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The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes
You're invited to spend the weekend with three extraordinary sisters…
When she was sixteen, Dee Fortune kidnapped her two younger sisters and ran from danger. Now twenty-nine, she's still trying to control her shape-shifting power--no easy task when Danny James shows up one Friday morning with his deadly smile and dangerous questions about the past.
Lizzie is determined to save her family from financial ruin by turning straw into gold; now if she could only stop turning forks into bunnies. Then Elric, a sorcerer, appears one Friday--annoyed with the chaos Lizzie is creating in the universe and in his heart. . . .
The youngest Miss Fortune, Mare, towers above her sisters but her telekinetic power is dwarfed by their gifts. She spends her days at Value Video!! and her nights contemplating the futility of her existence. But then a gorgeous Value Video!! VP and Mare's long lost love turn up. . .and they all turn up the heat on a weekend that no Fortune will soon forget!
When she was sixteen, Dee Fortune kidnapped her two younger sisters and ran from danger. Now twenty-nine, she's still trying to control her shape-shifting power--no easy task when Danny James shows up one Friday morning with his deadly smile and dangerous questions about the past.
Lizzie is determined to save her family from financial ruin by turning straw into gold; now if she could only stop turning forks into bunnies. Then Elric, a sorcerer, appears one Friday--annoyed with the chaos Lizzie is creating in the universe and in his heart. . . .
The youngest Miss Fortune, Mare, towers above her sisters but her telekinetic power is dwarfed by their gifts. She spends her days at Value Video!! and her nights contemplating the futility of her existence. But then a gorgeous Value Video!! VP and Mare's long lost love turn up. . .and they all turn up the heat on a weekend that no Fortune will soon forget!
391 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
150 people are currently reading
1796 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Crusie
80 books7,792 followersJennifer Crusie is the New York Times, USA Today, and Publisher's Weekly bestselling author of twenty-three novels, one book of literary criticism, miscellaneous articles, essays, novellas, and short stories, and the editor of three essay anthologies.
She was born in Wapakoneta, a small town in Ohio, and then went on to live in a succession of other small towns in Ohio and New Jersey until her last move to a small town in Pennsylvania. This may have had an impact on her work.
She has a BS in Art Education, an MA in literature, an MFA in fiction, and was ABD on her PhD when she started reading romances as part of her research into the differences between the ways men and women tell stories. Writing a romance sounded like more fun than writing a dissertation, so she switched to fiction and never looked back. Her collaborations with Bob Mayer have pretty much proved everything she was going to say in her dissertation anyway, so really, no need to finish that.
For more information, see JenniferCrusie.com and her blog, Argh Ink.
She was born in Wapakoneta, a small town in Ohio, and then went on to live in a succession of other small towns in Ohio and New Jersey until her last move to a small town in Pennsylvania. This may have had an impact on her work.
She has a BS in Art Education, an MA in literature, an MFA in fiction, and was ABD on her PhD when she started reading romances as part of her research into the differences between the ways men and women tell stories. Writing a romance sounded like more fun than writing a dissertation, so she switched to fiction and never looked back. Her collaborations with Bob Mayer have pretty much proved everything she was going to say in her dissertation anyway, so really, no need to finish that.
For more information, see JenniferCrusie.com and her blog, Argh Ink.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 281 reviews
November 15, 2025
This is a well-written, entertaining fantasy romance novel. It has three likable female protagonists, each with her own steamy romance, magic, wit, humor, some laugh out loud moments, and a satisfying conclusion. Ms. Neva Nevarre does a wonderful job narrating the audiobook.
August 26, 2025
The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes by Jennifer Cruise, Eileen Dryer and Anne Stuart
Contemporary witchy romance. Multiple POV’s.
Dee Fortune grabbed her sisters Lizzie and Mare and moved them as far away from danger as possible. They’ve been hiding in a small town for the past thirteen years as if they were a normal, average family. But in truth, their different witch powers are making them known around town as a bit quirky. None of the three have complete control and when three men come to town for them, it could be destiny. Or it could be something evil. Will they be able to tell the difference as they fall in love?
🎧 I listened to a audiobook narrated by Neva Nevarre. The performance brings the women and their men to life although it’s a little hard to follow the changes from the three different POV’s. Each change includes the name in the beginning so it’s just a matter of listening for it. The best voices are the side characters, a few of which are very entertaining.
I listened at 1.5 and higher to more closely match my reading speed. The slightly slower end made it easier to mark the POV changes.
Slightly dated (2007) with one of the sisters working in a video store but everything else is relevant and entertaining.
A good vs. evil romance with multiple couples, each with their own level of witching and history and magic. The three authors seamlessly blended their writing for a story that makes it a family drama, each with their own lives and loves.
Charming and delightful.
I received a copy of this from NetGalley and publisher Dreamscape Media. I actually had an unread paperback copy of this on my shelf and it was awesome getting to read it via audiobook.
Contemporary witchy romance. Multiple POV’s.
Dee Fortune grabbed her sisters Lizzie and Mare and moved them as far away from danger as possible. They’ve been hiding in a small town for the past thirteen years as if they were a normal, average family. But in truth, their different witch powers are making them known around town as a bit quirky. None of the three have complete control and when three men come to town for them, it could be destiny. Or it could be something evil. Will they be able to tell the difference as they fall in love?
🎧 I listened to a audiobook narrated by Neva Nevarre. The performance brings the women and their men to life although it’s a little hard to follow the changes from the three different POV’s. Each change includes the name in the beginning so it’s just a matter of listening for it. The best voices are the side characters, a few of which are very entertaining.
I listened at 1.5 and higher to more closely match my reading speed. The slightly slower end made it easier to mark the POV changes.
Slightly dated (2007) with one of the sisters working in a video store but everything else is relevant and entertaining.
A good vs. evil romance with multiple couples, each with their own level of witching and history and magic. The three authors seamlessly blended their writing for a story that makes it a family drama, each with their own lives and loves.
Charming and delightful.
I received a copy of this from NetGalley and publisher Dreamscape Media. I actually had an unread paperback copy of this on my shelf and it was awesome getting to read it via audiobook.
