Title: Aladdin's Samovar
Author: Lauren Sweet
Source: Requested Review
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Format: eBook, 282 pgs
Release Date: September 24, 2011

A nice, normal, boring life—that’s all Amber Polaski ever wanted. One where she’s not unchaining her flaky New Age mom from endangered trees, bailing her out of jail, or getting dragged to naked pagan rituals. But when Amber finds a sexy genie in her antique brass samovar, any hope of normal goes up in smoke.


It’s just one tiny little wish—to find her long-lost father. What could go wrong?

Plenty. Dad shows up, all right—with a computer drive full of stolen data and angry mobsters hot on his trail. Now Amber has Fugitive Dad holed up in her Manville, NJ duplex, fending off the Mafia on one side and the FBI on the other. And she has Jasper the genie lounging in her blue plush recliner, conjuring chocolate chip cookies and passing himself off as her boyfriend. While Jasper is trying to tempt Amber with more disastrous wishes—and his seriously hot thousand-year-old body—Amber and her mom are forced to fight off Mafia assassins with nothing but chutzpah and household appliances.

It’s time for Amber to call in the B-team: Iggy the homeless dwarf, Tim the ecoterrorist, and Wanda the Fairy Dogmother with her pack of Happy Puppies. Together, they need to save Dad before the Mob makes him disappear again—permanently!

Rating:	Sexual:

My Review:

Very funny; lies, lies and more lies; hot chemistry just leaking out all over the place the place with good looking men; and a genie.

Story begins with a cautionary plea not to clean. "It started out so innocently—with a chamois cloth, some silver polish, and a bottle of Brasso. Okay, if she were honest, Amber would have to say it really started with her irrational need to clean the house for her mother's impending visit."

Poor Amber, her mother is a new age flake (no offense to new agers), her mom's new temporary boyfriend is "Boyd, the boy toy" and she has been burdened with a genie—a gorgeous hunk of a genie in her apartment refusing to leave until she makes a wish, or two, or however many fate decides she needs. Amber pretty much likes her life the way it is and doesn't want a wish granted.

She gives in and that one little wish, one she tried very hard not to make, turns her life into a study of the ridiculous.

Amber is firmly rooted in pop culture. Yes, Amber, Joe Lando was very hot before he cut his hair. Has a great reference to one of the Twilight Zone episodes—To Serve Man. Another fun reference to Weebles...you remember them, "Weebles wobble but they won't fall down." More funnies from the book: "That's a ferret in my pocket," Tom said. Then gave her a wolfish grin. "But I am happy to see you."

Naked aging hippies dancing around a fire, strip poker on the third shift, happy puppies to the rescue, you'll be howling with laughter. My only concern is those under thirty might not get a lot of the references unless they watch TV Land and This! TV. But then again, little kids think Shrek is hysterical and it is written mostly toward grown folks.

There is no sex in the story, just flirting and off the charts chemistry and a little atypical romance.

I'm glad the author requested a review for this because otherwise I may not have known it was out there nor is it likely I would have picked it up. This is a very fun and fast-paced read.

I recommend it for anyone needing a good laugh to go along with flirting and a little change from the usual fare. Molly Harper fans will appreciate this book.

Warning!! Spoiler Alert!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
With several hunks to choose from, I was very disappointed Amber didn't get her groove on with at least one of them. But there is a HFH ending.