Review: Perfectly Matched by Heather Webber

I really need to find a way to have my reviews ready for Tuesday morning. With my WEM and Hauling Sunday features on the week-end, I find that Tuesdays are perfect to post reviews... However, I never seem to have them ready, sigh. Any tips?

Today, I procrastinate the whole day instead of writing this review for Perfectly Matched by Heather Webber. Once I came home, I finally sat down and wrote it... It was that or cleaning my room. Guess what I'm procrastinating away now? LOL.

Enjoy!

Perfectly Matched by Heather Webber
self-published in May 2012

The heat is on...

When Boston psychic Lucy Valentine finds herself involved in a group of eccentric psychics trying to learn more about their abilities, she is convinced a rare spring heat wave has flushed the crazies out of hiding.

Adding to her theory is her newest client in the Lost Loves division of Valentine, Inc., her family’s lucrative matchmaking firm. He’s an animal communicator who hires Lucy to find his purrfect mate—because his cat told him so.

But craziest of all is The Beantown Burner, a serial arsonist who is targeting private eye Sam Donahue, the brother of Lucy’s boyfriend, Sean. With the help of her kooky psychic group, Lucy must tap into abilities she didn’t know she had to catch the firebug before the fires turn deadly. What she never expected to discover is that the motive behind the flames hits a little too close to home...and her heart.

Genre: Cosy Mystery
Series: Lucy Valentine series, Book #4

The Story: As usual, Lucy Valentine has a lot on her plate. First, she has joined a group of psychics in order to learn more about her abilities and how to use them. Unfortunately, no luck so far which means she's still struggling and it's making her feel less than welcome with the other participants who are not shy to let their impatience show. Her newest client at Valentine, Inc. - the familial matchmaking business - doesn't seem to want to find his soul mate and admits to coming only because he's been prompted (read driven crazy) by Ebbie... his cat. He then vanishes without leaving a forwarding address or filling the questionnaire and dumps Ebbie in Lucy's lap! Then there's her grandmother urging her to move things along with Sean, her boyfriend, so she can get great-grandchildren. Her best friend Emerson is worried because her fiancé Aidan has been acting weird and distracted. Finally, Paige, Lucy's new friend who is also dating Lucy's new-found brother, seems to have some health issues. Yep, a full plate... But oh wait! Let's not forget The Beantown Burner, the recent serial arsonist scaring Boston, who seems to be targeting Sam Donahue, Sean's brother... but is Sam really the target? One thing is sure, life is never boring with Lucy :)

My Opinion: If you've been following my blog for a while, you know that I've really been enjoying Ms Webber's Lucy Valentine series :) I find the mysteries interesting, like the touch of romance and really, really love the fluffy style. For me, that fluffiness definitively sets the series apart from other cosy mystery series, but also all other books in general :) As you can imagine, I was quite anxious to find out Lucy Valentine's fate as I knew Ms Webber was contracted for three books... I was ecstatic when I found out Ms Webber has written Perfectly Matched and was self-publishing it. It sucks that St. Martin's has not asked for more, but it's awesome that Ms Webber has gone ahead and continued this series for her fans!! And while Perfectly Matched had its flaws and was probably the weakest book in the series so far, I'm still glad I read it and I'm hoping for more!!

As you can read from my synopsis, there's a lot going on in Perfectly Matched. One would perhaps think too much, but Ms Webber makes it work. There are really three mysteries in Perfectly Matched: 1) the missing child the group of psychics are investigating, 2) the Beantown Burner and 3) who is Jeremy Cross, the man who left his cat behind. And to my surprise, not only did they blend well together, but there were also interesting connections. Another interesting aspect was how each case was handled and the investigative work it involved. That being said, I have to say the mystery in Perfectly Matched was the weakest element of the book ^_^; This really comes as a surprise to me because Ms Webber is usually so good with them. And actually, when I think about it, all three mysteries were interesting and I really enjoyed the twists - particularly in the missing child's case, I thought that was brilliant. The problem was in the execution.. I felt Ms Webber did a great job at setting the mystery up, but I felt the resolution was too abrupt and rushed, especially when it came to the Beantown Burner case. I thought the motive of the Beantown Burner was really weak and definitively could have been fleshed out more. And that's really Perfectly Matched's biggest flaw.

