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2012: #26 – Explosive Eighteen (Janet Evanovich)

1 comment By Jaime Filed in action/adventure, bounty hunters, comedy, featured reviews, romantic adventure; Tagged with , ; July 23rd, 2012

Title: Explosive Eighteen
Author: Janet Evanovich
Series: Stephanie Plum #18
Format: Kindle
Pages:  352 (2012 total – 6,537)
Approx. Word Count: 88,000 (2012 total – 1,814,214)
Release Date: May 15, 2012
Publisher: Bantam
Categories: humor, romantic adventure
Source: personal copy
Rating: 3 out of 5

Back of the book:

Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum’s life is set to blow sky high when international murder hits dangerously close to home, in this dynamite novel by Janet Evanovich.
 
Before Stephanie can even step foot off Flight 127 Hawaii to Newark, she’s knee deep in trouble. Her dream vacation turned into a nightmare, and she’s flying back to New Jersey solo. Worse still, her seatmate never returned to the plane after the L.A. layover. Now he’s dead, in a garbage can, waiting for curbside pickup. His killer could be anyone. And a ragtag collection of thugs and psychos, not to mention the FBI, are all looking for a photograph the dead man was supposed to be carrying.
 
Only one other person has seen the missing photo—Stephanie Plum. Now she’s the target, and she doesn’t intend to end up in a garbage can. With the help of an FBI sketch artist Stephanie re-creates the person in the photo. Unfortunately the first sketch turns out to look like Tom Cruise, and the second sketch like Ashton Kutcher. Until Stephanie can improve her descriptive skills, she’ll need to watch her back.
 
Over at the bail bonds agency things are going from bad to worse. The bonds bus serving as Vinnie’s temporary HQ goes up in smoke. Stephanie’s wheelman, Lula, falls in love with their largest skip yet. Lifetime arch nemesis Joyce Barnhardt moves into Stephanie’s apartment. And everyone wants to know what happened in Hawaii?

Morelli, Trenton’s hottest cop, isn’t talking about Hawaii. Ranger, the man of mystery, isn’t talking about Hawaii.  And all Stephanie is willing to say about her Hawaiian vacation is . . . It’s complicated.

My thoughts:

After a string of 4 or 5 lackluster books, I feel like Evanovich has managed to breathe at least a little bit of new life into this stale series. Some things haven’t changed – Stephanie’s still not the greatest bounty hunter, has horrible luck with cars, and can’t make up her mind about either Morelli OR Ranger. Though after her disastrous Hawaiian vacation, she’s not particularly anxious to be face-to-face with either of them.

Stephanie actually does a fairly good job of fending for herself in this one, fighting off fake FBI agents and apartment intruders with no outside help. Unfortunately, this also meant we didn’t see nearly enough of either guy. And I could do with a little bit less Lula. She’s actually managed to become a caricature of herself, all tight clothes and buckets of chicken.

As for the mystery of what’s in the photo, I found that part of the plot more than a little implausible. It felt like Evanovich was making a jump into technology that she really wasn’t prepared for.

I think it’s going to take a lot to get this series back to where it was at its peak, but this one was entertaining enough to keep me reading until the end. But maybe Stephanie can find some personal growth in the next one?

Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | WorldCat

Other reviews:

  • “I am getting off the crazy train. If I want to read cars getting blown up, her sneaky snarkness, and some hot glimpses of two actual men…I’ll read the early plum books.” – Badass Book Reviews
  • “This is the worst Stephanie Plum yet; I’m so disappointed.” — Peppermint Ph.D.
  • “If you’re looking for an entertaining read filled with mishaps, explosions/fires, funerals, mysterious people turning up in Stephanie’s apartment and Stephanie stuck between her love for two men this would be your read.” — Mrs Q: Book Addict

Past reviews:

2011: Heads You Lose (Lisa Lutz & David Hayward)
2010: What Do We Do Now? (Keith Malley & Chemda)
2009: Soul Catcher (Michael C. White)
2008: Twilight (Stephenie Meyer)
2007: Full House (Janet Evanovich)
2006: Judgement in Death (J.D. Robb)
2005: The Sigma Protocol (Robert Ludlum)

2011: #68 – Thanksgiving (Janet Evanovich)

1 comment By Jaime Filed in featured reviews, romance; Tagged with ; December 12th, 2011

thanksgivingBook #68 was Thanksgiving (paperback, kindle, audio) by Janet Evanovich. The back of the book reads:

When Megan Murphy discovered a floppy-eared rabbit gnawing on the hem of her skirt, she meant to give its careless owner a piece of her mind, but Dr. Patrick Hunter was too attractive to stay mad at for long. Soon the two are making Thanksgiving dinner for their families.

I seem to be into theme reading this year, since I picked this up shortly before Thanksgiving. It is your typical Evanovich screwball romance, so it’s hard to find anything wrong with it. Both the male and female lead are more cute than sexy, making them perfectly suited for each other. This is not quite as hot as some of Evanovich’s romances, but there’s still a little bit of steam. And Megan goes a little bit nutsy at one point, but it all works out okay in the end. This is good quick read for a cold night when you want to feel like you’ve accomplished something.

