Wizard

Sophia Bennett was the only child of two university researchers and professors who were classed as geniuses. Because of this, her parents expected that she would follow in their footsteps. As a result, they enrolled her in special classes and were seldom told the truth about her from her teachers who were afraid to disappoint them.

Sophia therefore grew up quite unhappy, particularly when she was surrounded by what she termed as "Wizards". She didn't like the fact that she didn't measure up academically. She knew that no matter how hard she tried, she just didn't have the ability of her fellow students or parents' circle of friends.

Sophia pushed herself through high school and a College degree but was not at all interested in pursuing a Master's degree or in working in academic settings. She didn't want to disappoint her parents but, at the same time, knew that she did disappoint them.

One of the things that Sophia was good at was fashion. She had a passion for designing clothing and her ultimate goal was to open a business in which she could make and sell her creations.

So, when Max Travers, a mathematician who was a friend of her parents' was sent to Dallas on a consulting project, Sophia really wasn't interested in meeting him. She suspected that her parents had hoped that the two of them would meet and fall in love. But this was not her goal. In fact, Sophia was very honest with Max about her feelings towards "Wizards" and the fact that she was not interested in him. She even booked a date with her cowboy boyfriends that would begin as soon as she and Max had finished their dinner.

Max and Sophia were not at all alike and both of them knew it, but, at the same time, there was something that strongly attracted them to each other. During the time that Max was working in the same firm as Sophia in order to complete the requirements of his consulting contract, their paths crossed. Usually this occurred because Max was determined to spend time with Sophia - a situation that she did not initially accept.

"Wizard" is a rather short book of 217 pages that has a fairly predictable romance story-line. It is set in Texas, where Sophia lives and North Carolina where he parents and Max work in a university. There are very few additional characters and other than Sophia's co-worker and her boyfriends, none play major roles in the tale.

This story is not just about romance, though. It is also about having goals, dealing with parents and learning to sacrifice for others.

If you are interested in finding a light read where dreams do come true, perhaps "Wizard" is just what you are looking for as it is enjoyable but not very demanding. I read the whole thing in one evening.

The author of this book is Jayne Ann Krentz but she is writing under the name of Stephanie James for this work.