Suspense/Intrigue
Truly, Madly
By Dottie
Feb 8, 2010 - 8:27:51 PM

Lucy Valentine comes from a long line of matchmakers known as Valentine, Inc.  The Valentines have a psychic ability; they can see auras, which help them find true love matches for couples.  However, Lucy, the last in the line of Valentines, lost that ability at the age of fourteen when she was zapped by an electrical surge.  In return, she gained a different ability, one that enabled her to find lost items.  As a result, she does not like shaking hands with people because if they are thinking about something they lost, she knows the location of the lost item.  Unfortunately, this does not include people.  She has held a string of jobs without finding what she wants to do.  The Valentines are known also for their inability to find the perfect mate for themselves.  She is afraid of commitment due to what she terms Cupid’s Curse, the Valentine’s inability to stay happily wed.  In fact, every single Valentine marriage has failed.  However, her grandmother Dovie has not given up hope.  She constantly plans blind dates for Lucy. 

Lucy’s father Oscar, who runs Valentine Inc, was caught in an intimate situation with his mistress of the moment on the beach in public.  This was a field day for reporters.  Valentine Inc is all about true love and here Oscar, the head of Valentine Inc, was caught cheating on his wife.  Deciding to get away from reporters, Oscar decides to take his wife and go to St. Lucia, leaving Lucy in charge of Valentine Inc.  Lucy knows nothing about running the family business.  However, she is doing fine, matching up the swatches of color her father had put in the folders.  Of course, this does not help in working with new clients, since she cannot see their auras.  One new client is Michael.  He wants to find his true love though he is still in love with his ex-fiancée Jennifer.  She left him when she discovered he was in bed with her enemy, Elena and she returned his ring in the mail though he never received it.  However, he had been setup; Elena waited until Michael was drunk, then she snuck in bed with him and took pictures.  However, her best friend Rachel could not stand what Elena had done.  She went to Michael and told him the truth, infuriating Elena when she found out.  This broke up their friendship and both of them left town.

As Michael leaves the office, he shakes Lucy’s hand and she sees the ring on a skeleton.  Lucy decides to find Jennifer for him and try to talk her into seeing him again.  Going to Sean, the PI upstairs from Valentine Inc., she asks him to find Jennifer.  Lucy is stunned the first time she sees Sean, feeling an attraction to him though she tries to fight it because of Cupid’s Curse.  Sean is also interested in her.  As they investigate together, they find the skeleton, believed to be Rachel and she is wearing the ring.  The police make Michael their prime suspect, but Lucy is determined to clear him and find the true culprit.  Can they find enough evidence to clear him without getting them killed?  Will Jennifer give him another chance?  Can Lucy and Sean take their desire for each other to the next step?

TRULY, MADLY, the first in a new series, is an original, humorous contemporary romance.  Though Lucy did not want to work at the family business, she finds herself enjoying it more than anything else she has done.  She cannot stop thinking about Sean despite the fact that she fights it because of Cupid’s Curse and her fear of commitment.  Sean also returns her feelings and he is determined to stay around her.  Filled with humor, witty repartee, delightful characters, mystery, intrigue, an originally creative plot and interwoven with the paranormal, this book is a delight. I absolutely loved it and I am looking forward to the next installment called DEEPLY, DESPERATELY.  As I eagerly await the next installment, be sure to grab your own copy of TRULY, MADLY.  You won’t regret it!