Best Wishes Always

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

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.