Author: R. Cooper
Narrator: Michael Fell
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Run Time: 5 hours and 41 minutes
Category: High Fantasy/Urban Fantasy
At a Glance: I really liked this story when I read it, but sadly the narration didn’t really work for me on this one.
Reviewed By: Sadonna
Blurb: David is in love with Tulip, a kind and unusually quiet fairy in his social circle. But everyone knows Tulip doesn’t date humans. David tells himself he is happy to be Tulip’s friend, because he doesn’t believe a fairy could love him and Tulip has never tried to “keep him”—as fairies refer to relationships with humans.
Fairies are drawn to David, describing his great “shine,” but David knows only too well how quickly fairies can forget humans, and thinks he’s destined to be alone. He can’t see his own brilliance or understand how desperately Tulip wants him, even if Tulip believes David can do better.
But exhausted and more than a little tipsy at a Christmas party, David makes his feelings too obvious for Tulip to deny any longer. Because of a past heartbreak involving a human, Tulip is convinced someone as shiny as David could never want a “silly, stupid fairy” in his life. Now, if he wants to keep David, he’ll have to be as brave as his shiny, careful human.
Review: David has been in love with Tulip for some time, but he knows Tulip doesn’t date humans. He’s just had a disastrous liaison with Clematis, another fairy, and he’s not too excited to see anyone. He’s embarrassed and stressed and he’s got a lot on his plate with his research and his teaching and just trying to keep a low profile. But when he attends a holiday party at his friend’s apartment, he runs into Tulip and they have a very interesting conversation.
David’s best friend is also a fairy, and Flor wants to help David get what he wants. Flor and David have been friends since they were children. There is a lot of history there—some of which isn’t so great. David has had his heart broken before, so he’s quite reluctant to give anyone the chance to hurt him again. He’s extremely sensitive and he’s already gun-shy after the messy business with Clematis.
As the months pass, though, and David and Tulip continue to run into each other at various times and functions, it seems like they are dancing around each other; neither wants to put the other in a precarious position. David learns about Tulip’s past heartbreak, and he’s even more convinced that nothing can ever come of his feelings for Tulip. Flor, though, has finally figured out that there is something there and maybe, just maybe, he can help fix this whatever-it-is between David and Tulip.
I really enjoyed this story when I first read it. The slowly building relationship between David and Tulip was lovely. Unfortunately, the narration just didn’t work for me on this one. I’m not sure why, but I just didn’t connect with the voices for the various characters in this audio. There were some pronunciation issues that bothered me some and threw me out of the story a couple of times. I still love the story, but for me, the narration detracted rather than enhanced this particular book. As usual, YMMV.
You can buy A Dandelion for Tulip here:
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