Mona Lisa Awakening
SunnyFantasy erotic romance
Available from Berkley
ISBN: 0425211606
September 2006
| Lisa is an ER nurse in Manhattan, drawn to sickness because she understands that deep within she contains the power to heal. To date, the power comes only when called by the pain of another and not at her will. Then she can only diagnose, not to cure. One night on her shift, she encounters a palpable energy force and traces it to one of the waiting patients who clearly possesses non-human characteristics such as incredibly slow heart rate and psychic control. Although he also is aware of the magnetism, he doesn't know the source. The revelation that he and Lisa are Monere, children of the moon, leaves her flabbergasted but strangely resigned.
Although he perceives Lisa to be a Queen - a Mona - he informs her that oddly, she is of Mixed Blood, partially of human lineage, probably one-quarter. As such she bears a fragrance which will magnetise all Monere males. Gryphon has escaped from his own wicked Queen, Mona Sera, who has poisoned him with silver so that he is drained and his recuperative powers are no greater than humans’. To Gryphon, Lisa is able to reveal that her full name really is Mona Lisa, for that was the name etched on the cross found on her infant self when she had been abandoned. Mona Lisa Awakening is a touching, magical tale which puts this reviewer in mind of some of the greatest fairy and fantasy tales. The prose is lyrical, nearly poetic, and the world-building is performed in such a gradual and almost effortless way that the reader is soon drawn into the truths of the story before realizing that it's fiction. The characters are appealing and well-drawn, and the background plot is compelling. Indeed, I found the author’s world-building skills excellent. This is the first of two stories and I can only hope that this will become a long-standing series. I know I have found a story suitable to be added to my keeper shelf of rereads.
Overall rating:
Reviewer: Annie |