The rest of the book was great :) The fluffiness that is unique to this series is still there - yay!! And Ms Webber's writing is as usual - solid and enjoyable. And when it comes to the characters and relationships in Perfectly Matched, I'm a happy duck LOL. I like that they're all growing and evolving and that things are moving along. It's good that Ms Webber is not throwing in obstacles and conflicts just to stall or for drama. I like that Lucy and her two best friends, Marisol and Em, are still best friends and getting along well. I enjoy Lucy's growing friendship with Paige. I am sooo glad that Cutter has a slightly larger role in Perfectly Matched and that Lucy and Cutter's relationship is good - although I'm still waiting to read about it LOL. Lucy and Sean are still taking things slow because Lucy still fears the curse, but they do move in together and that's a good step in the right direction. I'm also glad to see Marisol and Em's love lives being developed, but in no way are they stealing Lucy's spotlights. I'm also curious about the new characters introduced, Jeremy and Dr. Paul, and I can't wait to find out more about them. Really, Ms Webber did a great job with this aspect of the book :) What's even more impressive though is that she did well without suddenly changing someone's personality!

Another thing that Ms Webber did well was the psychic aspect. There was just enough of it to make things interesting which is the way I like it :) I find that's always difficult because too little and the reader is like: "Where's the psychic aspect?", too much and the readers are rolling their eyes. Ms Webber understands that Lucy's gift helps her in her investigations, it does not solve them and that's what we get. I also think that Ms Webber has a good grasp of what she wants Lucy's abilities to be and that helps. Sometimes, I feel authors don't have a clear idea in mind and so, their characters become the Super Psychic with all the abilities you can imagine. Or they are supposed to have this kind of ability, but it blends in with so many others. But it's not the case with Ms Webber, she definitively has a clear idea. I also liked that Lucy is trying to learn more about her abilities and it's not easy :)

Finally, I want to bring up two little issues I had with Perfectly Matched. The first is that it really bothered me that in many instances, Lucy could not reach the people she called. I don't know, it's just a little bit too convenient :( The second has nothing to do with the story, but still has to be brought up and it's about the formatting of Perfectly Matched. I bought the epub version of Perfectly Matched at Kobo and for some reasons, throughout the book, the font alternates between being normal and bold. I don't know if it's only me or not... And I know this is minor, but it's still very annoying while reading ^_^; Also, I'm only now starting to buy more e-books and I'm still not a huge fan of self-publishing work. I admit, a lot of it is prejudices... but when there's a formatting problem like this one, it just doesn't help me overcoming those prejudices.

My Grade: I originally gave Perfectly Matched a B. I enjoyed the book and I loved the continuity with the rest of the series. However, when I started writing this review, I had difficulty remembering the plot ^_^; Unfortunately, not a good sign... and that's why B- it's going to be. The really good news is with the way Perfectly Matched ended, Ms Webber will definitively write another installment and I'll definitively be reading it :) Hopefully, we won't have to wait too long!

Review: It Takes a Witch by Heather Blake

Ugh, I've been meaning to write this review for days... and things just come up. I want to write, but my sister has hijacked my computer. I have the computer, but I feel like reading. At work, I've been running like a chicken without a head ^_^; But the worst reason? I've addicted myself again to Minesweeper. Pathetic, yes I know. That what happens when you have an addictive personality :( But I finally stopped long enough to write this review :) And hopefully, I'll be able to wean myself off... Wish me luck LOL.


It Takes a Witch by Heather Blake
published by New American Library in January 2012

Darcy Merriweather and her sister, Harper, hail from a long line of witches who have the power to grant wishes using spells. They're come to Enchanted Village in Salem, Massachusetts, to join the family business, but they soon find themselves knee-deep in murder...

Until three weeks ago, Darcy and Harper were working dead-end jobs and trying to put their troubles behind them. Then their aunt Velma delivered a bombshell: They're actually Wishcrafters - witches with the power to grant wishes with a mere spell. Wanting a fresh start, they head to their aunt's magic-themed tourist town to master their newfound skills.

But their magic fails them when a wannabe witch turns up dead - strangled with Aunt Ve's scarf - and Ve's sweetheart, Sylar, is found looming over the body. Ve is standing by her man, but Darcy overheard Sylar wish that the victim would disappear - forever. With Harper distracted by her handsome new crush, Darcy is determined to sleuth her way to the truth. But it'll take more than a wish to unravel this mystery...

