Mona Lisa Awakening (Monère: Children of the Moon, #1)

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Mona Lisa Awakening (Monère: Children of the Moon #1)

by Sunny

3.81 of 5 stars 3.81 · rating details · 2,444 ratings · 247 reviews

A smoldering debut novel exploring the passion, hunger, and danger that can break loose in the moonlight.

From the time she was a child, Mona Lisa knew she was different-but she never knew how different until a man of otherworldly beauty appeared during her night shift in the ER. Gryphon is hurting and hunted and he attracts her as no man ever has before. He is a Monère, on...more

Paperback, 276 pages

Published September 5th 2006 by Berkley Trade (first published September 4th 2002)

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Jul 16, 2010 Laura rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of romantic erotica

Recommended to Laura by: Kenjii

Shelves: romantica-erotica

Wow! I stayed away from this novel for a long time because I’d read so many conflicting reviews about it. People either loved it or hated it. Same with Sunny. Well, count me in. I’m sailing the Love Boat on this one. And sending a big thanks to Kenjii who sent it to me because she thought I would like it. You were absolutely right, girlfriend!! *big smile*

Mona Lisa grew up in an orphanage in NYC, never knowing her parents. At 21 she is a nurse in a city hospital. Her hands also take away pain an...more

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Jan 19, 2009 Moderatrix Lori rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2009, romance-paranormal

I would have given this book 3.5 starts if that were an option because while I enjoyed the book, there were a few things that bothered me about it. It was an engaging and engrossing story, I have to admit. Enough so that I read it in one night. It's obvious the author is a fan of LKH, who is one of my favorite authors so I didn't really mind the similarities. What bothered me was that right from the beginning, Lisa doesn't seem at all surprised to learn that she belongs to a race of beings who u...more

6 likes · like · see review

Feb 23, 2010 Lady Valee rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: pnr-romance

OMG, what a difficult book to rate. Let me say that I just loved this book. I would have given 4 stars if it wasn't for that annoying part right in the middle and the author's tendency to let the heroine be rape or almost rape most of the book. I mean seriously, who does that? why would you want your heroine to suffer something like that? But well... (I must clarify that this is not a spoiler because it isn't something that happened once. I don't know why but Mona Lisa gets stuck in those kind o...more

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Oct 01, 2009 I ♥ Bookie Nookie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: genre-pnr-uf, species-weres-and-shifters, species-angels-demons-aliens, genre-paranormal, zz-reviewed, i-love-this-old, a-series

This was another one of those books that sat on my "to read" shelf forever--I kept putting it off for one reason or another...I think that the description of the book on the cover doesn't do the book justice.

When I read the cover, I was thinking--hmmm, children of the moon--that sounds stupid. Without giving anything away, being one of the "children of the moon" really just means you bask or rejuvenate your body in the moon light when it is a full moon. Sunny does a great job of creating her own...more

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Jun 20, 2009 Brownbetty rated it 2 of 5 stars

I grabbed this book from the library because the front said "A terrific debut sure to appeal to fans of Anne Bishop or Laurell K. Hamilton," after which it should be obvious to those who know me why I could not resist it. It delivered on this promise early, when on page 5 we get "My nipples hardened to stone, my inner sheath quivered, and I wanted to go to him." Inner sheath!

But even more to the point, I think, the Anne Bishop comparison is utterly on target. It is as if someone decided that the...more I grabbed this book from the library because the front said "A terrific debut sure to appeal to fans of Anne Bishop or Laurell K. Hamilton," after which it should be obvious to those who know me why I could not resist it. It delivered on this promise early, when on page 5 we get "My nipples hardened to stone, my inner sheath quivered, and I wanted to go to him." Inner sheath!

