I don't usually like books with supernatural elements. I'm more of a "reality" person and like my stories grounded in the touchable, knowable world. But, against my own instincts, I found Thoroughly Kissed to be a thoroughly fun read.
Emma Lost is the original Sleeping Beauty. Her life and her beauty were the inspiration for the ages old tale. Due to a cursed kiss and some messed up magic, she slept a thousand years in a magical coma and awoke, no longer in pre-Conquest England, but instead in the modern world. She has spent ten years learning how to cope in her new reality and is now a professor at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. She wrote a very successful book about the medieval world that brought her financial success, and she is relatively happy living alone with her cat, Darnell. Emma does not want to get involved with men or kisses because she has no desire to take another millennial nap.
Michael Found has just been appointed as head of the History Department and is Emma's new boss. He has just returned from a sabbatical in England and is rather horrified to learn of Emma's appointment to his department. He has read her book and thinks that she is a fly-by-night historian, the kind who leaps to erroneous conclusions based on no primary source material. Michael's first goal is to get Emma out of his department before she can cause problems for the University.
When they meet, Michael is very clear about his intentions, and Emma becomes incensed. Under normal circumstances she would be willing and very able to defend her scholarship, but unfortunately, this is the day her magic chooses to make its first appearance, and she discovers she can't control it. All sorts of strange things begin happening, and Michael is a witness to them.
The story moved along at a steady clip, with many humorous moments along the way. Emma's familiar, Darnell, provides a number of them. He is a very jealous pet and also the unfortunate recipient of a number of Emma's magical mistakes. I don't generally like cats as characters, but I thought Darnell was simply charming.
Michael and Emma are both likable as well. Emma is well-drawn, her strengths and weaknesses very clear. She has gone through a lot because of that long-ago curse. Given her past, it is easy to see why Emma would be man-shy, but Michael proves to be steady, kind, and helpful, in addition to being drop-dead gorgeous. So she has a strong incentive to get over her kissing phobia.
My only real quibble with the book is that occasionally I found the dialogue to be slightly confusing. It wasn't anything I could pinpoint, however, and once I went back and reread, I could understand what was happening. The magical element, which I expected to be slightly off-putting, was not. Grayson explains the rules to Emma's magical world and consistently follows them.
Thoroughly Kissed is a rather whimsical tale of magic, love and surprises. It is humorously told, without being cutesy. I would recommend it to readers who are looking for a light and fun way to spend a few hours.
Sensuality: Kisses
Publication Date: 2001
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