Genre: Mystery
Series: A Wishcraft Mystery, Book #1

The Story: After their father's death, Darcy and Harper Merriweather learn from their maternal aunt Velma that magic really exists in this world. Not only that, Darcy and Harper are both Wishcrafters! This means that under the right circumstances, they can grant people's wishes with a spell. For Darcy, this revelation comes at a perfect time. With her father dead and his dental clinic closed, Darcy is without a job, she still hasn't moved on from her divorce two years ago and with Harper's latest arrest, she's at a wit's end. Thus, she jumps at the opportunity to move to the Enchanted Village in Salem, Massachusetts, for a fresh start.

As Darcy is learning the ropes of both Aunt Ve's business, As You Wish, and wishcrafting, she and Harper are slowly settling down in the Enchanted Village and learning the rules of their new world. Darcy is happy with her new life... but unfortunately for her, it is about to get complicated when Alexandra Shively, a woman who claimed to be a Crafter, is found dead and the main suspect is Velma's current beau. And then, there's Nick Sawyer, a widower with a daughter and also the first man since her divorce whose sight makes her heart beats faster... and also a Mortal.

My Opinion:  I was really looking forward to It Takes a Witch for two reasons. First, as you must all know by now, I'm a fan of witches and wizards characters. I can't express in words my attraction to them. Perhaps it's the possibility of magic or the fact that among the supernatural beings, they're the closest to normal but with a few quirks :P Anyway, I like witches and wizards :) Second and most important, the author is Heather Blake aka Heather Webber who writes the Lucy Valentine series, a series that I've really been enjoying :) I've been looking forward to her next release and therefore, It Takes a Witch :)

I have to admit that at first, I was a bit anxious about It Takes a Witch. While I love witches and wizards characters, finding good books featuring them is hard ^_^; Guess I'm really picky when it comes to world building and the use of their powers. Also, I've been reading more cozy mysteries lately and discovered that I'm not a fan of characters sleuthing... which is 95% of the cozy mystery genre ^_^; However, it turns out my worries were for naught and in the end, I really enjoyed It Takes a Witch :)  Once again, Ms Heather (dunno if I should go with Blake or Webber, so Ms Heather it is) has come up with fun characters and a cute series.

What I liked most about It Takes a Witch was the setting and atmosphere. The Enchanted Village reminds me of a town square with a lot of touristic attractions, shops and where everyone knows each other. It seems serene and cute, but at the same time, quirky and it's the feel I got from reading the book :) I also think Ms Heather did a great job with the world building when it came to the Crafters. In the acknowledgments, Ms Heather thank a friend for the hours spent fleshing out the rules and I believe it was hours well-spent! :) It's clear that Ms Heather knows where she is going and that the world is fleshed out in her mind. I like that there are rules, structure to this world. Another reason I think why the world building worked so well for me is the fact that Darcy is new to this world. As a result, she has limited knowledge and nothing is a given, taken for granted or considered 'normal.' And instead of the dreaded info dump, readers get to discover the world alongside Darcy :)

Another aspect of this book that I enjoyed a lot was the characters. Ms Heather has created a fun and likable cast and I find they really contributed to the feel of It Takes a Witch :) They're just fun and good-natured and of course, curious :) Oh and I liked Ms Heather's inclusion of the familiars!! :) Of course, I should mention Darcy as she's the heroine. I have to say, I really liked Darcy :) It seems like Darcy was stuck in a rut before discovering she was a Crafter. However, once she moved to the Enchanted Village, it looks like she has finally awaken. I like that she's taking advantage of this fresh start and is embracing her new life. She's making new friends and becoming part of the community. It was really nice to see. The only thing that bothered me about Darcy was the fact that she was a bit too suspicious of everyone and everything. I guess it's because I trust too easily in real life... But to see her question everyone's motives and intentions, it just felt  a bit sad and very tiring to me :(

Of course, the fact that Darcy was suspicious served well to storyline :) Otherwise, I doubt she'd have sleuthed around to resolve the mystery. Speaking of the mystery, I enjoyed it too. It was interesting and suspenseful enough to keep me engaged. And I liked that the culprit wasn't obvious. There were some nice twists and surprises and that's always nice when reading cozy mysteries. I also appreciated the touch of romance or should I say the promise of romance in the future :) I liked Nick and I think he and Darcy have a great chemistry together. I thought the pacing of their relationship fit with the circumstances and the fact that they've both been burned before. I'm definitively looking forward to more.

