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Praise for I Dream of Genies:
"YOU WILL WANTTO BELIEVE IN MAGIC!" — Kerrelyn Sparks, New York Times bestselling author of The Vampire and the Virgin
Be careful what you wish for. . .
Samantha Blaine is about to make a fateful discovery. A tall, dark, handsome, ohmygosh kind of fateful discovery...
Kal is very pleased to meet his attractive new master – especially since he intends to seduce her into granting him freedom. But when seriously dark magic spells trouble for both of them, Kal can't help himself from falling for the woman who holds his fate in her hands. . .
Warmly acclaimed by readers and critics alike, Judi Fennell brings to life a fabulous world of magic and mayhem where wishes come true in the most unexpected ways!
Praise for I Dream of Genies:
"Sultry sex scenes, sweet but passionate romance, and quick-moving action. . .will keep the reader enraptured." — Publishers Weekly
"Absolutely delightful...will keep readers amused and completely enthralled." — Fresh Fiction
Every wish comes with complications...
November 17, approximately 10:00 p.m.
Samantha Blaine held her breath and rubbed the copper lantern on the desk in her father's office one more time. A little harder. A little longer.
But still...nothing.
No smoke, no genie, not even a dust bunny. She was being ridiculous; the thing was as much a genie lantern as Albert, her double-crossing, soon-to-be-fiancé—make that, her double-crossing, soon-to-be-ex-soon-to-be-fiancé—was Prince Charming.
Useless. Albert thought she, like this lantern, was useless.
"Trust me, Henley," he'd said during the phone conversation she'd inadvertently overheard not ten minutes earlier. "Daddy's little girl is clueless. Useless. On all fronts. Run the company? Her old man must have had another stroke back when he had that will drawn up. She's incapable. Inept. Hell, she doesn't even have a clue what I'm up to. She doesn't have a clue about anything, so as soon as this memorial thing is over, I'll get my ring on her finger and my hands on the contents of that safe. Then you'll get your money."
Samantha flicked the edge of the letter with the combination to the safe. Dad's attorney had given it to her earlier. He'd said Dad had wanted her to have it tonight during the funeral—no, during Dad's life celebration. That was her father, always looking for the good in everything, but what good had there been in opening it now, in the middle of this party, just to retrieve a souvenir from her parents' honeymoon? She didn't really want a reminder of the happily ever after she apparently wasn't going to have with Albert. Without him. Whatever.
She traced the lantern's curved spout, thoroughly appreciating the irony that Albert had been tearing the house apart for weeks trying to find the combination to the safe, yet she'd been the one to open it.
Useless, was she? Who was the inept one now?
She tapped the flame-shaped finial on the lid. Finding this wasn't a victory though, because while Albert might not have been Prince Charming material, she'd thought he'd had some redeeming qualities, namely claiming to love her for her. Not because of who her father was or how much she'd be worth someday, or what great merger-acquisition material she'd be like other corporate types she'd dated, but her. Not Samantha Blaine, heiress, but Samantha, the woman who had hopes and dreams of a long, loving relationship like her parents' and the big family she'd never had. She wanted so much to believe, so she'd let herself hope that, this time, it was for real.
The troll had helped the illusion along not only by offering to sign a prenup, but also by stepping in and taking over the burden of running her father's custom-car manufacturing company while she'd been at Dad's hospital bedside these past six months. She'd been so grateful.
And now this. And tonight of all nights. The jerk.
She blinked back the tears, determined not to let him get to her. But, God, she'd been so trusting. So hopeful. Again.
And again she'd been disappointed.
Samantha tucked some curls behind her ears, plopped her chin in her palm, and ignored Wanda the housekeeper, who was calling her name from the foyer. Samantha wasn't up for seeing anyone right now.
Oh, not because Albert had just broken her heart. Sadly, deep down, she'd known he wasn't the guy for her. She'd known that. But he'd been the first—she'd thought—guy in her life who'd sincerely been interested in her. When Dad had had the stroke, Albert had been there. He'd helped out with the company and hadn't made any demands on her other than to sign paperwork.
That was when he'd started mentioning marriage, and Samantha had let herself go along with the idea because, more than Albert being her One True Love, she hadn't wanted to deal with the fact that when Dad was gone, she'd be alone in the world. Mom had died when she'd been a toddler, so it'd just been the two of them all these years. She'd never felt the lack of family more than she had when Dad died.
Albert had offered her a way out, so she'd given in to the hope that maybe, just maybe, he was the real deal. Stalwart, supportive, there when she'd needed something...That was what she'd always wished for, so she'd let him in. Trusted him. Believed in the fairy-tale ending.
And now he'd betrayed her.
She shook the long sleeve of the djellaba she wore over her street clothes up her arm and picked up the lantern, her reflection not distorted enough to hide the pain in her eyes at being betrayed.
Again.
Why was everyone always looking for handouts from her? What was wrong with her that she couldn't have someone want her just for who she was instead of what she had in her bank account or what she could do for them? It was sad really, how, with all the things money could and had bought for her, love wasn't one of them.