Other reviews:

Long and Short Romance Reviews: Review: Thanksgiving
not enough books: Thanksgiving by Janet Evanovich

Page count: 256 (’11 total: 18,899) | Approximate word count: 64,000 (’11 total: 6,750,307)

2010: Flirt (Laurell K. Hamilton)
2009: Skin Trade (Laurell K. Hamilton)
2008: Dead Witness (Joylene Nowell Butler)
2007: Plum Island (Nelson DeMille)
2006: Letters From An Age of Reason (Nora Hague)
2005: Therapy (Jonathan Kellerman)

2011: #54 – Motor Mouth (Janet Evanovich)

1 comment By Jaime Filed in action/adventure, comedy, featured reviews, romantic adventure; Tagged with , ; September 11th, 2011

motormouthBook #54 was Motor Mouth, the second book in Janet Evanovich’s Alex Barnaby series. The back of the book reads:

Miami is still freakin’ humid. The nights are even hotter. And there’s a body on ice. And that’s just the beginning of this adrenaline-rush of a hot-wired ride from phenomenal number one New York Times bestselling author Janet Evanovich.

A woman with a taste for speed and a talent for breaking the rules, Barney also knows a little too much about cheating. First there was Hooker and that salesclerk. Now she’s convinced one of the competitors is up to no good on the track. Snooping to find evidence, Hooker and Barney "borrow" a NASCAR hauler. Turns out, the hauler is carrying two race cars and a dead guy. It looks like Barney and Hooker are facing multiple counts of grand theft auto and homicide.

So buckle up as Barney, Hooker, a 150-pound bundle of Saint Bernard love named Beans, and the Super Cigar Ladies Felicia and Rosa shift into gear on a wild race around South Florida and Concord, North Carolina.

Everything you always wanted to know about righteous indignation, stealing an eighteen-wheeler, and sex in the fast lane.

This is an entertaining read, but it doesn’t go very deep. Barney and Hooker make one bad decision, and it leads them into a whole mess of trouble. The NASCAR details are interesting, and the fast pace makes for a nice diversion, but there’s nothing here we haven’t seen before.

Other reviews:

Book Review: Motor Mouth by Janet Evanovich – My Years of Reading Seriously
Motor Mouth by Janet Evanovich (Mystery Book Review)
Book Review: Motor Mouth by Janet Evanovich
BookLoons Reviews – Motor Mouth by Janet Evanovich
Between the Covers: Book Review: Motor Mouth by Janet Evanovich

Page count: 384 (’11 total: 14,686) | Approximate word count: 96,000 (’11 total: 5,273,870)

2010: Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint (Nancy Kress)
2009: The Black Tower (Louis Bayard)
2008: Plum Lucky (Janet Evanovich)
2007: Grave Peril (Jim Butcher)
2006: Twelve Sharp (Janet Evanovich)
2005: Hot Six (Janet Evanovich)

Used in these Challenges: Countdown Challenge 2011; Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge 2011;

2011: #52 – Smokin' Seventeen (Janet Evanovich)

3 comments By Jaime Filed in action/adventure, bounty hunters, comedy, featured reviews, romantic adventure; Tagged with , ; September 7th, 2011

seventeenBook #52 was Smokin’ Seventeen, the seventeenth book in Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series. The back of the book reads:

Where there’s smoke there’s fire, and no one knows this better than New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum.

Dead bodies are showing up in shallow graves on the empty construction lot of Vincent Plum Bail Bonds. No one is sure who the killer is, or why the victims have been offed, but what is clear is that Stephanie’s name is on the killer’s list.

Short on time to find evidence proving the killer’s identity, Stephanie faces further complications when her family and friends decide that it’s time for her to choose between her longtime off-again-on-again boyfriend, Trenton cop Joe Morelli, and the bad boy in her life, security expert Ranger. Stephanie’s mom is encouraging Stephanie to dump them both and choose a former high school football star who’s just returned to town. Stephanie’s sidekick, Lula, is encouraging Stephanie to have a red-hot boudoir “bake-off.” And Grandma Bella, Morelli’s old-world grandmother, is encouraging Stephanie to move to a new state when she puts “the eye” on Stephanie.

With a cold-blooded killer after her, a handful of hot men, and a capture list that includes a dancing bear and a senior citizen vampire, Stephanie’s life looks like it’s about to go up in smoke.

This had everything you expect from a Stephanie Plum novel: a couple of wacky captures, a destroyed car or two, Grandma terrorizing the funeral home, lots of Lulu, and some hot lovin’ between Stephanie and Morelli (or Ranger) (or both). Unfortunately, I really think it’s time to either shake up the formula a bit or to shut down the series completely.

Stephanie does a few things that are out of character when it comes to her love life, but I’m starting to wonder if the triangle (and I use that term loosely, since it’s mostly all talk no action with Ranger) will ever be resolved.

And while the serial killer storyline was vaguely interesting, it was also as transparent as a window. By the time the second body showed up, I knew who the killer was.

I suppose I’ll continue reading the series, but my excitement for it is waning.

Other reviews:

The Brazen Bookworm: Book Review: Smokin’ Seventeen by Janet Evanovich
Reflections of a Bookaholic: Review: Smokin’ Seventeen
Review: Smokin’ Seventeen {Stephanie Plum #17} by Janet Evanovich
Review: Smokin’ Seventeen « Bermudaonion’s Weblog
Duffbert’s Random Musings :: Book Review – Smokin’ Seventeen by Janet Evanovich

Page count: 320 (’11 total: 14,078) | Approximate word count: 80,000 (’11 total: 5,121,870)

2010: Pay Dirt (Rita Mae Brown)
2009: Sunny Chandler’s Return (Sandra Brown)
2008: Sharp Teeth (Toby Barlow)
2007: The Apprentice (Tess Gerritsen)
2006: The Winds of War (Herman Wouk)
2005: Four to Score (Janet Evanovich)

Used in these Challenges: 2011 E-book Reading Challenge; Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge 2011;

2010: #90 – Sizzling Sixteen (Janet Evanovich)

3 comments By Jaime Filed in bounty hunters, comedy, featured reviews; Tagged with ; November 15th, 2010

sixteenBook #90 was Sizzling Sixteen, the sixteenth book in Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series.  The back of the book reads:

Trenton, New Jersey, bounty hunter Stephanie Plum has inherited a “lucky” bottle from her Uncle Pip. Problem is, Uncle Pip didn’t specify if the bottle brought good luck or bad luck. . . .

