cover image SPELLBOUND

SPELLBOUND

Kathleen Nance, . . Love Spell, $6.99 (384pp) ISBN 978-0-505-52486-7

Zayne, the Minstrel of Kaf, isn't your average genie. He doesn't reside in a teapot or grant wishes. Instead, he maintains the harmony of his land through his magic-infused music. But when his mood and music take a dark turn, threatening the paradise of Kaf, he decides to visit Louisiana to track down his soul mate: closet dancer Madeline Fairbanks. In a contrived plot twist, the two wind up staying in the same house together, but after Zayne torches some toilet paper in order to "protect" his room from outside forces, Madeline realizes that her new housemate isn't just a hunk—he's a psycho who wants to bond with her and carry her off to a strange land. If you blink, you may miss their whirlwind romance. They meet, mate and search for Madeline's evil warlock stepfather, Cyrus Cromwell, in less than a week. Though Cyrus is responsible for cursing Madeline with stage fright and for making her musically inclined mother go mad, he may hold the key to Zayne's murky past. Readers won't need a crystal ball to foresee how the story will unfold, but they'll still derive satisfaction in seeing the protagonists triumph over Cyrus and their fears. Cute and comic at its best and predictable and absurd at its worst, Nance's whimsical follow-up to Enchantment is a fun, facile read. (June 3)

Forecast:Though it catches the eye, the book's corny cover image of a well-muscled genie posing with hands on hips may turn off browsers and send closet romance readers skittering in the opposite direction.