I Dream of Genies

Starred review from November 1, 2010
Cute as a pink Persian kitten, this scamper of a romance is populated by a whimsical cast of characters: Humphrey the baby dragon, Obo the talking cat, a villainous vizier, a cross-dressing High Master genie, the Egyptian goddess Bastet, and a hunky carpenter. Centuries-old genie Eden (her name one of several nods to the book's namesake TV show) escapes her bottle only to fall for Matt Ewing, the handsome jogger she's been watching from her glass prison's position in the window of Murphy's Antiques. When Eden's magic malfunctions, the nonstop cinematic gee-whiz results will keep the reader enraptured. Fennell (Catch of a Lifetime) also tosses in sultry sex scenes, a bubble-gum–sweet but passionate romance, quick-moving action, and a variety of puns and riddle-making beasts, many of which are sure to reappear in the two planned sequels.

December 1, 2010
Sentenced to 3,000 years in her bottle for the accidental death of her master, Eden finds herself unexpectedly free after only 1,797 years. And in the lap of handsome and sexy millwright Matt Ewing, whom she has desired since first seeing him walk by the dusty secondhand-shop window where she was ensconced. Now Matt, Eden, and Obo the cat must search for the elements (bracelets, bottle, and bottle stopper) that will free her forever from the evil and disgusting Vizier Faruqs plans to sexually enslave her. Fennells sexy contemporary romp, set variously on the West Coast and the legendary Al-Jannah, takes its cue from Barbara Edens indelible television role, but with enough original touches, careful research, and world building to make this talethe first in a trilogy set around jinn wrongly accused under an archaic legal systempure fun.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)