My only complaint about It Takes a Witch aside from Darcy being over-suspicious is the fact that this series has a lot of similarities with the Lucy Valentines series. Darcy is a witch and Lucy, a psychic. Both work in a family businesses that take advantage of their abilities. And while this new series isn't as fluffy as the Lucy Valentine's, the feel is very similar. I don't think it's a bad thing that Ms Heather took elements that worked in the Lucy Valentine series and used them here... but it definitively gives a sense of déjà-vu a times. That being said, it won't stop me from reading both series and enjoying them LOL.

My Grade: B. I really liked It Takes a Witch and thought it was a solid first installment to the series. I'm looking forward to the next book, A Witch Before Dying, coming out in August :)

Monthly Reads: October 2011

Finally, I'm done with this post!! Woohoo!! Only two more to go to wrap up 2011 ^_^; The worst is that October was a short month - both because of the number of books read and books reviewed. Sigh, I have a feeling November and December will take forever... But I'll do my best!

I've tried to keep the reviews short, but I was not always successful. Also, I feel like I'm repeating myself a lot... and I'm not sure if what I mean is coming across well. Guess it'll have to do though! Hope you all enjoy the mini-reviews!


1) Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep: B


2) Slow Ride by Erin McCarthy: C-


3) The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan: B++

4) Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins: B

Last year, Ms Perkins' debut novel Anna and the French Kiss got quite a buzz which got me to pick up the book. While I liked the book, I didn't seem to enjoy it as much as everyone. So I was a bit hesitant to pick up Lola and the Boy Next Door, but in the end, the blurb convinced me and I got curious about the heroine who liked to dress so outrageously. It somehow reminded me of all the trends in Japan. I'm glad to say I enjoyed Lola and the Boy Next Door more than Anna and the French Kiss :)

I thought Lola was a very interesting heroine - her personality, the way she dressed, but also her family situation. It was fun to see her interactions with her two over-protective fathers LOL. I also liked her friendship with her best friend and the connection she had with Cricket, the love interest. I also really enjoyed Cricket and I thought that their romance was sweet. To my surprise, I also found myself really liking Anna and Etienne who have cameo appearances a lot more than I did in their own book. Go figure :P Another thing that worked for me was there was less high school drama and the focus was really on Lola and her relationships/interactions with everyone.

While I thought Lola was an interesting character, she wasn't very likable ^_^; Some of her actions were very immature and at times, you really wanted to yell at her to make a choice, be decisive. Another thing that really bothered me was how Ms Perkins turned Max into a shitty boyfriend at the end of the book, to justify Lola choosing Cricket over him. I thought it was unfortunate, why not let him be the good boyfriend? He wasn't the perfect boyfriend, but he was a nice guy, accepting to have brunch with Lola's two over-protective fathers every week-end, and so on. I thought the change in his character was too sudden and unnecessary.

Still, I enjoyed this book and it kept me engaged :) I'll definitively read Ms Perkins again!

5) Angels of Darkness: C

Angel's Wolf by Nalini Singh:  B
This was my favorite entry in the anthology. I really liked the H/H and how the romance progressed. The story was also quite interesting and I liked that Nimra was different from the other angels we've met so far in the series. The biggest issue that I had with this book is the once again forced darkness atmosphere that the author tried to create. Noel is recovering from a very traumatic incident and yet, I didn't feel it in his characterization. It was mentioned many times and Ms Singh tried, but it just didn't take for me.


Alphas: Origins by Ilona Andrews: D
Ugh. I love, love, love Ms Andrews' writing and her Kate Daniels series? I can't get enough, seriously. However, I always have the same problem with her: the world building. I found the world building confusing in Alphas: Origins, hard to visualize. The characters are also supposed to be real bad-asses and I supposed they are... but at the same time, I didn't connect with them, didn't find them likable. Perhaps if the story had been longer, more development... but as it is, I have difficulty buying the H/H budding feelings for each other ^_^; All in all,  the whole novella just felt flat for me


Ascension by Meljean Brook: B-
Nice short story. I thought the case the Guardians were working was way more interesting than the H/H. They have been introduced in previous books, but not much was known about them and their development in this novella was obviously limited. Added in a prior relationship that didn't work out and everyone ends up with lots of baggage. But as I say, the story was very interesting and it makes you realize how fine the line is between Guardians and demons and the fact that they cannot hurt humans? Well that just makes things a lot more complicated and dangerous for them :)


6) Bring Me Home for Christmas by Robyn Carr: C+

7) Heartstrings and Diamond Rings by Jane Graves: B-

Heartstrings and Diamond Rings was a pretty good book, solid... better than Ms Graves' previous release, Black Ties and Lullabies in my opinion. I could actually understand Alison's urge to get married, her worries not finding Mr. Right and not being able to start her family soon. I do think she was a bit too obsessed about it and worried too much, but still, it made sense. It'd really hard to meet people - trust me. As expected in this kind of books, Alison's dates are quite funny LOL.

