Accidentally Engaged is Mary Carter’s second adventure in the literary world, and a fine effort it is. I suspect that this author will go far.

The unlikely and sometimes unwilling star of this madcap romp is Clair Ivars, a Tarot card reader and psychic. Unfortunately for Clair, her abilities seem to work best for other people’s problems rather than her own. She stumbles in blissful ignorance from one disaster to the next.

Much of the action in the book occurs in a country mansion, the Heron Estates. Heron Estates is the home of an incredible cast of eccentric players. Some are members of the Heron family. Elizabeth is the dotty grandmother who has not left her room in two years; Madeline is the mother ruling with an iron fist to keep the family together. There is also handsome Jack, the entrepreneurial son, Anderson, the butler who seems to know too much, and the mysterious Mike Wrench, to name but a few more.

Clair arrives at the Heron Estates to return an engagement ring. The bride to be, Rachael, has decided to back out of the upcoming marriage because of a bad Tarot reading. Clair, being Clair, finds her role of unfortunate messenger of bad news quickly transferred into reluctant stand-in for the big engagement party.

All is not as it seems at Heron Estates. Jack is trying to promote a new brand of vodka, and the engagement party is really just an opportunity to entice financial backers. But of course an engagement party requires a bride to be.

Accidentally Engaged is the literary version of those fabulous British farces from the '60s and '70s. I would love to see a producer pick this book up and turn it into a TV or movie project. I know that the end result would be a wonderfully funny piece of work.

Mary Carter does a great job of tying up all the loose ends at the end of the book. All becomes clear, and although I will not spoil the ending, I will say that I put the book down and just laughed.

One of the features that I really enjoyed was how Mary Carter has titled each chapter in the form of horoscopes, and some of them are so funny that you are compelled to read more to see the significance. Some of my favorites include:

'Cheer up, things are bound to get worse'

'The light at the end of the tunnel just went out'

'Mother Nature might be a beauty, but her daughter is a bitch'

'Good deeds will not go unpunished'

If you are looking for a fun read, something that is light and easy, read this book. Accidentally Engaged goes on sale Febuary 27.

With an expectation of engaging conversation, I talked with Mary’s publicists today and I am hoping to interview this up and coming writer in the next few days.