"This genie romance is a dream come true!"
Life had dealt Madeline Winston more than her share of hard
knocks. She had become the CEO of her father's corporation
upon her graduation from college, but the gift had come at
a high price. Both of her parent's had been killed in
accident enroute to her commencement ceremony. With no one
left but a doting grandmother, and a great uncle who
harbored an irrational resentment of her, Maddie had been
determined to do her father's memory proud. Unfortunately,
fate did not appear to be on her side. Five years later,
Winston Design was in a shambles due to what appeared to be
industrial sabotage, and her personal life wasn't going any
better. Not only had her treacherous ex-fiancé eloped with
another woman while still promised to her, but he had
managed to leak the story to the press before she could
even end their engagement. Her self-esteem was at an all
time low and if that was not enough, she was loosing her
mind. How else did one explain the fact that a bottle she'd found
on a beach in Key West, where she'd gone to lick her
wounds, appeared to house a genie? How did one accept that
it had followed her home to New York City, after she'd
tossed the thing back into the sea. Her second attempt at
disposing of the bottle, down the garbage chute of her
building, had had the same result. Tall, well-formed,
sinfully handsome, and willing to grant her every wish,
Abban ben-Abdullah should have been the answer to her
prayers, but no matter how desperate her situation had
become, she did NOT believe in slavery. She did feel
responsible for his welfare however, and the fact that the
poor thing had not been released from his prison for a
thousand years would no doubt make things very
interesting. The least she could do was provide him with
necessities and a means of support. "Ben" had once been the heir of a powerful and greedy
sheik, but a wicked djinn had cursed him to a life of
captivity and servitude in punishment for his father's
sins. In all his years as a genie, he had never had a
master like Maddie. He finds Maddie not only kind of heart,
but uniquely beautiful. She had refused to make the wishes
that would have solved all her problems. Instead she had
given him more freedom than he'd had in a millennium.
Ben is amazed by the advances of the twenty-first century,
but is a quick study for all that. When Maddie makes him
her personal assistant, he pledges to help her get the
computer firm back on its feet. Maddie even agrees to allow
him to help her as long as no one is any the wiser, and
vows to set him free the minute they achieve their goal.
It was what he most wanted, wasn't it? Perhaps not, if it
meant losing her. Time spent with Maddie had Ben breaking
all the rules, ever looking over his shoulder for
retribution from the evil djinn who had cursed him. It
seemed that he couldn't help himself where Maddie was
concerned. Now he had broken the biggest rule of all. He
had fallen in love with his master! Could a incredible
woman like Maddie ever love one such as him? Things come to a climax, when Maddie and Ben's success
thwarts the villain and his cohorts, who are not about to
accept defeat. What I loved was the reality mixed among the
fantasy. Ms. McCoy gives us an appealing heroine who is
tall and rounded (not the fashion world's answer to the
perfect woman), and who is completely unaware of both her
inner and outer beauty. Maddie is kind and caring in spite
of the fact that she's received so little approval from the
those who should have loved her without condition. We also
get a hero who is sweet, and sexy, charming and innocent,
in spite of the fact that he'd once dreamed of owning his
own harem. Ben is adaptable, intelligent, and as loyal as
they come. He is willing to lay down his life for the woman
he loves. I DREAM OF YOU was chock full of suspense
balanced by humor. While I enjoyed the triumph of this
pair over the saboteurs, and the fact that Maddie's
ex finally realized what he'd lost, I liked the conclusion
of their love story best of all. These two deserved their
happy ending. Copyright © 2002
Reviewed by Leslie Tramposch
Posted November 7, 2002
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Very Good Things Come In Small Packages� Just suppose that everything around you is as difficult as you imagine it can get. Just suppose your business is in trouble, your fiance' has dumped you, and your family is making you nuts. And then, just suppose you find a bottle on the beach and, suddenly, there is this magnificent-looking man standing in front of you telling you that you can have anything you wish for. Well, Maddie Winston is certainly entitled to think she's lost her mind. But the fun and games have just begun.
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