March 8, 2017
What I learned from this book: That just because you usually like an author , there's no guarantee you will like everything they write. Gah, this was AWFUL. Jennifer Crusie's books are usually funny and sexy and a pleasure to read.
The UMF was just embarrassing. It reminded me of the bodice ripper books I used to read back in Junior High, only worse, because I expected more. It's full of instant panty-melting lust at first sight, bad dialogue and every romance novel cliche you can think of. Each sister is beautiful in her own way...one of them has flaming red hair, another is an ethereal blonde and one has raven tresses. (It reminds me that when I was little I wanted to own three horses, black, white and brown. And three dogs: black, white, and brown. But hello, I was eight. I guess if I was an 8-year old writer my heroines would have had red hair, black hair and blonde hair. Because you know, I was EIGHT.) The redhead is repressed and just needs the right man to unlock her inner sexy beast. The blonde is innocent and a peacemaker, a witch who doesn't know her own power. The youngest is the Queen of the Universe who has a snappy comeback for every occasion and wears selfconsciously silly outfits.
(The sisters all have supernatural powers, and that's okay, I love a good fantasy. This is NOT a good fantasy.)
I'm going to put this one down to: everyone is allowed to make a mistake. This was a jointly written book, so maybe J. Crusie hasn't jumped the shark.
The UMF was just embarrassing. It reminded me of the bodice ripper books I used to read back in Junior High, only worse, because I expected more. It's full of instant panty-melting lust at first sight, bad dialogue and every romance novel cliche you can think of. Each sister is beautiful in her own way...one of them has flaming red hair, another is an ethereal blonde and one has raven tresses. (It reminds me that when I was little I wanted to own three horses, black, white and brown. And three dogs: black, white, and brown. But hello, I was eight. I guess if I was an 8-year old writer my heroines would have had red hair, black hair and blonde hair. Because you know, I was EIGHT.) The redhead is repressed and just needs the right man to unlock her inner sexy beast. The blonde is innocent and a peacemaker, a witch who doesn't know her own power. The youngest is the Queen of the Universe who has a snappy comeback for every occasion and wears selfconsciously silly outfits.
(The sisters all have supernatural powers, and that's okay, I love a good fantasy. This is NOT a good fantasy.)
I'm going to put this one down to: everyone is allowed to make a mistake. This was a jointly written book, so maybe J. Crusie hasn't jumped the shark.
July 19, 2010
This book, simply put, was fun! It was a nice change after my last book, which wasn't that fun. I liked the light-spirit of the story, with one of my favorite themes: family. I adore my sister, so stories with sisters who love each other and get alone are always welcome.
Can I be honest? I read this book because Anne Stuart was one of the writers. I happily tried to pick out which parts of the narrative that she wrote, and I think I did a good job. But, in the process, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. It was very cool to get three, count them, three love stories in one. Each sister was very different, and their happy ending perfect for them. I liked each of their beaus, although Danny and Elric edged out slightly ahead. Danny seemed like an Anne Stuart hero, not from her Ice series, but from her lighter Harlequin romances. He was scrumptious! And Elric, well, I was cracking up that his name was Elric. Elric is a character by Michael Moorcock, an albino sorceror emperor of a dying race in a high fantasy series that I just started reading last year. I thought that was pretty cool that they used his name. And Elric was delicious, a wizard with long blond hair, dark eyes, and a silver earring, in a three piece suit. (drooling). He seemed a lot like Anne Stuart's kind of heroes. Crash was pretty cool, too. Easily the most traditionally gorgeous, and the kind of guy most women would fall in love with. Not as much my type, though. He works on motorcycles and lives in Italy. And the youngest sister, Mare, never got over him.
I liked each sister. They each had their own character quirks. I think Mare reminds me of my friends--movie buffs to their soul. She likes to quote movies. I liked Lizzie's penchant to manifest sexy (hooker) shoes when she's horny. She's determined to perfect the ancient practice of alchemy, but doesn't have it down just yet. Mainly, she creates bunnies from eating utensils. Dee has the ability to shapeshift, and paints pictures from the viewpoint of the animal she's shifted into. Because she shifts when she gets excited, she's been unable to have sex yet, making her The Oldest Virgin in America (or so she thinks).
The sisters' nefarious aunt casts a spell to bring the sisters' true loves to town, so they can have a happy life, and she can have their powers. This aunt is an evil witch who the sisters have been hiding from since their parents died. The sisters are fairly unhappy, unable to control their powers, and each dealing with the consequences of their unwanted abilities and having to live in obscurity. When their true loves come to town, it's clear that love does conquer all. And it's a lot of fun watching love do its work.
This is not a book to take seriously. It's a book to enjoy--laughing and enjoying the lovely, sexy romances for each sisters. And some drooling over the guys, lots of drooling.
Can I be honest? I read this book because Anne Stuart was one of the writers. I happily tried to pick out which parts of the narrative that she wrote, and I think I did a good job. But, in the process, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. It was very cool to get three, count them, three love stories in one. Each sister was very different, and their happy ending perfect for them. I liked each of their beaus, although Danny and Elric edged out slightly ahead. Danny seemed like an Anne Stuart hero, not from her Ice series, but from her lighter Harlequin romances. He was scrumptious! And Elric, well, I was cracking up that his name was Elric. Elric is a character by Michael Moorcock, an albino sorceror emperor of a dying race in a high fantasy series that I just started reading last year. I thought that was pretty cool that they used his name. And Elric was delicious, a wizard with long blond hair, dark eyes, and a silver earring, in a three piece suit. (drooling). He seemed a lot like Anne Stuart's kind of heroes. Crash was pretty cool, too. Easily the most traditionally gorgeous, and the kind of guy most women would fall in love with. Not as much my type, though. He works on motorcycles and lives in Italy. And the youngest sister, Mare, never got over him.
I liked each sister. They each had their own character quirks. I think Mare reminds me of my friends--movie buffs to their soul. She likes to quote movies. I liked Lizzie's penchant to manifest sexy (hooker) shoes when she's horny. She's determined to perfect the ancient practice of alchemy, but doesn't have it down just yet. Mainly, she creates bunnies from eating utensils. Dee has the ability to shapeshift, and paints pictures from the viewpoint of the animal she's shifted into. Because she shifts when she gets excited, she's been unable to have sex yet, making her The Oldest Virgin in America (or so she thinks).