But even more to the point, I think, the Anne Bishop comparison is utterly on target. It is as if someone decided that the Black Jewels books were fabulous, but could be slightly less embarrassing to read if they had a little less naked id and talking unicorns. It doesn't aim far above; I'd estimate there's perhaps a 20% reduction in silliness, (It includes shape-shifters from the moon,) but Bishop's books are deeply silly. The set-up is almost directly from Bishop's world, with Queens ruling courts of men who are their lovers and protectors, including the bits about how the men feel an innate desire to serve a worthy queen, and, in fact, there are even "demon-dead" in her books. Lisa is, IMO, less annoying than Janelle, and the book doesn't waste time setting up her innocent victimhood. There is no faffing about with gradations of mystic jewellery, fetishized virginity, silly names (much), and "tangled webs," which I am grateful for. You don't get to use Shakespeare references and then insist that they exist independent of Shakespeare.

Which is why this book's title makes me nuts. You can't call a thing "The Mona Lisa anything" without it meaning to some extent Da Vinci's well known painting. In this book, all Queens are given the title of "mona" and our protagonist is named "Lisa." Just a wacky coincidence! Like, I have named my cheesecake recipe "Mick Jagger's famous cheesecake," and if that causes you to think there is a rockstar associated with it, that's hardly my fault!

Well, okay, in this case it is not so much misleading as highly distracting. But, you know, if you want Queens who are frequently dutifully sexing up their wounded protectors with their magical healing cunts, and just you know, compelled from duty to surround themselves with attractive, protective young men, you may be able to overlook this.(less)

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Jun 14, 2008 MK (Consultant, Corporal Therapist) rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: paranormal romance, shifter romance

Shelves: romance-paranormal, romance-erotic-romance-erotica

the author uses a lyrical way of writing that doesn't need alot of words to form a visual in your mind. Her way of describing the same scenes where never boring b/c of her style of writing. She worth reading over and over and any of her novellas are a hit with me.

This book is the first in the Monere series and starts by revealing the some of the characters mystical sides. Some of the characters are established and are very powerfully present. If your imagination is as active as mine your brain...more

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Apr 04, 2008 Michelle rated it 5 of 5 stars

I consider this book more erotica than romance or chick lit. It's very heavy on the sex. I loved the characters and the sex (so did my hubby). However, I have yet to read LKH so I'm behind the curve on comparisons. I also love Kim Harrison, so you can judge my review based on that. I like books that create separate worlds. I think the Moniere culture is an interesting diversion from the non-human types that I've read about so far. However, based on everyone's comparisons, I'm off to read some mo...more

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Jan 19, 2013 Dawn rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-books, erotica, pnr

What to say about this book...I was really optimistic that it would get better after all so many people rated this book at 4 or even 5 stars. But I should have quit while I was ahead.

The plot is actually interesting, the Moniere are aliens who used to live on the moon before it became uninhabitable or maybe they got kicked out that was not real clear. Details details moving on so the men of Monere have to serve and mate with a Queen to live, they draw their power from them in bask in the moonlig...more What to say about this book...I was really optimistic that it would get better after all so many people rated this book at 4 or even 5 stars. But I should have quit while I was ahead.

The plot is actually interesting, the Moniere are aliens who used to live on the moon before it became uninhabitable or maybe they got kicked out that was not real clear. Details details moving on so the men of Monere have to serve and mate with a Queen to live, they draw their power from them in bask in the moonlight (only on the full moon though). Ok so enter Mona Lisa she is a 21 year old nurse who has has a rather tragic childhood growing up in foster homes. Well one night at work she meets up with another of her kind...yeah that was kind of weird because she thought she was human until she sees this guy Gryphon and realizes she is other. Mona Lisa is apparently bad-a$$ because she does not even bat an eye at not being human and being mixed blood is not a problems. Moving on we find out she can diagnose people and curb the pain of sickness (but she cannot heal, well not yet), she can hear for miles around (which is odd because she gets attacked a lot), she has mind control and a host of other powers that I would mention but I do not want to ruin it for you, and if you are worried we know all this by page 20 so...The guy Gryphon tells he she is a Queen but here is the thing Gryophon is dying slowly because his Queen stabbed him. Well Mona Lisa will not allow it, if there is a rumor about a cure she will find it and because she is bad-a$$ she goes right to the Queen of NY's home and searches it, but then her stellar skills let her and Gryphon down because they get caught. Ah but don't worry kids our heroine is headed to the high court which is awesome because there are healers there and maybe one of them will deal with this nasty silver poison issue. Well she gets to court and things do not go as planned Mona Lisa almost gets raped like a few times and she has to fight and more stuff like that.