BAD LUCK:

Vinnie, of Vincent Plum Bail Bonds, has run up a gambling debt of $786,000 with mobster Bobby Sunflower and is being held until the cash can be produced. Nobody else will pay to get Vinnie back, leaving it up to Stephanie, office manager Connie, and file clerk Lula to raise the money if they want to save their jobs.

GOOD LUCK:

Being in the business of tracking down people, Stephanie, Lula, and Connie have an advantage in finding Vinnie. If they can rescue him, it will buy them some time to raise the cash.

BAD LUCK:

Finding a safe place to hide Vinnie turns out to be harder than raising $786,000. Vinnie’s messing up Mooner’s vibe, running up pay-per-view porn charges in Ranger’s apartment, and making Stephanie question genetics.

GOOD LUCK:

Between a bonds office yard sale that has the entire Burg turning out, Mooner’s Hobbit-Con charity event, and Uncle Pip’s lucky bottle, they just might raise enough money to save the business, and Vinnie, from ruin.

BAD LUCK:

Saving Vincent Plum Bail Bonds means Stephanie can keep being a bounty hunter. In Trenton, this involves hunting down a man wanted for polygamy, a turnpike toilet paper bandit, and a drug dealer with a pet alligator named Mr. Jingles.

GOOD LUCK:

The job of bounty hunter comes with perks in the guise of Trenton’s hottest cop, Joe Morelli, and the dark and dangerous security expert, Ranger. With any luck at all, Uncle Pip’s lucky bottle will have Stephanie getting lucky—the only question is . . . with whom?

Unfortunately, this series is losing its luster with me. Beyond a few laughs, I was kinda bored with this.  It’s really just the same ole, same ole, and I’m ready for Stephanie to grow more as a character.  And while the Stephanie/Morelli/Ranger triangle has the potential to add a little spice to any book, Stephanie and Morelli’s on-again-off-again thing is getting tiresome. Though maybe a little more Morelli and Ranger would have helped this book — they were both missing for large parts of it.  Really, Morelli is hardly in it at all. Things are really up in the air at the end of this book, so maybe my dreams will come true and Stephanie will find a new way to get into trouble.

Other reviews:

A Book Blogger’s Diary: Review – Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich
Book Series Reviews: Sizzling Sixteen (Stephanie Plum) by Janet Evanovich
MariReads: Book Review: Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich
YABOOKNERD: Mysterious Saturday Review: Sizzling Sixteen
Book Review: Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich – I’d So Rather Be Reading

Page count: 320 | Approximate word count: 80,000

2009: Jar City (Arnaldur Indridason)
2008: Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder (Joanne Fluke)
2007: Sacred and Profane (Faye Kellerman)
2006: A Certain Justice (John Lescroart)

Used in these Challenges: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; E-book Reading Challenge; Pages Read Challenge Season 2;

2010: #73 – Metro Girl (Janet Evanovich)

2 comments By Jaime Filed in comedy, featured reviews; Tagged with ; September 2nd, 2010

metrogirl Book #73 was Metro Girl, the first book in Janet Evanovich’s Alexandra Barnaby series.  The back of the book reads:

Alexandra (Barney) Barnaby roars onto the Miami Beach scene in hot pursuit of her missing baby brother, "Wild" Bill. Leave it to the maverick of the family to get Barney involved with high-speed car chases, a search for sunken treasure, and Sam Hooker, a NASCAR driver who’s good at revving a woman’s engine.

Engaged in a deadly race, Bill has "borrowed" Hooker’s sixty-five-foot Hatteras and sailed off into the sunset…just when Hooker has plans for the boat. Hooker figures he’ll attach himself to Barney and maybe run into scumbag Bill. And better yet, maybe he’ll get lucky in love with Bill’s sweetie pie sister.

The pedal will have to go to metal if Barney and Hooker want to be the first to cross the finish line, save Bill, Hooker’s boat…and maybe the world.

This was sort of "Stephanie Plum-lite", right down to the tomboyish main character (Barney), obviously forward love interest ("Nascar Guy" Sam), and crazy sidekicks (gay best friend and Cuban cigar rollers). And I think that’s why I didn’t love it. While you expect a certain voice and style in a Janet Evanovich book, this was a little too copycat for my tastes. Though I confess that I did like Sam, who was what you would get if Ranger and Morelli had a baby. I’ll probably read the second one if I feel like something light I can read in a day, but it won’t be something I’ll rush to get to.

Page count: 384 | Approximate word count: 96,000

2009: Naamah’s Kiss (Jacqueline Carey)
2008: Undead and Unwed (MaryJanice Davidson)
2007: Something From the Nightside (Simon R. Green)
2006: The Penultimate Peril (Lemony Snicket)
2005: Cause of Death (Patricia Cornwell)

Used in these Challenges: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; 2010 Reading From My Shelves Project; 1st in a Series Challenge; Pages Read Challenge Season 2;

2010: #51 – Back to the Bedroom (Janet Evanovich)

1 comment By Jaime Filed in featured reviews, romance; Tagged with ; June 3rd, 2010

backbedroom Book #51 was Back to the Bedroom by Janet Evanovich.  The back of the book reads:

Dear Reader:

In a previous life, before the time of Plum, I wrote twelve short romance novels. Red-hot screwball comedies, each and every one of them. Nine of these stories were originally published by the Loveswept line between the years 1988 and 1992. All immediately went out of print and could be found only at used bookstores and yard sales.

