Mona Lisa Awakening

I think I would have been disappointed in the book if I wouldn't have read the first page before reading the actual book. Sunny thanks her editor and then goes on to say, "And special thanks to Laurell K. Hamilton and Anne Bishop, whose wonderful stories inspired my Monere Children of the Moon series." This left me with an open mind to enjoy her book. Yes, many details of the story are obviously drawn from details from LKH and Anne Bishop, although, I think Sunny is much more successful at it than is Laurell. (Anne Bishop is a class unto herself.) Whereas Laurell is an extremely poor done porn flick with no plot, Sunny is all plot with erotic romance sprinkled in. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the next in the series.

This series has many similar themes to Laurell Hamilton's Merry Gentry series--very steamy, but happily more plot driven, but still has a fresh outlook on Children of the Night. I read it in one day. Mona Lisa is a Mixed-Blood "Monere" and Human--the first and only mixed queen. Lisa must gather warriors to her side to survive. Her most trusted are Gryphon (who changes into a falcon) and Amber (who shifts into a mountain lion). Will Lisa inherit the gitft to change, and into what? Throw into the mix vicious rival queens and a Prince of Hell and you have one hot read. Can't wait for the sequel.

I haven't been this engaged by a book in a while. It reminded me of LKH's early writing, before she decided she didn't actually need to tell a story--just put a lot of sex scenes back to back. All the characters were interesting and I really LIKED Mona Lisa. She was strong without being prickly. And the men--well, what can I say--Pick me! I eagerly await Sunny's next offering.

Look out Laurell Hamilton fans!!! This is book is a constant page turner. I read it in one day. Between the Monere's vampire like heirarchy and the combination of cold-bloodness and kind heartedness of the main character you will never get bored.

Four millennium ago, the Monere left the moon to create a society on Earth ruled by Queens, who live for centuries and use lunar rays to heal. Men serve these powerful rulers until they are discarded or abused beyond use. In the emergency room of Manhattan's St. Vincent's Hospital, one of these Gorgeous males arrives near dead. Young ER nurse Lisa saves Gryphon only to learn that she is not a full blooded human; apparently Lisa is the offspring of New York Monere Queen Mona Sera and that she is the first half-breed Monere Queen, which enables her to do things the purebreds cannot yet do. Her royal peers including her mother fear the newcomer and want her dead. However with her awakening and human goodness (as opposed to the Monere pure ruthlessness) Mona Lisa has begun to attract quite a following from amidst the rejects and throwaways. This is a refreshing contemporary urban erotic horror thriller that grips the audience once Lisa saves Gryphon in a unique beside manner. The readers will appreciate the premise that Queens rule through power including sexual. The exciting creative story line is action-packed as the other Queens want Mona Lisa eliminated before her modern humanized methods destroy their Monere traditions. Harriet Klausner