Life coach Elle Sheffield is better at fixing her clients' lives than her own, but she was hanging in there, until her trusty Mr. Bunny vibrator dies. You wouldn't think that would be the end of the world, but it's just the start of a chain of events that leads her to making a deal with the devil... or her high school nemesis Leah, which is close enough. See, Leah knows someone who knows someone, and promises she can get Elle's fledgling business a profile in the Times, which would translate to more clients, more money, and quite possibly, solvency for Elle.

Complicating matters is Harvey, Leah's ex-husband and father of her daughter. Leah wants Harvey back. Harvey wants Elle. But Elle needs to stay on Leah's good side to get the profile.

Rounding out the story is Elle's eclectic group of clients: the submissive housewife, the abrasive 20-something, the widow who's just beginning to date again.

There are a lot of very amusing scenes, as well as some emotionally affecting ones. Both Elle and Harvey grow and change during the book, with their romance as a result rather than a cause--always a good thing. Also excellent is that Elle is in her 40s.

I enjoyed the book very much, but it didn't quite grab me deep down. Part of that is that I didn't quite get the life coach concept--how 3 clients that Elle seems to just hang around with and give very general advice to can pay enough to support her is beyond me. I also wasn't particularly impressed with Elle's advice or insights. Instead of a career, it seemed more like a scheme to make money without actually doing anything. I enjoyed the irony of Elle trying to fix her clients' lives while her own is such a mess, but on the other hand, it felt dishonest to me.

Bottom line: I had fun with this book, but I liked it more when I didn't think about it too much. ( )