Fantasy Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon is original and enthralling.

Julian of Macedon is a Spartan warrior, cursed for eternity into the pages of a book.  Summoned by women throughout the centuries and used by them at their will.  Trapped forever as a love slave he has suffered for over two thousand years.

Now in the present day he has been summoned by Grace Alexander who did not believe for a moment that the tale of the love slave was real…at least not until he appeared in her life.

Encouraged by her friend Selena she finds herself irresistibly drawn to the drawing of Julian of Macedon.  Repeating his name three times releases him from the book and Grace finds herself face to face with the man himself.

When Julian finds himself summoned by Grace he immediately notices the difference this time. While the other women had thrown themselves into his arms Grace’s reaction is to scream and run.   Quite a reaction for a sex therapist!

Grace soon finds that Julian is with her until the next full moon and he cannot leave or return to the book no matter how inconvenient his presence is.  Julian in turn is no more pleased to have been summoned than Grace is to have him.  In his own words, trapped for eternity as a love slave can ruin even a Spartan warrior’s day.

Julian finds in Grace the first woman in all his life to not want him and for a fleeting moment wonders if the curse is weakening.  But he knows better for the curses handed out by the Greek Gods are stronger than that.

Grace does not want to use Julian in the same way as the other women have even though she is attracted to him.  Talking to him she soon discovers that he has seen little of the world since being trapped in the book and that the other women before her had used him very badly.

At Selena’s suggestion Julian, reluctantly, calls to Eros/Cupid to enlist his help.  It is through him that he discovers how the curse can finally be broken.

Eros arrives in the form of a Biker, together with Psyche, when his brother calls him.  It is soon clear that Eros was not aware of the extent of Julian’s curse.  After speaking with their mother Aphrodite, Eros returns to deliver the bad news.  To be set free Julian must be summoned by a woman of Alexander who will need him. However he must not lay with her until the final day of the month and then they must remain joined from midnight until the sun rises.

The catch being that the longer he remains in the mortal realm the harder it becomes for him to remain abstinent.  He knows that by the end of the month he will be practically insane from the restraint and will need to be tied up to stop himself from touching Grace.

That Grace is the woman is clear, but their trial will be keeping apart for the month.

Julian and Grace spend the month keeping a safe distance from each other whilst learning about each other’s past.

Julian learns the name of the man who hurt her so badly and Grace learns the complicated family history of Julian and the reasons behind the curse.  She also discovers why it is that Julian does not feel he deserves to be set free by Grace.

This story is fresh, original and an entirely new twist on the paranormal romances. Fantasy Lover is a fascinating blend of curses, time travel and Greek mythology with a modern take.

There is also a hidden hint within the story of the Dark Hunter series that is still to come.  I for one cannot wait.
 

RATING : 
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Also by Sherrilyn Kenyon: Link to the Complete Dark-Hunter series List. (at least to date)

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