Jason Murphy can talk to creatures of the sea. He can also change into a dolphin and, like all Protectors, has a bunch of other superpowers. None of them really help his situation: the love of his life doesn’t trust him anymore. Lane thinks his promises of devotion are…well, fishy. When she needed him most, he was gone. She didn’t know he was secretly fighting crime.
But that’s all over. He’s going to reel her back in with the truth. He’ll reveal everything, as soon as his Outcast father’s evil plans for world domination are overthrown. Beating up the bad guys is important, but honesty is what makes a man a hero.
In Kenner's hokey paranormal romance, Protector Jason Murphy, a shape-shifting hunk/dolphin, is bent on destroying Hieronymous, his villainous father. Hieronymous held Jason in a fish bowl for six years, during which time his girlfriend, Lane Kent, gave birth to his exceptionally bright son, Davy. Now Jason wants to win back Lane, who doesn't know of his powers, and raise his "halfling" son. But Hieronymous has other plans. The over-the-top evildoer plans to steal Davy's smarts, thereby becoming the world's wiliest villain. As descendents of the Greek gods, Protectors supposedly possess powers like levitation and super strength, but Jason and his fellow Protectors-by-the-book Boreas and the perpetually confused Zo‰-are frustratingly ineffectual. Indeed, Boreas and Zo‰ spend more time suspecting Jason of villainy (because of his "bad blood") than battling Hieronymous. Kenner (Aphrodite's Passion; Nobody but You) still manages to wring some humor from her outlandish premise, and the attraction between Jason and Lane feels genuine. However, readers may spend much of the book marveling over the protagonists' mental deficiencies. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
When Julie was knee-high to a grasshopper (an expression that she would like it known she has never, ever used in real life) she informed her parents that she was going to be a novelist, and proceeded to write Kitty Claws, a bestselling book about a cat as Santa. (The book sold out its entire print-run of one, so lets not split hairs about that "best-selling" thing, okay?)
After that stellar start, Julie continued to dabble in the literary arts, writing short stories on yellow pads that she forced her mother to type, scribbling poems on ruled notebook paper that she forced her mother to type, making up skits and songs that she forced her mother to watch and listen to, and diving head-first into high school journalism, at which point, mom finally got a break.
In college, she continued with the journalism thing, picking that as her major and working at The Daily Texan, the student newspaper for the University of Texas. The idea that she could actually write novels and, oh, buy food too, completely eluded her.
The journalism thing cranked along nicely for about one semester. Then Julie got a job as a production assistant on a movie originally called Splatter, but which was released as Future Kill (and can still be found in Blockbuster and through Netflix), with really great Giger poster art. Julie worked her tail off, appeared as an extra, had a great time, and promptly switched her major to film.
Graduating at the ripe old age of 19, Julie chickened out and didn't move to Los Angeles to become the next Steven Spielberg. Instead, she stayed in Austin and worked as a media assistant until she decided that perhaps law school was the better way to go because, hey, a degree in film slides so seamlessly into law. (Or, more likely, grad school was inevitable and the LSAT seemed doable.) Not one to waste time, Julie took the LSAT in December, and was admitted to Baylor Law School on a full scholarship the following February. Law school and Julie got along great, and after graduation, Julie went to work as a law clerk on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, where she had a fabulous time drafting legal opinions, preparing the judge for court, and taking regular trips to New Orleans on a government per diem. During her two year stint as a clerk, the writing bug bit again, and Julie wrote a stage play that will never, ever see the light of day. Really. So don't even ask.
After her clerkship, Julie decided she could handle moving to the Big City, and she took a job with Skadden, Arps in L.A., where she worked on a variety of cases with some very smart lawyers. After a year, she moved on to smaller and smaller firms (and had a short stint as a production exec at a small film company, thus justifying all those credit hours in college). She continued to work with very smart lawyers, one of whom introduced Julie to Julie Garwood (her books, not the woman herself), and the writing bug bit again.
Though Julie had been dabbling with writing in her limited spare time, she'd lacked focus. Now, she'd found it, and she was determined to write an historical romance. You may, after reviewing Julie's book list, note that there are no historical romances on there. Let's just say that she didn't succeed at that task. Julie did, however, discover that while she has a head for contemporary nuances, the ins-and-outs of historical detail are enough to make her head explode.
The in-progress historical was promptly shelved, and Julie turned her attention to fleshing out a contemporary romance, having decided that category romance was the way to go, since with the demands of a legal job, she'd be much more likely to finish 240 manuscript pages than 400.
Finish them she did, and though she got nice feedback on the voice, the novel didn't sell. One editor, Harlequin's Brenda Chin, returned a rejection letter with a note that the hook wasn't enough of a "sexy premise."
Always up for a challenge, Julie came up with the opening line, "You need a man," which she thought had oodles of sexy premise potential. She just had to find a story to go with the line. Eventually, she did, and Nobody Does It Better, Julie's first published novel, was born. She entered the first few chapters in contests, finaled, and was ultimately judged by that same Brenda Chin, who ended up buying the manuscript. (Which is not the reason Julie thinks Brenda is a really cool person. Truly.)
By that time, Julie had realized that 400 pages were manageable after all, and she'd almost completed a paranormal romance along the lines of The Little Mermaid about a cat who is in love with her master. The Cat's Fancy sold just a few months after the original sale. Both books came out in 2000, along with a second Temptation, and Julie has had at least 3 books hit the shelves annually every since, and now has well over twenty books to her credit, crossing over a multitude of genres, most of which are represented in some way by the clever pictures in the collage at the top of this page.
