If all your wishes could
suddenly come true, what would you do?
A year ago when the love of her life dumped her for no apparent reason, Ally
thought she had hit rock bottom. But now that she has seen him with another
woman, and one she knows only too well, her life seems to have reached a whole
new level of low.
Yet, when she stumbles across an ancient object infused with magical powers and
a stranger with a dark past appears out of nowhere promising to grant all her
wishes, she finds herself hoping again.
Suddenly Ally’s life is turned upside down; she has a mystery to solve, a rival
to beat, a millenarian curse to break, and well, she wants to have some fun
playing with her new “gifts”…
But can she wish her way to happily ever after?
I started reading this book a little skeptical about the
premise and expecting to not like it, however, I must admit I was pleasantly
surprised. I was even more surprised to
find out this is Camilla Isley’s debut novel.
For the past few months my reading choices were dark and
depressing. I needed a break and took a
chance on a new writer I didn’t know anything about and I’m very happy I
did.
One of my favorite things to do was reading fairy tales to my
daughters and granddaughters when they were little. It was fun getting lost in the imagination
and mentally transport away from real life.
I Wish For You took me back
and reminded me there is nothing like a good fairy tale and this one has a
modern day twist.
The concept behind this story is the genie in a bottle (in
this book a box) offering wishes to the person finding and releasing the genie. It is a lot of fun to read and think about
what I would wish if I found a genie. Initially
I thought the story was a little predictable but I found that it didn’t play
out exactly as I anticipated.
Ally Johnson is the heroine in this story. She is still devastated after the sudden
breakup with her boyfriend a year past.
Adding salt to the wound she finds out her most hated co-worker is now
dating the ex, James. How did this
happen? Ally is funny, independent and
real. She doesn’t always make the right
decisions but she learns from her mistakes.
It is this diverse character profile that makes her real.
Arthur, the genie, is an eighteenth century aristocrat. He doesn’t share very much of his history
with Ally in the beginning and that frustrates her a little. Arthur is a very proper British gentleman and
a good complement to Ally’s character.
Where she acts or over reacts he is the voice of common sense and
reason. We find out that the genie is
serving out a curse cast by a spurned lover.
He knows about true love and recommends a course of action for
Ally. However, Ally being Ally doesn’t
always listen.
There are some great scenes between Arthur (Ally gave him
this name because he was royalty) and Ally.
One where he takes a cab ride with Ally and they have a discussion about
the horses in the engine. Another when
Ally wants him to go out with her but he has to be a girl. These lighthearted scenes add to the
story.
In summary there is a lot going for this book. It has a good romance that grows and
changes. There is the mystery Ally is trying
to figure out who is Arthur really and is there any way to help him break his
curse. Ally’s wishes and how she uses
them is often sets up comic situations and as she uses her wishes to win back
her true love she learns a lot about herself, her friends and the love of her
life. It is all very entertaining. Yes, I like the story. It is a good, light read that is most
enjoyable. I have my five wishes ready
when my genie appears. Ms. Isley is a good writer and I’m looking
forward to her next book.
Twitter: @camillaisley
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