A romance with the twist that the main character, Magdalene O'Shea, is a business woman and shapeshifter. She is involved with this group that has her use her unique talents to teach unhappy men how to love again. She has a hang up on the her male mentor who taught her to use her skills, so when he contacts her with a new assignment she is not thrilled. She is tiresd fo helping these men out then moving on and vows to make this her last assignment. But then she discovers just how special her latest assignment is.
Definite beliefs about the role and power of love come across, which is a bit refreshing from the usual emphasis on the physical in romances. Still, not quite my cup of tea, but a romance reader who is looking for something out of the ordinary would probably enjoy it. ( )

This is a book that I had quite a hard time finishing. Usually I enjoy shapeshifting stories, especially romances, but this one didn't really work for me. I think my major problem is because I found all the characters to be so sanctimonious, they drove me crazy. I also don't usually like books with strong political themes even if I agree with those views to a certain extent. When I'm reading romance I want to feel entertained and I felt there was more preachiness than entertainment.

Maggie is a shapeshifter who works for a mysterious sect called "The Foundation" where her job is basically to get cozy with men who may be usefully influential to the foundation's agenda so she can heal their hearts and allow them to move on to successful relationships. Maggie is sick of this job (who could blame her? Certainly not me!) but agrees to take on one last assignment, Julian McDonald, a rich businessman whose heart was broken when his wife and son died in a plane crash a decade earlier. There is just one problem with this new assignment, Maggie is always supposed to be "the one who comes before true love" and losing her own heart to Julian has no part in her job.

I did manage to finish the book which, I guess, goes to show that I didn't totally hate the story although I am at a loss to point out exactly why I read all the way through. The writing itself wasn't bad, the plot was easy to follow and it didn't get boring so that could account for it. I just didn't like the storyline or the characters very much and the ending bugged me as well. ( )

I enjoyed this book, but I really disliked the secret "foundation" angle and the hero's reaction to the heroine's gift. The whole book rang with the idea that everybody knew what was better for everyone else and the manipulation behind the scenes set my teeth on edge. ( )

There are many who'd say that I shouldn't be surprised to have enjoyed a book by Ms. O'Day-Flannery. I have not been particularly impressed by Tor's offerings for their line, but this was pretty good. I felt it was a bit heavy-handed with the political aspects, and there are a few actions that are taken that I didn't like at all, but I enjoyed reading about Julian and Maggie, and appreciated that, for once, the hero is the persistent one. ( )

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/12556445 ( )