Praised by Publishers Weekly as an author with a "flair for dialogue and eccentric characterizations," Julie's books have hit lists as varied as USA Today, Waldenbooks, Barnes & Noble, and Locus Magazine, all of which has made Julie a happy camper. Julie is also a two-time RITA finalist, both times for books about strong women (a superhero and a demon-hunter). There's probably some deep meaning there, and if you know what it is, feel free to drop Julie a line.
Julie was also the winner of Romantic Times' Reviewer's Choice Award for Best Contemporary Paranormal of 2001, the winner of the Reviewers International Organization's award for best romantic suspense of 2004 and best paranormal of 2005, and the winner of the National Readers' Choice Award for best mainstream book of 2005. Not that she's keeping track or anything.
Julie writes a range of stories including quirky romances, sexy contemporaries, young adult novels, suspense, paranormal mommy lit, and (soon!) darker urban fantasy.
Her initial foray into the urban fantasy mommy lit genre--Carpe Demon: Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom--proved especially successful, resulting in a Booksense pick, a Target break-out book, other accolades and honors, and a movie deal. Specifically, Carpe Demon, is in development as a feature film with Warner Brothers and 1492 Pictures. Julie frequently pounds on her battered wooden desk (Salvation Army, $25, gotta love it) in order to urge the project from development to screen. (In Hollywood, these things are never certain until you're watching the movie and eating popcorn.)
Julie and her husband moved from Southern California back to Texas in 1995, and Julie quit the practice of law to write full time in 2004. Now, she lives and writes in central Texas with her husband, two daughters, and several cats. She is an active supporter of Love Without Boundaries. Click here to learn more about the charities Julie supports.
This review is from: Aphrodite's Secret (Mass Market Paperback)
This book was great it had everything that I really enjoy in a Romance novel!! I have read alot of Julie Kenner yet,this was one of her better ones. The good characters and a strong plot was a good twist to the story!!! My main issue with this book was that it went slow at the beginnning yet at the end it picked up and started to take off in a very good way! you should read this and try it for yourself
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
This review is from: Aphrodite's Secret (Mass Market Paperback)
Jason is finally free to return to real life and reunite with the woman he loves and had to leave seven years ago, in the process, he will get to meet his son, Davy, at last. Of course, it won't be as easy as all that.
First off, as far as Davy's mom, Lane Kent is concerned, Jason abandoned her when she was pregnant. She may still love him, but the hurt is great, and she is ready to get on with her life, in the form of trying to find another man to be her love and Davy's father.
Then, there is the fact that Jason's evil father wants to kidnap the boy before he turns seven. This is the man who kept Jason and Lane apart for all that time. You see, Jason is not just a man, nor is his father or his son.
Jason is a Protector, a super hero, and his father is the most evil of all the Protectors' enemies, an Outcast. If the evil Hieronomous can capture Davy, he can drain the boy's powers just as he turns seven and actualizes them completely. Lane knows nothing about all this, until Hieronomous sends his other son, Mord, to kidnap Davy. Once that is accomplished, Lane, Jason, and other Protectors readers have grown to love, including a certain ferret, must rescue him. Hopefully, there will be time for Jason to reignite Lane's love, but that has to be secondary to finding Davy. Hieronomous must not become any more powerful.
***** As always, Julie Kenner can be counted upon to deliver a fun book, something most of us can really use along about now. Though lighter than SILENT CONFESSIONS, it still has powerful, intense love scenes. Lane may not be a heroine, but she is not a force to be lightly taken, and Jason is as charming as the dolphin he can become. I hope that this is not the last in the series, and that maybe the mysterious Mordecai gets his own story in the near future. *****
Reviewed by Amanda Killgore.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
This review is from: Aphrodite's Secret (Mass Market Paperback)
The continuation of Kenner's series of superhero Protectors based in part on the myths of the Greek Gods. Here we meet Jason Murphy, who has the ability to talk to fish (a talent in great demand, I'm sure) and turns into a dolphin when underwater. Seven years ago he left pregnant girlfriend Lane to deal with his father - the universally reviled Hieronymous. Instead of defeating dad, Jason was captured by him and has spent over six years in a fish tank, being interrogated by good old pop. Having eventually escaped, Jason finds he's been demoted to second class Protector and like his half brother Mordichai is viewed with suspicion by the Elders and Council. Unfairly, because unlike his brother, Jason knows where his loyalties lie.
Lane, sister of Taylor from Aphrodite's Girdle, had no idea who Jason really was, and so far as she is concerned, Jason left her when he found out he was to be a father, never to be heard from again. Her son Davy is now the focus of her life, her little genius whom she doesn't realise is half Protector and whose intellect, like Hieronymous, is his principle power. Davy is about to turn seven, when his powers will blossom and for a moment those powers will be vulnerable. In the meanwhile, Hieronymous has come up with an evil plan to add to his own intellect ...
This story is another Kenner gem, and like the others in the series is told with wit and originality. The humour keeps the story grounded, as does the relationships between many of the characters, including that of Hieronymous and his sons. There are very `human' issues dealt with - jealousy, loyalty, love, trust - even for those with super powers. Although it's not my favourite book in the series, it's a good addition to it and advances the plot for more characters than just the central two.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
