Blurb
Mysterious forces are at play when Paul’s vacation to Spain unexpectedly detours to Gibraltar and then Morocco, to a vodka bottle in a hole in the wall bar, to a handsome genie with a slew of secrets, plus almost limitless powers, virtually no memory, and a keen desire to be freed from his curse. Along the way, Paul is reunited with his ex-lover and the genie’s previous master as fate draws them ever deeper into a murky, dangerous past.
On our heroes travel, from the frigid north of Russia to a magic carpet ride across China, ultimately finding themselves in the deserts of ancient Jordan. Here, they encounter another of the genie’s previous masters and a power far greater than they could’ve ever imagined, all within a massive temple carved into a mountainside. Can our intrepid foursome uncover the truth before the curse takes them all and possibly the entire world down? Will love win out in the end? Or is the genie forever doomed to a life foretold in fairy tales?
In this funny, frisky, and frequently heart-pounding adventure, only one thing is for certain: magic can happen even without three wishes.
Review
I’ve read Rob Rosen books previously and have always enjoyed them. This one was no exception.
Genie in a Vodka Bottle is a short book (139 pages) that not only gives us an adrenaline-fueled campy adventure with plenty of camp, drama, sexcapades, and snark, the story also provides us an emotional tale with charming and mysterious characters. I loved Rosen’s clever take on Genie/Djinn mythology, as his Genie comes with a gay twist, plenty of metaphorical baggage, and a compelling mystery to solve.
It’s a paranormal comedy with a tinge of romance that continuously brought a smile to my face as I was reading. I loved the romance between Paul and the Genie – it was sweet, hot, and evolved perfectly as the novel progressed, though it was a tad on the messy side, as a romance between an ageless Genie and a human would no doubt be. Their relationship is frenetic, complicated, and chock full of “maybes” and “what ifs,” which adds an intriguing element to the story.
All in all, this was a fun, naughty, and quirky book by an incredibly talented author that I really ended up enjoying. If you enjoy paranormal stories with adventure, laughter, mystery, love, and excellent banter/dialog, then you may wish to check out Genie in a Vodka Bottle.
This book will be published on November 5, 2021 but is available now for preorder from online retailers.
A huge thank you to Netgalley for providing a review copy of this book.