Ramblings of a Bibliophile

Genre: Fiction, Contemporary, Mystery, Romance
Edition: Softcover; ARC
Page Count: 316
Pub. Date: February 2, 2010
Series: Book 1

My Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)
Amazon.com: N/A
Goodreads: 4.14 (Average)
Buy: Barnes and Noble

Recommended For: Readers who like a sassy female protagonist, People who like a little suspense and mystery with their romance (with a slight paranormal twist)

My Summary:

Lucy Valentine comes from a long line of Valentine's who have been gifted with the psychic ability to read people's auras. A gift, generations ago, that her family capitalized on by professionally matching potential lover's based on the color they emit. But when Lucy was 14, an electrical surge shorted out some inner workings in her brain and the ability inherited from her family has ceased to exist. Needless to say, this does nothing for Lucy's potential takeover of the family business. Unless of course, anyone needed her to find their lost car keys.

So from the age of 14, instead of spotting auras, Lucy can now track down any lost object as long as the person is thinking about said object the same time she comes into contact with them. Neat right? Not the gift she would choose, but one that came in handy from time to time. Until she touched the hand of a client who happened to be a missing an engagement ring that was on the hand of a skeleton.

Uncovering such unwelcome information sends Lucy's life into a whirlwind. Does she simply forget it ever happened, or go digging into a past that is sure to wreak havoc in her already complicated life? The answer to her is simple - she needs to find out who that person was and why they were wearing that particular ring. But she can't do it alone.

And along the way, she discovers some new truths to her own life.

My Thoughts:

This novel ended up being so much more than I expected! Despite the fact that I would have loved a little more romance, there was just enough to satiate my appetite. And what's more is the suspense and mystery that unfolded throughout the book. Definitely didn't see that coming. At least the amount of it. But, I was completely happy with the result.

Heather Webber introduces us to a delightful character in Lucy Valentine. I'm always a sucker for a leading character with sass. And Lucy has plenty of it. Humanistic, funny, and feisty are all attributes that make up the core of this novel's leading lady. Relatable in many aspects - she makes for a great narrator. Then you throw in a Mr Sean Donahue to the mix. Oh my, a delicious fellow with his own secrets and story to tell? TELL ME MORE. These two connect so well and their interactions fuel much fire to the story. I won't go into too much detail, but all the characters provided a fun and laugh provoking entity to the book that made it as enjoyable as it was.

It was fun seeing Lucy unfold as a character, taking control of circumstances and using her gift in a most useful way. I'm curious to see where the next book takes it.

The writing is light, playful, and flirtatious with just the right amount of tease, all while being tossed with a nice mix of mystery. And the ending left me with anticipation for the sequel, Deeply, Desperately. A enjoyable series debut from Heather Webber!

Also, thank you so much to Barnes and Noble's Sneak Peek for sending me an ARC copy!