What Librarians Read

You know that feeling you get when a big box wrapped in shiny paper with a perfectly curled ribbon is placed in front of you…. I got that feeling when I heard that The Genie Smolders was being reviewed in Library Journal. For those of you who don’t know, Library Journal is a trade publication for librarians with a circulation of 100,000. The so what — besides the fact that the Journal was founded in 1875 by the same guy who invented the Dewey Decimal System — is that most librarians read this journal. These are the people who make the decisions about the books that go into the library. Okay, so people borrow books from libraries, not buy them. But the librarians have to buy some copies to make them available. And, you know what, who cares who buys what…it is just so cool.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve always had a nearly reverential respect for all librarians. They know things. They have access to nearly limitless stores of knowledge and they access it on a regular basis. Cool. Anyway, here’s what a librarian thought of my book….  (I’m all aflutter as I unwrap that package….)

Zuzulo, Kellyann. The Genie Smolders. Boroughs Pub. (Zubis Chronicles, Bk. 2). Jul. 2013. 208p. ebk. ISBN 9781938876158. $3.99. ETHNOCULTURAL, PARANORMAL ROMANCE

This second installment in the “Zubis Chronicles” (after The Genie Ignites) continues the story of the forbidden love between Zubis, a jinni or genie, and Bethany O’Brien, a human woman who is the reincarnation of a priestess from the time of Solomon. Zubis has loved Bethany for 3,000 years, and Bethany has recently given birth to Zubis’s daughter, Fia. Malevolent forces have conspired to keep them apart by kidnapping Fia in order to force Zubis to help the evil jinni Iblis—also known as “Shaitan” or Satan—to conquer the world. A varied cast of human and jinni plotters take advantage of Zubis’s further vulnerability: he is in thrall to an Arabian family because he owes them the third of three wishes.

Verdict Unexpected angelic help and the power of sexual healing add layers of interest, while well-crafted romantic interludes and the use of Arabic phrases and locales lend authenticity and depth. The complex plot and multiple characters would make reading the first book in the series essential for most readers.—Henry Bankhead, Los Gatos Lib., CA.

If you’ve lost your library card, you can download The Genie Smolders today…

Best Wishes,

Kellyann