littleread1
Written on Aug 14, 2017
It might sound like a man's favorite fantasy - to live forever, destined to be the lover of thousands of women. But for Julian of Macedon, it's a nightmare. Once he was a proud Spartan general, now he's a love-slave, his essence magically held captive in a book, cursed to spend all eternity pleasing women. 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, listening to other people's bedroom problems, has taken a lot of the fun out of the physical side of love for Grace. She's remarkably understanding about Julian's situation - and that's disconcerting for all concerned. With or without sex, 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?
- ISBN13 9780312979973
- Publish Date 18 February 2002
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Imprint St Martin's Press
- Format Paperback
- Pages 307
- Language English
Reviews
Angie
Written on Dec 6, 2014
I really adored Fantasy Lover. I loved Julian, and not just because I pictured him as Brat Pitt in Troy. It was cute watching him learn about modern technology and language. He has learned a bit during his time spent in the book, since he can still hear what's going on around him, but there's still a lot for him to learn. I also really liked his conflict about what he'll do after the curse is broken. He cares for Grace and knows he should stay with her since she helped him, but he also doesn't feel comfortable in modern times. He'd be wholly dependent on her since he has no documentation and can't read English. I totally believed this! But I knew it would all work out in the end!
Fantasy Lover has a great twist on Greek and Roman mythology and history. Julian is the son of Aphrodite and a human soldier. Julian also winds up being one of the most famous Spartans in history. He was a general in his time, and was a great soldier because he couldn't be gravely injured or killed thanks to gifts from his mother. Of course, some of the other gods have cameos and that was a lot of fun. Especially Eros as a biker!
In the end, Fantasy Lover was a delight to read. I found myself smiling a lot and really getting invested in these characters' lives. I adored the romance, and I actually I really liked one of the minor side-plots. It involves a stalker, which it always entertaining to me for some reason. It's nothing too major, but I was still completely interested whenever Grace's disturbed admirer made an appearance. I'll definitely be continuing this series!
Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.
celinenyx
Written on Jun 30, 2014
nitzan_schwarz
Written on May 8, 2012
Well, I'm shocked that I liked it so much.
This is my first time reading this kind of book, so I was a bit perplexed at first about the whole sex thing, but I was amazed to see it didn't bother me much.
Julian and Grace's love was so sweet, and made my heart clench at times. Guess I'm a sucker for these kinds of stories.
It's too bad the fighting scenes weren't half as exciting as *coughcough* the other things described, but this was a great read. Surprisingly, I'm planning on picking this series up.
Stephanie
Written on Aug 1, 2011
Grace Alexander hasn't had it easy. Her parents died in a car accident while she was still in college. Grace turned to a man she thought she could trust but he shattered her. Now Grace plays it safe. She has a successful practice helping people get past sexual road blocks, yet she can't seem to get past her own. Every night she goes home (the house she inherited from her parents) alone. On Grace's birthday her best friend from college, Selena, brings over pizza and a gift. It's an old book rumored to be prison to a Greek love slave. To satisfy her, Grace goes through the summoning ritual though she knows it won't work.
Julian of Macedon finds himself in yet another strange place and another strange time. Julian now leads a life of deprivation. He misses his home. In one swift act, Julian lost everything he held dear. In exchange his life is now one constant form of punishment after another. Each woman who summons him seems to find new ways to make his imprisonment outside of the book torturous. There seems to be one marked difference this time: his summoner doesn't want him.
Grace is the first woman in two millennia who sees past Julian the love slave to Julian the man. She wants to know about him and his time, how the curse was brought about, but most importantly, how to break the curse. Julian doesn't know how to deal with this kind of attention. He has never seen his punishment as something that can be altered. Until Grace, he has never dared to hope.
Ugh! This book killed me, but in a good way! I adored it from page one until the last page. It had everything that I like in a book: Greek mythology, tortured hero, shy heroine and one helluva ride! Grace won me over from the beginning. She's an avid book collector, she's reserved and she is constantly thinking of others. Julian, on the other hand, is a tough nut to crack. He's built up so many walls simply so he doesn't lose his mind. Julian's torture would break most people after a few days. Deep underneath those walls is a heart begging to be loved for the man he is.
All of the secondary characters were great. Grace only had her college roommate Selena but Julian surprisingly brought quite a few. As it turns out he's related to quite a few of the Greek gods and goddesses. The story flowed well and it didn't ever seem to drag. Some of my favorite parts involved Julian learning and adapting to our world. The scene where Julian, with a little help from Selena, undoes damage done by another nearly broke my heart. I'll admit that I cried a little.
Paranormal romance fans, Greek mythology fans....really probably any genre romance fan would immensely enjoy this book! Dark Hunters is a daunting series to start but after reading Fantasy Lover, I can't wait to jump in!
Amanda
Written on Apr 20, 2011
I was really very curious about how this ‘little’ curse would be broken. It didn’t seem possible. I enjoyed Sherrilyn Kenyon’s writing style (other than the constant reference to Julian smelling like sandalwood which I found a little distracting for whatever reason) and how we came to know Julian as a man at the same time as Grace. His character seemed to unfold across the pages, and I found him to be far more interesting and complex than Grace (though I liked her just fine). This was a quick read, but it never felt rushed. In fact, I think that because there was a set limit to the amount of time Julian was allowed out of his book (a month), it lent itself to a more realistic time frame to fall in love (opposed to a few days or a couple weeks in some books).
Read full review here.
Linda
Written on Nov 13, 2010
ibeforem
Written on Sep 1, 2007