up the routine. Warning: quite embarrassing if you are listening to this one in the car with the windows down.....especially during certain explicit scenes.

Can't say that I enjoyed this one at all. Not very intelligently written with some of the worst characterisation I've seen in a very long time. In my opinion it's not much more than a bad excuse for a bit of soft porn. But then I guess the title should have told me that. Even so, I expected better.

I have the next book in the series but not sure I'll bother reading it. ( )

Title: Fantasy Lover By Sherrilyn Kenyon
Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon
Genre: Historical Fiction, Paranormal, Romance
# of pages: 337
Start date: 07/17
End date: 07/19
Borrowed/bought: borrowed
My rating of the book, F- [worst] to A [best]: B+

Description of the book: Julian of Macedon, a beautiful half god by the goddess Aphrodite is summoned yet again to be the lover in the arms of Grace Alexander. But Grace is different, seeing Julian as a man with a tortured past, not as a love-slave. Together they must learn to love eachother while lifting the curse of his past.
Review: This was definitely a fun read, fluffy read. I initially thought this was going to be about Vampires but it is really about Greek and Roman Gods, almost lending itself to the Gods a la American Gods style, though quite a bit fluffier. If you enjoy paranormal romance novels you will enjoy this, and the characters were very well developed. ( )

too much fun, I'll be reading all of her books now! ( )

Grace Alexander is a sex therapist, who has not had sex in four years. One night, under the influence of wine and convinced by her new-age friend, she castes a spell to draw an ancient greek love slave out of a book. Julian of Macedon, formerly a Spartan general, appears naked and gorgeous in her living room.

But this is a perfect cotton candy book. Lacking in substance, but oh, so fun to read.

Despite the poor, cliche ridden writing, the characters are well developed. And even though the sex is somewhat over the top (I laughed a couple of times), the romance is truely romantic and endearing. There is something incredibly sweet about the way these two deeply wounded people find comfort in each other. There loves grows naturally beyond lust and sex, into an everyday fondness and a comfortable tender intimacy.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. ( )

The story was very beautiful. I should have realized it from the title but the book was very graphic - not something I was prepared for. Still, great story - great book. ( )

This novel is about what you'd expect, given the title, but it is also surprisingly endearing. Romance novel meets a host of psychological complexes with a few Greek gods mixed in for good measure, Fantasy Lover proves very entertaining for occult/mythology enthusiasts looking for a more traditional romance novel.

The Kindle version is in desperate need of a good grammatical editor! ( )

A light-hearted fantasy romance. Sex therapist Grace Alexander has been celibate for four years after experiencing a horrendous relationship with a self-centered, cruel former lover. Grace's over-the-top tarot reading friend Selena decides it's time to get Grace back in the swing of things and she has just the answer. She has an ancient book that contains the ultimate male specimen who has been cursed to live between the pages of the book for eternity - until he's called out with a magic spell to serve as a love slave to his summoner for a period of one month.

Grace goes along with it, not believing for one minute that she will end up with a love slave. She is horrified when Julian actually turns up, and even more horrified when he gets right into fulfilling her every sexual dream and fantasy. Grace tells him no - and as they start to talk she discovers just what a heartbreaking, loveless and dark life he's lived. Grace decides to show Julian just what friendship and love mean by rescuing him from his curse.

Turns out the only way to do it is to abstain from sex for the whole month that Julian has to serve Grace. Julian is programmed to please - how on earth are they going to get through the month?

This is a beautiful story, sensual, funny and very moving. I highly recommend it! ( )

I really like Julian and Grace's story because Grace is not perfect, but Julian loves her as she is. Go, Grace! Imperfect people deserve love, too! The characters are well-rounded as well as the plot. I did not want to put it down! ( )

I'm generally not much for romance, but I like the mythological/paranormal twist in these. They're pure fluff, and very formulaic (when you read a few in a row, it's easy to see that all the men and women act the same), but they're fun enough to keep me reading. ( )

Because of a past crime, Julian is stuck inside of a book forced into being a sex-slave for whoever conjures him from this b ook. When Grace calls him out as a joke, something real begins. Grace is unwilling to be used, and Julian finds out that because of comething significant about Grace, she may be the only one to set him free. Their situation becomes dangerous and conpassionate and suspense increases as the pages do. ( )

For 2,000 years, Julian of Macedon has lived a curse of being a love-slave. When he is summoned to fulfill Grace Alexander's sexual fantasies, Grace is the first woman to see him as a man with a tormented past. Taking him out into the world, instead of keeping him in the bedroom, Grace teaches Julian to love again. But can that alone break the 2,000-year-old curse he is under?
( )

The second in the Dark Hunter series and just like her first one it does not dissapoint. A must read for paranormal lovers. ( )

Love this book - its a great steamy romance novel, I read this when it first came out 6 years ago and still its up there in my all time favorites. I guess I love when they come from other times or go back into other times. this book was a very easy read and the whole dark hunter series simply the best! ( )

Plot: Typical romance plot, with a few supernatural elements to spice things up. The pacing feels rushed, but it would be hard to slow it down given that there isn't enough plot to go with it. No significant side plots.

Characters: It's a surprisingly small cast, but the stereotypes are still strong. The best friend is grating, and the heroine is quite pale. The hero is the most fleshed-out since he actually gets a full history and background. Token part-time villain to push things along, and a few Greek gods who seem a little bit pointless.

Style: It's a bumpy read. Occasional spots of good prose, then cringe-worthy dialogue. It feels rather unpolished, and the worldbuilding could have used more attention.

Plus: Nice setup and central idea.

Minus: More editing would have been good. The writing doesn't feel finished.

Summary: Kenyon hasn't found her feet yet in this one. Worth reading primarily as the first in the series. ( )

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. ( )

Julian of Macedon entrapped in a scroll in 149 B.C. to be a love-slave.

PACING: fast paced; quick read; dialogue dominates; CHARACTERIZATION: most important aspect; single focus character; memorable secondary and tertiary characters; eccentric; quirky; sympathetic; emotional involvement; reader identification; STORYLINE: mythology from different cultures intertwined; character-centered; multiple plot threads; resolved ending; largely predictable; double entendres; magical realism; paranormal; sexually explicit; literary references; episodic; community-centered; FRAME: heartwarming; humourous; magical; romanticized reality; contemporary; conversational ( )

Having never been a lover of anything paranormal or romantic, I find it odd to say that I actually enjoyed this book. Sure, it's not going to win a Pulitzer, but it is a surprisingly decent read.

This book has it's fair share of cheesy moments, and I did have a slightly difficult time believing the unusual paring of Julian and the very average heroine (and I'm ignoring the sparse research done on Spartan culture, given the sort of book this is). Nonetheless, it's a quick and fun read. ( )

I like the background of the story. I'm into Greek mythology and it was amazing to read about the gods and goddess and "their ordinary lives" that I only get to read in my history book. Ms. Kenyon was able to put he twists and turns that would really make a reader hunt down the other books in the series. The historical information that she added makes it easy for the reader to understand the "whys" and "hows" of the mythology (Although only fictional, it makes the readers feel content of knowing the answer to their questions like how did Priapus become the god of fertility and generation). The romantic element and the witty conversations make this book a must read! ( )