Sassy and Sexy Marriage of Convenience!

To Have and To Hold 75 pages and Reluctant Rapture 102 pages

If you haven’t yet entered the world of Kellyann Zuzulo’s sexy and suspenseful tales of genies and the humans that fall in love with them, then you are in for a treat! The author’s The Zubis Chronicles, are a fantastic mix of paranormal romance and romantic suspense, (scroll down for links to our reviews). In the 101 Nights series, the tables are turned and the heroine is a genie and the hero a human, in a sassy and sexy marriage of convenience set in the New Jersey suburbs, with echoes of ‘Desperate Housewives.’ The first two instalments, To Have and To Hold  and Reluctant Rapture are full of sensuality and suspense, with the future of the human world and Jinnistan, home of the genies, at stake not to mention the hearts of hero and heroine.

In To Have and To Hold, hot-tempered ambassador Amani Zarin agrees to leave Jinnistan and marry the human scientist, Dr Jason Masters, in a last ditch attempt to save her beloved homeland. Energy is disappearing from Jinnistan, energy which enables the genies to thrive and survive. Without it they are doomed and many, including Amani’s own parents have already died. Dr Masters, who works for a large corporation called Covalink, headed by Warren Westcott, believes he has found a way of isolating and harvesting the energy released by genies, energy which can be captured and used to sustain their world. The more the couple touch and the more intimate they become, the more potent the energy…..

Of course all is not simple. Amani resents her marriage of convenience, in which her body is being used in this way and feels like a lab rat confined in their New Jersey home. Moreover, she harbours only revulsion and distrust of Covalink’s owner, Westcott, and suspects his motives, fearing that the energy harvested will be used for more sinister means. If her fears prove true, she has the power to call upon genies opposing this alliance with the humans, led by her an ex lover and rebel, Sumer, to call a halt to the proceedings and invade and lay waste to the human realm. Amani also has conniving board members, hostile ex-lovers and nosy suburban neighbors to contend with and an instant and intense reaction to Dr Masters she did not expect, which unsettles her especially as she thinks that he views her merely as a science experiment. Just what is a desperate genie to do when her heart and the future of her race are on the line?

After reading Kellyann Zuzulo’s The Zubis Chronicles, I wondered how this series was going to compare. The tale is very different, but I was drawn into it from the first few pages. I enjoyed learning more about Jinnistan and Amani is a fascinating character, a warrior, who sits on the Tribal Council of Jinnistan and who cares deeply for her people. She has lived for many millenia and experienced so much, some of her experiences leaving her vulnerable, although above all she is a strong individual. Jason is not the geeky scientist she imagined having to get intimate with – instead he is a real hottie and Amani knows that she must guard her heart against the attraction she feels for him, as he seems to view her merely as an object to be studied.

Jason is equally surprised at the pull Amani exerts over him and knows that it is best for the project if he keeps an emotional distance as he cannot risk falling in love. There are many misunderstandings between them. Jason is committed to his work and Amani is left in the house for many hours each day and due to her dislike of being cooped up and her natural curiosity decides to get out and about, which creates some interesting situations. At times I wanted to give them both a good shake, but especially Jason as I felt he was not as sensitive to Amani’s emotional needs as he perhaps should have been. However, like Amani, he certainly did not expect to find his heart involved in a science experiment!

There is plenty of sexual tension between the couple and many yummy sensual scenes, as Amani and Jason navigate their marriage of convenience. Although the series is above all a love story, with elements of suspense, I also adored the many humorous moments, as Amani struggles to come to terms with the human world and at one point in Reluctant Rapture I found myself laughing out loud at one scene! The villain of the piece, Westcott, is suitably slimy and I suspect that his true motives will be revealed as the series progresses.

I am very much looking forward to the remaining instalments of the 101 Nights Series series the next one being entitled The Ties That Bind, as well as the author’s future forays into the world of genies. I recommend this series to readers who like their romance to dabble in the paranormal and magical realm, with a fair bit of suspense.

A copy of Reluctant Rapture was provided by the author for the purpose of a fair and honest review.

Reviewed by Tina Williams

Digital edition created by Maureen Cutajar http://www.gopublished.com

Kellyann Zuzulo’s post on ARR Blog entitled The Truth About Genies.

Our review of The Genie Ignites, #1 of The Zubis Chronicles

Our review of The Genie Smolders, #2 of The Zubis Chronicles

Kellyann Zuzulo’s blog http://kfzuzulo.com/

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