The Magic of The Lamp

Tantalising Tales Collection #8

by Lorelei Johnson

The Tantalising Tales Collection
An Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp Retelling

A headstrong princess, an ambitious sorcerer, and a forbidden love that could ruin them both…

When Princess Jasmine returns home after fifteen years, she's determined not to choose any of the suitors her father has lined up for her.

She doesn't need a man to rule her kingdom.

Jafar has fought tooth and nail for everything he has and he never sets his sights on something he can't have.

Until her.

But the princess must marry a prince.

When the mysterious Prince Ali enters the palace stirring a curiosity in the princess, Jafar's jealousy is uncontainable. But when the choice before him is love or power, will he fight for the woman he loves or cling to the power he so desperately craves?

The Magic of the Lamp is the enticing eighth book in the Tantalising Tales Collection. If you like forbidden romance, sizzling tension and happily ever afters, then you’ll love Lorelei Johnson’s seductive twist on this fairy tale.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Retellings

188 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 24, 2022

About the author

Be sure to follow Lorelei on BookBub for the latest on sales: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/lorel...

Lorelei Johnson is an Australian romance author, primarily writing Paranormal Romance and Fantasy Romance. She graduated from Flinders University, where she studied English Literature and Creative Writing before she discovered her degree was useless and she hated studying in an institution. She went into administrative work where she learnt just enough business sense to start publishing her own books.

Lorelei is fuelled by caffeine and sarcasm, priding herself as a true 90's kid. She labels her self-publishing as anti-establishment, but really she's just a chicken who decided to avoid the gatekeepers all together and enjoy the freedom to write whatever the heck she likes. Through her writing, she likes to explore the many facets of love and revel in a little magic and a little smut, of course.

And don't forget to follow on the socials!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LoreleiJohns...
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loreleijohn...

Reviews

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
I want to start off by saying I absolutely loved this story and these characters. This book is perfect for anyone who ever wanted the villain to win the girl or anyone who believes that the villain isn’t always the villain. This was a wonderful spin on a classic fairytale and was the perfect amount of keeping it true to the tale but also making it different and exciting.
I was absolutely enamored with every page and every twist in this book and the mounting tensions were written gorgeously and came to a perfect conclusion that was sweet and spicy. I loved Jafar and Jasmine so much and I was rooting for them on every page. Jafar is a perfect brooding and sexy man and Jasmine is the perfect mix of wanting a man but certainly not needing one.
This was my first Lorelei Johnson book but it certainly won’t be my last!

[Hailey Jade · Rating 5 out of 5]

So first up, how gorgeous is that cover? I don't usually collect physical books, but this cover deserves to be displayed.

I always gobble up Lorelei's fairytale retellings, and I got my hands on an early copy of this one. I have to say, this is one of my new favorites, with Jafar maybe, possibly even dethroning the seductive Rumpelstiltskin as my lead book boyfriend. There is plenty to love in this book - a brooding, tormented hero with issues showing emotion, a happy-go-lucky larrikin as a rival, and of course, Lorelei's signature strong female character who won't be pushed around by either of them. The love triangle is handled with subtlety, and the steam is tasteful yet hot as heck! I think I was actually blushing while I read the kiss-against-the-wall scene. The chemistry between Jafar and Jasmin is incendiary and I loved every moment they spent on page together.

Thirst traps aside, I enjoyed the relationship between Jasmin and Lina, which offered moments of humor and a fun female friendship that balanced out the more intense sexy scenes.

And even though this is the first full length novel in the Tantalising Tales collection, I STILL find myself wanting more. Because I'm greedy and what I really want is a trilogy. Or a quadrilogy.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lorelei has done it again and I hope all her pieces are full length from now on because dayum! This is by far my favourite Tantalising Tale and I think Johnson's best work to date.
There are so many great characters in this one; our heroine Jasmine is strong, confident, and while unexperienced, she's not ashamed of her sexuality. Jafar is all kinds of delicious, dark and tormented. Just want I want in a book boyfriend. Lina is our witty site character (a must have in all Lorelei Johnson books) and Aladdin is the other point in our love triangle who I wanted to hate but strangely couldn't.
The plot is great, the writing is, as always, excellent, and the steam! This book has everything I want and more!
If you like a good fairy tale retelling, get on this now!