The sisters' nefarious aunt casts a spell to bring the sisters' true loves to town, so they can have a happy life, and she can have their powers. This aunt is an evil witch who the sisters have been hiding from since their parents died. The sisters are fairly unhappy, unable to control their powers, and each dealing with the consequences of their unwanted abilities and having to live in obscurity. When their true loves come to town, it's clear that love does conquer all. And it's a lot of fun watching love do its work.
This is not a book to take seriously. It's a book to enjoy--laughing and enjoying the lovely, sexy romances for each sisters. And some drooling over the guys, lots of drooling.
September 16, 2010
Terrible! Hated it! Selfish, rude, lying, unpleasant women.
This book was full of repetitive conversations as if the authors needed filler material. Dee kept saying "we must leave." Mare repeatedly gets mad at Crash saying "you've been gone for five years." I did not like the way Lizzie told Elric to leave her forever. Then as soon as he was gone she cried because she missed him and didn't want him to leave. The plot was stupid. I can't think of anything nice to say about this book. Story brief: Aunt Xan wants to steal the witch powers from 3 sisters. She finds 3 men who will be their true loves and sends those men to the 3 sisters. CAUTION SPOILER: I don't know why this will help Xan get the powers, because in the end, the 3 sisters gang up on her and also fight her separately and win without her taking their powers. The 3 sisters also stay with the 3 men at the end. Therefore, being with the men did not weaken the 3 sisters.
DATA:
Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: six. Setting: current day Salem's Fork, Virginia. Copyright: 2007. Genre: fantasy and paranormal romance.
This book was full of repetitive conversations as if the authors needed filler material. Dee kept saying "we must leave." Mare repeatedly gets mad at Crash saying "you've been gone for five years." I did not like the way Lizzie told Elric to leave her forever. Then as soon as he was gone she cried because she missed him and didn't want him to leave. The plot was stupid. I can't think of anything nice to say about this book. Story brief: Aunt Xan wants to steal the witch powers from 3 sisters. She finds 3 men who will be their true loves and sends those men to the 3 sisters. CAUTION SPOILER: I don't know why this will help Xan get the powers, because in the end, the 3 sisters gang up on her and also fight her separately and win without her taking their powers. The 3 sisters also stay with the 3 men at the end. Therefore, being with the men did not weaken the 3 sisters.
DATA:
Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: six. Setting: current day Salem's Fork, Virginia. Copyright: 2007. Genre: fantasy and paranormal romance.
January 7, 2013
This is actually a reread. The first time I read this book I was somewhat skeptical about the ability of three authors to blend their styles together, but I love Jennifer Crusie and was on a quest to read everything she'd written ever at the time, so I read it. I did and still do enjoy it, with a couple of caveats.
First: this is a fun book. The dialogue sparkles (it's Jenny Crusie, guys, of course it does) and the stories are cute, if occasionally somewhat forced in feeling. The characters are quite fun, with Mare and Crash standing head and shoulders above the rest, and of course there's the obligatory and actually rather heart-warming ending. The book is iffy on ladies; while there's a strong and supportive sisterly relationship at the heart of the book, the antagonist is their aunt, Xanthippe (say that five times fast) who wants the predictable youth, beauty, and power, and is willing to kill her nieces to get it. Though at least initially she would prefer to just take their powers in the guise of helping them. Xanthippe is a pretty ambigious figure in the book.
Second, the caveats. The book does drag in places. The sex scenes are probably better avoided-- this book produced an unprecedented two Things That Are Not Sexy (nipples snapping to attention and holocausts what the fuck). The plots can get repetitive, especially Dee and Mare.
Overall, though, this is a fun little mind-candy romance.
First: this is a fun book. The dialogue sparkles (it's Jenny Crusie, guys, of course it does) and the stories are cute, if occasionally somewhat forced in feeling. The characters are quite fun, with Mare and Crash standing head and shoulders above the rest, and of course there's the obligatory and actually rather heart-warming ending. The book is iffy on ladies; while there's a strong and supportive sisterly relationship at the heart of the book, the antagonist is their aunt, Xanthippe (say that five times fast) who wants the predictable youth, beauty, and power, and is willing to kill her nieces to get it. Though at least initially she would prefer to just take their powers in the guise of helping them. Xanthippe is a pretty ambigious figure in the book.
Second, the caveats. The book does drag in places. The sex scenes are probably better avoided-- this book produced an unprecedented two Things That Are Not Sexy (nipples snapping to attention and holocausts what the fuck). The plots can get repetitive, especially Dee and Mare.
Overall, though, this is a fun little mind-candy romance.
January 22, 2008
Meh...
I was a bit disappointed with this one...
In the end, I finally just skimmed the final chapters just to be done with it. I ADORE Jennifer Cruise and was so excited for this one! I thought the concept was interesting and also the subject matter (I'm a sucker for witch stories, after all) but I thought the 3 sisters were lame and boring and way to hung up on their issues...the guys were not quiver worthy and to top it all off, I felt like I had to keep re-reading the first few chapters to see if I had missed something. I always felt lost somehow, like I skimmed over an important chapter, to find it was never there...What was up with the psycho Aunt? Ugh....so sad...At least this was one of my booksfree books, so I didn't have to buy it!
I was a bit disappointed with this one...
In the end, I finally just skimmed the final chapters just to be done with it. I ADORE Jennifer Cruise and was so excited for this one! I thought the concept was interesting and also the subject matter (I'm a sucker for witch stories, after all) but I thought the 3 sisters were lame and boring and way to hung up on their issues...the guys were not quiver worthy and to top it all off, I felt like I had to keep re-reading the first few chapters to see if I had missed something. I always felt lost somehow, like I skimmed over an important chapter, to find it was never there...What was up with the psycho Aunt? Ugh....so sad...At least this was one of my booksfree books, so I didn't have to buy it!
August 10, 2016
There are many witch stories out there, but many of them, I'm sorry to say, do not have happy endings. This is a book with a happy ending, suitable for fans of Charmed and Bewitched. This is also a book I gave myself for my birthday; I've decided to only buy books that make me feel good and/or laugh in delight.
