"Madly Hilarious!"
MAD ABOUT MAX is Holly Fuhrmann's first fantasy
romance. It
is the also the first of a 3-part fairy godmother series
which involves three siblings Max, Joy, and Nick Aaronson.
Her previous works include: 'A Snowball's Chance'
(Neighborhood Press) and 'This Old Heart' - PG #157,
and 'Baby, It's You'- PG #241 (Zebra) as well as numerous
short stories. Look for the second book in the series,
MAGIC FOR JOY from Imajinn Books in November 2000. Those of us who are familiar with romance authors are well
used to hearing things like, 'I wanted the hero to do this,
but he kept insisting that he just WOULDN'T do something
like that!' Voices in the head? Now if it were anyone
else but a writer, you'd think they were crazy! Crazy is
just what romance author Grace MacGuire thinks she has
become. Returning from her publishers office. Grace Not only hears
her characters voices, her three fairy godmothers,
prominently featured in each of her seven books, are
actually sitting beside her in her car. In the flesh! Just
when she thought all was right with her world! Grace has
just gotten a contract to write a whole new series of the
fairy stories. Maybe the stress is getting to her after all. The fairies aren't convinced that Grace's life is perfect
at all. What she needs is her very own Prince Charming.
Oh great! The fairies are famous for their bungling. Even
though her stories always end Happily Ever After, Grace
isn't looking forward to the inevitable mess that's about
to take over her life. Worst of all her stepmother, and
stepsister, hate her guts and want her money. When word
gets out that she's crazy, it's all over. A visit to a kindly old psychiatrist (purely for character
research, of course) is just what the doctor ordered.
Grace thinks Artemus M. Aaronson is just the one to fit the
bill. She can just picture him. Oops, he's not the fatherly
Einstein type she'd expected. He's young, handsome, and
unattached. Aha! Prince Charming without a doubt. Grace is
resigned to the inevitable. At least if they get married,
Max can keep the 'steps' from getting their hands on her
money, while she's in the asylum! What's the old saying? Really crazy people don't believe
they're crazy? Max doesn't think Grace is crazy either. He
doesn't know why, but he likes her and wants to help her
get to the root of her problem. Soon he is every bit as
confused as she is. The fairies have PLANS for Max! Maybe,
just maybe, Grace does too, if the fairies don't mess
things up too badly. Ah, but then we all know how
fairytales end. There are lots of laughs on the way to that end as all
sorts of folks get unwittingly drawn into the scheme. The
villain is so unbelievably self-absorbed; it's hilarious.
This sweet contemporary Cinderella story is typical of
Holly Fuhrmann's style. Fans of her previous romances will
recognize her fertile imagination and quirky sense of
humor, with the added bonus of lighthearted fantasy. As
with her other works, Mad About Max is light on sexual
content, and I would describe what there is as non-
descriptive. Mad for Max could easily find acceptance among
the teen readership. An excerpt from the sequel, Magic For
Joy, is included in this offering. Copyright 2000
For PNR Reviews as written for UReviewIt
Reviewed by Leslie Tramposch
Posted August 7, 2001
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