Aphrodite's Secret [Mass Market Paperback]

Every emotion seems to be explained at one point or another by 'licking ones own lips.' The sex scenes are also ridiculous and not a very good idea (many little organisms live in saltwater).

This book has moments of adult reading stewed in with writing syles more appropriate for the 'Babysitters Club' series.

Though this book will be the last Kenner novel I open; I really blame the editor for allowing much of this material to ever see print.

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.

Julie Kenner

Love Spell
May 2003

Jason Murphy has spent the last few months preparing for fatherhood. However, his "blessed event" will be seven years old in just five days, and according to the rules and regulations of the Venerate Council of Protectors Jason's halfling son is expected to the Olympus Elementary Facility before his seventh birthday. There are sure to be questions from his son's mother, Lane Kent, along the lines of where have you been for the last seven years, seven months? Will Lane believe the truth? That in trying to make the world a better place for her and their unborn child, Jason had confronted his father, the odious Hieronymous, and dear old dad had kept him prisoner in an aquarium on a hidden island. Oh, yes, he did forget to tell Lane that he was a mortal protector, or "superhero", and his powers are piscatorial and cetacean related. Translated, he can communicate with fish and he can also transform himself into a dolphin.

Lane has found a good man that loves her and Davy, but she just can't commit to Aaron because there is just no spark. Fat lot of good those sparks are; the very day she told Jason, the love of her life, that she was pregnant, he disappeared and has not been heard from since. Life has been kind of hard on this single mom and she does not know how she would have made it if it hadn't been for her foster brother, George Taylor, his wife, Zoe, and all their friends. Today Zoe has taken Davy to Sea World so she can have some private time with Aaron, and Lane knows that Zoe with her superhero powers can look out for Davy as well as his mother can.

Disaster strikes when a freak storm hits over Sea World, Zoe is locked up, and Davy is abducted. Zoe thinks she recognizes the man that took Davy as Jason Murphy, a fellow mortal protector that must have turned outcast. Zoe is helpless to save her nephew as her hormones and her powers are both on the fritz.

Jason could not get to Davy in time to save him from being taken, but he recognizes "good guy/bad guy Mordichai" as the jerk that made off with his son. Now in the face of disaster Jason is reunited with Lane, and he must convince her that he will save their son and also that he loves her more than life.

It's a toss up as to who has more fun with Ms. Kenner's extremely imaginative, humorous, and very sensual paranormal "Aphrodite" fantasies - the reader or the writer. APHRODITE'S SECRET is another enjoyable escape into the world of talking ferrets, shape shifters, and super heroes and heroines. The Aphrodite series is refreshing and utterly irresistible, and they just keep getting better and better with each new offering.

Betty Cox, Member Reviewer's International Organization (RIO)
April 8, 2003