Aphrodite's Secret

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.

APHRODITE'S SECRETJulie KennerLove SpellMay 2003Jason 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

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

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.

Jason Murphy could talk to sea creatures, turn himself into a dolphin, and has several other superpowers like all Protectors; but none of them had a father like his. Hieronymous planned to kidnap Jason's son, Davy, and steal the little prodigy's brain power at the stroke of midnight marking the seventh birthday. Jason planned to rescue his son and win the mother, Lane. Problem was that since he disappeared seven years ago right after Lane had informed him of the pregnancy, Jason knew winning her back would NOT be a simple swim in the pool. After all, how could Lane trust Jason when he kept so many secrets from her? ***** Another witty and fun read from one of the Masters! If you have never read a book by Julie Kenner than this one will show you what all the fuss is about. Some well known characters from previous books help out as secondary heros and add to the enjoyment of this Superhero Central fantasy. Wonderful book by a fabulous author!