Thinking back, Brandon's behavior and actions might not have been really ethically acceptable at first... but kudos to him because he really tried his best to matchmake Alison with suitable men. I also liked that he came to care about the business and his clients and I do think he'd be really good at the job because he's quite a good judge of character. Anyway, I liked the characters and the story, but I think it lost a bit of its momentum once Alison started showing interest in Brandon and as a result, I started losing interest. I think the book needed a bit more punch at the end than the usual  "You deceived me" conflict. Still, I enjoyed it :)

8) Snapped by Laura Griffin: C+

I was really looking forward to Snapped after reading Leslie's review, but I wonder now if perhaps I had too much expectations coming into the book. The suspense was definitively the strongest element of this book and was very well done. What didn't work for me were the characters and as a result, the romance. I didn't think Sophie and Jonah had much chemistry together. It felt to me for a long time, Jonah's feelings for Sophie was one-sided. True, Sophie had a lot on her mind, but it didn't look to me like she really reciprocated Jonah's feelings. Sure, she noticed that he was handsome, but nothing more. Also, what annoyed me so much was some of Sophie's actions. Granted, she tried to do what was right and that's a good thing, but she didn't seem to think before acting. And that's what was so frustrating!! When even your friends and colleagues who work in law-enforcing don't believe your words... going to the public might not be a good idea. Especially if you're right because in that case, you just painted a huge target on your back!

If I had liked the characters better, the grade would definitively have been higher.

9) In Total Surrender by Anne Mallory: B

Oh, here is a historical book that I really enjoyed!! I was intrigued by the blurb and picked it up at the bookstore on impulse. Well this impulse paid off! :) I really liked both the H/H. Andreas is the king of the underworld and he has one purpose in life: revenge. The only person he cares about is his brother... but suddenly, this woman is intruding in his life and in his thoughts. Personally, I thought Phoebe was an awesome heroine!! She was oh-so clever and knew how to plan. Loved the way she started wiggling her way into Andreas' household LOL. I also really enjoyed the romance, the way Andreas couldn't get Phoebe out of his mind, no matter how hard her tried :) The storyline was also well thought-out and executed. Andreas' revenge and how Phoebe tried to save her father's company and how these two elements were linked together. I really liked that Phoebe believed in her childhood friends.

The only reason why this book isn't getting a higher grade is because this is the third book in a series and I haven't read the other books and therefore, there were times where I really felt lost, like I was really missing some information. I know it is unfair for the book and the author, because technically, it's the reader's responsibility to read the books in order... but I've read books out of order and you don't always feel this way... and in the end, it really affected how much I enjoyed this book ^_^;

10) Glazed Murder by Jessica Beck: D

I've been burning-out on a lot of genres lately - paranormals, urban fantasy, small-town romances... and so I thought I should start varying my reading a bit more. As a result, I decided to go with mystery, because there are so many series out there! If I like this genre, well seriously, jackpot! LOL.

So I decided to go with Glazed Murder in which the heroine owns a doughnut cafe. Overall, the story was okay.  One of the problems is I never really connected with Suzanne ^_^; I didn't care about her or her situation... and the fact that she's another divorcee... Ugh. Also thought this series was a bit formulaic and the fact it's a first book in a series didn't help. I mean, you have this heroine who has this job and for some reasons, she finds dead bodies and investigate. I haven't read many cozy mysteries, but I've read something similar to this before... and so it's hard to get engaged. Another problem is that I realized I'm not a big fan of amateur sleuth ^_^; Yeah, that's a big problem given that most cozy mysteries have amateur sleuth as protagonist. It can work if the author is talented and clever... but unfortunately, I just think Ms Beck didn't have the elements to pull this one off. There was a definite lack of originality in the setting-up of the book and the execution... Plus, it's hard to believe that people will babbled just because a woman came in with a box of doughnuts ^_^;  So yeah, didn't really cared about this one.

11) A Hoe Lot of Trouble by Heather Webber: C

So instead of continuing Ms Beck's series, I decided to try another cozy mystery... This time though, I went with an author that I knew, Ms Webber who wrote the Lucy Valentine series which I've enjoyed. I have to say this one worked better for me.