Here is the thing Mona Lisa is just to much I mean she has all of these powers and is incredibly understanding but um this book takes place in less than a month. Really you would not feel weird about a new world, money, you are not human?? Ok so even if you can get with all of that the story does not have a trajectory really it feels like there is a lot of rape, men getting hurt that Mona Lisa will heal and a lot of jealous queens out to destroy her. Mona Lisa seems to change a lot one minute she is kind the next she is a dominating queen and at others she is just a free loving pal and she switches between the characters like she has a personality disorder.

Even all of that I could get past if this did not seem so much like Meredith Gentry by Laurell K Hamilton. While Mona Lisa is not to quick to bed everyone she certainly is confident that all those who are male and see her must want her. I think this could have worked if there was some reasoning behind it some description of the lure. In the end I never sympathized with the characters or the plot so it felt like I was skimming through the book. While I think Sunny is probably a good writer her use of words would throw me off, sometimes it was very cheesy "I found my hell-cat and none are as sassy as you". Or wrong terms like quoting Tony the Tiger incorrectly the line is "Their Great! not that's great. Or the going between archaic speech to slang.

(less)

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Mar 24, 2012 Ivonne Guevara rated it 4 of 5 stars

una nueva saga, una nueva raza en este libro comenzamos a conocer a los Monére, los hijos de la luna...
esta especie o mayormente Mona Lisa me hace recordar a los succubus pero en vez de robar energia mediante el sexo ellos lo curan, existen diferentes reinas, cada una tiene un pedazo de tierra para gobernar con sus guardias y demas.
Mona Lisa no conocia este mundo hasta que se encuentra con Gryphon que fue herido por su antigua reina al estar en el mismo sitio sienten una atrayente conexion, un d...more

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Dec 29, 2011 Joi rated it 1 of 5 stars

I read in reviews that it was clear that the author was influenced by the Anita Blake series. Having read those I thought to myself that if these are anything like Laurell K. Hamilton's series then they should be good. I was wrong. I read this and the second book in the series. Awakening had a good start it seemed like it had a lot of potential. But the transition she made from being a seemingly normal human being with a special abilities to a domineering "Monere" queen isn't believable. There...more

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Aug 01, 2011 Madame X rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: erotica, paranormal-urban-fantasy

Mona Lisa Awakening is pretty good for a first novel. And if that's not damning by faint praise, I don't know what is.

The heroine, Lisa, is not fully developed. She doesn't know who she is, so neither does the reader - she changes personae so fast you get dizzy. One second she's an insecure nurse; the next she's a hyper-dominant queen; one second she's free-loving; the next she's a moralizing monogamist. Whatever suits the moment. And there's a lot of Mary Sueism. All the men want her, all the...more

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Dec 30, 2010 Karissa rated it 3 of 5 stars

When I first started reading this book I thought I had picked up a book by Christine Freehan or Sherrilyn Kenyon. The book started out way too mushy and romancy for me. I mean geez, Mona Lisa was sleeping with her guy very shortly into the book. I actually started snickering at the cheesy descriptions of Gyphon's skin, hair, and eyes. I almost couldn't get past that. But I had borrowed the book from my mom and she wanted to know what I thought of it. I decided to preserver; my mom doesn't recomm...more When I first started reading this book I thought I had picked up a book by Christine Freehan or Sherrilyn Kenyon. The book started out way too mushy and romancy for me. I mean geez, Mona Lisa was sleeping with her guy very shortly into the book. I actually started snickering at the cheesy descriptions of Gyphon's skin, hair, and eyes. I almost couldn't get past that. But I had borrowed the book from my mom and she wanted to know what I thought of it. I decided to preserver; my mom doesn't recommend bad books to me and I figured why should she start now!

