The story of Zubis and Bethany O'Brien is a love story for a new generation. It has suspense, humor, heart, passion and a fiery romance. I was so emotionally involved in how their relationship developed that I had trouble putting the book down. At the same time, the author does a stellar job of creating scenes that make you feel like you're there. I traveled from Washington to London to Italy then Egypt and, finally, Saudi Arabia, just by turning the pages. Even though this is the story of a genie, the way it's written makes the idea of a genie interacting in our world entirely believable.
Bethany O'Brien is a normal American woman who works for the Saudi embassy in Washington, DC. She's sharp and sassy and very skeptical when Seth, her contact at the embassy, tells her a secret. He's a member of an ancient society called the Veil of Thoth, whose job it is to monitor genies on earth. They've learned that Bethany is the reincarnation of a priestess from the time of Solomon. The priestess was the lover of a genie named Zubis who has resurfaced in the 21st century. Seth wants to help Bethany retrieve her memories as the priestess so that she can kill Zubis. Even though Bethany thinks the idea of a genie being real is ridiculous (much less that she would have to kill him), her journalism training kicks in. She wants to find out what's really going on.
I think Bethany's pursuit of Zubis might have been unbelievable if we didn't already see that Zubis had been visiting Bethany in her dreams. She's confused and intrigued by Zubis by the time Seth explains who he is. Plus, the story opens with Bethany meeting Zubis in the flesh at an embassy reception. Sparks fly right away. She doesn't yet realize who he is, but the reader has a clue. That was one of the main reasons I was willing to follow along. I wanted to watch Bethany come to the realization that Zubis was a genie. And that he has never stopped loving her. In the time of Solomon, genies and humans weren't allowed to fall in love. But this time around, he's not going to let anything come between them. This is the first book in a series called The Zubis Chronicles. I hate it when books in a series have an unfulfilling ending because they want you to read on. Not the case here. The story comes full circle. But I still can't wait wait for book two!
