F
inn displays promise and personality to spare in her debut novel, an Arabian Nights spin on contemporary comic romance. When unemployed attorney and single mom Ravina Patten uncorks a bottle she finds in her baby’s Diaper Genie, it releases a real genie—more specifically, a hunky Australian WWII fighter pilot who’s been bottled up for the past 60 years after a run-in with a cuckolded Bedouin—who must grant her three wishes in order to gain his freedom. Ravina finds life with the genie a dream: he’s got the house cleaned, the meals prepared, the baby fed and Ravina’s libido satisfied. Unfortunately, she’s not so satisfied with the results of her first two wishes, and of course faces an ethical quandary over her last wish—will she use it to lift the genie’s curse, allowing him to return to the life he left 60 years ago? Fans of high concept, multilayered fantasy-romance populated with quirky, comical characters will find this novel a charmer and Finn an author worth watching. (June)
