Through the Looking Glass (Once Upon a Time) by Kay Hooper Series: Once Upon a Time #4
on December 13th 2016
Genres: Contemporary
Pages: 172
Goodreads
“I’m involved with a woman who has the eyes of a siren, the face of an angel, and a mind like a labyrinth. She offers absurd answers to the most logical questions, and changes moods right in front of my eyes, and I know she’s a bit mad; I just don’t know to what degree. She’s trying to find one maniac in the middle of a rolling asylum, because the maniac pushed her cousin into a well.”
FINAL DECISION: I enjoyed the book years ago and still enjoyed it today. It’s quirky and unrealistic and has instant love that doesn’t always make sense, but the characters are fun and the story is an easy enjoyable read that has something extra.
THE STORY: Maggie Durant comes from a family of atypical people. She comes to the Wonderland traveling carnival to investigate the murder of one of her relatives. There she meets Gideon Hughes, a financier planning on selling the barely surviving Wonderland. When the two meet, something magical happens between the two even as Gideon struggles to know the mercurial Maggie.
OPINION: Don’t read this book looking for a realistic contemporary book. This is a book that tends towards a fairy tale more than realism. The characters fall in love quickly and with little to basis their feelings on. The story doesn’t make any real sense, and yet I love this book for the joy in the story, the fun in the characters and the attempts to push the boundaries that this book made when it was written.
Approach this book with an open heart and you can find fun and consideration in Maggie’s Chesire Cat like shifting personalities, Gideon’s Alice-like attempts to impose order on Wonderland, and the funny people and creatures that inhabit this book. A real attempt to push the boundaries of contemporary series romances toward the fantasy and paranormal, this is one of the book that opened my eyes to the possibilities of crossing genres that have become very prevalent.
Funny and simple and filled with joy and a bit of magic.
WORTH MENTIONING: This book was originally published in 1990 as a Loveswept category romance.
CONNECTED BOOKS: THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS is the fourth book in the loosely connected Once Upon a Time series. These book are only connected by the fairy tale concept and one character who makes brief appearances to act as matchmaker for the couples. Each book can be read completely independent of the others.
STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.