I’m excited to tell you that those nine stories are now being re-released by HarperCollins. Back to the Bedroom is presented here in almost original form. I’ve done only minor editing to correct some embarrassing bloopers missed the first time around.

I lived in northern Virginia when I wrote Back to the Bedroom. My children were young, and we spent a lot of time visiting the Washington, D.C. museums and wandering through the historic neighborhoods. One day while strolling Capitol Hill I came upon two townhouses that captured my imagination. The houses were totally different — a birthday cake of a house and a bran muffin of a house, and yet they shared a common wall. I wondered about the people who lived inside the houses. And eventually the houses inspired Back to the Bedroom.

Back to the Bedroom is the story of a young woman with the soul of a birthday cake living in a bran muffin house — and a nice-looking guy with the substance of a bran muffin living in a birthday cake. They share some misadventures, some romantic moments, some misunderstandings, and ultimately they turn into wedding cake.

And for Plum fans, you’ll be interested to find that this was the first of the four romances to feature Elsie Hawkins, the prototype for Grandma Mazur.

Janet Evanovich

This was a quick, fun read. There’s no deeper meaning, no seriousness, just a couple of seemingly incompatible people with great physical chemistry who are thrown into an unbelievable situation.  This is very typical Evanovich, full of wild, over-the-top scenarios. After all, there’s nothing quite like meeting your girlfriend’s parents for the first time while there’s a drug bust going on across the street. This is a perfect book for a hot afternoon at the beach.

Page count: 272 | Approximate word count: 54,400

2009: The BFG (Roald Dahl)
2008: Heartbreaker (Julie Garwood)
2007: Darkly Dreaming Dexter (Jeff Lindsay)
2006: The Carnivorous Carnival (Lemony Snicket)
2005: Three to Get Deadly (Janet Evanovich)

Used in these Challenges: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; Contemporary Romance Reading Challenge 2010; E-book Reading Challenge; Pages Read Challenge Season 2;

2009: #106 – Full Bloom (Janet Evanovich)

1 comment By Jaime Filed in comedy, romance; Tagged with ; October 19th, 2009

fullbloom Book #106 was Full Bloom, the fifth in Janet Evanovich’s Max Holt series.  The back of the book reads:

Dear Reader,

The temperature’s on "sizzle" again in Beaumont, South Carolina, where peach trees are in season and ripe for the picking. So is its newest entrepreneur, Annie Fortenberry, who has inherited her grandmother’s B&B (and its eccentric handyman Erdle Thorney). According to a local psychic she also inherited a spirit from its glory days as a brothel-not the kind of publicity the Peach Tree Bed & Breakfast needs if it’s hosting millionaire Max Holt’s upcoming wedding! If rumors of a naughty, prank-playing ghost aren’t stressful enough, a mysterious man has arrived with an eye on Annie and her master suite. Wes Bridges is all leather and denim, sporting a two-day beard, straddling a Harley, and sending the B&B’s testosterone level through the roof. Annie’s cool demeanor may be dropping as fast as Wes’s jeans, but leave it to her missing ex-husband to dampen the passion! Turns out someone has done him in, and all evidence points to Annie! Wrapped up in a murder plot, Annie must find the killer, save her own neck, and get back to where she was-wrapped up in Wes’s strong loving arms…

We guarantee that you’re going to have as much fun reading Full Bloom as we had writing it! (Even if we were surprised by the ending!) And you won’t want to miss the hair-raising shenanigans when Fleas, the hound dog, meets the most cantankerous, snooty, bad-tempered, twenty-two pound orange cat….

Janet and Charlotte

I’ve been a fan of this series, but I have to say that I was a little disappointed to find that Jamie and Max weren’t the main characters in this adventure.  Instead, we get Annie, the owner of the B & B where their wedding is being held, her mysterious tenant, Wes, and Annie’s missing husband buried in the backyard.  It still had all the zaniness that you would expect from Evanovich, and a pretty good red herring that led to me not having a clue who the real bad guy was. There’s one book left in this series, and I’ll definitely be reading it.

Other reviews:
ReadingAdventures: Full Bloom by Janet Evanovich & Charlotte Hughes
Full Bloom << Jo’s Bookshelf

Page count: 344 | Word count: 78,427

2008: Foul Play (Janet Evanovich)
2007: Lifeguard (James Patterson)
2006: A Place Called Wiregrass (Michael Morris)

Used in these Challenges: 100+ Reading Challenge 2009; Countdown Challenge 2010;

2009: #72 – Finger Lickin' Fifteen (Janet Evanovich)

2 comments By Jaime Filed in audio, bounty hunters, comedy, featured reviews; Tagged with ; July 17th, 2009

fifteen Book #72 was Finger Lickin’ Fifteen, the fifteenth book in Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series.  The back of the book reads:

Recipe for disaster: Celebrity chef Stanley Chipotle comes to Trenton to participate in a barbecue cook-off and loses his head – literally.

Throw in some spice: Bail bonds office worker Lula is witness to the crime, and the only one she’ll talk to is Trenton cop, Joe Morelli.