[Jakki (BizzyBookNook) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know I’ve said this before but this has become my new favorite of the tantalizing tales collection. This was such a great twist and the was thrilled to have the roles reversed. And the spice level was off the charts! 🥵

[Natasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great read from Lorelei Johnson. I've been reading these since the beginning and they continue to get better. I love that you can see the way Johnson has continued to work on her craft to bring even better stories!
The characters in this one were great, the tension between Jafar and Jasmine was *chef kiss* and the steam was hot! Johnson crafted beautiful world full of colour and exotic vibes, and the writing style will keep you glued to the page. Prepare for laughter, a pinch of angst, a whole lot of steam, and a fantastic story.

[Alaina · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Magic of The Lamp was a fun retelling of Aladdin. In it, we meet Aladdin, Jafar, and you guessed it - Jasmine! Now this isn't my first retelling of Aladdin and I'm hoping that it won't be my last either.

Yes, sometimes I do like Jafar and Jasmine ending up together. Mostly when it's a dark romance because I just don't see Aladdin winning in that department. Then again, if it's a nice light retelling then Aladdin would definitely be a winner.

Not being a fan of love triangles, it was pretty hard to figure out who I wanted Jasmine to be with. Yes, she had chemistry with both guys. I just found myself really wanting her and Jafar together. This Jafar was completely perfect for her. The sexual tension was so freaking good. I'm sure Aladdin would have blushed during a certain scene or two.

If we get more dark deliciousness in the next tantalizing tales' book, then I will definitely drop everything and jump into it. Especially if its available on KU.

[Robin Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, I've never read an adult Aladdin retelling so this was new territory for me, but to read one featuring a wilful Jasmine torn between Aladdin and the dark and broody Jafar was taking it to a whole new level.

I loved the twist that Lorelei put on the story and how she took such a beloved classic and managed to make it her own as well as turn it from innocent to very NSFW (I'm not complaining one bit about that though 🤣).

I always adore steamy adult fairytales and this latest from Lorelei Johnson definitely is one of her greatest yet!

Thank you so much to Lorelei for giving me the chance to get a first look at this story by gifting me an ARC of the book. I sit here eagerly awaiting the next Tantalising Tale.

*𝚁𝚎𝚌𝚎𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚗 𝚊𝚍𝚟𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚙𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚒𝚗 𝚎𝚡𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊𝚗 𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠*

[Philippa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another amazing fairytale retelling from Lorelei Johnson. Like her other Tantalizing Tales, this book keeps you entertained with the spin on the story as we know it.

Jasmine is head strong and knows exactly what she wants and isn't afraid to go after it. Aladdin with his boyish charm sets out to woo the princess, and of course there's the dark, mysterious and power hungry Jafar. You will definitely be engrossed with this story.

I received this book as an ARC and this is my honest review.

[thisfoxreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5

Let me tell you, I have read all of Lorelei’s Tantalising Tales, and this one is my favourite! I’ve never read an Aladdin retelling, and I am obsessed with how Lorelei put her own spin on the classic fairytale. I loved this take on the story, and seeing some characters in a different light.

The novel has three povs (Jasmin, Jafar, Aladdin). The love triangle is handled so well - I’m not usually a fan of love triangles - the chemistry is hot, and Jasmin is such a badass. Like with her other retellings, this novel is so well written, you’ll be hooked from the start!

Read this if you love retellings, triangles, forbidden romance, grumpy hero, strong heroine, steamy romance, happily ever afters.

[Yvette | The Saucy Bookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this SO much! Lorelei weaved magic with this one. She is an amazing author. She makes you feel everything her characters are feeling and so much more. The book flowed really well, and it kept my attention until the last page. It’s a rich story that really gets your imagination flowing.

I loved the dynamic of the main characters. I grew up watching and loving Disney’s Aladdin, and the child me LOVED Aladdin then… whereas the adult me fell hard for Jafar in Lorelei’s retelling.

Jafar is my type of character! Brooding, dark and delish. A hot new entry on my book boyfriend list!🔥

I loved the love triangle.. I mean who doesn’t!? The love, the angst, the steam. Yes, yes, YES!🔥

I really enjoyed how confident and strong Jasmine was—I always enjoy female main characters like her. Plus, her friendship with Lina really brought us laughter and another great aspect of the story.