She ran her fingertips over the lantern's rounded side. Wouldn't it be perfect if this actually were a genie lantern? She could use a little magic in her life right now.
For her first wish, she'd turn Albert into a belly-crawling lizard. Then she'd bring Dad back, and then...
"And then I'd wish for the genie to take me away from all this, to some place where all my troubles would just disappear."
And, in a billowing cloud of orange smoke, that's exactly what happened.
Or...was it?
robinky
Posted October 26, 2011
Samantha Blaine is the only heir to her fathers buniess and his personal estate, which is very vast. Samantha has always wanted a marriage just like her parents. They fell in love the first time they saw each other and stayed in love. Her parents honeymooned in the middle east and when her father passed away he wanted a "life celebration" and the theme to be Middle Eastern with food and tents. After the funeral the attorney gives her a letter from her father. In it is the combonation to the safe in his home office. On the way to open the safe, Samantha decides to look for her boyfriend , Albert. But what she ends up doing is overhear him ln the phone telling someone that she is clueless. That once he has his ring on her finger he will be in control of her buniess and her money. Samantha finds herself sitting at her fathers desk and rubbin the lamp she found in his safe. All of a sudden orange smoke comes from the lamp and in front of the desk stands a strange man.
Khaled is the genie of the lamp. With the death of Samantha's father the ownership of the lamp passes to Samantha since she is one who rubbed the lamp. Kal found out how to remove the cuffs that bound him to the Service. When he was caught he was sentenced to serve one thousand and one master and must also grant each one one thousand and one wishes. Samantha is his last master. What Kal wants is to be set free and take over the position of Vizier. The more time Kal spends with Samantha the closer they become to each other. When Samatha's old boyfriend finds his way to where they are hiding, he belives the only way to get the genie from her is to kidnap a baby magical creature. Will Kal and Samantha be able to save the baby? And stay together? Or will Kal be trading one master for another one?
This is the second installment of Ms Fennell's Genie series. This can be read alone without reading the first one. But in my opinion you will not be dissapointed with either book. Ms Fennell pens a story that is entertaining. The magical land where they hide away in is told in such a way as to feel as that you are there. You almost expected to look up and see a unicorn walk by. I look forward to many more stories from Ms Fennell set in this world. This series is one for the keeper shelf.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.LASR_Reviews
Posted October 21, 2011
Genies have always been viewed as one of the most magical creatures, but magic cannot buy you love. Not only can it not buy Kal Samantha's love, but it can also doom him to a life of mortality. After 2,000 years of waiting go back to his rightful place in the djinn society, he is not willing to risk it all on one human, or so he thought.
One aspect of this story that really separates it from any other story I have read is that it is extremely light hearted and playful. This was an exciting change to the typical love affair. It also allowed the author to display the characters' personality well, including the plethora of sub characters throughout the story. At times I found myself so enchanted by the banter that I forget the antagonist was leaking around the corner.
The antagonistic conflict played a large role in Genie Knows Best sometimes to the point that I forgot it was a romance story. While I think that the antagonistic conflict was fitting to the story and help it progress nicely, I would have liked to have seen a little more time spent building the romantic aspect of this story.
This story was full of many mythical creatures, which really keep me on my toes. You never knew when Gremlins, Leprechauns, unicorns, or any other mythical creature you can think of would show up. I love mythical creatures so this was something I thoroughly enjoyed. Especially when they got to arguing with each other. I could have read about the fights for days between all of the creatures in Izaaz.
Not only is this a story I would recommend to others, I already have a few people in mind that I know would love it and plan to tell them today. So if you are looking for a love story with a laugh this would certainly fit the bill.
Originally posted at the Long and Short of It Romance Reviews
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.j2smith79935
Posted September 18, 2012
I Also Recommend:
Great second to I Dream of Genies. You don't have to read both for them to make sense, but both books are wonderful reads. In this book, Samantha discovers her dad's genie lantern on the night of his funeral, and when she opens it, it sets her off on a series of events that blow her mind. Think leprachauns, dragons, and a genie who wants to seduce you for his freedom. Great story!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted May 31, 2012
entertaining, but with the description, I expected better. I did not buy the next in the series. Approx 260 pages of story.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Susan51
Posted April 14, 2012
When I need a fun romance to escape from stress and the doldrums of every day life, I know I can count on Judi Fennell to transport me to a fantasy world! This book is no exception. The adventures of Kal and Samantha were fun, humorous, and fast-paced. This is another winner by the talented Judi Fennell. I am looking forward to the next book in the series!
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Posted February 16, 2013
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Posted November 25, 2011
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Posted November 24, 2011
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Overview
Praise for I Dream of Genies:
"YOU WILL WANTTO BELIEVE IN MAGIC!" — Kerrelyn Sparks, New York Times bestselling author of The Vampire and the Virgin
Be careful what you wish for. . .
Samantha Blaine is about to make a fateful discovery. A tall, dark, handsome, ohmygosh kind of fateful discovery...
Kal is very pleased to meet his attractive new master – especially since he ...