Is the second in Mindy Klasky's "As You Wish Series" -- I was not a big fan of the first book but this one a little better as characters a bit more interesting and even the genie gets a little more fleshed out (but still not pivotal to plot and still unevenly unpleasant; a hefty inheritance or lottery win would have worked as easily). Better paced. More than I ever wanted to know about backstage theater and couldn't really invest in the plot despite almost getting to like main character. Ending took a convoluted turn which I suppose is better than completely predictable (well, any other ending would have left readers yelling "but what about..."). Really kinda forcing myself to finish series because I bought all for the Kindle at regular price (they are now on sale) because I adored author's [b:The Glasswrights' Apprentice|720977|The Glasswrights' Apprentice (Glasswright, #1)|Mindy Klasky|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1309286556s/720977.jpg|707219] and liked [b:Girl's Guide to Witchcraft|248583|Girl's Guide to Witchcraft (Jane Madison, #1)|Mindy Klasky|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173121081s/248583.jpg|240864] series well enough. Nothing wrong at all with the writing and still a fan of the author; but, just not getting into these. ( )

This is the second book in a series. I read and reviewed the first book about a month and a half ago and was pleased to see many of the issues that I had noted in the first book were either entirely gone or reasonably present in this novel.

This novel isn't nearly so cliché as the first. And the main character, Becca, has a dazzlingly healthy self-image. Her lack of self-confidence is a completely and totally reasonable response to the situation she was in, thanks to a police investigation probing her personal and professional life.

Again, Teel is a great character. Ze is still up to zir old tricks (which, really, ze should know it doesn't make things go any faster by now) and is still treated respectfully. I am happy to have a gender-swapping genie any time it's dealt with well. I really enjoyed the glimpses into the genie's life we got this time, and has a lot of fun with the genie-related twist towards the end.

The theatre portrayal is still accurate to the point of painful, which I like. It's not all sunshine and roses and, frankly, there's always a mess to be cleaned up. I was pleasantly surprised to see Kira (the last novel's MC) show up, older and a bit wiser. The fact that this book focused on yet another aspect, the technical and financial sides of theatre, made me happy. The only thing I might point out is that there are still some people missing in the theatre staff. Costuming, props, design teams - these are all vital roles in the creative processes and we really don't see them in those roles. It's a frustrating oversight.

Last of all, the romance. It was refreshing to see the romance build differently from the last book. It gives me great hope for the next book. This romance was paced well, it had its own problems (and solutions), and it wasn't self-contained. The lovers didn't exist in a vacuum. I really enjoyed that. I also appreciated Becca's self-examination. She is aware of her faults and earnestly tries to overcome them. It's a relief.

There's still room for improvement in the novel, as the plots devices are still a little cliché and convenient, but I think this one was better than the last. I look forward to seeing the next one!

A (solid characters, writing improvement; convenient plot devices, cliché) ( )

Becca's life is going pretty well. She has a good job as a dramaturg at a successful New York City theatre, and a nice apartment that she shares with her boyfriend, finance manager for the same theatre. One morning, she wakes up to a note from him: "B -- Gotta run. Don't wait up." What Becca doesn't know, but will soon learn, is that the note has more meaning than she originally suspected . . . and her entire life is about to be turned upside down.

This was another fun read, in the same vein as its predecessor. How often do you run across a protagonist who is a dramaturg? (I think of them as the librarians of the theatre world, doing in-depth research on plays in order to deepen the actors' and director's understanding.) Though Kira, protagonist of the first novel in this series, has a supporting role in this book as well, the shift of main character means that this would read well as a stand-alone, too. As with the first book, I'd recommend this to readers who enjoy contemporary romance with elements of fantasy. ( )

I picked this up hoping for a light, fun story with a little bit of magic and "When Good Wishes Go Bad" was exactly perfect.

I loved reading about Becca's job as a dramaturg, the trials of the theatre and the story of her neighbour's guerrilla gardening group, the Grays. It was really fun to have a genie story where the wishes actually go beautifully right sometimes (despite the title of the book!) and it's the chaos of everyday life rather than the magic that causes much of the drama.

This seems to be the second book in the series but definitely works as a standalone. I'm looking forwards to picking up the others! ( )

Rebecca Morrison woke up one morning with a note from her boyfriend of 3 years Dean Thompson.

B- GOTTA RUN, Don't wait up. She always get this kind of note from him. He works late and especially at that time since tax month is coming up. Who would have thought that a simple note have a lot of meanings?

She tossed and turn all night waiting for him until early morning came rolling by. She decided an early start would be best. She found the lights inside Dean's office only he wasn't there. Maybe he stepped out for a minute. Hours went by and still no Dean she finally called her assistant Jen and ask if she saw him anywhere. Becca was summoned to an emergency conference with the CEO and Board of Trustees of the Theather company that she's working at. Everybody seems to be looking for her boyfriend and nobody has seen him. The realization that her boyfriend who seems so perfect has embezzeled the company's $3 Million and her six figure cash savings. Now Becca has nowhere to live and broke and on top of that there is some legal issue on the current play that they have line up, she had yet to break it down to her boss and find a new one soon. In the middle of all this disaster Kira Franklin, the stage manager of the company, handed her a gift. Clothes, well ok customes and a lamp? Kira said the lamp helped her fulfill her wishes. Beccas was looking at it at first them all of a sudden a woman dressed like a lawyer pops out and proclaims herself as the genie of the lamp. Like all other heroine, she thought it was all just a joke until she made her first wish... Wonderful, weird and stressful situtations began to happened.

I like Becca and I like her career. A Dramaturg, I am not familiar with the term but I do know that there is that someone who plays like a psychologist with the acts, the playwrights and even to the directors. I am impressed on how well Becca does her job but I am not too sure about her personal life. When Dean, her boyfriend of 3 years embezzeled that money, I thought really? no clue at all? How can she not recognize the signs? Maybe love is really blinding for some people. The genie(s) in this story is not something that you imagined, they don't do magic carpets, they are neither male or female and they do not have a set look, they can be whatever they want. They are quite entertaining. Now about Ryan, I am not smitten, I was only impressed because he wrote that wonderful play but then towards the ending that kind of kill it for me. The book is average, entertaining but lacks the fun factor and lack personality among its characters. ( )