I Dream of Genies by Judi Fennell
Sourcebooks Casablanca (Jan 2011)
Paperback, 393 pages | Paranormal Romance
I really wanted to love I Dream of Geneies. The premise sounded like such fun and as it was the holiday season and I had time off over the new year (when I began reading it) I was looking for a really good romance novel, and as it was about genies I was also looking forward to a fresh take on paranormal romance – no vampires or werewolves in sight.
It started off well: Eden, a beautiful genie in a bottle, an atmospheric dusty old antique shop, a talking cat, baby dragons called ‘dragonlets’ breathing little smoke ring puffs, and a delicious hero called Matt. Sounds like a recipe for a fabulous paranormal romance doesn’t it.
Sadly, after about a hundred pages things just went down hill. Repetitive prose, annoying heroine, irritating hero and a scattered plot. It read like a bad screwball rom-com movie. There were moments that captured my imagination and kept my attention but for the most past I was happy when I reached the end.
There is an innocence to Eden’s character which I liked and went well with what I imagine for a female genie. I also thought the addition of Eden’s magic coming out all wrong was funny and matched her personality – she became quite endearing. There were a few other humorous moments and I enjoyed most of Eden’s interactions with Matt. However, once the story moved from the human world to the world of the genie, the story lost it’s magic for me.
Matt is an ok hero, but a little bit whiny. He’s having monetary problems and his business isn’t doing too well. He also has a huge chip on his shoulder concerning his family. This is mentioned quite a bit but is never resolved, which begs me to question why it was added in the first place. More surplus sub-plots which really needn’t have been there.
There were also too many lovemaking scenes and main one where Eden and Adam hook up for the first time went on for far too long. Twelve pages in fact. I am not adverse to a love making scene or two, but keep them short and sweet please – I personally don’t need to read twelve pages of kissing and licking and sucking….boring! Unfortunately there was a lot of this. Eden and Matt groped each other at every opportunity; lots of “I want you’s” and “tongue’s in mouths”, even when they were running for their lives sex was not far from their minds. It took away from the romance a little bit for me. A loving look can say a thousand words, having the characters constantly maul each other and want to have sex wherever they are isn’t always necessary to portray love.
The ending was good and fitting for the characters with a little surprise twist. It was satisfying, and for those that love a happy every after won’t be disappointed.
VERDICT:
Overall I Dream of Genies was a bit of a let down – it’s also at least a hundred pages too long. There were a few aspects I enjoyed but for the most part but it just didn’t do it for me…I think I’ll stick to my vamps and weres!
RATING: 
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7 Comments
That is disappointing because it was such a unique premise
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What a shame, cause it sounded like it was a good premise for a book.
I might see if I can get it on the kindle cheaply.
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And this looked so fun too. But I'm with you on the pages of love scenes, keep them short and sweet otherwise it gets tedious.
It reminded me of the old TV series 'I Dream of Jeannie' – such a shame it didn't live up to expectations.
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Bummer, coulda been awesome!
I SOOOO agree with you on the whole sex scene thing. I don't mind a lil action in the books I read, but hate it when it's overdone.
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I dislike it when characters are constantly thinking about sex, it leaves no room for story or character development and it just gets old.
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THANKS FOR STOPPING BY EVERYONE – YES IT IS A SHAME IT DIDN'T LIVE UP TO MY EXPECTATIONS, BUT YOU MAY REALLY ENJOY IT…SADLY THIS ONE JUST WASN'T FOR ME.
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Oh such a wicked sense of humor! I had to laugh at the scene with the eunuch dubbed "Newly-Snipped".
"Newly snipped, probably. And not happy about it"
I'll bet!
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