Just Finished:
Synopsis: Once voted the girl most-likely-to-succeed, Hildy Caldwell is now the one in the biggest rut. She has let her world get very small: a tiny cottage in rural Pennsylvania, two cats, and a ho-hum job. As for love? Nobody has ever measured up to her football hero high school sweetheart. If only she could meet him again . . .

Knowing that's wishful thinking, Hildy splurges on a summer rental on Long Beach Island, one of the Jersey shore's prettiest spots. There, she hopes the wind might blow a handsome man her way. Instead, she finds an abandoned bottle-with a two-thousand-year-old, meddlesome genie inside! Magic and mayhem follow, along with what Hildy's been wishing for: a meeting with the man she has never stopped loving.

With the genie's help, Hildy's dreams might come true. But spells and enchantment have a dark and dangerous side. And Hildy could lose everything-unless she finds out that true love is the best kind of magic.

My Thoughts: Anyone who knows me knows I’m a sucker for two kinds of stories: The unrequited love story, or the reacquainted love story. In this one, two high school sweethearts are reacquainted after ten years time.

Hildy’s character was likeable. She had remained in the small town where she grew up in order to take care of her dying mother. Even after her mother passed away, she remained in that small town teaching English to high school kids. For the most part, I thought she was well-written and I enjoyed her exploits.

It was rather convenient the way Mike entered the picture. Mike was the high school boyfriend that Hildy never got over and she hadn’t seen him in the ten years since they graduated. Then while vacationing on the Jersey shore, who should she meet up with again but Mike? Mike’s character, I didn’t really invest in. Not really. I guess he was likeable enough, there was just something missing. That being said, I still enjoyed Hildy and Mike’s relationship. The whole past relationship thing probably just made me more forgiving.

***Spoilers***
A few things bugged me about this story, which really took away from the likeability of it. First, Mike was already engaged to somebody else. His whole “I love you ~~ wait, no I don’t” wishy-washiness with Hildy and his fiancé really bugged me. The other thing? Hildy was a virgin who always wanted her first time to be with Mike. So, conveniently, it was. But then Mike’s whole wishy-washiness came back again. Let me summarize: “I never stopped loving you ~ wait, maybe I did. Okay, I might still love you, but I might still marry my fiancé instead. Wait, I might want to marry you now.” Blah, blah, blah.
***End Spoilers***

The gist of story was Mike and Hildy, but there were some great side characters as well:
1) Tony G is the genie that Hildy inherits by accident. For a two-thousand-year-old warrior, he’s pretty savvy to current fashions. Hildy soon has a closet full of top designer fashions, hair that grows longer within mere seconds, and a genie that can change her appearance with a flick of his gold genie dust.

2) Corrine is the stereotypical protective older sister, but that just made her character more likeable to me. I really enjoyed reading the interactions between the two sisters and really enjoyed their relationship.

Verdict: All in all, the story was Good. I finished it and it kept me entertained, which is really all I care about. Not a keeper, but still worth the time it took to read.

Labels: Good, Lucy Finn, Paranormal, Penguin