Pump up the heat: Chipotle’s sponsor is offering a million-dollar reward to anyone who can provide information leading to the capture of the killers.

Stir the pot: Lula recruits bounty hunter Stephanie Plum to help her find the killers and collect the moolah.

Add a secret ingredient: Stephanie’s Grandma Mazur. Enough said.

Bring to a boil: Can Stephanie hunt down two killers, a traitor, five skips, keep her grandmother out of the sauce, solve Ranger’s problems and not jump his bones?

Warning: Habanero hot. So good you’ll want seconds.

I have to admit, I was a little surprised to find Stephanie and Morelli on the outs when this novel begins, since they’d been getting pretty cozy in the last couple of books.  However, you won’t find me complaining, because less Morelli meant more Ranger, and I’m a Ranger girl through and through.  I thought this was the best out of the last few Plum novels.  It wasn’t quite as zany as some (after all, there are no monkeys in this one), but Stephanie still manages to destroy several vehicles, get shot at a few times, have her apartment firebombed, and give Joyce Barnhardt food poisoning. Sure, she doesn’t learn much from her mistakes, but isn’t that why we like her so much?

I can’t help it, I still love this series.

Audiobook length: 6hrs 18min | Approximate word count: 77,490

2008: The Finishing School (Michele Martinez)
2007: Lean Mean Thirteen (Janet Evanovich)
2006: The Sky is Falling (Sidney Sheldon)
2005: Jacob’s Ladder (Donald McCaig)

Used in these Challenges: 100+ Reading Challenge 2009; The 999 Challenge; What’s in a Name Challenge;

2009: #43 – Full Blast (Janet Evanovich)

2 comments By Jaime Filed in comedy, ebook, featured reviews, mystery, romance; Tagged with ; April 21st, 2009

fullblast Book #43 was Full Blast, the fourth book in Janet Evanovich’s Max Holt series.  The back of the book reads:

There’s never a dull moment for the residents of Beaumont, South Carolina. Lately, a heat wave’s spiked the mercury-and everyone’s sex drive! These days, when Jamie runs into Max, it’s all she can do not to tear his clothes off-and the feeling is mutual. But trouble seems to follow Max like moths to a flame, and Jamie suspects he’s all wrong for her. Meanwhile, the lingerie shop is having a sale on edible underwear, while the bakery’s selling aphrodisiac-laced brownies and x-rated birthday cakes. Even Jamie’s dog, Fleas, is dodging passes from the amorous French poodle next door! But when someone starts bumping off some of the town’s more annoying citizens, all clues lead straight to the new personals section in Jamie’s newspaper. Pretty soon, things are getting hot and heavy, as Max and Jamie start uncovering secrets-and undressing each other…

This was another fun quick Evanovich read. The mystery here is closer to home than in the previous book, and it looks like Max and Jamie might actually be getting more serious. Not a lot of substance here, but enough fun to keep me reading!

Page count: 352 | Word count: 69,327

2008: Dark of the Moon (John Sandford)
2007: The Husband (Dean Koontz)
2006: Darksong Rising (L.E. Modesitt, Jr.)
2005: Vengeance in Death (J.D. Robb)

Used in these Challenges: 100+ Reading Challenge 2009; The 999 Challenge; Read Your Own Books Challenge;

2009: #16 – Full Speed (Janet Evanovich)

0 comments By Jaime Filed in audio, comedy, featured reviews, general fiction; Tagged with ; February 5th, 2009

fullspeed Book #16 was Full Speed, the 3rd book in Janet Evanovich’s Max Holt series.  The back of the book reads:

Dear Reader,

Welcome to the world of Jamie Swift and Max Holt! My good friend Charlotte Hughes and I have teamed up to create a series of books featuring these two characters and they’ve taken on a life of their own! These books are not set in the same world as my Stephanie Plum novels, but what they have in common is lovable, dysfunctional characters, villains you love to hate, and a cross-eyed way of looking at life. Jamie and Max have intense chemistry-even though they drive each other crazy. Max thinks Jamie is a magnet for trouble and Jamie thinks Max is the most annoyingly sexy, mysterious man she’s ever met. She knows she should stay away from him. But boy, oh boy, do the sparks fly when they get together. Jamie is a newspaper owner from a small southern town. And in Full Speed, she’s after the story of a lifetime. Max Holt is right in the middle of that story, and so Jamie tracks down the millionaire playboy, forcing him to take her on as partner. What follows is a story of a corrupt minister, a gang of mobsters on the loose, a hound dog called Fleas, a wise-cracking computer genius, and lots of love in the fast lane. Not to mention plenty of steamy action between Jamie and Max.

So have fun with Full Speed. We’re going to sign off now and get back to creating more romantic adventures between Jamie Swift and Max Holt. Enjoy and happy reading!

Janet and Charlotte

Full Speed picks up almost exactly where Full Tilt leaves off, with Max and Jamie headed out of South Carolina and into Tennessee in search of the mysterious Reverend Harlan Rawlins.  The Reverend appears to want Max dead, and he and Jamie want to know why. This book had all of the madcap zaniness you’ve come to expect from a book with “Evanovich” on the cover, but this one wasn’t as good as the past two.  I felt like a lot of the heat was missing between Max and Jamie.  Hopefully they’ll find it again in the next book? I did enjoy the truck-lovin’, country-western-hatin’ hound dog, Fleas, and hope we see more of him in the future.

