Loves Potion - Monica Jackson

From my review blog, All the Colours of Romance:

Love's Potion
Author: Monica Jackson
ISBN-13: 978-0758211613
Kensington Dafina Sept 2005

Jasmine Flynn, CPA, never imagined that the old perfume bottle she'd picked up in a junk store would change her life. But when the djinni (that's djinni, not genie, if you please) appears and Jasmine takes one look at the most handsome man she's ever seen, she decides to play along and make a wish. After all, what woman wouldn't wish for a man like Raziq--tall, lean, and breathtakingly gorgeous--but can she ever trust a man again after what she's been through? As Raziq explains the ins and outs of magical wishes, Jasmine learns more than she ever wanted to know about demons, sorceresses, and otherworldly powers until, without warning, Jasmine and Raziq find themselves in the midst of a war between the powers of good and evil, as well as a battle for her own heart...

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Somewhere between Taupo, NZ and Auckland, NZ, the library's copy of this book, along with my notes for this review went missing (aka, Anne didn't pack it on one of her many stops to visit family on her whirlwind trip home). So this review is going to be a little more brief than I'd anticipated.

Love's Potion was a fairly light hearted, funny, sexy little romance story. That might sound like I'm calling it a little trite, considering it's a paranormal and the storyline is very much about the fight between good and evil, but with many of the heavy on the emo, oh-my-the-world-is-so-dark-and-twisted paranormal offerings of late it doesn't compare - and that's not a bad thing. Personally, a paranormal romance with a little comedic kick to it is right up my alley. Seriously, Demons and ghoulies and things that go bump in the night don't have to be all about the deep, dark and oh noes the world is ending drama -- you can have fun while saving the world :)

The covering-front-for-my-bruised-and-emotionally-squishy-insides zingers that passed between our Heroine, Jasmine, and her unlikely, right-from-the-bottle Djinni, Raziq, kept a smile on my face throughout the story. I especially loved this wry little observation by our Djinni Hero, Raziq

"Maybe. But he was the one who made the vows. He had his cake, over ate it, and thought he could vomit out the consequences. He betrayed his family, and accepted your love, then trampled on it. He did the greater evil."

Loved, loved, loved the image this gave me. (There was another one I'd marked in the book to highlight, but I can't find it now in the pdf ARC)

It's not a long book - about category length I'd guess, judging by the reading time - but Ms Jackson manages to give us quite a bit of a view into the 'other' world Jasmine finds her eyes opened to. I could quite sympathise with calling in for a mental health day after getting her first taste of the spirit world she'd previously been blind to. But although the world seemed rather interesting it suffered some from lack of depth. There are quite a number of side players in the story, maybe too many, as it seems the story take some sort of turn at each new person you meet, which kind of rushes you through some of the journey Jasmine and Raziq end up on. Having not read any of Ms Jackson's other paranormals, I'm not sure if these are a reoccurring bunch of characters from other books, or setting up for sequels.

I'd definitely recommend Love's Potion to someone wanting a short, quirky paranormal read - if nothing but for the yummy Djinni goodness of Raziq:

He was tall, at least six feet, two inches, with deep bronze skin. He wore jeans that fit his long, sexy thighs like a glove and a white T-shirt with the sleeves rolled up on his muscled biceps. His hair was cropped short with crispy big black curls. A gold hoop earring encrusted with tiny diamond and sapphire stones dangled from his left ear. His features were chiseled and so handsome, he was breathtaking. His wicked grin showed teeth so white they gleamed.

(where do I find his Djinni bottle, hubba hubba)

I understand this is the first book of three, and I think I nabbed the 2nd book while I was at the library (no I didn't take that with me, so it's still safely in the library book bag) so I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next.