TEST
I was really enchanted by this book, the first of this author’s that I’ve ever read. Mad About Max is a screwball romantic comedy with a seemingly contrived set-up. Successful business Max Nolan wakes up one morning to find his irate girlfriend is dumping him; as a parting shot she decides to “donate” all of his clothing to Successfully Dressed, a charity clothing shop. Successfully Dressed is rather ineptly run by Lucy Logan, and when Lucy picks up the donations, she meets Max, who is trying to retrieve his discarded clothing while standing on the street in his tighty-whiteys. She is instantly attracted to him and tells him that if he wants his clothes back, he’ll have to volunteer at her shop. Max, surprisingly, agrees, because he needs his “lucky” suit back.
The opening is contrived, I’ll admit. Why wouldn’t a man like Max simply go and get (or send his assistant out to go and get for him) new suits? That said, it’s easy enough to overlook this flaw and the romance novel central casting characters as well (Max, the uptight business man with a childhood filled with pain, has ignored his personal life to focus on his career while Lucy is a bo-ho, crunchy-granola “alternative” do-gooder) because their story is told in such a very engaging manner. To me it’s a sign of a good writer when she is able to take the tried and true and make it seem fresh and new.
After Max begins volunteering at the shop, he sees that Lucy needs help on the business side and offers his advice. Lucy, determined to prove that she can make the store sucessful on her own, resists his attempts to help her. Going behind Lucy’s back, Max enlists the help of the other store employees to institute changes that begin to revitalize the store. Lucy grudgingly begins to realize that Max’s ideas are good ones and that she doesn’t need to prove anything to him, or to anyone else by taking on huge tasks alone; asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness. Max and Lucy fall deeply in love because they both bring out the best in the other person. They fall in love gradually and the way they do – neither of them realizing they’re head-over-heels for the other – is very touching and believable. There are also some charming sequences when Max begins volunteering at the store of his own accord and the other employees “test” him to see if he’s worthy of Lucy. It’s at that moment that you can see how far gone he is.
This is a fast-reading book, and one with a bonus – a charming secondary romance. I fell in love with Oliver, Max’s shy and bumbling business partner, right away and really enjoyed watching the development of his romance with Lucy’s friend Nieca. As for Lucy and Max, well, a misunderstanding about his true intentions is quickly cleared up, but I could see trouble coming as far back as chapter three. I can’t say more for fear of giving spoilers, but it’s a common and overly used plot device that weakened a very strong read indeed.
The book’s language is frank and graphic, which may offend some readers, but I appreciated the “realness” of it. And some readers may not like that Max and Lucy’s relationship begins as a casual one based purely on physical attraction. But I wasn’t bothered by that either, and found that they acted as I believe real people would…not an easy feat in a romantic comedy.
Mad About Max was a breath of fresh air for me. Though the character “types” were typical, Plumley made them come alive, and she made them her own. Max and Lucy dealt with their conflicts like grown-ups, and in a very realistic way. I found myself grinning the entire time I was reading this book, and really rooted for the characters.
This is a great beach read – fun, light, and sweet. I will be on the lookout for the author’s next book, and if it’s anything like this one, she’ll soon be on my auto-buy list.
Grade: B+
Book Type: Contemporary Romance
Sensuality: Hot
Review Date: 18/07/06
Publication Date: 2006
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Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.