Book Reviews

Book Blurb

‘Loving Djinni’ is a charming, screwball-y paranormal m/m romance about ancient magic meeting modern men, and how true love still is the strongest magic of them all. 

Left to die in a sealed tomb, David, an educated and good-natured New York arts dealer and part-time forger, stumbles over an old oil lamp. But instead of producing a little light for David’s last hours, it conjures forth a veritable djinni. 

An ancient, tempting, puckish djinni, who in David’s company prefers to show himself as an irresistibly handsome, fit and barely legal teenager. Quite literally an incarnation of trouble waiting to happen. 
So what’s a modern man to do with his three wishes, when he can have anything except the one thing he truly desires - to mend his broken heart?

Book Review

What a lovely story! ‘Loving Djinni” enchanted and delighted me in equal measure, starting with the laugh-out-loud humor of the first half of the novel all the way to the deeply emotional part of the second half, which is when David and Sharu realize they are falling in love.

David may want everyone to believe that he is a serious art dealer, but underneath the civilized veneer he is a bit of a scoundrel. He trades in antiquities, but not all of them as real as the paperwork he forges makes them out to be. David is a nerd who loves art and respects history, but he wants to make money too - lots of money if at all possible. His ex has dumped him for being boring, and David decides to accept a contact’s invitation for a trip to Egypt – just to prove he is adventurous after all. What he gets as a result is the adventure of a lifetime, a djinni who grants him three wishes, and a moral dilemma about what to do with them.

Sharu is an ancient djinni, immortal and immensely powerful, and a bit of a prankster. As a result, he was bound by someone who turns out to be a historical celebrity and has been a prisoner of the lamp he resides in for millennia. The curse has curtailed his powers so he can only use them to fulfill three wishes for each master who finds the lamp, and he hates it. Sharu’s purpose in life has become to do as much damage to each master as possible by goading them into making stupid wishes, or by misinterpreting what they say as much as possible.
 
David and Sharu’s relationship is not an easy one. David, as a modern man, has difficulty dealing with the magic aspect, but hates whoever did this to Sharu for locking up a sentient being. Sharu is more than mistrustful, believing all humans are stupid and cruel. He only slowly begins to see that David is different, and that is when their relationship changes from hostile to carefully trusting and eventually loving. There are a few bumps along the way, misunderstandings to deal with, and the matter of Sharu vanishing as soon as David uses his third wish becomes a real problem.

The tone of the story changes as the relationship develops, and I found that fascinating. Initially, the humor is snarky and sarcastic, and while both characters’ sense of humor still comes through even when they are battling the threat of never being able to share their lives, it is a softer sort of humor. The depth of their despair was very touching, and the relief I felt when the solution came along was immense. I felt close to both of them, and really wanted them to be happy despite the odds.

If you like fantasy stories with lots of magic and a touch of humor, if two men who are separated by a curse sound exciting, and if you’re looking for a read that is funny, sweet, romantic, and has an energy all its own, then you will probably like this novel as much as I did. It’s adorable and goes straight to the “read when cheering up is required” stack.

 

 

 

 

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Additional Information

Format	ebook and print
Length	Novel, 178 pages/62660 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	14-April-2016
Price	$3.99 ebook, $9.99 paperback
Buy Link	http://www.amazon.com/Loving-Djinni-Beryll-Brackhaus-ebook/dp/B01BWLKWYO