The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns

by Elizabeth Leiknes and TurtleMe

Lucy Burns wants a normal life: friends, love, and a family of her own. And she could have it all if only she could break free from the job she hates. That job? Facilitator to hell. And her boss is a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1890862622
• ISBN13: 9781890862626
• Release Date: June 2009
• Publisher: Bancroft Press
• Length: 167 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 7.0" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

A Bit of Devilish Fun!

The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns - just the title, alone, provokes whirlwinds of images to twist through the mind! Once you crack open the binding of the book, that mind will be thankful and completely lost within the realm of Lucy Burns, I have no doubt. First of all, I have to admit that something happened while reading The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns, that has not happened in, literally, years - I read the entire book in one sitting. Of course it helps that I had the entire house to myself for an evening, which occurs once a year, if that. So, yes, I spent my nice quiet evening at home, alone, with none other than Lucy Burns and her delightfully sinful life. I have to say that it was a satisfying evening and left me with a smile upon my face. You may ask - just how did Lucy get wrapped up in a sinful life? Well, it all starts when her beloved older sister, Ellen, gets in a horrific car accident - she gets hit while her and Lucy are out riding bikes. While Ellen lay in a deep coma, with little hope of survival, Lucy goes home and writes a "To Whom It May Concern" letter, asking for her sister to get well again. She places her letter in a makeshift mailbox in front of their playhouse and is met with a huge surprise the next morning. Not only is her sister out of her coma and doing wonderfully, there is a letter of reply in the mailbox stating that Lucy "has a deal." It is not until years later that Lucy discovers exactly what she unknowingly agreed to - she is to take up a position as Facilitator to Hell. Her job is to escort the sinful to their rightful resting place. Now, this job has some great perks - beautiful ageless body, glamor, wishes granted and best of all - she can eat all the chocolate she wants and never gain an ounce. Sounds like heaven rather than hell, right? Well, there is one little glitch - or actually two. Lucy can never make contact with her family again and she can never develop a relationship of her own or have a "boyfriend". It seems that once Lucy "does the deed" with a guy, the sight of the guy causes her to become exceedingly ill, with lots of vomit involved. Not the greatest way to continue a relationship. So, it is with that in mind, Lucy decides that she wants out of this whole business. She has no idea how to go about it, however, until one fateful night when she gets to meet her singing idol Teddy Nightingale. It is through him that she discovers a loophole in the "contract" with the devil and decides she must do everything in her power to get out. If she succeeds, she will be able to pursue love, happiness and once again be reunited with her family. However, if she fails in her mission - she won't ever have to worry about being chilly again! The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns is tons of witty fun that will leave the reader chuckling throughout. It is also a story where the leading character is delightful and so incredibly likable. You will cheer for her, feel for her, and become quickly involved with her and her adve

Be careful what you wish for..

This book was a devilishly good fluffy read on my Kindle. It made me laugh out loud several times. Lucy Burns is a no holds barred red hot mess, and because of a "To whom it may concern" she wrote as a child she is living the life of short sighted nightmares. She's tired of her job working for the man downstairs, and she wants to make a few changes, especially since she started noticing a better life for herself (and a new guy) But getting out of "the contract from hell" is not going to be easy for Lucy, and it may cost her more than she bargained for. I was rooting for Lucy from the moment her best friend/next door neighbor conned her into hosting a Pampered Chef party that goes hilariously awry. She's as tart as a margarita while still being sweet and more than a little clueless. I liked it.

An enjoyable read!

I read this book because of the recommendation from Jane Green - one of my favorite authors - and I was not disappointed. Creative story, sympathetic main character and some laugh out loud moments. I look forward to reading more of Ms. Leiknes' books in the future!

Breezy fun read

I'm the first person to shy away from chick lit with a supernatural plotline, so I was initially hesitant to read this. Once I saw it enthusiastically recommended by Jane Green, I decided to suck it up and give it a go. All I can say is that if this book is any indication of what I've missed out on, it is completely my loss and I need to rectify that immediately. Lucy is an immensely likable character, which is surprising given her job as a facilitator to Hell. Yep, she brings bad people home and sends them to Hell. She made a deal with To Whom It May Concern as an eleven year old when her sister was badly hurt and the doctors didn't think she'd make it through the night. To Whom It May Concern heard her plea and granted her the health of her sister. She gets called upon several years later to keep up her end of the bargain. When she refuses, he shows her exactly what will happen if she reneges. Seeing the cost of her refusal, Lucy acquiesces and takes on the job. It has it's perks; she's granted a wish every birthday and is consequently a stunning, perpetually twenty nine year old woman who can eat all the chocolate she wants and never gain an ounce. But it's not all it's cracked up to be. She can't see her family, can't have a boyfriend, can't get too involved in friendships because she can't let people know about her career. The distancing of people and the fact that she can't have a child she desperately wants is taking it's toll on her, so when someone she grew up with tells of her a loophole that may just give her back her life, she jumps on the chance to do so.

An excellent rendition of the "pact with the Devil" storyline

The plot device of a main character making a pact with Satan is well worn, so if it is to be interesting, the usage must be new and very unusual. Burns pulls it off all the way through this book, although in my opinion, the ending was a bit weak. Lucy is a woman that inadvertently made a pact with the Devil when she was young in order to save her beloved sister. Since this keeps her young and attractive, Lucy was forced to move away from her family and avoid contacting them. The only communication between them is the letters her sister Ellen writes to her at a letter drop. Lucy's job is to entice major sinners to various locations so that they can be escorted off the Earth and into the hands of the fallen angel. It truly is a rotten job, while she is free to engage in sex and she was transformed into a permanently beautiful woman, love is impossible and on occasion, an innocent is inadvertently part of the entrapment. When Lucy meets a blind English professor, they hit it off and she realizes that she must get out of the life of servility. Obviously, this is a complex task and one component is that she must find a replacement; her choice is just one amusing aspect of the novel as Lucy reaches into the thrill of the tabloids. Outside of a somewhat predictable ending, this book is an excellent rendition of the "evil pact" storyline, you feel for Lucy, who manages to maintain her fundamental decency in an indecent situation. The writing is excellent, witty and entertaining.