Review ~ Absolutely Positively by Heather Webber

Absolutely, Positively: A Lucy Valentine Novel
Author - Heather Webber
Publishers - St. Martin's Press
Publication date - February 1, 2011

From Amazon ~

“Exposed” by a Boston Herald reporter, Lucy is suddenly the talk of the town. Long back-story short: Even though the rest of her Valentine ancestors were blessed by Cupid with psychic abilities, Lucy’s only special power lies in her ability to find things. This skill has proven quite a blessing for those who come to her matchmaking agency in search of finding their long-lost loves. Now that Lucy’s secret is out, she has more new clients than she knows what to do with. But soon a certain man of mystery steals Lucy’s spotlight…

No, it’s not Sean Donahue, the sexy fireman-turned-private-eye who’s stolen Lucy’s heart. It’s a masked man in a cowboy hat, dubbed “The Lone Ranger,” who’s been throwing handfuls of cash across the Common. Now all of Beantown’s abuzz. Can Lucy unmask the mysterious money man, track down all her clients’ old flames, and turn up the heat on her love life? Absolutely, positively…

My thoughts ~ 

Who is that masked man? That’s the question on everyone’s mind around Boston Common when a mysterious stranger, dubbed The Lone Ranger, starts throwing twenty-dollar bills around. And what, if anything, does he have to do with everything else going on in Lucy’s life? A life that has left Lucy with a lot on her plate these days. She has Meaghan, the new client, who is looking for her foster brother, Tristan, convinced that he is the one true love of her life. Unfortunately it’s been years since she’s seen him and wouldn’t even know what direction to send Lucy in. When she finds out what he’s been up, to will Meaghan still think he’s her knight in shining armor? Next is Mac Gladstone, an old friend of Dovie’s who has gone missing. Mac went out to walk his beloved dog Rufus one day and never came back, even though Rufus did. Anyone who knew Mac knows he would never just leave his dog behind. Was he the victim of foul play or something more heartbreaking? Preston is right there, front and center, as usual. She has done an excellent job of worming her way into the Valentine family. Will they be able to keep their big secret from her, or will she use her journalistic skills to figure out the real reason for the Valentine’s immense success? And just what does the FBI want Lucy to stay out of?????

Since this is all about matchmaking and finding lost loves, let’s not forget about all of the love in the air these days. There is no doubt Lucy loves Sean and wants to spend the rest of her life with him. She knows that he is holding things back from her, and on some level it bothers her (considering he knows ALL of the Valentine’s secrets), but she loves him enough to wait until he’s ready to let her in. Unfortunately she can’t let go of the dreaded Cupid’s Curse; no Valentine has every found true, everlasting love. Can she break the Curse once and for all? Can true love conquer all? Then we’ve got Lucy’s parents. When you find out who they’re dating, well, you’ll just plutz! Raphael is moving in with Maggie – YAY, but who will take care of Lucy’s dad now? Next is Aiden (friendly state trooper) and Em (BFF). Everyone knows they are made for each other, except the two of them. C’mon people, let’s get together now. Finally we have Lucy’s new-found brother Cutter. He’s such the ladies man that he has not one, but two women lusting after him – Marisol and Preston. Which one will he choose?

Seriously, what’s not to love about Lucy and this series? She has psychic abilities, is whimsical, smart, beautiful, and head-over-heels in love with the scrumptious PI, Sean Donahue. This series has the perfect mix of cozy mystery elements – it’s a fun read, stars a woman as an amateur sleuth, her significant other has his hands in law enforcement, it is light on the gore, it focuses on the characters and plot, and is filled with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing page after page. The book can certainly be read as a stand-alone book, but in order to fully understand Lucy and her quirky cast of characters, you should read the first two books in the series, Truly, Madly and Deeply, Desperately. You Absolutely, Positively do not want to miss this book.

FTC Full Disclosure: I received this book form the publisher in the hopes I would review it.

Deeply Desperately by Heather Webber

Deeply, Desperately: A Lucy Valentine Novel
Author:  Heather Webber
Publisher:  St. Martin's
Publication Date:  August 3, 2010

The irrepressible star of Truly, Madly, is back in business. This time, Lucy Valentine will go to the ends of the earth to find true love for her clients…and maybe even herself.

Lucy wants to breathe new life into her family’s Boston-based matchmaking company. But how? Even though she comes from a long line of ancestors blessed by Cupid with psychic abilities, a freak accident left Lucy with only one special skill: finding things. Car keys, socks in the dryer, needles in haystacks...and now, in a stroke of professional genius, lost loves!

It’s not long before Lucy’s on a winning streak, helping old flames reunite and create new sparks. Business is booming. But when Lucy finds herself involved in a possible case of murder, she realizes she’s in too deep. Enter Sean Donahue. Lucy’s handsome fire-fighter turned private-eye neighbor, Sean is just the man she needs to help her on the job. Could he also be the man she’s been looking for all along? When it comes to Valentine, Inc., falling in love is always serious business…

My thoughts ~

When I found out that Heather Webber was not continuing the Nina Quinn series I wanted to cry. It was one of the first cozy books I had read, and I loved the entire series. I was sad to see it end. BUT, luckily for me, and the rest of her fans, she has since brought us Lucy Valentine. And boy, do I love Lucy!

While Lucy does not possess the same talents as her father in being able to read people’s auras and know who they will best match with romantically, she does have her own special gift. She is able to find lost things, simply by holding the hand of the person that has lost them. She has turned her gift of finding lost items into finding Lost Loves, a new department for the family’s matchmaking business Valentine, Inc. Will Lucy be able to find the lost loves of her first two clients? Clients who could not be more different. First is Faye the distraught mother, brought to her via the police, who is looking for her daughter that went missing two years ago, presumed dead at the hands of her cop husband. Then there is the ever so adorable elderly gentleman Leo, who is looking for the love of his life, the woman he lost so many years ago. As if these two cases aren’t enough to keep Lucy busy, she’s also dealing with a father who has started acting very peculiarly, harassing/threatening letters she has begun to receive in the mail, a mother and grandmother who have exposed more than they should, a budding (gasp) friendship with reporter Preston Bailey, and Marisol’s quest to turn them into PI’s to prove that Em’s fiancé is no good for her. Then there is her new escalating  relationship with Sean. A relationship, that while she wants to take it to the next level, is afraid to because she fears it will fall prey to Cupid’s Curse (well that and they can't seem to "get together.")

One of the things I love best about this book is that fact that it’s set in Boston, and that I can picture myself in each and every setting. For me, it helps me feel even more a part of the book, as if I’m taking each step with the characters. However, even if this book had not been set in Boston, I would still have found myself deeply entrenched in it. While this is the second book in the series, see Truly, Madly: A Novel, it can be read as a stand alone (but you really shouldn't miss the first one).  There is never a dull moment in Deeply, Desperately, nor is everything what it appears to be. Just when you think you’ve got something figured out, you should think again. This book has everything a great book should have ~ fun, romance, psychic ability, mystery, humor and a quirky cast of characters that you’ll fall in love with immediately. The only problem I have with this book is that it ended and that I’m going to have to wait until February to find out what the Lovable Lucy gets herself into next in Absolutely, Positively: A Lucy Valentine Novel.

FCC Full Disclosure ~ I received this book from Romance Book Tours