HEX AND THE SINGLE GIRL

Single girl with supernatural powers tries to bewitch Mr. Right.

The fifth book by Frankel (The Not-So-Perfect-Man, 2004, etc.) follows the exploits of Emma Hutch, owner of The Good Witch consulting company. Catering to lovelorn ladies, Emma employs her gift of “telegraphopathy,” which allows her to conjure an image in her head and transmit it to another person. By sending sexy images of her clients to unsuspecting men, Emma is able to ensnare eligible bachelors for wealthy, yet desperate single women. But a string of bag luck soon slows the matchmaker, causing a dry spell in both her love life and her bank account. Emma’s fortune seems to change when a new client appears. The proposed assignment is a tough one—snagging the most eligible bachelor in New York, William Dearborn, for an icy and manipulative advertising maven. Dearborn turns out to be so beguiling that Emma tosses aside her client’s wishes in the hopes of keeping him for herself. Once she gets him in her sights, the plot races ahead at break-neck speed. Frankel’s scattershot approach involves tossing off dozens of mostly forgettable and daffy characters and introducing scads of subplots.

Disappointing.