Basically the premise of the story is that Mona Lisa always knew she was different; she finds out rather quickly that she is a Mixed Blood. Her blood is mixed with that of the Monere. Not only that but she is powerful enough to be a Queen Monere. The book follows her struggles to gain a place in Monere society, survive the trickery of the other Queens, and start to form a loyal following of men to be her guards. Mona Lisa is seen as a breath of fresh air for the male Monere who are used to Queens being deadly and treacherous.

This book did get better. As it continued on there was murder, mayhem, and fun galore. Some reviews I have read of this book have lauded the creativity of the Monere race created in this book. I guess I have to disagree with that; the Monere race seemed like a repeat of Freehan's Carpathian race or Kenyon's Dark-Hunter race. As the book continued I began to be reminded of Laurell Hamilton's Meredith Gentry series. The gathering of men that takes place in this book (along with plentiful sex) and the sharing and manifestation of new powers between the characters is very reminiscent of what happens in the Meredith Gentry series. One thing I really didn't like about this book was there was just too much rape in it!

Overall this was a fun book to read. It was a quick read, fairly well written, and (after the first few chapters) face-paced and action-packed. If you are out of Meredith Gentry, Dark Hunter, and Carpathian novels to read this one would be worth picking up. I thought the book leaned more to romance than fantasy. I suppose it is a fine line to draw. But personally where I enjoy Laurell Hamilton, Kim Harrison, and Charlaine Harris, I do not take much pleasure in the books written by Sherrilyn Kenyon, Christine Feehan, and others of that ilk. There is a line for me where a book becomes too much of a romance and this book teetered on that line.

I might go ahead and read the next book in the series since my mom has it already. Personally I am just getting involved in too many of these paranormal type romance series. These types of series seem to go on forever. This book wasn't good enough to trump some of the other series I am in the middle of reading. (less)

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Sep 28, 2010 Jane Stewart rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: erotic-paranormal-romance, 4-plus-star-erotic-romance

4 1/2 stars. Liked it a lot. Definitely recommend it.

It had a good story and some good characters which is unusual for erotica. I plan to read more of this series. Story brief: The Monere people have powers and magic abilities humans don't have. The Monere live among humans, but humans don't know they are different. Queens rule territories. Mona Lisa was part Monere and part human and was left in an orphanage at birth. When she is 21, she meets Gryphon and realizes an unusual power exists betwee...more

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Jul 27, 2010 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: pnr

This book is a little hard to rate. Let me start with the positives first. I liked how unique the story is. I haven't read a book like "Mona Lisa Awakening" and the story is very compelling. It has great characters, action and sex. I for one am completely bored with formula type books that are so predictable. This book is a breath of fresh air.

On the other hand I felt Sunny could of improved with the character development with Mona Lisa and Gryphon. I didn't feel that connection. I felt a bigger...more

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May 09, 2010 Danika rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: escape-reality

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Wow. And not in a good way. What a piece of utter crap. When I had picked up the book initially, the fact that it was pretty much stated that the author had drawn 'inspiration' from Anne Bishop, Laurell K. Hamilton, etc I was intrigued. I am a fan of Anne Bishop. I am also a fan of Patricia Briggs, whose blurb appears on the book from a review or statement.

I didn't realize that fanfiction could be published. Oh, sure, it's not actually set in either the Black Jewels world or the Merry Gentry uni...more Wow. And not in a good way. What a piece of utter crap. When I had picked up the book initially, the fact that it was pretty much stated that the author had drawn 'inspiration' from Anne Bishop, Laurell K. Hamilton, etc I was intrigued. I am a fan of Anne Bishop. I am also a fan of Patricia Briggs, whose blurb appears on the book from a review or statement.

I didn't realize that fanfiction could be published. Oh, sure, it's not actually set in either the Black Jewels world or the Merry Gentry universe but it might as well have been a combination of the two. Inspiration is fine.

It was, at first, the little things here and there that irked me. Males serve the Queens who run territories. Okay, not exactly an original idea. A healer named Janelle pops up. Okay, coincidence. A character mentions his sister's name: Tersa. Really? Come on. Demon dead? The HIGH LORD OF HELL? Prince Halcyon might as well be Damon Sadi. The phrase "dreams made flesh" was used as well. Really? But even all of that aside...