What I liked the most about this book is I could feel that Nina, the heroine, had a life :) She's in the midst of a separation because she founds lipstick on her husband's boxer, still living with her teenage stepson who never seems to have accepted her. Her family drives her crazy half the time and she really could do without the noisy neighbors. Okay, so you have another heroine who is a divorcee (soon-to-be-divorcee), but in this case, it works because her circumstances are much more interesting, her background more rich. I thought Nina's relationship with Riley was one of the most interesting element in the book, perhaps because it felt so real. I also thought the mystery was more interesting because there was a lot more to it than a dead body (and at least, it isn't one that Nina stumbled across)... and wow, I sure was surprised at the end by the big twist. Also, I feel like Ms Webber handled the sleuthing better :)

Still the book wasn't perfect. I guess perhaps it's just the genre that doesn't do it for me, but I found myself skimming at times. This book just didn't completely hold my attention.

12) Trouble in Spades by Heather Webber: C+

So after reading A Hoe Lot of Trouble, I picked up Trouble in Spades right away. My thoughts of Trouble in Spades are pretty much the same. I still like Nina, still think her relationship with Riley is the most interesting element of the series. Case is interesting and there's a lot of twists. I think I liked this one better because it was funnier due to Nina's sister. Also, there's a romance looming ahead :)


13) Until There Was You by Kristan Higgins: B

14) A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker: C+

I usually don't read contemporary YA books because I'm not a fan of high school drama... but for some reasons, I found myself picking up A Match Made in High School... Most probably because of the Marriage Education program. LOL, when watching TV programs for kids and teenagers, you often see them being paired and taking care of her fake baby or an egg... well this sounded similar to it :)

Overall, I thought A Match Made in High School was a cute and quick read. I thought the Marriage Education program was well thought out LOL and it was fun to see the students being forced into it. The heroine, Fiona, was a normal teenage girl. She has a crush, is none too happy with her partner and she doesn't let people walk over her. I thought the first half of the book was pretty good, was building up to something... And then everything fell flat when Fiona's crush got a girlfriend. I don't want to spoil the book too much, but at one point, Fiona is accused by her best friend of being selfish and well, isn't that a part of being a teenager? I thought the best friend had as much blame as Fiona... It's just too bad that Fiona started moping around and as a result, not much happened in the storyline. Also, I wished we've seen more interaction between Fiona and her love interest.

15) The Famous Heroine by Mary Balogh: C+

I've been enjoying Ms Balogh's books quite a lot in the past year and decided to pick up this book as it was re-printed. The heroine Cora Downes is a daughter of a rich merchant... after rescuing a duke's nephew, Cora is introduced into Society so she can make an advantageous match. I really liked Cora's personality. I thought she was really fun LOL. I loved Francis as well, the way he dressed up so colorful and the fact that Cora thought he was gay LOL. That was pretty fun. I also liked their interactions together, they had great chemistry. As such, you'd think the grade would be higher... but I'd say the story didn't live up to its potential. With such great characters and all, I thought the story would be a bit more interesting... but instead, it's pretty typical historical where the heroine finds herself in a compromising situation and thus, the H/H have no choice to marry. Plus, the fact that Francis thought himself in love with another woman for so long...

This was in no way a bad book or anything. It was fun to read, especially the situation Cora finds herself in... but I guess I just had really high expectations ^_^;


Books bought: + 21
Books read: -15
TBR pile: +6

Writing these 2 months later is not the best thing to do ^_^; If I remember correctly, October felt like a really meh month to me as shown by the grades. There were some great books such as The Son of Neptune but mostly, the books were in the C-range. I had difficulty picking up books and as a result, I did quite a few re-reads (not listed). I also ended up buying lots of books, but those weren't really the books I wanted to read ^_^; So I ended up increasing my TBR pile.

Okay, I think I've fried my brain, because it's just gone blank LOL. Guess I'm going to sleep now :) Then tomorrow, I'm going to start tackling November...

Review: Absolutely, Positively by Heather Webber

Woohoo, it's Friday!! The week has gone by so quickly! Usually this is a good thing, cos that means the week-end comes faster too... But in this case, because there's something for the job that I have to do on Fridays that I don't like it... well  it just seems too quick :( And today was such a long and crappy day... actually, the whole week was, sigh. Let's hope the week-end doesn't go by too quickly ^_^;

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…

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...

Genre: Contemporary romance, mystery
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!!