Audiobook length: 6hrs 55min | Word count: 61,083

2008: Dead Until Dark (Charlaine Harris)
2007: Flowers in the Attic (V.C. Andrews)
2006: Blue Moon (Laurell K. Hamilton)
2005: The Austere Academy (Lemony Snicket)

Used in these Challenges: 100+ Reading Challenge 2009; 2009 Audiobook Challenge; The 999 Challenge;

2009: #7 – Plum Spooky (Janet Evanovich)

3 comments By Jaime Filed in audio, bounty hunters, comedy, featured reviews; Tagged with ; January 23rd, 2009

plumspooky Book #7 was Plum Spooky, a “Between-the-Numbers” book in Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series.  The back of the book reads:

Turn on all the lights and check under your bed. Things are about to get spooky in Trenton, New Jersey. According to legend, the Jersey Devil prowls the Pine Barrens and soars above the treetops in the dark of night. As eerie as this might seem, there are things in the Barrens that are even more frightening and dangerous. And there are monkeys. Lots of monkeys. Wulf Grimoire is a world wanderer and an opportunist who can kill without remorse and disappear like smoke. He’s chosen Martin Munch, boy genius, as his new business partner, and he’s chosen the Barrens as his new playground. Munch received his doctorate degree in quantum physics when he was twenty-two. He’s now twenty-four, and while his brain is large, his body hasn’t made it out of the boys’ department at Macy’s. Anyone who says good things come in small packages hasn’t met Munch. Wulf Grimoire is looking for world domination. Martin Munch would be happy if he could just get a woman naked and tied to a tree. Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum has Munch on her most-wanted list for failure to appear in court. Plum is the all-American girl stuck in an uncomfortable job, succeeding on luck and tenacity. Usually she gets her man. This time she gets a monkey. She also gets a big guy named Diesel.  Diesel pops in and out of Plum’s life like birthday cake – delicious to look at and taste, not especially healthy as a steady diet, gone by the end of the week if not sooner. He’s an über bounty hunter with special skills when it comes to tracking men and pleasing women. He’s after Grimoire, and now he’s also after Munch. And if truth were told, he wouldn’t mind setting Stephanie Plum in his crosshairs. Diesel and Plum hunt down Munch and Grimoire, following them into the Barrens, surviving cranberry bogs, the Jersey Devil, a hair-raising experience, sand in their underwear, and, of course . . . monkeys.

This was the first full-length Between-the-Numbers book, and I think it was by far the best.  Unlike the usual Plum novels, here you have the addition of Diesel and his strange abilities, which makes for a different sort of adventure for Stephanie.  However, along the way are all your favorites — Morelli, Ranger (though it could have used more Ranger), Lula, Grandma, stubborn bail jumpers, and wrecked vehicles.  Oh, and Elmer the fire farter. I’ll say no more about him.  And let’s not forget about Carl the monkey, who was a much more pleasant addition than I expected. The scientific plot here is a little more confusing than the usual Plum mystery, but I really enjoyed this listen.

Audiobook Length: 6hr 28m | Approximate word count: 77,490

2008: Gone (Lisa Gardner)
2007: The Dark Tower (Stephen King)
2006: Whiteout (Ken Follett)
2005: Twisted (Jonathan Kellerman)

Used in these Challenges: The Naming Conventions Challenge; The Countdown Challenge; 100+ Reading Challenge 2009; 2009 Audiobook Challenge; 2009 Pub Challenge;  The 999 Challenge; A-Z 2009 Challenge;

2008: #106 – Foul Play (Janet Evanovich)

1 comment By Jaime Filed in audio, featured reviews, romance; Tagged with ; December 20th, 2008

foulplay Book #106 was Foul Play by Janet Evanovich.  The back of the book reads:

When Amy Klasse loses her TV job to a dancing chicken, handsome veterinarian Jake Elliott rescues her with an offer to be his receptionist. Jake just can’t resist a damsel in distress, and Amy certainly doesn’t mind Jake’s charming sincerity.
Then suddenly the job-stealing chicken disappears and Amy is suspected of foul play. Amy and Jake search for clues to prove her innocence. But will Jake be able to prove to Amy that love, too, is a mystery worth solving?

This was just a quick listen (only 4 discs), but it was a cute little romance story, peppered with the quirky humor that Evanovich does so well in her Stephanie Plum series.  It falls apart a little at the end, in an “okay, it’s time to wrap this up!” sort of way, but it made me smile as I was listening.

Page count: 256 | Approximate word count: 64,000

2007: Lifeguard (James Patterson)
2006: A Place Called Wiregrass (Michael Morris)

2008: #61 – Full Tilt (Janet Evanovich)

3 comments By Jaime Filed in audio, comedy, general fiction; Tagged with ; July 17th, 2008

13737842 Book #61 was Full Tilt, the second book in Janet Evanovich’s Max Holt series.  The back of the book reads:

He lives life in the fast lane and she’s along for the ride-with no brakes….

Jamie Swift has one priority in quiet Beaumont, South Carolina: running the local newspaper. Romance runs second. But with the arrival of her silent partner, the notoriously mysterious and sexy Maximillian Holt, Jamie’s life gets shaken up. Max claims he’s here to give his brother-in-law a vote of confidence. A former wrestler, Frankie Fontana’s now taking his shots in the political ring. Beaumont could use a mayor with scruples, but what it gets is a crime-and what Jamie gets is a story that’s taking her for a ride on the wild side, complete with two assassins, a washed-up stripper, and an insane poacher. Between a spray of bullets and a fast getaway could it get any more romantic-or dangerous? Max and Jamie are betting their lives on a long shot.

