"Truly Madly" by Heather Webber

From the publisher: Lucy Valentine is as smart as can be, as single as you can get, and sonot 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 wedding ring—on a dead body—she asks the sexy private eye who lives upstairs to help her solve the perfect crime. And who knows? Maybe she’ll find the perfect love while she’s at it…

When I first got this book, I was thinking it was a very light paranormal romance type of book. I wasn't completely correct. There was humor in this book, mostly from the main character, Lucy. Her wit which often masked a deep sense of insecurity was very humorous. Add in her friends who often took that wit and strengthened it, the book became enjoyable on that level alone. Oh, and those worried about the insecurity angle... don't worry, it doesn't come off as whiny at all.

There was more than one romance, and several made possible by paranormal reasons and good old fashioned sense. I loved the fact that she freely admitted several times that she was a commitment phobic, but also had the sense to at least try to push beyond it. Plus, it doesn't hurt when the one that you are very interested in not only admits it several times that he is interested back, but she is also given clues within her visions. These specific visions may also prove to be signs that she is so much more powerful than she first thought. We might find that out in later books because this looks like it might become a series. That is a good thing.

What I was surprised me within the book was the mystery. Actually, I should say, mysteries. The main murder mystery that must be solved is but one. The mystery of what happened to a missing boy is another. The mystery of her intuition, the mystery of who to trust, the mystery of her closest friends lives and finding out more about them, as well as the mystery of how she is going to run her father's successful business without his specific ability are the other mysteries that need solved. Now while those smaller mysteries may seem like side stories that round out the character, they came across to me as things that needed to be solved in the way it was written.

This was a very enjoyable book and I was happy to have gotten it as an ARC. I would suggest this book if you like a fast read with a bit of sleuthing involved. Nothing heavy, but fun. I gave it 4 stars.

Now that you have seen what I've said about this book, I was thinking of doing a giveaway with my ARC. The book won't be for sale until Feb. 2010. Would someone else like a preview? Oh, and don't worry, if I decide to do the giveaway, it won't be until after the new year starts.