Thank you, Lorelei ♥️

[DeeDeeWReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not the book and movie about Princess Jasmine and Aladdin that we read/watched as children. It has many of the same characters, but the story is unique and original in itself. Jasmine loses her mom at a young age and her father sends her off to be safe and to learn how to be a proper princess. Jafar was a young age wanted to climb the later to someone important and he won't let anything stand in his way.

15 years later, they meet again. Sparks and smart words fly. What will they do about the attraction, and all the suitors that are crawling around to win Princess Jasmine's hand in marriage. Don't worry, your Aladdin and the our favorite djinn are here, and playing their parts. No tiger tho, but what can ya do?

Great story for adults and up. This is not a book for children to read. I definitely will be reading more of the tantalizing tales by Lorelei Johnson.

[Tiffany Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first book by this author. I’ve read other retelling of known fairytales and this one was good. I would have enjoyed it more if the characters names had been changed. While I enjoyed the twist and the outcome, it was hard for me to get over the change with their names still like the original characters. In the end, I still recommend this read.

[CristoC · Rating 2 out of 5]

For a book that’s called ‘The Magic of the Lamp’ there’s very little magic and a whole lot of smut…not concerning the lamp itself.

This review is long and filled with spoilers!



This book is a revisited retelling of Aladdin, I think meant to redeem Jasmine’s character and make it prevalent in a story about men, unfortunately failing, leaving most of the PoVs to the male characters and giving Jasmine not much responsibility on the plot. Or maybe I should not read too much into it and see it as a little smut story to appease the inevitable grip that Jafar’s character had on a lot of people…In fact, Jafar comes out as the main character of the story, even if a disappointing one, being the one that actually has the plot moving forward.

The book starts off with some brief backstory to outline his character and that of Jasmine, then takes a fifteen-year time jump to actually start with the story. I thought it good at fist, that things were moving quickly at the beginning, avoiding boredom with useless information, but it turned out to be the standard for the whole book, and I find this to be its big flaw. Back to the plot, Jasmine is back home after fifteen years of reclusion, and her father, the sultan, wants her to marry a prince that will be the future sultan of Agrabah. But Jasmine thinks she’s perfectly capable of ruling as sultan herself, and will only marry someone to rule beside her, not above her, and refuses every suitor that comes to the palace. Meanwhile Jafar is searching for the lamp and Jasmine’s return has him in turmoil, as well as the ‘street rat’ that she has befriended in her little trips to the village, and then the mysterious prince Ali, the only suitor who aroused the princess’s interest.

This is the only book I’ve read from this author, and I was pleasantly surprised by the writing style, which is clear and evocative, that brings rich imagery to mind. But as I said, the big flaw of the book is its shortness, in fact a lot of problems rise from the lack of context, the shallowness of the characters and the weakness of the plot that, again, would have benefited from more deepening.

Jasmine’s meeting with Aladdin is so sudden that at first I thought I had somehow missed a chapter in between. The romance is almost non existent, and the declarations of love have no foundation: Jafar is intrigued by Jasmine the second he sees her, and they talk maybe twice before they’re all over each other, and for Jafar to be terribly jealous and conveniently everywhere she goes, turning out to be quite the sketchy character.
Jasmine, as independent and headstrong as she is, turns out to be relegated to a secondary role, being either the sexual interest or the means to power of the male characters; moreover, having not one PoV chapter of her sexual encounters, which are all from the male point of view, made me very surprised and also quite disappointed: for a book that wants to be an empowerment of a female character, it leaves little room for the empowerment of said female character. And the book’s intent was to redeem Jasmine’s character: it gives her enough space to say that she’s fierce, headstrong and independent, but again, no space to actually demonstrate it.

Jafar's character is interesting, but lacking depth to be actually three dimensional and worth rooting for; we know few things about him, that he was poor, that he’s now in a position of power, working as the sultan’s right hand, that he’s meticulous in his work but that he also has his own projects to gain power. Unfortunately the character gets less interesting as soon as he sees Jasmine, that essentially makes him a horny fool that isn’t able to keep it together every time he’s with her.

