Valentine's Cafe: A Summary
The higher powers send the God of Love, Victor Valentine, to what appears to him a frozen northern wasteland. His mission: spread the love.
Valentine's strategy is to open a restaurant. The food and wine, the various potions at Valentine's disposal, the music, the waiters — all of it is directed at inspiring libidinous feeling among the clientele. Valentine's partner in scheming is his chef, the towering and volcanic beauty, Elevana Natasha Demidova. Nats. Together they succeed altogether too well in turning the cafe into a wildly popular destination.
Inevitably, the God of Love and the former Russian Mafia moll launch a tempestuous relationship of their own. Betrayal isn't far behind. But by then, love trouble is just one of Valentine's problems. The minister across the street is eyeing Valentine's Cafe as part of a land parcel for a mega-church. Picketers are on the sidewalk, the city councilman is aligned against him, and even the Governor has reason to help bring Valentine down.
The conclusion is a showdown between Valentine, Nats and her immigrant mobster pals, the councilman, the governor and half the neighborhood, all within the richly appointed confines of Valentine's Cafe. In this novel, if not in life itself, everyone gets approximately what they deserve.
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