These women can construct a romcom to make anyone proud.
personal copy
These women can construct a romcom to make anyone proud.
personal copy
June 17, 2022
DNF @55%
I tried. I really tried. Two words to describe this book: 1. Thirsty 2. Melodramatic. I swear I’m going to be sick reading one more line about how sexually aroused the sisters are in the presence of their love interest. It’s all they think about. Their emotions seesawed between lust and angst. 🙄 Mare’s story has the most potential.
I tried. I really tried. Two words to describe this book: 1. Thirsty 2. Melodramatic. I swear I’m going to be sick reading one more line about how sexually aroused the sisters are in the presence of their love interest. It’s all they think about. Their emotions seesawed between lust and angst. 🙄 Mare’s story has the most potential.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 28, 2017
Kisah tiga saudari penyihir (Dee, Lizzie, Mare) lumayan kocak nih. Mereka bertiga diincar oleh bibi mereka sendiri, Xantippe, utk diambil kekuatan mrk. Xan berusaha mengecoh mereka dgn mengirimkan pria-pria tampan bagi mereka. Puncaknya saat Xan menyihir mereka sehingga nafsu libido mereka meningkat dan kemudian menyandera pasangan mereka, utk ditukar dgn kekuatan sihir mereka. Mampukah bersaudari ini menghadapi sang bibi manipulator?
Sayangnya karakter-karakter yg ada kurang terbangun, sehingga terkesan kurang kuat dan datar saja. Karakter Mare mungkin lebih mudah dibedakan krn dia temperamental, tetapi sulit utk membedakan karakter Dee dan Lizzie. Dan romance-nya juga sama parahnya. Terkadang terkesan instan tetapi aura cinta masing-masing pasangan tidak ada yg menggetarkan. Dialog-dialog yg terjadi juga kurang luwes (atau terjemahannya yg bikin kagok?).
Mungkin krn dibuat oleh 3 author alias keroyokan, mengakibatkan hasil yg kurang maksimal. Tapi lumayanlah utk ukuran paranormal romance model begini. Pesan moral: Harus bersatu padu bersama saudara sekandung. Bayangkan kalau bersaudari ini tidak kompak, mereka bakal dgn mudah dikalahkan Xan yg jauh lebih kuat sihirnya. Bhinneka Tunggal Ika pasti mengalahkan devide et impera.
Sayangnya karakter-karakter yg ada kurang terbangun, sehingga terkesan kurang kuat dan datar saja. Karakter Mare mungkin lebih mudah dibedakan krn dia temperamental, tetapi sulit utk membedakan karakter Dee dan Lizzie. Dan romance-nya juga sama parahnya. Terkadang terkesan instan tetapi aura cinta masing-masing pasangan tidak ada yg menggetarkan. Dialog-dialog yg terjadi juga kurang luwes (atau terjemahannya yg bikin kagok?).
Mungkin krn dibuat oleh 3 author alias keroyokan, mengakibatkan hasil yg kurang maksimal. Tapi lumayanlah utk ukuran paranormal romance model begini. Pesan moral: Harus bersatu padu bersama saudara sekandung. Bayangkan kalau bersaudari ini tidak kompak, mereka bakal dgn mudah dikalahkan Xan yg jauh lebih kuat sihirnya. Bhinneka Tunggal Ika pasti mengalahkan devide et impera.
August 24, 2025
3.5
Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!
This book was a cozy and magical escape. It follows three sisters who happen to be witches, trying to stay under the radar while hiding from their evil aunt. Just when things seem calm, three mysterious guys show up and turn out to be their soulmates. Sounds chaotic, but somehow it works really well.
The small town setting gives it a warm and inviting feel. The pacing for most of the book was great, letting the characters grow and keeping things engaging. Each sister had a strong and unique personality, and even the side characters felt real and lively.
The only part that fell a little flat was the ending. Everything wrapped up way too quickly after such a nice slow build. Still, it was an enjoyable read that felt like a fresh take on fantasy. A nice change from the usual heavy and dramatic stories in the genre.
Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!
This book was a cozy and magical escape. It follows three sisters who happen to be witches, trying to stay under the radar while hiding from their evil aunt. Just when things seem calm, three mysterious guys show up and turn out to be their soulmates. Sounds chaotic, but somehow it works really well.
The small town setting gives it a warm and inviting feel. The pacing for most of the book was great, letting the characters grow and keeping things engaging. Each sister had a strong and unique personality, and even the side characters felt real and lively.
The only part that fell a little flat was the ending. Everything wrapped up way too quickly after such a nice slow build. Still, it was an enjoyable read that felt like a fresh take on fantasy. A nice change from the usual heavy and dramatic stories in the genre.
August 9, 2023
This was fun and easy and light.
September 5, 2010
I ended up skim reading this towards the end, I just found it really boring and the characters flat and hard to care about. Not one I would read again.
July 17, 2017
PNR Rom-Com done well!
This read has it all, interesting but not too over-involved plot (come on its all fun magical fantasy here); intelligent, quirky sister heroines (honest, by the end of their journey I loved each one equally); and believable, honorable True Loves in Crash, Elric, and Danny, all with their own interesting backstories.
As for a twisty backstory goes these orphaned Foutune sisters have it, with the only remaining family member, Auntie Antichrist, hot to get their magical gifts. IMHO, she gets off easy in the end. Hrumph. Lots of fun secondary characters, too. I just feel the author's need to write a side story about Mother and her tattoo parlor....hmmmm?
But funny, sharp banter made the reading experience so much more enjoyable. Mare, Lizzie, and Dee cracked me up!
And smexy times had their own special magic for each couple in green fog, purple smoke, or blue sparks! Or about Pywacket the house kitty.
Even though this was published in 2009ish, many pop culture movie and TV references still hold up for me, but I’m an older vintage LOL. I don't know how many Millenials would recognize Pywacket from the 1958 movie Bell, Book, and Candle...I have seen it at least 1/2 dozen x ;)
This was a total girl power/sisters united feel good read! Solid 4.5
This read has it all, interesting but not too over-involved plot (come on its all fun magical fantasy here); intelligent, quirky sister heroines (honest, by the end of their journey I loved each one equally); and believable, honorable True Loves in Crash, Elric, and Danny, all with their own interesting backstories.