Aladdin…oh boy. He’s such a black spot in this book. It’s a pity that his character wasn’t developed better; the intention was there but the execution was a confused mess. We first see him as a ‘street rat’, as Jafar calls him (even though I don’t understand why he’s so keen on calling him that, being a former street rat himself…maybe he became snobbish once gained his power? Who knows), he immediately notices Jasmine, ‘saves’ her from a merchant that rightfully requested payment for an apple, and he’s immediately intrigued by her as well. At first, his main trait is that he likes Jasmine and he’d like to see her more. Then Jafar, being the manipulative person that he is, uses him to retrieve the lamp (and maybe cause his death in the process), with the incentive of making him so rich he could marry the princess, hinting at some kind of ambition; here we have the same scene from the film, where he uses the lamp to become prince. This would have been the perfect opportunity to find a clever way to explain why Jasmine and Jafar can’t recognize him, instead we have this:
“No one will recognise you, that’s how the magic works”. Alright then…
What I think should have been explored more was Aladdin corruption and his new hunger for power, but we are just presented with an even more insufferable version of the same character, and simply told that he’s become ambitious.

Another thing that makes no sense and further diminishes Jasmine’s character, is the immediate liking the sultan takes to him and Jasmine’s ‘intrigue’. The former I don’t know how to explain, the latter I can only attribute to the fact that she already knows him. What baffled me is that she considers the marriage with Aladdin as a possibility, just because she kind of likes him and because he has made comments that let her think he’d let her rule beside him, while at the same time she doesn’t even make sure he’s actually capable of ruling, which he isn’t. What exactly do they talk about in their meetings? Yes, they play cards and get caught skinny dipping in a pond by Jafar, but they clearly don’t talk about politics. Jasmine refused every suitor before him by driving them away, but the first one she gets to properly judge…she just doesn’t. On top of that, why doesn’t Jafar think of telling the sultan about price Ali and Jasmine’s encounter at the pond? Not actually tell him, but at least think of doing so. He’s so jealous and already knows Ali is actually Aladdin in disguise, and this would have been the perfect opportunity to have him sent away. Yes, he would have probably ruined Jasmine’s every future relationship, other than her reputation, but he would have least thought about it.

Jasmine’s character is then further ruined by her thickness; firstly, she’s surprised that Jafar constantly distances himself from her, and it’s her handmaid that enlightens her on political matters, telling her that he probably thinks he has no chance of marrying her, since he’s no prince. But the funniest thing is that the same maid suggests that she incites him to ‘fight for her' by giving him a blowjob. That’s probably the most political move Jasmine makes in the whole book. Maybe the maid should be sultan, she is clearly sharper than her. Secondly, she gets mad at Jafar for not being in the garden to oppose to Ali’s marriage proposal that everyone in the palace knows about. And that feeling would be ‘reasonable’ if the possibility of him not knowing about it hadn’t arose from the fact that he’d been unconscious for a whole day (I’m not sure if this sentence is grammatically correct or if it even makes sense but oh well, let’s see it as a metaphor of this book). However, she gets even more furious when he finally arrives but decides to expose Aladdin’s real identity by showing everyone the lamp instead of kneeling before her, begging her not to marry Aladdin but him. And I really don’t understand this pointless conflict between the characters. Jafar is doing the most sensible thing he could do to prevent the marriage from happening, and avoid humiliation to both Jasmine and himself in front of the Sultan and the court, which would have cancelled every possibility to obtain the sultan’s approval for his marriage to Jasmine.

The end of the book is filled with clichés, but they serve their purpose. Overall it was a quick, simple and enjoyable read, but unfortunately it was its simplicity that highlighted the flaws.

I received an eARC from the author and this represents my honest opinion.

[Laura Carter-Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh. My. God. I know I’m a sucker for a good fairy tale trope but damn, this was a good one. The Magic of the Lamp is a sensual retelling of Aladdin. And boy, was it ever. The story is told from Jafar, Jasmine and Aladdin’s POVs and it helped me as a reader connect with each character.

Jasmine returns to the palace after fifteen years in seclusion, only to be told that she must marry a prince to be Sultan. Jasmine argues that she does not need a husband to run her kingdom and refuses to rule under someone. She will rule as an equal or she will not marry at all as is shown when she refuses all suitors put before her. Her interactions with Aladdin felt a little… stale to me. I didn’t feel the chemistry between them. It was almost like she thought, well if I can’t have Jafar, at least I can have Aladdin.