Review: Deeply, Desperately by Heather Webber

Nothing really to say. Life is quiet and work is busy. I thought the week-end was too short LOL. I mean, I really like doing nothing :P And I definitively cannot believe the end of the month is so soon! Where has time gone really? Hopefully, I'm going to be able to blog all I want to blog about in a timely fashion :P

Oh, guess what? I'm not done cleaning my room - that is always a WIP ^_^; However, I was able to find my copy of Deeply, Desperately! :P


Deeply, Desperately by Heather Webber
published by St. Martin's Press in August 2010

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.

Genre: contemporary romance
Series: Lucy Valentine, Book #2

The Story: With Christmas fast approaching, it's normal that Lucy is busy... however, a lot more is going on than just the holidays. First, Lucy has a case with Lost Loves, Valentine, Inc.'s new branch, where a widower is looking for his first love. While Lucy loves her new job and is very interested in the case, she's less than happy about reporter Preston Baily shadowing her, looking for her meal ticket to bigger newspapers. There's also Preston's questioning about siblings and family that are weirding Lucy out. Then, there's Lucy's best friend, Marisol, who is planning an intervention to stop Emma, the third musketeer, from marrying a jerk. As if all that is not enough, Sean's ex-girlfriend is back in the picture and needs his help and support. Seriously, all this is enough to drive a woman crazy :P

My Opinion: I really enjoyed Truly, Madly, the first book in the series. I thought it was cute and fluffy and Deeply, Desperately pretty much continues in the same vein. A lot is happening in Deeply, Desperately and you'd think it'd be overwhelming, but it wasn't. Everything - the relationships, the romance and the mystery - blended and balanced out each other well, providing us, the readers, with a fun and enjoyable book :)

I think the success of this series so far is its heroine, Lucy Valentine. The best word that could describe her is normal :P Really, she might be a psychic with the ability to find objects and persons, but what she wants makes her a regular person. She wants a relationship with Sean, she wants to succeed at her job, she wants her friends to be happy and her family to live in peace and harmony. All of this makes her extremely easy to relate to and thus, likable. Same goes with Sean. He's a very nice guy, caring, responsible and trustworthy. And because Ms Webber has two solid main characters, she can go crazy with the secondary characters :) I mean, Lucy's family members are definitively a hoot, especially together LOL and while she loves them, she's not blind to their flaws. And her friends? Makes me envious to see such strong friendships :) All in all, I have to say I truly enjoyed Lucy's interaction with everyone.

The romance between Lucy and Sean is progressing well. While Lucy still worries about the Cupid curse, she tries hard to make her relationship with Sean work. Actually, it was heart-warming to see Lucy and Sean together, because you have two persons that are not afraid of commitments and really want this to work out. Ms Webber throws in some conflict by bringing back Sean's ex-girlfriend. For once, I thought it worked out well, I really liked seeing Lucy fight for Sean :)

Once again, I think Ms Webber did a good job with the mystery thread in this book. The series so far has been pretty light and fluffy, but the cases are well thought out, developed and satisfying. I mean, this after all is contemporary romance, not romantic suspense, so don't go out expecting a gory murder case or for them to be the focus of the story. Still, they are worked into the storyline well and add to the book's entertainment value :)

My Grade: B+. To me, Deeply, Desperately is another winner. There was nothing that bothered me. I read it in one sitting with a huge smile on my face. It simply was fun and fluffy and I'm really looking forward to the third book, Absolutely, Positively :)

Review: Truly, Madly by Heather Webber

Did you notice something different about the blog? LOL, it's not something big, but it's something I'm proud of. Last Friday, I was bored so I spent time cleaning up my labels :P I went from 401 to 345 labels! Seriously, I don't know what I was thinking making labels for things such as: pain, injury, gas, traffic jam (traffic jam!!) and so on. There are still a lot of posts back in 2007 and 2008 that haven't been labeled, but I don't think I have the courage to go back and label them on... Although, thanks to Ames, I now know that I can do it in the Edit Posts section with the Label Actions instead of going into each post and making the changes ^_^;

I also took away labels such as vampires, werewolves, magic, witch, wizard, etc. I was using them mostly to sub-categorize the paranormal romance and urban fantasy books, but I realized I wasn't consistently using them. Plus, you can find more than one of the supernatural species in the book, so there were too many labels... I figured if you wanted to look for werewolves books, you'd simply click urban fantasy or paranormal romance and go through my posts :P

In the meantime, I still have books from February left to review :D One of them is Truly, Madly by Heather Webber. This book first caught my attention on Kris' blog. It sounded like a cute story, plus it has psychics, so I wanted to give it a try :)


Truly, Madly by Heather Webber
published by St. Martin's Press in February 2010

Lucy Valentine is as smart as can be, as single as you can get, and so not qualified to run a matchmaking service. But when her parents temporarily step down from the family business, Valentine, Inc., it’s Lucy’s turn to step up and help out—in the name of love.

