MAD ABOUT YOU – Mhairi McFarlane
Avon
ISBN: 9780063117945
August 9, 2022
Women’s Fiction 

London – Present Day 

Harriet Hatley keeps busy as a wedding photographer but isn’t planning on marriage for herself because she doesn’t believe in romantic love. Too bad she didn’t convey this to her long-time live-in partner, Jon, before he sprung a marriage proposal on her in front of his family at a dinner.  Harriet didn’t want to embarrass Jon, so she said yes. But later, she told him that she couldn’t marry him. Of course, he didn’t take it well. Harriet now must find a new place to live because it’s Jon’s house. With some help from a friend, Harriet is given the lead on an ensuite room, but she needs to call the owner right away before it goes on the market. She does, and the male, Cal, accepts her over the phone. 

Meanwhile, Harriet’s wedding photographing jobs are continuing. The most interesting one is where the groom dumps the bride on their wedding day. She never saw the groom, only the best man, Sam, who told her what happened. At another wedding gig, she runs into another ex-boyfriend, a guy who verbally abused her while they were together. He is about to marry another woman and Harriet feels obligated to let the woman know what kind of man she is marrying. 

The big day of her move into Harriet’s new place arrives. Up to now, she hadn’t met Cal face-to-face, and he is a handsome bloke and appears nice. It isn’t until his best friend arrives that Harriet puts two and two together. Cal is the man who dumped his bride on their wedding day. Of course, between Jon accusing her of sleeping with Cal and Cal’s ex slinging the same accusations, Harriet is ready to climb a tree in frustration. She gets along with Cal, but he is just her landlord. Or is the fact that they’re slowly becoming good friends going to make that change? 

MAD ABOUT YOU is about the journey of self-discovery for Harriet. Except for her friends, she doesn’t have a family to depend on. She was in that abusive relationship and got away as soon as she realized what was going on. When she discovers that he has another woman, Harriet feels a need to protect her and writes her a letter. Unfortunately, it appears that he saw the letter, and he embarks on a campaign to discredit her—online. Since most of her business comes from word of mouth and online recommendations, the last thing she needs is bad publicity. Meanwhile, Jon isn’t ready to give up and even encourages his mother to pay Harriet a visit to her new home. Readers can see why Harriet feels like she is going crazy. Through it all, Cal stands by her. But the only thing going on between them is friendship. 

While a romance with Cal is hinted at in MAD ABOUT YOU, there is very little romance at all. It is Harriet dealing with her business and relationship problems, especially trying to deal with the hate her abusive ex unleashed on her. Readers will sympathize with Harriet and want to root for her to win her battles. Will she? MAD ABOUT YOU is slow at times but it does build enough steam to keep you interested. For a tale that is a bit different, grab a copy today. 

Patti Fischer