I thought this was a great read (and listen).  If there’s one thing Janet Evanovich has a knack for, it’s colorful, interesting characters, and there’s no shortage of them here. From Frankie the ex-wrestler to the gun-toting Vera to Deedee’s personal assistant Beenie, they’re all here to entertain you.  I recently watched the first two seasons of Eureka, and Muffin could be Sarah’s sister (and I’m sorry that you won’t get this unless you’ve seen the show, but Sarah’s a house). It’s not clear for quite a while why exactly someone might be gunning for Frankie, but it doesn’t really matter.  The mystery is secondary to the interaction between Max and Jamie.

I really liked the open-ended ending.  Who is this mysterious preacher?  What is his problem with Max?  And will Max ever get into Jamie’s pants?  Another lighthearted, fun read from Ms. Evanovich.

Page count: 352 | Word count: 72,716

2007: The Color of Magic (Terry Pratchett)
2006: City of Bones (Michael Connelly)
2005: J is for Judgment (Sue Grafton)

2008: #57 – Fearless Fourteen (Janet Evanovich)

2 comments By Jaime Filed in audio, bounty hunters, comedy; Tagged with ; June 29th, 2008

26679113 Book #57 was Fearless Fourteen, the fourteenth book in Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series.  The back of the book reads:

Personal vendettas, hidden treasure, and a monkey named Carl will send bounty hunter Stephanie Plum on her most explosive adventure yet.

The Crime: Armed robbery to the tune of nine million dollars

Dom Rizzi robbed a bank, stashed the money, and did the time. His family couldn’t be more proud. He always was the smart one.

The Cousin: Joe Morelli

Joe Morelli, Dom Rizzi, and Dom’s sister, Loretta, are cousins. Morelli is a cop, Rizzi robs banks, and Loretta is a single mother waiting tables at the firehouse. The all-American family.

The Complications: Murder, kidnapping, destruction of personal property, and acid reflux

Less than a week after Dom’s release from prison, Joe Morelli has shadowy figures breaking into his house and dying in his basement. He’s getting threatening messages, Loretta is kidnapped, and Dom is missing.

The Catastrophe: Moonman

Morelli hires Walter “Mooner” Dunphy, stoner and “inventor” turned crime fighter, to protect his house. Morelli can’t afford a lot on a cop’s salary, and Mooner will work for potatoes.

The Cupcake: Stephanie Plum

Stephanie and Morelli have a long-standing relationship that involves sex, affection, and driving each other nuts. She’s a bond enforcement agent with more luck than talent, and she’s involved in this bank-robbery-gone-bad disaster from day one.

The Crisis: A favor for Ranger

Security expert Carlos Manoso, street name Ranger, has a job for Stephanie that will involve night work. Morelli has his own ideas regarding Stephanie’s evening activities.

The Conclusion: Only the fearless should read Fourteen.

Thrills, chills, and incontinence may result.

I think this is the best installment in the series out since it hit 10 or so. Really solid and entertaining. The cast of secondary characters in this one is exceptional, from Brenda to Moonman. Lula is in stellar form as she plans for a wedding. Grandma Mazur gets a new hobby. And Stephanie and Morelli seem to be moving further down Commitment Road — poor Ranger! Overall, I loved it. Also, this is the first of the numbered books I’ve listened to on audio, and I believe that will be my preferred method of "reading" these in the future… great audio production!

Page count: 320 | Approximate word count: 77,490

2007: Windmills of the Gods (Sidney Sheldon)
2006: The Weatherman (Steve Thayer)
2005: To the Nines (Janet Evanovich)

2008: #54 – Plum Lucky (Janet Evanovich)

1 comment By Jaime Filed in audio, bounty hunters, caper; Tagged with ; June 21st, 2008

24460506 Book #54 was Plum Lucky, a Between-the-Numbers book in Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series.  The back of the book reads:

Looking to get lucky?

Stephanie Plum is back between-the-numbers and she’s looking to get lucky in an Atlantic City hotel room, in a Winnebago, and with a brown-eyed stud who has stolen her heart.

Stephanie Plum has a way of attracting danger, lunatics, oddballs, bad luck . . . and mystery men. And no one is more mysterious than the unmentionable Diesel. He’s back and hot on the trail of a little man in green pants who’s lost a giant bag of money. Problem is, the money isn’t exactly lost.

Stephanie’s Grandma Mazur has found it, and like any good Jersey senior citizen, she’s hightailed it in a Winnebago to Atlantic City and hit the slots. With Lula and Connie in tow, Stephanie attempts to bring Grandma home, but the luck of the Irish is rubbing off on everyone: Lula’s found a job modeling plus-size lingerie. Connie’s found a guy. Diesel’s found Stephanie. And Stephanie has found herself in over her head with a caper involving thrice-stolen money, a racehorse, a car chase, and a bad case of hives.

Plum Lucky is an all-you-can-eat buffet of thrills, chills, shrimp cocktail, plus-size underwear, and scorching hot men. It’s a between-the-numbers treat no Evanovich fan will want to miss!

It was time to pick up this book (or rather, load it on to my mp3 player) because I was anxiously awaiting the arrival of Fearless Fourteen and didn’t want to skip a book! In this “Between the Numbers” book, Grandma Mazur manages to get herself kidnapped and Stephanie needs to get her back with the help of Diesel, Lula, Connie, and a few more of Trenton’s wacky characters. Oh, and Doug the horse.

What I like most about these books is the blatant absurdity. Everything is just a touch over-the-top, and that’s what really makes this series. Stephanie just can’t help the crazy things that happen to her, and as time goes on she accepts it just a little bit more. It could have used a little more Ranger, but couldn’t *every* book use a little more Ranger? It’s no great work of literature, but I was thoroughly entertained, and that’s all that matters.

