The Blessings of the Storm

Nora is newly divorced when she discovers that she has inherited a house and a store called Forgotten Realms which sells antiques and curios of a mystical nature. She moves into the Victorian home in Rhode Island. Upon going through the stock for the store, she finds a beautiful carpet in a back storeroom. When she unrolls the carpet, a handsome surprise casually lounges upon it.

For over 750 years Sinclair, an Ifrit, has been bound to his carpet. Every time someone discovers the carpet and unrolls it he is released for one month and grants three wishes to his new keeper. Each of these people has the power to release him from this prison for all time, if they wish correctly. It would take someone who truly loved him to do the deed. His journey has been rich in carnal pleasures, but time has made his existence pall. This time out he is determined for a more permanent release one way or the other.

Blessings of the Storm has an appealing plotline. The idea of a genie in a carpet who can grant three wishes but is ultimately looking for his mate was a rather original idea. Both hero and heroine are sympathetic characters that have undergone hardships in their lives.

This is a short story that moves one to have great sympathy for Sinclair. It can not be easy to be cursed with what appears to be a long series of short relationships, each beginning with a blind date. In comparison, humans only think we have it tough while looking for love. Even worse, between affairs he has had to live in limbo.

Though the premise has some charm, there were some difficulties with the story as well. Neither Nora nor Sinclair was particularly engaging. There were some lovely erotic and romantic scenes, but one did not really feel close to the characters. Due to the brevity of the work, one felt that the background for the race of Ifrit was incomplete. In addition to this, editing/proofing errors distracted one from focusing on the situations occurring.

However, writing talent is in enough evidence that readers will want to try another of the authors’ collaborative works.

August 2006