As for a twisty backstory goes these orphaned Foutune sisters have it, with the only remaining family member, Auntie Antichrist, hot to get their magical gifts. IMHO, she gets off easy in the end. Hrumph. Lots of fun secondary characters, too. I just feel the author's need to write a side story about Mother and her tattoo parlor....hmmmm?
But funny, sharp banter made the reading experience so much more enjoyable. Mare, Lizzie, and Dee cracked me up!
And smexy times had their own special magic for each couple in green fog, purple smoke, or blue sparks! Or about Pywacket the house kitty.
Even though this was published in 2009ish, many pop culture movie and TV references still hold up for me, but I’m an older vintage LOL. I don't know how many Millenials would recognize Pywacket from the 1958 movie Bell, Book, and Candle...I have seen it at least 1/2 dozen x ;)
This was a total girl power/sisters united feel good read! Solid 4.5
August 27, 2025
I absolutely adored this book. It was so much fun! I was completely interested and engaged the whole time, and that does not always happen. This book gave me Practical Magic and The Witchlore series by Hazel Beck vibes!!! Three sisters on the run from a big secret. This book had fantastic conflict. All the sister had separate goals that weaved into one combined goal. So much great plotting in this book! I even laughed a few times. The town was quirky and witchy. I loved everything about this book! The story was crafted by great authors. This book was released in the early 2000s but it wasn’t really dated except for the “home phone”. Otherwise, I had no idea it wasn’t written now.
The narrator Neva Nevarre, who also goes by Amy McFadden, did an amazing job. She’s one of my favorite narrators. She made each sister and their significant other sound unique. I completely forgot the entire story was voiced by only one person. This is a great cozy and spicy romantasy! I received this book from Dreamscape Media and Netgalley. All opinions are my own!
The narrator Neva Nevarre, who also goes by Amy McFadden, did an amazing job. She’s one of my favorite narrators. She made each sister and their significant other sound unique. I completely forgot the entire story was voiced by only one person. This is a great cozy and spicy romantasy! I received this book from Dreamscape Media and Netgalley. All opinions are my own!
November 3, 2018
I thought this would have three novellas, one about each sister. Instead, I understand that each author wrote one character's story line and then someone melded them together so it reads like a straight novel. That probably explains why I didn't like it that much.
The three sister's stories didn't seem balanced. Mare's was the strongest and most interesting by far - Crusie wrote that one. Lizzie's part read like a typical fairy tale romance, and I was less than impressed. Dee's story had a lot of potential but in the end it just sort of fizzled.
A lot of pages were spent setting up the situations of the sisters, then you got three sex scenes in a row, and then the story picked up again. That felt weird, too. And the ending leaves a bit, well, not exactly hanging but not exactly finished either. So I can't really recommend this book and doubt that I'll read it again.
The three sister's stories didn't seem balanced. Mare's was the strongest and most interesting by far - Crusie wrote that one. Lizzie's part read like a typical fairy tale romance, and I was less than impressed. Dee's story had a lot of potential but in the end it just sort of fizzled.
A lot of pages were spent setting up the situations of the sisters, then you got three sex scenes in a row, and then the story picked up again. That felt weird, too. And the ending leaves a bit, well, not exactly hanging but not exactly finished either. So I can't really recommend this book and doubt that I'll read it again.
September 13, 2025
Read this for the first time well over a decade ago as my very first adult romance. I'm delighted and somewhat surprised to report that it held up reasonably well!! Definitely indulgent (your soulmates are all rich and reside in Europe and can easily support your dreams? damn) and painfully straight, but fun and enjoyable. This book left an impact when I first read it, and I'll likely reread it again at another point in my life.
November 21, 2020
Sweet and fun. My favorite of her non Bob Meyers collabs. I love the sisters and the relationships they have with each other and their respective heros.
I reread this ALL THE TIME.
I reread this ALL THE TIME.
August 18, 2011
This is the story of the magical Fortune sisters, each with a gift. Dee, the eldest, is a shapeshifter. Lizzie, the middle sister, transmutes things, and Mare, the youngest, can move things with her mind. For the past 12 years, they have lived a nomadic life, fleeing when their powers drew attention, or when their aunt Xantippe found them. After Xan murdered their parents, Dee took her sisters and fled, hiding out in small towns. Now, their aunt has found them again, only she has also sent each sister the love of her life as part of her evil plans. For Dee, it’s Danny James, in town to research the Fortune family for a book. Elric is a powerful wizard who is sent to Lizzie to stop her from destroying the fabric of the universe with her experiments. Xan sends Jude Green to Mare, only at the same time, Mare’s old love Crash returns after having left town five years before. Mare should be falling for Jude, a vice president for her employer, Value Video!!, but he leaves her cold. Instead, it’s Crash who stirs things up again, rekindling old memories while making her want him anew.
Unbeknownst to the Fortune sisters, Xan has a plan to strip them of their powers and take them for herself. They slowly uncover her plotting and scheming, only Dee and Lizzie are so crazy in love they don’t care where their men came from. Mare can’t quite get over the fact that Crash left her for five years, and his feelings for her may not be real; they may just be the result of Xan’s love spell, which isn’t enough for her. As the sisters fall deeply in love, they suddenly attain some control over the powers that had so long controlled them. It’s a good thing, because they’re going to need everything they’ve got to put a stop to Xan.
Unfortunately, Jennifer Crusie seems to be another victim of the current publishing craze of having a new book on the shelves every few months. She has the integrity not to let her writing suffer by choosing to collaborate and share the burden, spreading herself thin in a high quality way. The parts of this book that Crusie wrote are engaging, even featuring a few laugh-out-loud moments. Her co-authors, however much they may have attempted to mimic her writing style, do not have her chops. Those parts of the book are noticeably inferior, at times even boring. The book dragged in the middle and, because each author wrote from the perspective of a different sister, everything that happened occurred three times. First Dee met her match, then Lizzie, then Mare. Then Dee discovered burgeoning feelings for her man, then Lizzie, then Mare. This got repetitive when each phase of their new relationships was experienced three times in a row. Three first kisses, three detailed sex scenes, three confessions of their secret powers. They didn’t even bother to mix up the order of events from sister to sister. The only departure from the formula was the fact that Mare had a preexisting relationship with Crash. Actually, everything about Mare was good because it was written by Jennifer Crusie. It was the rest of the book that wasn’t up to par.