Page count: 176 | Approximate word count: 44,000

2007: Grave Peril (Jim Butcher)
2006: Twelve Sharp (Janet Evanovich)
2005: Hot Six (Janet Evanovich)

2007: #72 – Lean Mean Thirteen (Janet Evanovich)

0 comments By Jaime Filed in comedy, general fiction; Tagged with ; July 2nd, 2007

Book #72 was Lean Mean Thirteen, the 13th book in Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series. The back of the book reads:

From coast to coast and around the world, Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum novels continue to make bestselling history each summer. Her legions of fans catapult her books to the top of every list, from the New York Times, to USA Today; from the Wall Street Journal, to Entertainment Weekly, and Publishers Weekly. In the thirteenth book in the series, the stakes are raised even higher as Stephanie Plum finds herself in her most dangerous, hilarious and hottest chase yet. With her loveably offbeat family along for the ride (as well as a few new faces), there’s no doubt that the Stephanie Plum novels put the “fun” in dysfunctional, and it’s clear to see why they’re called “Hot Stuff” by the New York Times and why Evanovich herself is called “the master.”

I’ve heard some complaints about this installment, but I don’t ask for much in a Stephanie Plum novel. All I want is some wacky hijinx, crazy FTAs, at least one destroyed vehicle, and Ranger acting strong, silent and sexy. A star for each from me!

Page count: 310 | Approximate word count: 72,052

2006 – The Sky is Falling (Sidney Sheldon)
2005 – Jacob’s Ladder (Donald McCaig)

2007: #46 – Manhunt (Janet Evanovich)

0 comments By Jaime Filed in audio, romance; Tagged with ; May 5th, 2007

Book #46 was Manhunt by Janet Evanovich. The back of the book reads:

A woman with a talent for numbers, Alexandra Scott wanted to escape the rat race and go someplace where the men outnumber the women. Trading in her Wall Street job and fancy condo for a rundown cabin in the woods. She’s now Alaskan Wilderness Woman. It isn’t long before she finds exactly what she’s looking for: one sexy pilot named Michael Casey. But this confirmed bachelor has no intentions of getting caught in any woman’s crosshairs—especially a hunter as appealing as Alex. It’ll take skill, determination, and a little romantic persuasion for this big-game hunter to bag her prey.

First off, Alex is a dingbat (and not like Stephanie Plum, who seems like a dingbat but is actually pretty smart). And the resolution is a little abrupt. But, the tension is good, the story is cute, and it made me laugh out loud more than once, so I give it a thumbs up.

Page count: 256 | Approximate word count: 41,939

2007: #40 – Plum Lovin' (Janet Evanovich)

1 comment By Jaime Filed in comedy, general fiction; Tagged with ; April 12th, 2007

Book #40 was Plum Lovin’, a between-the-numbers book in Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series. The back of the book reads:

Watch your back Look both ways Because love is in the air And that means big trouble! Mysterious men have a way of showing up in Stephanie Plum’s apartment. When the shadowy Diesel appears, he has a task for Stephanie — and he’s not taking no for an answer. Annie Hart is a “relationship expert” who is wanted for armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. Stephanie needs to find her, fast. Diesel knows where she is. So they make a deal: He’ll help her get Annie if Stephanie plays matchmaker to several of Annie’s most difficult clients. But someone wants to find Annie even more than Diesel and Stephanie. Someone with a nasty temper. And someone with “unmentionable” skills. Does Diesel know more that he’s saying about Annie Hart? Does Diesel have secrets he’s keeping from Stephanie and the two men in her life — Ranger and Morelli? With Stephanie Plum in over her head, things are sure to get a little dicey and a little explosive, Jersey style!

This was a fun little interlude in the Plum series. I think Stephanie has a new side-job! Could have used a little more Ranger, though…

As a side note, I’d been reading Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra for a week, and finally had to put it down. I’d only made it 150 pages in, and it was starting to feel like a chore. That’s usually my cue to put it away.

Page count: 164 | Approximate word count: 30,111

2007: #26 – Full House (Janet Evanovich)

1 comment By Jaime Filed in comedy, romance; Tagged with ; March 2nd, 2007

Book #26 was Full House, the first book in Janet Evanovich’s Full series. The back of the book reads:

Filled with Evanovich’s trademark style and wit, Full House is romantic suspense with a twist….Her life was pleasant, proper, and predictable– until he showed up and trouble moved in….Polo instructor Nicholas Kaharchek senses danger the minute he sees Billie Pearce. She represents everything he’s so artfully avoided. Happy in her home life, a divorced mother of two, Billie is the epitome of stability. They have nothing in common.To his horror, Nick is fascinated– and irresistibly attracted. When Billie generously offers to share her home with Nick’s crazy cousin Deedee for a while, Nick finds himself visiting– often. And while each is slowly seduced by the other’s charms, and both are wildly encouraged by devious Deedee, Billie and Nick find out that what they have in common is most important of all. But neither one knows that danger is lurking where they least expect it and a killer is closing in on them.

I enjoyed this! I expected the suddenness of the relationship between Billie and Nick to become really implausible, but strangely, it worked. I pretty much had the bad guy figured out by the end, but that doesn’t bother me in a book like this — it’s really not about the mystery.

I don’t think this series has the same charm as the Stephanie Plum series, but I think it should stand well on its own!

Page count: 334 | Word count: 80,935 | Filed in:

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