Constance O’Day-Flannery, Best Laid Plans

Best Laid Plans

Constance O'Day-Flannery

Tor, Jun 2006, $6.99

ISBN: 0765354039

They met seven years ago and within three months Charlie and Cristine moved in together. Now he says the contract between them expired and he is leaving her for someone else he recently met. Upset as she thought they would move on to the next relationship plane, Cristine turns to her friends at The Yellow Brick Road Gang. The crew decides that their heartbroken member needs a fling with no lasting commitments beyond the one night so they begin a ritual to bring a throwaway hunk to Cristine.

Her fun fling frolic turns into a terrible tramatic twist when she hurts her back dancing with strange lights. However, when the lights appear in her kitchen in human form, she is not frightened at all. Daniel Burns explains her soul called out to his across dimensions; he felt he had to come especially since he believes she is one of the women who is humanity's last chance to be saved.

The first Guardian tale is a terrific fantasy romance starring a delightful hunk from another plane and the woman whose soul brought him to earth. The storyline is fast-paced, but clearly driven by the lead couple and a strong support team, mostly the Yellow Brick Road Gang, experts in metaphysical mishaps. Fans who want something different will enjoy this deeply spiritual tale that casts a spell on the audience starting with pepper, mustard and mint and ending with love.

Harriet Klausner