I have never read a book where the main character was SUCH A MARY-SUE. Not even Twilight. And for those who know of my distaste of that Mary-Sue should realize that I do not state it lightly when I say that Mona Lisa is even worse. She comes from a Tragic Past, conjures up amazing street-fighting and blade-wielding abilities. She has all of the strengths and none of the weaknesses of the Monere, is the first of her kind, blah blah blah. And get this: her brother is a Gary-Stu! No foolin'! He is the first of his kind as well!

The characters are shallow, cardboard cut-outs, with no depth at all to lend to the story to make it interesting. The book is written from a first-person perspective so even having insight into the character's head helps in no way at all. Sex is a commodity yet the main character is somewhat prudish when it comes to most things; she doesn't mind jumping into the sack with someone within hours of meeting him but heaven forbid someone see her cleavage or witness her nudity or even what someone will think of her for having two lovers. Excuse me while I scratch my head in utter confusion at the way the character is portrayed. Prudish but doesn't hesitate to screw first (and second?) Monere male she meets. She's kidnapped, she is attacked, she is wounded more times than one can count, she possesses many powers that are not common to her race, she garners the attention of pretty much every male she comes into contact with--pretty much immediately. Did I mention that she has an animal form? She's a Bengal Tiger.

It pains me to realize that I have the next two books in the series through trades/swaps (thank goodness I have not paid out good money for this crap!) and I cannot let books go to waste. I will be reading those as well and choking them down as best I can.

1 star for utter unoriginality.(less)

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Apr 22, 2013 Chibineko rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: magical-healing-cunt, meh, mary-sue

I think if I had to sum up this book in a word, it'd be "irritating". Why irritating? Because while this book isn't nearly as awful as I thought it would be, it's more irritating at how much of its potential that it wastes.

The sex scenes in this are rather short for what's often billed as erotica. They last maybe about a page or two at average and are about as graphic as your average romance novel, which is probably why I've seen this sold in many stores on the romance shelves. They're decently...more I think if I had to sum up this book in a word, it'd be "irritating". Why irritating? Because while this book isn't nearly as awful as I thought it would be, it's more irritating at how much of its potential that it wastes.

The sex scenes in this are rather short for what's often billed as erotica. They last maybe about a page or two at average and are about as graphic as your average romance novel, which is probably why I've seen this sold in many stores on the romance shelves. They're decently written, so I have no true complaints as far as this goes.

Where I grew irritated was with how the book was written. Mona Lisa is probably one of the more blatant and worse Mary Sues out there in that she adapts so quickly and effortlessly to various situations without any true drawback. I occasionally found myself being bored by some of the events, as I never felt like there was any true threat against Mona Lisa or her men. She'd always come out on top and she'd always find a way to have her men survive. She adapts far too quickly to various strange circumstances, especially when you consider that she went from being completely ignorant of the supernatural world to becoming a queen and traipsing through various courts within the span of a few chapters.

What makes all of this so frustrating is that this had a lot of promise. This felt like it could have been so much more than what it is. The general idea here is good and it's not like the author here is talentless. The start of the novel was pretty good, but over time this just unravels under Sunny's desire to make Mona Lisa the best, brightest, and most powerful of any queen that ever lived. I don't always mind Mary Sues when they're handled just right and this isn't one of those cases.

I'll probably check out the next book to see if Sunny tones down the Mary Sue a few notches, as I did like the idea and beginning of the book. It's not so bad that I want to burn my copy or tell everyone to avoid it, but I do recommend getting this via the library rather than buying it outright.(less)

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Nov 05, 2011 Kara rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-books, fantasy, mybooks

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 29, 2011 Kit Embleton rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I feel like there is next to nothing that I can say about this book. I can’t say that it was amazing, nor can I say that it was horrible. To be honest, I have a distinct feeling of “meh” when I think about it.

My lack of ability to say whether the book was good or not may something to do with the fact that when I read it, I had a disturbing feeling of déjà vu. While I noticed that the author had thanked Laurell K. Hamilton and Anne Bishop in her acknowledgements, I was surprised to find that this...more I feel like there is next to nothing that I can say about this book. I can’t say that it was amazing, nor can I say that it was horrible. To be honest, I have a distinct feeling of “meh” when I think about it.