Collaborations are a fun idea, but they’d be more fun for readers if the authors involved were all of the same quality. Jennifer Crusie is a wonderful writer with excellent books to her credit, so I have to wonder why she keeps sharing her skills with others. I’m all for experiments and trying new things, and I admire her for helping her friends get some recognition by coauthoring this novel. Unfortunately, they just don’t have her skills. I’ll always look forward to a new Crusie novel, but I wish she’d go back to working alone.
Unbeknownst to the Fortune sisters, Xan has a plan to strip them of their powers and take them for herself. They slowly uncover her plotting and scheming, only Dee and Lizzie are so crazy in love they don’t care where their men came from. Mare can’t quite get over the fact that Crash left her for five years, and his feelings for her may not be real; they may just be the result of Xan’s love spell, which isn’t enough for her. As the sisters fall deeply in love, they suddenly attain some control over the powers that had so long controlled them. It’s a good thing, because they’re going to need everything they’ve got to put a stop to Xan.
Unfortunately, Jennifer Crusie seems to be another victim of the current publishing craze of having a new book on the shelves every few months. She has the integrity not to let her writing suffer by choosing to collaborate and share the burden, spreading herself thin in a high quality way. The parts of this book that Crusie wrote are engaging, even featuring a few laugh-out-loud moments. Her co-authors, however much they may have attempted to mimic her writing style, do not have her chops. Those parts of the book are noticeably inferior, at times even boring. The book dragged in the middle and, because each author wrote from the perspective of a different sister, everything that happened occurred three times. First Dee met her match, then Lizzie, then Mare. Then Dee discovered burgeoning feelings for her man, then Lizzie, then Mare. This got repetitive when each phase of their new relationships was experienced three times in a row. Three first kisses, three detailed sex scenes, three confessions of their secret powers. They didn’t even bother to mix up the order of events from sister to sister. The only departure from the formula was the fact that Mare had a preexisting relationship with Crash. Actually, everything about Mare was good because it was written by Jennifer Crusie. It was the rest of the book that wasn’t up to par.
Collaborations are a fun idea, but they’d be more fun for readers if the authors involved were all of the same quality. Jennifer Crusie is a wonderful writer with excellent books to her credit, so I have to wonder why she keeps sharing her skills with others. I’m all for experiments and trying new things, and I admire her for helping her friends get some recognition by coauthoring this novel. Unfortunately, they just don’t have her skills. I’ll always look forward to a new Crusie novel, but I wish she’d go back to working alone.
June 4, 2009
I picked up this thinking it was an anthology with 3 stories and an undercurrent theme, I was quite surprised to discover that this is in fact a full length book where the 3 authors collaborated to write one story.
It’s the story of sisters Dee, Mare and Lizzie who are witches and are on the run from aunt Xantippe who murdered their parents a few years back. The problem is Mare and Lizzie are tired of running and so this time aunt Xan catches up with them. The aunt is our usual villainess, beautiful and mean. She wants to get the girls powers and stops at nothing, either transforming her former lover in a cockroach or enlisting the girls “true mates” in her quest.
Now I ask if they are their true mates why would they help aunt Xan? Wouldn’t they in the end decide to help the girls, Yep, they would, except for one but he is not a true mate so it doesn’t count.
And the story continues with the girls trying to control their powers (Lizzie transforms everything in bunnies when she is nervous and Dee shape shifts just to give you an idea) and stopping Xan from getting what she wants. I think it suffered from trying to be funny, too funny. Too many jokes just spoil the story I feel and that’s how I saw it. I think I skimmed most of the second half of the book because I was just bored with it.
My favourite couple was Lizzie and Elric because I think she was the heroine that resembled Stuart’s heroines the most (and I just read this for Stuart btw), besides Elric was a big wizard and after Lord of Danger how can one resist a wizard? But wasn’t enough to save it, it sounded just plain silly at times…
Grade: 3/5
It’s the story of sisters Dee, Mare and Lizzie who are witches and are on the run from aunt Xantippe who murdered their parents a few years back. The problem is Mare and Lizzie are tired of running and so this time aunt Xan catches up with them. The aunt is our usual villainess, beautiful and mean. She wants to get the girls powers and stops at nothing, either transforming her former lover in a cockroach or enlisting the girls “true mates” in her quest.
Now I ask if they are their true mates why would they help aunt Xan? Wouldn’t they in the end decide to help the girls, Yep, they would, except for one but he is not a true mate so it doesn’t count.
And the story continues with the girls trying to control their powers (Lizzie transforms everything in bunnies when she is nervous and Dee shape shifts just to give you an idea) and stopping Xan from getting what she wants. I think it suffered from trying to be funny, too funny. Too many jokes just spoil the story I feel and that’s how I saw it. I think I skimmed most of the second half of the book because I was just bored with it.
My favourite couple was Lizzie and Elric because I think she was the heroine that resembled Stuart’s heroines the most (and I just read this for Stuart btw), besides Elric was a big wizard and after Lord of Danger how can one resist a wizard? But wasn’t enough to save it, it sounded just plain silly at times…
Grade: 3/5
February 12, 2008
Romance, Fantasy. I was prepared to laugh this book out of the room. I mean, a collaboration between three authors? With SEVEN pov characters? But it was better than I expected. I got it for Crusie, but I enjoyed most of the rest of the book, except for a large part near the end that was supposed to be sexy and was instead just tedious. (Dee Fortune, I'm looking at you.)
To wit: The three Fortune sisters -- each with their own magical power -- have been hiding from their evil Aunt Xan for the past thirteen years, ever since she killed their parents while trying to steal their powers. And now Xan's after the sisters' powers, so she whips up a spell to send them their One True Loves and...something something something. It's weak, okay? But the girls are likable and the men are hot. The sex is mostly fast and vague, but in a good way. There's a cock or two and no gag-worthy epithets for the human body (except one use of "rampant" OH MY GOD). There's a lot of unprotected sex -- probably because there's also an excessive amount of marriage proposals and declarations of "I love you!" being thrown around, so I guess that makes it okay.</sarcasm>
I've gotten off topic, haven't I? It's an okay book. It's got magic and humor and love. Just be prepared to skim. It can get repetitious due to all the povs.
