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| Click here to buy Accidentally Ever After (Accidentally Paranormal Series, Book 11) by Dakota Cassidy |
Antonia Vitali is hiding out in Jersey
working in a discount clothing store. Her boss is a young, pretty
nightmare that makes Antonia wish she was anywhere but there.
And in an instant she was.
Now she's in Shamalot with the ladies
from O.O.P.S., a zombie reindeer, a great blue ogre with a tiny
voice, and Jon Doe – a heroic reindeer herder with perfect,
well...everything. To get home, she must embark on a quest wearing a
get-up that would bring a proud tear to a beauty queen's eye. But
like any fairy tale, this one has all the trimmings: danger, magic
and a whole lot of derring-do.
Time is running out, can Toni get to
the castle in time and find eternal happiness on the way?
Dannan's words plucked a memory in
Toni's brain.
The one where she wished she were
anywhere but the outlet mall?
No. Nuh-uh.
No. Nuh-uh.
Crap, crap, crap. She really was
responsible for them landing here.
As the eleventh book in the
Accidentally Paranormal series, Accidentally Ever After defies series
fatigue with a freshness that made it a delightful page-turner.
Dakota Cassidy went all out with the world-building here, and that
fearless dive into the deep end of the fantasy pool is why this story
works. Had she gone half-measure, or tried to weigh it down with
more of a hand-wringing heroine, it would have fallen flat. This
story isn't as emotionally wrought as some of the others in the
series, but that doesn't detract from the enjoyment, or the ending.
Eschewing a rehash of the fairy tale
twist, Cassidy gleefully mows down the trite stories without losing
the crux of their existence, e.g. the journey is more important than
the destination. The humor is clever and quick. Familiar characters are lampooned with
tongue-in-cheek affection that is more of a wink at the reader than a
gratuitous laugh grab or mocking eye-roll. Of all the Accidentals
it's the most self aware, giving a sense that Cassidy is laughing
with you, even while she openly acknowledges foreshadowing.
While Toni's character feels familiar,
she's different enough to remain interesting. Jon Doe is a true
fairy tale hero, but his charm doesn't grate or feel overused. The
peripheral characters are almost more interesting, running the gamut
of personality and silliness, and definitely round out any rough
edges.
The pace is swift, without being
frenetic. Every scene has a purpose toward Toni's quest. Cassidy
twists the end a bit, making Accidental Ever After stand out in the
series. There is a strong lead in for another book, which will
delight fans to no end.
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