Plus, her rent is due.

Here’s the problem: Lucy doesn’t have the knack for matchmaking. According to family legend, every Valentine has been blessed by Cupid with the ability to read “auras” and pair up perfect couples. But not Lucy. Her skills were zapped away years ago in an electrical surge, and now all she can do is find lost objects. What good is that in the matchmaking world? You’d be surprised. In a city like Boston, everyone’s looking for something. So when Lucy locates a missing engagement ring—on a dead body—she asks the sexy private eye who works upstairs to help her solve the perfect crime. And who knows? Maybe she’ll find the perfect love while she’s at it...

Genre: paranormal romance - psychic
Series: Lucy Valentine, Book #1

The Story: Generations of Valentine have been blessed with the ability to read auras - except their own - and thus, have been very successful in the matchmaking business. Lucy wishes she could join her father in the business Valentine, Inc.; however, she doesn't feel "worthy" - having lost her ability to read auras and gained the ability to find lost objects. Only, things change when Lucy's father has a heart attack on the beach in company of his mistress. Going away to recover while the bad publicity quiets down sounds like the perfect solution and thus, Oscar leaves Valentine, Inc. in the hands of Lucy. She doesn't want to, but what choice does she have? Plus, she needs the job.

Everything goes well till a young man walks in and upon contact, Lucy "sees" his grandmother's heirloom engagement ring that he has given to his ex-fiancée on the finger of a skeleton... Wanting to find out answers, Lucy decides to ask help to SD investigations, the PI agency located in the same building as Valentine, Inc. Instead of meeting with the owner, she meets Sean Donahue - the brother... who triggers the kind of visions Lucy never had before...

My Opinion: I enjoy books with psychic characters and this one sounded different and lighter, so I wanted to give it a try.  Truly, Madly turned out to be a good choice, as it was a light, fluffy and fun read. What surprised me most was despite the fluffiness, the mystery thread had depth and I thought the plot was very well constructed.

Lucy was a very lovable heroine with a head on her shoulder. While no fault of her, she feels bad having lost her ability to read auras and let say, she hasn't come to term with her new ability either because it makes her different than her family. As a result, Lucy has declined entering in Valentine, Inc., but also using her trust fund. Instead, she's been taking odd jobs and paying rent to her grandmother. It's clear that for Lucy, the ability to read auras is very important and is part of her identity. Not having that ability anymore, Lucy is looking for herself, exploring and trying to see if she can make it by herself. A lot of characters in books try to make something of themselves, not wanting to be like their parents, but it's the opposite for Lucy. She's always wanted to be part of the family business, but until she finds herself, she can't. In a way, Truly, Madly is in part Lucy's journey to finding herself and I really liked the resolution of it.

Aside from Lucy, Truly, Madly has a colorful cast of secondary characters. There's Lucy's family: her parents - while they lead separate lives, they are still very good friends, and her grandmother LOL. There's also Emma and Marisol, Lucy's two best friends since childhood, Raphael, the family chauffeur, and of course, Sean. All of the characters are quite interesting and have a role in the story, they're not just playing filler or there to provide comedy-relief. They're Lucy's entourage and obviously, very important to her.

As I mentioned, there's also a mystery to Truly, Madly. I was quite happy with it and thought it was well constructed. It was logical which allowed the readers to guess who did it and what happened, but at least, it wasn't obvious. Know what I mean? More importantly, I thought it really blended well with the other storylines. I thought Ms Webber did a great job balancing everything in Truly, Madly. I mean, there was a lot of characters and a lot going on, but it never felt too much and Ms Webber was able to keep it light.

My only complaint would be that the romance between Lucy and Sean was very light. However, this is the first book of a series, and it seems Ms Webber was setting things up. I'm sure - or at least, I hope, that Lucy and Sean's relationship will be explored further in the next book :)

My Grade: B+. Truly, Madly was a fast and very enjoyable read to me. It was cute and light and cheered me up :) I'm definitively looking forward to the next book, Deeply, Desperately, coming out in August :)