(SECRET MESSAGE TO CRUSIE FANS: This feels like a Crusie book written by other people. It's got many of her hallmarks, though not enough sexual tension or banter, and way too many romance novel cliches. You can safely skip this if you only read romances by Crusie.)
To wit: The three Fortune sisters -- each with their own magical power -- have been hiding from their evil Aunt Xan for the past thirteen years, ever since she killed their parents while trying to steal their powers. And now Xan's after the sisters' powers, so she whips up a spell to send them their One True Loves and...something something something. It's weak, okay? But the girls are likable and the men are hot. The sex is mostly fast and vague, but in a good way. There's a cock or two and no gag-worthy epithets for the human body (except one use of "rampant" OH MY GOD). There's a lot of unprotected sex -- probably because there's also an excessive amount of marriage proposals and declarations of "I love you!" being thrown around, so I guess that makes it okay.</sarcasm>
I've gotten off topic, haven't I? It's an okay book. It's got magic and humor and love. Just be prepared to skim. It can get repetitious due to all the povs.
(SECRET MESSAGE TO CRUSIE FANS: This feels like a Crusie book written by other people. It's got many of her hallmarks, though not enough sexual tension or banter, and way too many romance novel cliches. You can safely skip this if you only read romances by Crusie.)
February 17, 2014
OK, the pluses -
As with anything Jennifer Crusie has been involved in, this is a swift, breezy read.
I liked Mare Fortune. Of all the sisters (I'll get to them in a minute) she was the only one with a lick of positivity or common sense.
Some of the magic stuff is cute - I liked the diner scene where Mare is manipulating the sugar, and Lizzie's thing with the shoes. Very clunky metaphor, but hey, I like nice shoes.
... I've sat here racking my brains and am unable to come up with anymore positives.
The minuses.
Lizzie, Dee, their boyfriends, the evil aunt, the idiot minion etc are all cardboard cutouts of the most egregious type. Lizzie starts out sympathetic, the shy one in a family of shouters, but quickly degenerates into the breathy, useless, TSTL heroine of an 80s bodiceripper. Dee is just shrill and argumentative for the sake of it. The boyfriends are entirely boring. The plot is almost nonexistent. As another reviewer noted, it's basically a series of Dee railing at her sisters that they need to run away, the boyfriends being hot and irresistible, the evil aunt and her idiot minion concocting dastardly schemes, schemes which always backfire because the minion is an idiot. And then Dee goes "We must go" and the whole tedious cycle starts again.
I just felt that this book was more a fun project between friends than a publishable novel. I would not recommend it to anyone other than the most devoted fan of any of these authors.
As with anything Jennifer Crusie has been involved in, this is a swift, breezy read.
I liked Mare Fortune. Of all the sisters (I'll get to them in a minute) she was the only one with a lick of positivity or common sense.
Some of the magic stuff is cute - I liked the diner scene where Mare is manipulating the sugar, and Lizzie's thing with the shoes. Very clunky metaphor, but hey, I like nice shoes.
... I've sat here racking my brains and am unable to come up with anymore positives.
The minuses.
Lizzie, Dee, their boyfriends, the evil aunt, the idiot minion etc are all cardboard cutouts of the most egregious type. Lizzie starts out sympathetic, the shy one in a family of shouters, but quickly degenerates into the breathy, useless, TSTL heroine of an 80s bodiceripper. Dee is just shrill and argumentative for the sake of it. The boyfriends are entirely boring. The plot is almost nonexistent. As another reviewer noted, it's basically a series of Dee railing at her sisters that they need to run away, the boyfriends being hot and irresistible, the evil aunt and her idiot minion concocting dastardly schemes, schemes which always backfire because the minion is an idiot. And then Dee goes "We must go" and the whole tedious cycle starts again.
I just felt that this book was more a fun project between friends than a publishable novel. I would not recommend it to anyone other than the most devoted fan of any of these authors.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 16, 2014
See full review for The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes at: http://toomanybooksnotenoughshelves.w...
If you liked Maybe This Time and Wild Ride by Jennifer Crusie, then you’re going to love this book. I liked it, even though there were a few parts where I was just like, are you kidding me?
So, this book centers on the three Fortune sisters – Dee, Lizzie, and Mare – who are witches. But that’s not all they are. It turns out that their parents were also magically gifted and cashed in on their gifts by hosting a television show. When their parents died, Dee took her sisters and went into hiding. She has the assumption that her aunt Xan killed her parents for their powers and is coming after Dee and her sisters for theirs. She’s right, and Xan will stop at nothing to get them. The problem is, she already knows where the sisters are, and she has been watching them for a while. She knows that they are close to giving up their powers anyway, they just need a push in the right direction. Hence, she casts a True Love spell that brings the sisters’ true loves to town. The catch is that these True Loves can’t stand magic and the only way the sisters can be with them is if they give up their powers. Easy, right?
Wrong.
If you liked Maybe This Time and Wild Ride by Jennifer Crusie, then you’re going to love this book. I liked it, even though there were a few parts where I was just like, are you kidding me?
So, this book centers on the three Fortune sisters – Dee, Lizzie, and Mare – who are witches. But that’s not all they are. It turns out that their parents were also magically gifted and cashed in on their gifts by hosting a television show. When their parents died, Dee took her sisters and went into hiding. She has the assumption that her aunt Xan killed her parents for their powers and is coming after Dee and her sisters for theirs. She’s right, and Xan will stop at nothing to get them. The problem is, she already knows where the sisters are, and she has been watching them for a while. She knows that they are close to giving up their powers anyway, they just need a push in the right direction. Hence, she casts a True Love spell that brings the sisters’ true loves to town. The catch is that these True Loves can’t stand magic and the only way the sisters can be with them is if they give up their powers. Easy, right?
Wrong.
