Review: Truly, Madly by Heather Webber

Whew! We survived Valentine's Day! I had a great weekend, and although I started TWO new online classes (yes, two...how will I keep my sanity this next week?!?), I did get to spend time with friends. On Saturday night, I went to dinner at a friend's house (thanks Kris), where not only had she fixed us all a really lovely dinner, but had also decorated with a fun Valentine's theme. Too fun. Then on Sunday, Doc came down and we made chicken curry and finished watching the BBC version of Emma that wrapped up last weekend on Masterpiece Theater, followed by an evening of watching the Olympics. Honestly, it was a great, laid-back weekend that I'm sad to say goodbye to!

Having said that, earlier this month I read Truly Madly by Heather Webber, as sent to me for review by the Early Reviewers program from LibraryThings. As I've mentioned before, I'm not a huge mystery fan, but this one was cute and timely for February and Valentine's Day!

Synopsis: Lucy Valentine comes from a long line of psychics who have gotten into the matchmaking business. Thanks to their paranormal skills they have grown wealthy off of their many successful matches; however, Lucy's skill was zapped in an accident and turned into an ability to see items people have lost. One vital thing to mention here though, is that all the Valentine family members, although matchmakers, have a "Cupid's Curse" over them that makes it nearly impossible to stay with any one person.

Lucy's parents have taken off on a vacation, leaving her behind to care for the business. Little did she realize that there would be an Adonis working upstairs from her. Lucy starts off her time at the business by working with a client looking to find true love after losing a fiance that he loved, years before, because of manipulative friends. Upon shaking his hand, Lucy's abilities kick into overdrive, and she sees something her client has lost...but something that has been lost to an obvious crime. It's his girlfriend's engagement ring, but on a corpse! Now Lucy must use her Adonis upstairs, who owns a detective agency, to help her do some sleuthing, and not fall for him in the process. Darn that pesky "Cupid's Curse" on her family!

Review: I realize that my synopsis had to be vague in order to not give away the mystery, but I can say that there is murder, matchmaking, and mayhem throughout this funny little novel to keep you reading. Although I often get bored with mysteries, I found that it was light-hearted enough, and had me more interested in the relationships going on than the actual mysteries they were trying to solve. Lucy is a loveable character, and you want to see her happy, so the Adonis upstairs seems like just the ticket. Eventually, you'd not only like her to find the answer to the mysteries, but also to break that pesky curse and find love for herself. There are some mentions of sensuality, but no scenes of such. The book was pretty light-hearted, and fun to read. For more information, see: Truly, Madly.

*This review is based off of a review copy (ARC) sent through the Early Reviewers program on Library Thing.