Jafar has been searching for the lamp for years as he believes it will give him everything he has ever wanted. Except for her. He is intrigued by her from the moment they met, but always worried that her father would not accept him as he is not a prince. The chemistry between Jafar and Jasmine had my blood pressure rising and the back and forth banter was on point. I could understand why he kept pushing her away.

The reveal of who Aladdin was couldn’t have been better. Though I feel like Jasmine jumped to conclusions a little and didn’t give Jafar the chance to explain himself. Even so, it didn't take away from the story at all. I loved how it all tied up in the end though and was sad to have reached the last page as I could have just gone on and on reading Jafar and Jasmine’s story.

This was the first book by this author for me, and I can’t wait to read not only the rest of this series but also all of her other books. I cannot recommend this author and her books more!

[Rose Hawks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was perfect I love books where the villain gets the girl. I love classic fairytales as well so that’s another thing I loved about this book. It builds the tension where it is needed, well written and totally worth the read. I highly recommend it!

[Sahana Ramnath · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a super cool and swoony Aladdin retelling, where Jasmine is as queenly and confident as ever, where Jaffar is not really a villain, and Aladdin is not quite a hero.

I love this author's take on this fairytale! I've read all of her previous fairytale retellings, and as much as I loved them, this one has to be my favourite. There's a lot of love and respect in the eventual relationship and I felt like the love triangle was written really well, both in its progress and in its resolution.

[Pallavi · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a huge fan of fairytale retellings, I had to read this one! The blurb immediately caught by attention BUT look at that gorgeous cover! It was nice to meet Jasmine, Jafar and Aladdin again in a spiced up version of the original story, with a special, seductive twist.

The author knocked it out of the park with the first few chapters. They have the perfect amount of angst, plot and characters to reel you in. The setting ofcourse was very well done. Agrabah is enticing, to say the least. Even though the spice level is medium, the scenes very well written. Jafar-Jasmine couple was a duo that I did not know I needed.
This book was TOO short for its own good! Because of the same, even though the plot was intriguing, it was very difficult to get invested in the characters and several dynamics seemed to mend themselves very quickly to arrive at the HEA and consequently, the last quarter of the book felt rushed.

Overall, I really liked this book. I cannot wait to check out the other books in this series! A huge thank you to the author for sending the ARC in exchange for my review!
Check this out if you like love triangles, forbidden romance, a grumpy hero, a strong heroine, steamy romance, HEAs

[lovelust andbloodygoodbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you soo soo much for a copy of the book to read.

As someone who grew up reading these stories and imaging myself to be the princess. I was slightly hesitant to step into the book and see where it took me, as i didnt want to taint that childhood memory. However this book gripped me and took me to a whole new world (sorry couldn't resist.)

This is a retelling of the classic Aladdin. However this is told in the perspective of Jafar.
You are taken on a journey of discovery along with not only Aladdin and Jasmine but also Jafar. we get to see a side to the villain that the old classis could never have thought to have discovered.

within this story we delve further into who Jafar is and what has led him tb being by the sultans side. We also get to delver further into Jasmine and how much she has changed since her mothers death.

I seriously loved reading this book. the story, the adventure, the intrigue in how each of the characters developed was incredible. i loved that Aladdin got a whole new reason behind his wishes and his life.

this seriously gives a more realistic and up to date version of this villains tale and it is one you seriously need to read. I actually ended up loving Jafar. The chemistry between him and Jasmine is palpable from their first scene together. The sexual scenes were respectful of the story but also blooming hot at the same time. I would love to see this made into a movie.

thanks Lorelei. I cant wait to read more of your work.

My Overall Rating is 5 💋💋💋💋💋
My Passion Rating is 4 💋💋💋💋

[Chené Van der Merwe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title: The Magic of the Lamp
Author: Lorelei Johnson (@loreleijohnsonauthor )
Pages: 188

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to the author for an ARC of the book in exchange for a review.

~
Spicy Aladdin Retelling

Jafar always saw Princess Jasmine as a troublesome child, but when she returns 15 years later, all woman, he is forced to reconsider this assumption.

Princess Jasmine has returned, but she has a plan of her own, which does not include getting married in order to secure an alliance. She does notice Jafar, and although she knows he isn't the same boy she left behind, she is still as drawn to him as she had been.

Enters Prince Ali, a boyish prince, who is exciting and new, between all the boring faces Jasmine is forced to meet.