My lack of ability to say whether the book was good or not may something to do with the fact that when I read it, I had a disturbing feeling of déjà vu. While I noticed that the author had thanked Laurell K. Hamilton and Anne Bishop in her acknowledgements, I was surprised to find that this book read like a mash-up of the two author’s works. The only difference being that I found this book quite unbelievable and I didn’t appreciate the writing style at all.

Having read Bishop’s novels, one could say that I’m a little partial to her. I enjoy her writing, her characters, and the worlds she has created. While the world created in Mona Lisa Awakening is nothing new, the Monère are. Originally hailing from the moon, the Monère are a race of magical beings who now live side-by-side with humans. Poisoned by silver, unable to go out into the sun, nearly all shifters, they’re a sort of mixture of vampires and werelings.

The Monère have a hierarchy reminiscent of Bishop’s Black Jewels series, in that the men protect and serve the Queens of their race. Mixed bloods are used as little more than slaves. The Queens of the Monère have become twisted, in turn twisting the males who serve them. A few of the men have gone rogue, supposedly killing a Queen and now they refuse to allow any Queen to dominate them.

One thing I was prepared for, by the reviews I read, were the scenes depicting sexual intercourse. What I wasn’t prepared for was that the first one appeared less than twenty-five pages into the book. About then is where I was reminded why I stopped reading Hamilton’s Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series; the point where the main character essentially throws away all sense of herself just so she can get laid.

In addition to all the issues I have with the characters, I feel that the storyline and prose were not very well written. At one point, Mona Lisa thinks something along the lines of, “And it had only been two days.” In two days, this woman had been uprooted from her life as an ER nurse, dragged out to the middle-of-nowhere Minnesota and been told she’s a Queen of a mythical race who come from the moon and sleep with the men bound to protect them. It seems a little far-fetched and I had a terrible time attempting to dispel my disbelief as the story wore on.

As the story continued, I found more and more places where the author’s story was like Bishop’s Black Jewels series, from the names of characters, to the demon dead, and characters who “fade back to the darkness”. Essentially, the book felt like it had become a new, modernized retelling of the Black Jewels series, with a hyper-sexualized overtone. To be sure, I found myself more than a little frustrated that the author was so blatant in her borrowing from those who had inspired her writing.

Granted, I knew most of this going into my reading. I certainly can’t say that I am surprised, but I am quite disappointed: I’d heard good things about this series, and now I’m left with a near full set of books I will, most likely, never read.

While many say that those who enjoy the works of Anne Bishop and Laurell K. Hamilton will enjoy these novels, I would say that the ones who will enjoy this probably lean more toward the Hamilton line. I believe that fans of Bishop will be affronted by the familiarity of a few particular characters, while those who enjoy Hamilton’s works more will be intrigued by the sexual escapades of Mona Lisa and her entourage. Those of you who fall somewhere in the middle … I certainly wouldn’t recommend this book but if you enjoy urban fantasy and your erotica in written format, this wouldn’t be a bad series to try. (less)

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Dec 13, 2007 Tina rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: sff-urban-fantasy

This book was alright. It was like this weird wanna be cross between Anne Bishops dark jewels series and Laurell Hamilton's Anita Blake series. It was an ok enough story but I couldn't help feeling that there was a better story trying to get out. Also, I was so distracted by how similar in tone/feel to the other two authors that I cited, that I couldn't enjoy it. Subconsciously I kept comparing it to them.

I will probably read the follow up book to see if the story improves.

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Jul 10, 2010 Toana rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sunny, favorites, pnr, i-own

Dark erotic paranormal fantasy....and I really liked it!

From the time she was a child, Mona Lisa knew she was different—but she never knew how different until a man of otherworldly beauty entered her life.

