"A new generation of Faerie Magic!"
IMPRACTICAL MAGIC puts together the two children of
Ms. Fox's beloved couples from PRINCE OF CHARMING and
BUTTERCUP BABY. To recap for those who are not familiar with the series, an
irate Titania, Queen of the Fae, had cast Robin
Goodfellow, the half mortal son of King Oberon, into a
painting to spend eternity. The only, and highly unlikely,
means of escape was for his soul mate to speak his name.
The miracle occurred, and Robin gave up his immortality to
remain with his beloved Kate. Together they had a son,
Brandon, a mortal child. Ariel, Queen of the Pillywiggins (flower faeries), had
drawn Titania's ire by defending her friend Robin. She had
been banned from the faerie court. Oberon had taken pity on
her, and curious about his new grandson had sent her to
observe the child. Ariel had fallen in love with the babe
at first sight, and had wished for one of her own. Faeries, of course, are immortal and so had no need to
reproduce. In order for Ariel to make her wish a reality,
she had to find a mortal man to mate with. She had not
intended to fall in love with her chosen mortal, after all
faeries did not feel such strong emotions. But Rand Thayer
had managed to steal her heart. When their daughter Rose
was born, something unprecedented happened. Ariel's magic
flowed into the child leaving her mortal and her daughter
fully Fae. However Rose didn't come into her power until
she was thirteen. Her childhood had been as normal as
Brand's. Not surprisingly the Goodfellows and the Thayers had
remained good friends, and Rose and Brandon had grown up
together, as close as two peas in a pod. As they entered
their teens, romance blossomed, but when Brandon confessed
his feelings to his parents, they warned him not to lose
his heart to his friend. For the first time Brandon was
informed of his heritage, and of Rose's. Brandon had had a
passion for magic since he had been six. He loved
everything about it, and to learn that his Rose would
possess the real thing, while his father had denied it to
him, festered inside him. Jealous and hurt, he turned away
from Rose when she needed him most. Rose learned to master
her magic alone. They had gone their separate ways. Now Brand was a master illusionist. Though he hadn't seen
Rose in over a decade, he sensed her the moment she entered
the theater. He had expected her sooner of later, after
all she had written exposés on all of the other prominent
magicians, ruining more than one career. She was more
stunning than ever, and Brand's pulse raced. But she was
here to betray him yet again, and
he was not going to let that happen. Rose was determined to get her story. She insisted that
her career was something she'd achieved without using her
magic. Brand believed that she used her magic more freely
than she was aware of, and so a challenge was issued. Rose
could join him on his latest tour, and observe his
performances. She could even expose his secrets, if she
could discern how they were accomplished while using no
magic. He had not expected her to make it through the first
day. Rose agreed to the challenge but had no idea how hard it
would be. Still she was determined, and her will power was
strong. What she didn't count on was that her unused power
would spill over and leak, allowing human wishes to be
fulfilled. As one can imagine that causes all kinds of
trouble. Proximity forces Brand to confront his feelings
for Ariel. He wants her more than life itself, but not as
much as he covets her magic --- yet. Brand had always been
the only man for Rose. Could she accept him on his terms?
Would her love finally open his eyes to what really
mattered. This story was so much fun. Crazy things happen wherever
Rose happens to be. Then there is the added bonus of a
secondary romance between Brandon's assistant who also
happens to be Rose's favorite cousin, and a faerie sent by
Titania to bring Rose to live in the faerie realm. Sequoia
makes Ewan promise to leave Rose alone if she can teach him
the meaning of love. This proves to be an enjoyable
challenge, and I hope their story will be continued in a
future novel. Copyright © 2003
Reviewed by Leslie Tramposch
Posted April 21, 2003
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A man who longs for magic. A woman who has it. When they get together, it's magic gone haywire. Brandon Goodfellow may be the greatest illusionist in the
world, but he's not magician. Just ask Rose Thayer, the
beautiful faery who possesses the one thing he covets most
of all: true magical power. Years ago, she captivated his
senses and captured his heart, then disappeared without a
trace. Now, to Brandon's amazement, she's back—not to
rekindle the sparks she ignited, but to expose the truth
behind his greatest illusions! Still, this not-quite-
master magician has a few tricks of his own up his
sleeve. But it'll take more than magic to convince Rose
to do the one impractical thing she swore she'd never do:
fall in love...with a mortal.
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