Nudging Fate: Enchanted Occasions Book 1, E.J. Russell

With one last chance to redeem Enchanted Occasions as a successful event planning option for the supernatural community, Anders Skuldsson is over-worked and over-stressed.  As half-Norn, his abilities to manipulate the fate of others seems like it would be useful in this situation, except not only is he morally opposed to using it, he's under strict orders from Asgard not to.  Having the fate of the fae prince's marital selection in his hands isn't helping either.  And when a series of unfortunate mishaps put him in a candidate's spot, it's his fate that could be in trouble too.  For Con, Prince Reynard's half-brother, it's a dream come true when Anders is presented.  But with meddling contenders, growing feelings, deceptions, and the fae queen herself, they might not have the chance to face their own fate together.

I found Con charming and pitiable always getting the short end of the stick.  I was increasingly frustrated by everyone's neglect and treatment of him when he'd reminisce about life at court and was so charmed by his joy in simple things.  Watching him grow closer to Andy because of their shared love of the simple, of the human half of their identity, was so very sweet.  I wanted things to work out for them sooner than they did.

It's not much of a story, though, to have everything work out half-way through, is it?  In this case, there were quite a few things in the middle that were humorous as well as frustrating.  One thing that bothered me was Andy's obliviousness.  He was so focused on the quickly deteriorating event and his own emotional turmoil that he seemed unfit for his professional role.  I wasn't a fan of his blindness to his own staff and friends as well.  There were lots of times he picked up on small details for a few characters around him, but the actions, observations, and situations of those closest to him were bypassed with negligent dismissal.  It seemed inconsistent from the person we first met when the story opened.

The story itself, though, was all over the place in a good way.  There were a lot of amusing, tender, and interesting parts to it that definitely kept me reading.  Drama was certainly the name of the game when it came to the coronation as well.  Completely surprising things occurred and it was a great moment because it was mostly unpredictable, not the outcome of it, but the things leading up to it once the ceremony began.  Having Andy's response and the following epilogue really benefited the story, especially their relationship.  They were much more believable and it was a great decision that felt right.  I'm eager to get to know a few more characters in much more detail as the series continues with Devouring Flame...very excited.

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