A humanoid race called the Monère came to Earth from the moon 4,000 years ago—they'll find much to like in this intrigue-filled erotic paranormal. The "children of the moon" are ruled by "Queens," rare females whose ability to pull down the moon's rays allows them to heal rapidly and live 300 y...more

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Feb 01, 2013 Melissa Turner rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance

Mona Lisa Awakening is the first book in this series. About a girl named, well, Lisa. She drops the Mona.

Lisa is nurse that works in the ER at a hospital in New York, where she has the uncanny ability to make people feel better by simply laying her hands on them. This is where she has an undeniable pull to Gryphon. He has silver posioning. After spending a little time with him, he tells her she is part Monere (moon person), and must be a queen. Lisa feels that this is insane because, things like...more

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Jul 14, 2009 Christina rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, 2009-reads

I'm going to be straight and say I DON'T understand how this book is a bestseller, let alone how it managed to be published. Penguin, what were you THINKING?

I've been looking for this book for a good year or so. Amazon was too expensive with the Australian exchange rate, and no bookstores seemed to have it. When I managed to find it on Fishpond (the Australian equivalent of Amazon), I was ecstatic.

Utter waste of time.

Mona Lisa is a slice of white bread. Boring, flat and with absolutely no rea...more I'm going to be straight and say I DON'T understand how this book is a bestseller, let alone how it managed to be published. Penguin, what were you THINKING?

I've been looking for this book for a good year or so. Amazon was too expensive with the Australian exchange rate, and no bookstores seemed to have it. When I managed to find it on Fishpond (the Australian equivalent of Amazon), I was ecstatic.

Utter waste of time.

Mona Lisa is a slice of white bread. Boring, flat and with absolutely no real flaws, characteristics or traits. Rather than respond to situations as herself, she is clearly Sunny's puppet. When Sunny wants her to be meek, she is meek. When Sunny wants her to be sassy, she is sassy. There are no real obstacles Mona Lisa faces, because Mona Lisa can do everything. And everyone is either jealous, in love, or admires her.

Her transition to the Monere world is nonexistent, which to be frank, I call bullshit on. Has Sunny ever read a fantasy novel? A coming-of-age novel? ANY novel? Anyone who is thrown into a new world like Mona Lisa has been would find it difficult to settle and adjust. And how about when Gryphon first arrives? Are you really going to be so BELIEVING of this strange man who tells you about this secret world you've never heard of? Um, no.

Speaking of Gryphon - UGH. I know a great deal of their race is about attraction to their queens, yada yada yada, but come on. They have one night of passion and Mona Lisa is IN LOVE WITH HIM? Attracted, yes. Lusting after, yes. But love, no. I don't believe it. The same goes for Amber. I would not have guessed it if it wasn't for Sunny blatantly telling us that they are in love (and believe me, there is a LOT of telling).

Oh, and info-dumping. Don't even get me started on that.

If you are looking for something of substance: don't bother.
If you are looking for a great whirlwind romance or a fantastic new fantasy world: don't bother.
If you are looking for the next best read because you just finished the Black Jewels Trilogy and Amazon recommended this series: DON'T. BOTHER. (less)

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Sep 26, 2012 Candice rated it 1 of 5 stars

I really wanted to like this book. I wanted to get into this series. The plot was intriguing enough, but WOW! When did writers just fling ideas on a pages with all disregard for their readers intelligence? If this were a film, it would be a low-budget, cheesy, B-porn starring some washed-up actress the likes of Tara Reid or Traci Lords I've never seen a protagonist that was so accepting of her circumstances and willing to do things no woman in her right mind would do. If this were written by a m...more

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Jan 26, 2009 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance

Sunny is an amazing writer; the way she strings together her thoughts on paper really allows the reader to drift into the world of the Monere. Something that is REALLY hard to do when written in first person.

