Customer Reviews

Best Wishes Always (Signet Eclipse)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Best Wishes Always" is author Lucy Finn's third 'genie' book and the second I've read by this author who also writes paranormals under the name Savannah Russe. These books are much sweeter and lighter than her paranormal fare and fun, feel-good escape read.

Antique dealer Larrie is having a hard time getting back to normal after the death of her young-love, sweetheart, soldier fiance in the Middle East. She's having a hard time shaking her depression, but when she gets an unbelieveably good deal on an estate she starts to perk up. Then she polishes the lamp that was the deceased's prize possession...and now she's got a genie!

Interesting that the genie in this book is a British one. He was cursed into genie servitude during the 1800s while in India and has to learn to love and think of others to break his curse.

Fun, sometimes funny, and a fairly quick read. There's some time-travel, a bit of a mystery, a quickie secondary romance, a dotty grandma, an elephant, dogs, goats, a tiger, orphans, and mobsters. This is a book I would have no problems letting a teenager read.

Lots of fun. Not posted on this site, but available to read on the Internet... Romantic Times gave this book four stars (compelling) and said "This wonderful, fanciful story...will charm readers who enjoy the magic of genies and time travel." Kimberly Swan in Darque Reviews wrote: "A world where adventure, magic, and romance combine to lure readers deeper into the storyline...A feel good story that romance readers are sure to enjoy." I absolutely loved it. It contains a treasure hunt and time travel and some kick-a&%$ plot twists, as well as some very poignant scenes. Larissa's fiancee has been killed in Iraq and it highlights the realities of the price paid by our troops and their families.

Larrie Smith, owner of an antiques store in rural Pennsylvania, is still recovering from the death of her husband. When offered the chance to buy an entire estate of British Indian furniture, Larrie jumps at the chance to have such beautiful pieces to sell. But someone else wants the antiques, too, specifically one particular piece.

One of the conditions of taking the furniture is that Larrie keep an old lamp with her at all times. As she tries to clean up the lamp, a genie pops out. Jo Trelawney is handsome and sexy, but he has secrets of his own. When he takes Larrie back to his time in the Raj, her life in both the future and the past, changes completely.

While I enjoyed Lucy Finn's previous genie novel, Best Wishes Always did nothing for me. It was full of clichés and stereotypes. It could have been a great story, but I found myself rolling my eyes at the predictability of the plot more than once. The characters were mostly cardboard and the subplot with Larrie's best friend and the possibly-bad antiques dealer seemed like it was thrown in more as an afterthought than as a plot device. I would read another of Ms. Finn's books, but I think I will stay away from her genie series.

Niki Lee
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Best Wishes Always is a fast, funny read with great plot twists, romance and lessons in life and love! If you like your humor with a bit of fantasy on the side and the satisfaction of seeing your heroine emerge from the dark depression of mourning a love lost in war, this book is sheer perfection. The wonderful plot twists will keep you turning the pages.

I only discovered Lucy Finn because her books came up as an Amazon recommendation. I'll be sure to be reading more by this author!

Larrie Smith was devastated when her fiancee died, and she's been living a half-life ever since. She'd continued her daily rituals, and tried to keep up with running her business, Sparrow's Nest Antiques, but she's stuck in a rut of misery, seclusion and despair.

She realizes that she must at least try to rejoin society when she begins to talk to her antiques as if they might answer her back. In a strange twist of fate, life and excitement beckon when a woman contacts Larrie and insists that she purchase her brother's estate for a truly unbelievable price.

Larrie agrees, and becomes the new owner of an ancient brass lamp. A lamp that produces a handsome genie who is prepared to grant her three wishes! Larrie soon finds herself caught up in a complex story of selfishness and skulduggery, finding her fate inexorably entwined with that of the handsome genie.

BEST WISHES ALWAYS is refreshingly amusing and wonderfully playful! I enjoyed seeing the lighter side of author Lucy Finn - who also writes the Darkwing series under the name of Savannah Russe. Her characters were highly entertaining and her plot was lively and full of fun. The romance wraps up quite nicely in the end, leaving readers wanting more of the same. I will be looking forward to reading the next book by this talented author.

The death of her fiancé Ryan left Sparrow's Nest Antiques dealer Larrisa Smith unable to cope with her grief; she even wears two watches with one being his. It takes her quite a while to truly return to society as she has been only going through the motions. A palmist reads her palm and informs Larrie she has an incredibly long life line, but must continue to avoid antiques.

A woman demands Larrie buy her late brother's estate. Larrie is unable to refuse though she prefers not to do so. Among the items is an ancient brass lamp that leaves her dreaming of a genie John Trelawny who grants her three wishes. She wishes to go back in time, which he grants her. Larrie realizes she is not dreaming and feels that John the genie is maneuvering her, but is not sure to what purpose though she hopes her last wish is one he can grant her.

This is a whimsical romantic fantasy starring a woman grieving her loss and a genie grieving his status. The story line is owned by this pair as she quickly realizes she is falling in love with a Machiavellian genie while he finds her love might be the thing to end his "curse". Time travel, genies, and bereaving heroines make for warm wonderful whimsy.

Harriet Klausner

I never received my order. Guess it got lost in the mail, which of course is not the seller's fault. I waited until nearly a week after the last estimated arrival date to email them, and then I had to email them a couple of times before I got a response, but it was over a weekend. When they did respond, they were polite, apologized, and issued a refund. Not the outcome I wanted, (of course, I wanted the book I ordered!) but it was the best they could do, and they did it promptly.