Ali might just have what it takes to steal her heart, but will Jafar allow her to be stolen away from him?

~

A seriously good time. This book os perfect for an in-between, with spice, tension and an interesting plot.

It follows the basic plot of Aladdin with a few key twists and spicy scenes. Jasmine is so much fun as a character and you really root for her to end up with a person who brings out the fun and excitement in her.

Jafar is Mr Tall, Dark and Sexy in this book and I am here for it. The jealousy, the angst the possessiveness. Ag I mean need I say more?

It's really just a book that is a bunch of fun to read, with a writing styles that's easy to follow and a fasted paced plot that keeps you engaged. Since it's on the shorter side of books and reads really quickly, it's the perfect book if you're in between books at the moment.

~ A definite recommend ~

[☽｡⋆ Shells (jlreads_) · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 ���𝒊𝒈𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒐𝒑𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌.


The lovely writing that compels you in the right places and leaves you wanting more is probably what I enjoyed most about this book.

I've read another Alladin retelling by a different author/genre, and this is probably the one I liked best.

Aside from the lovely and compelling writing, I liked how the characters were structured; they leave a strong impression, which is something I look for in a book. Aside from that, can I just say how endearing and hilarious Lina is? I liked her relationship with Jasmine, and I wish the book went deeper into her story.

The chemistry is there, as is the burning tension, which I thought was okay but wished was fleshed out more in the story. The smutty parts were also well done in my opinion, and the author did a good job of keeping the tension between Jafar and Jasmine.

My only complaint about this book is the world-building or the setting, which I barely felt. I would like it more if the book delved deeper into it as well, adding the fantastical feel to it because I believe it felt less?

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was a lot of fun for me. The characters were likable; Jafar and Jasmine—I liked their personalities, as well as their romance—Both Jasmin and Jafar, were likable and I enjoyed their development throughout the story and, of course, our dear Lina. I'm excited to read more from this author.

[Reading With Lola · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Magic of The Lamp - Lorelei Johnson

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

::: SPOILER-FREE REVIEW :::

Rating: 5 STARS!!!!⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Oh wow! I wasn't expecting that.

I'm speechless. What am I supposed to say after this? Am I supposed to write a coherent review with vital points as to why this book WAS FUCKING AMAZING??? I CAN'T EVEN TALK RIGHT NOW I'M SPEECHLESS.

I had a lot of doubts going into The Magic of The Lamp. Yet another retelling? Yet another romance? But I should never have doubted Lorelei Johnson because there is nothing typical about this book.

This is so well-written and engaging - I absolutely loved it. Lorelei Johnson has a way with words and the imagery she creates makes everything come alive in the reader's mind.

A fabulous story perfectly woven that took me deep into the fantasy world. I absolutely loved the story and the characters. The Magic of The Lamp is perfect for all of us that ever wanted the villain to win the girl.

Now to the juicy shit... the romance. Holy fucking shit. I ship these two so hard I can't even breathe. Jasmine and Jafar burned the pages together! I just CAN'T!!!

Seriously, I COULD NOT STOP READING! I loved every fucking minute of it.

Everyone just... READ THIS BOOK!! You will fucking love it!!

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy reading retellings of stories; especially ones that have been given a spice upgrade. Which after reading this book I will not be looking at the Aladdin movie the same way again. I did like this modern retelling twist that the author gave this classic tale. What I just struggled with was the connection with all of the characters. I could never fully embrace them as much as I tried and hope to. Therefore, some of the magic of the story did get a bit lost on me.

Don't let the title of "Princess" fool you as Jasmine is a take charge woman. She knows what she wants, and she goes for it. I don't want to give anything away, but I will say that things do get flipped upside down some with this story. So, put away your preconceived notions of what you remember about this story and just sit back and enjoy it. Overall, I did enjoy this book enjoy that I would read other retellings that this author has written.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was kindly gifted an ARC of this book and i just loved it!! ❤
With a fiesty strong willed female lead in Jasmine and Jafar being dark and brooding this was a magic combination, along with the cheeky Aladin bringing this love triangle together.
This is a brilliant combination of Disney and romance, so as a retelling this was always going to be a winner for me.
If you are looking for:
🧞‍♂️Forbidden Romance
🧞‍♂️Love Triangle
🧞‍♂️Grumpy Hero
🧞‍♂️Fiesty Heroine
🧞‍♂️Disney Aladin retelling
🧞‍♂️Steamy romance
Then this book is for you!