One of my favorite things about this series was that the readers learned about the Monere as Mona Lisa did. At no time did we have more knowledge about their society than she did, which prevented a lot of heady legend/lore stuff and let the reader just experience (something that more PNR wri...more

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Nov 19, 2012 Sammy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: abducted, bad-ass-heroine, erotic-paranormal-romance, favorites, library-book, tear-jerker, paranormal-romance, violent-rape-scene-beware, shifters-are-hot, smokin-hot-drippin-wet, violence-torture-gore

Darkly erotic, but wow! I absolutely loved this book. I love finding a paranormal series that is refreshingly different. Mona Lisa is an ER Nurse in Manhattan that feels alone in the world. She meets a creature during one of her shifts that changes her life and helps her to understand why she has been different all of her life. She is not only another species, but a born Queen of that species (kinda like a queen bee) that is meant to rule. This story was absolutely amazing though very dark! Fill...more

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Mar 19, 2010 Jaimie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, romance, series

So I am kind of embarrassed that I even read this series. In my defense I didn't really mean to. Well it was at a time when I was reading like 7+ books a week and I was grabbing anything that sounded kind of interesting and I ended up with the third book. So instead of reading it and finding out it is basically porn I went and bought the first thinking that at the rate I was reading it didn't really matter how good it was. So that is how I started the series but I obviously went out and read the...more

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Sep 07, 2012 Hannah rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal

I started reading this because their was a short story by Sunny in On The Prowl that made this world sound interesting. I bought it for my Kindle at like 10pm and stayed up until 3am reading it straight through. So I guess that means I really liked it. Today, thinking back on it, I can see what sort of bothered me about the book. It seems so similar to the Black Jewels Series by Anne Bishop that I read years ago! Like eerily similar. The whole Queen and Warrior concept, the control and cruelty i...more

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Nov 27, 2011 Alexis ~*Too many books, not enough time*~ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: can-t-wait-to-read, dec2011, paronormal-romance, discovery, self_discovery, saved, jealousy, funfearless-andfemale, favesofalltime, demons, betrayal, badass-sexyshifters, adult-romance-erotica, action_packed

WOW I fell in love with Mona Lisa!!!!:D Mona Lisa is a Fun Fearless Female!!!
I enjoyed this new world of supernaturals that Sunny(the author) introduced me to!! Mona Lisa got swept into her natural born self as a true Queen... Her loving heart was amazing to all those who came in contact with her. She fell for not one but two strong males Gryphon and Amber both willing to share her as lovers. I already ordered the nxt two bks in this series can't wait to read them!!

Plot Description from bk below...more

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Sep 20, 2011 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: dark-fantasy, erotic, favorites

Each book gets better than the last, quite refreshing series.
Bottom Line: Buy it
When you're a new queen, a mixed blood..who struggles to find yourself and establish your kingdom, along with the help of your two brand new lovers..warriors saved from death..all while some rivals conspire to kill you...and oh by the way, the Prince of Hell kinda digs you as well.
Having read some of the other reviews, I don't find this author like Anne Bishop (Sebastian) or Laurell K. Hamilton (Guilty Pleasures)..at...more

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Jun 01, 2008 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of LKH books, paranormal fantasy books.

Shelves: erotica

I read this in one day and it was great! Dark and dramatic it talks about a new breed of supernatural called the Monere. The author was clearly inspired by LKH and the likes, however the story is different enough that it doesnt feel like a copycat. Its sensual and sexy without being overrun with sex. I highly recommend it!

1 like · like · see review

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About Sunny

A family practice physician and Vassar graduate, Sunny was finally pushed into picking up her pen by the success of the rest of her family. Much to her amazement, she found that, by golly, she actually could write a book, and that it was much more fun than being a doctor.

As an author, Sunny has been featured on Geraldo at Large and CNBC, and has won many awards including the prestigious PRISM Awar...more

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Books by Sunny

Mona Lisa Blossoming (Monère: Children of the Moon, #2)

Mona Lisa Craving (Monère: Children of the Moon, #3)

Mona Lisa Darkening (Monère: Children of the Moon, #4)

Lucinda, Darkly (Demon Princess Chronicles, #1)

Lucinda, Dangerously (Demon Princess Chronicles, #2)

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“Yes, monsters all of us, I thought. And so horribly fragile.” — 12 people liked it

“Oh yes, I want to play with 'Samson'. Come to Delilah.” — 3 people liked it

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Mona Lisa Awakening (Monère: Children of the Moon #1)

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