However, the good news is I finally got my review for Absolutely, Positively up! Woohoo!! I'm really glad, because I know many of you have recently read a Lucy Valentine book and that was a good source of motivation :) I wanted everyone to know how much I enjoyed this third installment :P So take a look and find out :)
Absolutely, Positively by Heather Webber
published by St. Martin's Press in February 2011
“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…Genre: Contemporary romance, mystery
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...
Series: Lucy Valentine, Book #3
The Story: A lot is happening in Absolutely, Positively. First, there's the Lone Ranger, a masked man who literally throws money in the streets and who has Preston hot on his heels for a scoop. Then there's work as Lucy and Sean investigate for the Lost Loves, a division of Valentines Inc. One is an official case where a young woman is looking for someone she knew while in the foster system, but what is Lucy to do when she discover the young man is not walking the straight line? There's also an elderly man from Lucy's neighborhood who has disappeared and everyone is wondering what happened. If indeed he is dead, then was it fair play? Finally, there is also the personal front... Lucy is debating whether to take a step further in her relationship with Sean and ask him to move in with her; however, she worries because of the Cupid curse. Adds in her parents' new relationship and a brother who doesn't want to take up the succession of a family business and you have Lucy's head spinning in all directions :)
My Opinion: Seriously, I overlooked this series in my Best and Worst of 2010 posts, but it is really a gem of a series. What makes it so awesome is a combination of good writing, interesting storylines, great characters, but most importantly I think, freshness. I don't think there is anything out there close to Ms Webber's style and it just adds more to her books :)
I was quite looking forward to Absolutely, Positively and overall, it pretty much met my expectations :) I enjoyed this book a great deal, although it was less fluffy than the others... I think it had to do with the cases - although in previous books, the cases were quite serious as well, so perhaps it's how busy the book is, which as shown in my recap, very :P Still, it was well-balanced, not confusing and kept me hooked as I just want to find out more about everything LOL. Also, I was quite surprised how everything tied in together and I think Ms Webber did a good job :P
While the cases were interesting, varied and kind of suspenseful, the real strength of the Lucy Valentine series is the characters and that holds true in Absolutely, Positively. Lucy is a great heroine and really make this book :) I think it's because readers enjoy being in her head, seeing things from her POV and her thinking process :) She's very genuine, caring and level-headed. Just a balanced character, especially now that she knows where she's going in life. You can throw a lot at her, which her family often does, and she can deal with it. Then, there is this whole cast of quirky characters surrounding her that just makes this book fun :) Everyone of them is unique and adds a different flavor to Lucy's life.While they are funny, they also have this touch of wisdom and with it, they have Lucy's back. I really enjoyed Lucy's parents in this book LOL. The situation is really interesting and I'm looking forward to see how it'll work out in the future :P Sure to give Lucy a few more eye twitches LOL... and the couch scene! LOL. And then, there are Lucy's best friends Marisol and Emma. I like how they are part of Lucy's family, it really feels like they've been childhood friends :) I also like how everyone is supportive of Emma :) With her relationship with Aiden finally taking off, I'm hoping that the focus will switch a little to Marisol in the next few books :)
Another thing that I'm enjoying in this series is the timing of things :) I like that Lucy and Sean's relationship is not rushed, that they're taking their time to get to know each other and build the trust. I like that Sean is patient with Lucy and also understanding and is willing to wait till Lucy is no longer afraid :) That not everything is happening to Lucy at once and she's overwhelmed. So I feel it's good that Lucy has found her footing in life, being able to use her gift but also be part of the family business. At the same time, she's slowly building her confidence and coming into the life that she's always dreamed :) In many series, I'm pretty sure the heroine would have gotten there too fast and panic or not get there yet and be frustrated - all to create issues, conflicts... and sometimes, you don't need them and Ms Webber understands that :)
With all this being said, Absolutely, Positively was not a perfect read and I had a couple of issues with it. While the romance between Lucy and Sean is progressing very nicely, Sean is still somewhat of an unknown entity. There's no doubts about his feelings, but what about Sean himself? We know the current him, but we have very little about his past and what made the man who he is today. Learning that Sam and Sean are "foster" brothers was a great surprise and not just to the readers... So I really hope that the next book will focus on Sean. Another issue I had was with Lucy and the foster kids case. When Lucy learns that the man is a criminal, she decides to "protect" her client by keeping information from both parties... I know this was a dilemma for Lucy, that she had good intentions and was doing it in her client's best interest... but the choice really bothered me, because ultimately, it wasn't her choice to make. It's good to care, but at the same time, I felt Lucy was too quick to judge. Okay, Tristan didn't help matters at all ^_^; Still, I wished she was a bit more open-minded. Finally, I was a bit disappointed that there was no more interaction between Lucy and Cutter. I was really looking forward for it and Cutter was just taken out of the equation with business trip... Of course, this won't go happen in every book as the succession issue has to be resolved... so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the next book :)
My Grade: B+. Another great installment to the series and I'm really looking forward to the next book!!