This has made me want to pick up the other books in this series now
100% recommend

[Jessica whatjessireads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was first intrigued with this book after reading the synopsis and then seeing the beautiful cover of this book; I personally love fairy tale retellings so with all this in mind I knew I had to read this book! The Magic of the Lamp is a spiced-up retelling of Aladdin. This was a very different retelling than I was expecting- in this retelling Jasmine ends up with Jafar! At first, I didn’t think Jasmine and Jafar could work but as I kept reading, I quickly fell in love with Jafar’s character and was rooting for him.

The book starts off with Jafar saving Jasmine’s life when the palace was being attacked. It then jumps fifteen years to the moment Jasmine is finally returning to the palace after years away. When Jasmine returns, her father starts the hunt for a husband so that the country and Jasmine can be safe. Jasmine in this version is very headstrong and argues that she does not need a husband and that she will only choose someone who can rule as her equal. I really liked that this novel added a backstory for Jafar and explains how he jumped ranks and became the sultan’s advisor. After learning about Jafar’s backstory, you understand why he has been in search of the lamp- believing that it will give him everything he desires.

This is my first book I’ve ever read by Lorelei Johnson and I really loved it! This was a quick and very enjoyable read-I read this book in two days. After this book I am definitely adding the other books from her Tantalizing Tales series to my TBR!

I received a copy from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

First I want to start by saying, I had never read anything by this author but now I am glad I have. This is a retelling of Aladdin. In this retelling of the story Jasmine ends up with the villain Jafar. I honestly loved the chemistry between the two. Both Jasmine and Jafar were equally matched with Jasmine being strong, confident, and while unexperienced, she's not ashamed of her sexuality. Whereas Jafar is all kinds of delicious, dark and tormented. I can’t wait to read more from this author!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Bookloversouthaus · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book started out a little slow, I thought it was just going to be a very similar retelling of Aladdin, and then Jafar!!! Well yes please and thank you! I really enjoyed the story; I couldn’t put it down. I will definitely be heading for more of Lorelei’s books asap! I got this book as an ARC.

[Daphne Drake · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wondered how in the heck Lorelei was going to make me like Jafar but like all her retellings she nailed it. I love the chemistry between Jafar and Jasmine as well as the banter they flip at each other. They seem to know just what to say to set the other off but it usually results in some pretty steamy connections too.

I always loved Aladdin growing up but I can tell you this story is such a different and fun change. There are twists you don’t see coming, steamy scenes that will leave you wanting more, and an HEA that you will not forget. I love Jasmine’s strength and how she doesn’t back down even when faced with some pretty difficult situations.

Highly recommend reading this retelling! You won’t be disappointed!

[RomanceReader1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

New to me author.

Aladdin is one of my favorite fairy tales, but after this, I don’t think I can go back!!!!

I mean, in here Jafar is 🥵 🔥 💦 😈 NOTHING at all of what I remember!!!! 🤣🤣

I’m definitely going back to the beginning of the series!



I received an ARC of this story and this is my voluntary review.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

An adult Aladdin retelling with a sexy Jafar? Yes please! This retelling was hot as heck. Love this whole series and looking forward to the next one!

[Bookworm Express Kwan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Magic of the Lamp is a (spiced up) retelling of Aladdin and the Wonderlamp, but the author did so much more than following through on the traditional plot and storyline. Lorelei Johnson put her own spin to the story, gave the characters a glow up, and turned it into a sensual read.

The Magic of the Lamp was mostly a character driven romance story. Even though there was a magic touch (or rather, a magic rub) this wasn’t the kind of story with an imaginative world building or magic system. The magic use supported the story plot but wasn’t prominently present. Not even the genie was. I would have loved that, but I cannot really say that I missed it.

Instead, The Magic of the Lamp was a tale of fighting for what you want and who you want to be with. It had a love triangle, forbidden love trope, and strong female characters. Princess Jasmine was definitely not a boring, submissive doll. She was fierce, strong, and full of life. I really loved her for not being a damsel in distress.

If you love a retelling and an open door romance with a strong female lead involved in a love triangle, The Magic of the Lamp is what you need.


Thank you, Lorelei Johnson for sharing a digital copy with me in exchange for my honest review.