April 3, 2016
Mir war nach einem süßen und lustigen Chicklit-Roman. Daher griff ich nach diesem und war auch auf den ersten 100/150 Seiten ziemlich begeistert: Es geht um Dee, Lizzie und Mare, drei Schwestern mit Zauberkräften, die zusammen in einer kleinen amerikanischen Stadt wohnen. Sie leben unter falschem Namen und sind schon mehrfach umgezogen, da sie vor ihrer bösen Tante (die die Eltern der drei auf dem Gewissen hat) fliehen. Sie erhielten nie eine Ausbildung in Magie und so können sie ihre Kraft nur schwer steuern, als die Tante sie wieder einmal aufspürt, um ihnen ihre große Liebe zu schicken. Weil sie möchte, dass ihre Nichten glücklich sind, oder weil sie sie abhängig machen möchte?
Bis hierhin fand ich diese Charmed-in-süß-Atmosphäre sehr schön, das Kleinstadtleben war schön beschrieben, und wenn auch die drei Mädchen in klassische Kategorien aufgeteilt werden konnten (Beschützerin, Träumerin, Draufgängerin), war es doch noch alles im Rahmen. Später im Buch jedoch lässt die Tante einen Libidozauberspruch (!) auf die Stadt los und die Autorin könnte nun all die schmalzigen Sexszenen einbauen, die sie jemals im Kopf hatte. Auch eine große Liebe muss man nicht nach zwei Tagen heiraten...bzw. sobald der Endgegner bearbeitet ist.
Der Anfang sehr süß, später eher eine Qual.
Bis hierhin fand ich diese Charmed-in-süß-Atmosphäre sehr schön, das Kleinstadtleben war schön beschrieben, und wenn auch die drei Mädchen in klassische Kategorien aufgeteilt werden konnten (Beschützerin, Träumerin, Draufgängerin), war es doch noch alles im Rahmen. Später im Buch jedoch lässt die Tante einen Libidozauberspruch (!) auf die Stadt los und die Autorin könnte nun all die schmalzigen Sexszenen einbauen, die sie jemals im Kopf hatte. Auch eine große Liebe muss man nicht nach zwei Tagen heiraten...bzw. sobald der Endgegner bearbeitet ist.
Der Anfang sehr süß, später eher eine Qual.
May 19, 2008
I found this book at my local thrift store for 50 cents and wondered why I hadn't known of its existence. I believed it to be an anthology at the time, but quickly found out that it's one book written by three women! Of course, the names Crusie and Stuart were the ones that attracted me. When I looked the book up on Amazon I was surprised to see that not many people liked it. Well, that's never stopped me before and I'm glad it didn't this time. I really liked it! Instead of taxing my brain by trying to figure out which lady wrote which characters, I just enjoyed it as a whole. Three sisters,all somewhat closet witches with mostly undeveloped powers,are sent their One True Love by their evil aunt, who does NOT have their best interests at heart. Needless to say, many things went awry, but culminated in a very satisfying HEA. Give it a chance - it has all the components of a good romance (heat, humor, tension, conflict and resolution, unexpected twists, etc.), times three!
June 13, 2013
I am absolutely disappointed with this one ...
Long Story short …
Dee ran away from her aunt Xan with her two sisters Lizzie and Mare after their parents died. Now Xan found the three sisters and she wants to have the magical power of Dee, Lizzie and Mare. Therefore he send to each of them their love of the life to steal their magical strength afterwards. While the sisters fall in love … all in a sudden they can control their magical power and can use it at the big showdown with Xan.
There are two things I can say about this book: Boring and without logic. It wasn´t only that the Plot didn´t get me – sometimes it even bothered me. Repeatedly Lizzie is telling Elric to go away and starts crying immediately after he did. Repeatedly Mare is asking Crash why he came back at this very moment And so on …
Long Story short …
Dee ran away from her aunt Xan with her two sisters Lizzie and Mare after their parents died. Now Xan found the three sisters and she wants to have the magical power of Dee, Lizzie and Mare. Therefore he send to each of them their love of the life to steal their magical strength afterwards. While the sisters fall in love … all in a sudden they can control their magical power and can use it at the big showdown with Xan.
There are two things I can say about this book: Boring and without logic. It wasn´t only that the Plot didn´t get me – sometimes it even bothered me. Repeatedly Lizzie is telling Elric to go away and starts crying immediately after he did. Repeatedly Mare is asking Crash why he came back at this very moment And so on …
November 2, 2009
I planned on liking this book because it came highly recomended from a friend with similar tastes, but it didn't really work out. The writing is good, the characters are good, most of the humor works; as long as a book can meet these qualities I tend to really enjoy it, but there was a problem with the pacing. It's as if three short stories were intertwined into one novel and because of that there is a lot of jumping around between plots without much substance and it just comes off as looong. Everytime a scene changed I was stunned that the first day had YET to end.
I have no patients. If you do, read the book, it's not actually bad.
I have no patients. If you do, read the book, it's not actually bad.
June 21, 2019
I really liked this book. It had some really good parts that I couldn't put the book down for. The characters were good, I liked watching them grow, especially Lizzie. I liked how they united and really loved each other. Great HEA with room for another. I thought this was going to be an anthology. But since it wasn't I was very happy with how it turned out. I didn't have to read thru one story, then read another where I would have already know partly what would have happened. I would enjoy reading this book again, I would keep it on my rainy day shelf. More than for passing the time, but not a 'go crazy gotta find it' book. Enjoy!
April 10, 2014
Not as good as I was going it would be. I expected a book about magical sisters finding true love over the course of a long weekend to require since suspension of belief, but this was almost too much for me. The dialog was silly at times, and the characters pretty I've dimensional. It was hard to root for love overcoming obstacles when it can all be dealt with in just a few days. I like Xan and Maxine, although they both felt line characters dreadmed up by the three authors over some midnight margaritas.
February 20, 2015
Rating: 2.5/5
This is the better one of the two books written by the three authors, the other book being Dogs and Goddesses. The plot is pretty much the same (no talking dogs though) but the story here is smoother and the characters more likable. If you HAVE to read one of the two, I'd recommend this one. Though I would only recommend it for HUGE fans of Jennifer Crusie as neither this one nor Dogs is a particularly good book.
This is the better one of the two books written by the three authors, the other book being Dogs and Goddesses. The plot is pretty much the same (no talking dogs though) but the story here is smoother and the characters more likable. If you HAVE to read one of the two, I'd recommend this one. Though I would only recommend it for HUGE fans of Jennifer Crusie as neither this one nor Dogs is a particularly good book.
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