Category: Stephanie Plum

4/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, E, Fiction, RATING, Read in 2019, SERIES, Stephanie Plum

Review: Twelve Sharp by Janet Evanovich

Tara

Twelve Sharp
by Janet Evanovich

Twelve Sharp

 

Copyright: 2006

Pages: 322

Read: June 12 – 16, 2019

Rating: 4/5

Source: Goodwill

 

Blurb: While chasing down the usual cast of miscreants and weirdos, Stephanie discovers that a crazed woman is stalking her.

The woman dresses in black, carries a 9mm Glock, and has a bad attitude and a mysterious connection to dark and dangerous Carlos Manoso … street name, Ranger.

The action turns deadly serious, and Stephanie goes from hunting skips to hunting a murderer.

Ranger needs Stephanie for more reasons than he can say. And now, the two are working together to find a killer, rescue a missing child, and stop a lunatic from raising the body count. When Stephanie Plum and Ranger get too close for comfort, vice cop Joe Morelli (her on-again, off-again boyfriend) steps in. Will the ticking clock stop at the stroke of twelve … or will a stranger in the wind find a way to stop Stephanie Plum … forever?

Review: I won’t lie. These books are not much more than some brain candy – total fluff books. But they’re usually entertaining so I try and read 1 or 2 of them a year – much more than that and I burn out.

This particular installment I feel was a little better than the last few. First, Stephanie went an entire book without having her car blow up. That’s got to be the end of like an 8 book streak. And then we see Ranger having a lot more of a presence in this book. Rather than flitting in and out as he pleases he’s got quite a bit role in this book. It was interesting to see the book from his perspective, but I’m solidly in the Joe Morelli camp.

So overall an installment that didn’t necessarily leave me in stitches, but I wasn’t rolling my eyes either. Decent.

3.5/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, E, Fiction, RATING, Read in 2019, SERIES, Stephanie Plum

Review: Eleven on Top by Janet Evanovich

Tara

Eleven on Top
by Janet Evanovich

Eleven on Top

 

Copyright: 2005

Pages: 321

Read: Feb. 10 – 20, 2019

Rating: 3.5/5

Source: Goodwill

 

Blurb: Stephanie Plum is thinking her career as a fugitive apprehension agent has run its course. She’s been shot at, spat at, cussed at, fire-bombed, and attacked by dogs. Stephanie thinks it’s time for a change. So she quits. She wants something safe and normal. But the kind of trouble she had at the bail bonds office can’t compare to the kind of trouble she finds herself facing now…

Stephanie is stalked by a maniac returned from the grave for the sole purpose of putting her into a burial plot of her own. He’s killed before, and he’ll kill again if given the chance. Caught between staying far away from the bounty hunter business and staying alive, Stephanie re-examines her life and the possibility that being a bounty hunter is the solution rather than the problem. After disturbingly brief careers at the button factory, Kan Klean Dry Cleaners, and Cluck-in-a-Bucket, Stephanie takes an office position in security, working for Ranger, the sexiest, baddest bounty hunter and businessman on two continents. Tempers and temperatures rise as competition s up between the two men in her life – her on-again, off-again boyfriend, tough Trenton cop Joe Morelli, and Ranger. Can Stephanie Plum take the heat? Can you? Ranger.

Review: Stephanie Plum just can’t keep herself out of trouble. It’s rather ridiculous when a reader thinks back about how many times her car is blown up over the course of the first 11 books. Yet for some reason, it still works each and every time.

This particular installment saw Stephanie quit bounty hunting. I kind of liked the change in career. I secretly hope that she continuous on with Ranger’s company – I think it adds a new and interesting  dynamic to the series and I look forward to seeing where it goes from here.

Overall I found this particular installment to be strong, interesting and fun. It definitely makes me look forward to the 12th book!

4/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, E, Fiction, RATING, Read in 2018, SERIES, Stephanie Plum

Review: Ten Big Ones by Janet Evanovich

Tara

Ten Big Ones
by Janet Evanovich

Ten Big Ones

 

Copyright: 2004

Pages: 319

Read: Aug 22 – 27, 2018

Rating: 4/5

Source: Goodwill

 

Blurb: Swing off the Jersey Turnpike and you’ll be in bounty hunter Stephanie Plum’s neighborhood. You’ll know it because all hell will be breaking loose. Not that she looks for trouble – it just seems to follow her. In Ten Big Ones it explodes at a deli, and when Stephanie pegs a robber as a member of a vicious Trenton gang, they peg her as dead. Vice cop Joe Morelli fears she’s in way too deep – even with the help of crime-solving, cross-dressing bus driver Sally Sweet, and Stephanie’s friend Lula riding shotgun as backup. With a notorious killer on her tail, Stephanie figures the best hideout is Ranger’s secret lair…

Review: It had been about a year since the last time I had read a Stephanie Plum novel. I read quite a few of them in a relatively short time period and as a result, kind of burned out on them. So I knew I needed to take a break before I picked another one up. I’m glad that I made that decision, because I ended up really loving this book!

I cannot tell you how funny this particular installment is. I mean it was a laugh a minute!  Sure there are some roll-your-eyes moments (like when Stephanie has another car blown up…) but for the most part this one was just a really fun romp! And then there was the addition of Sally Sweet – what a hoot he is! And Ranger … the mystery of that man just oozes off the page…

Overall I’m really glad that I read this one; I really enjoyed it and it has definitely renewed my interest in this series!

3/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, E, Eve Dallas, Fiction, Mini Review, R, RATING, Read in 2017, SERIES, Stephanie Plum

Mini Reviews: Ceremony in Death & Hard Eight

Tara

ceremony-in-deathTitle: Ceremony in Death
Author: J.D. Robb
Read: Feb. 9-15, 2017
Pages: 310
Source: Paperbackswap
Rating: 3/5

Thoughts:  This is the fifth book in the In Death series. I read #4 back in the beginning of 2016. I don’t remember much about it other than that I really liked it. So I was looking forward to dipping back into this series. But this one fell flat for me. It had to deal with Wiccans and witchcraft. Which if you’re a long-time follower of mine, you know that I only sparingly dabble in anything dealing with witchcraft/magic. So my personal feelings on these types of storylines definitely affected my overall opinion of the book. But I will still continue on with the series and hopefully the sixth book will be back on track to what I prefer.

hard-eightTitle: Hard Eight
Author: Janet Evanovich
Read: Feb. 16-24, 2017
Pages: 326
Source: Paperbackswap
Rating: 3/5

Thoughts:  I picked this one up because I needed something light after reading the J.D. Robb book. I read a few of these books last year until I kind of burned out when they started to all feel the same. So I was looking forward to knocking another one of these series books out of the way. Overall it wasn’t a bad book. I will say that Albert Kloughn has to be one of the funniest characters I’ve seen in a book in a while. He definitely made the book much better. But seriously …. how many times can Stephanie’s car get blown up? At this point I can’t help but think that Ms.Evanovich needs to get some new ideas for her books – it’s no longer funny when Stephanie’s car gets blown up … it just makes me roll my eyes at this point.

4/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, E, Fiction, RATING, Read in 2016, SERIES, Stephanie Plum

Review: Seven Up by Janet Evanovich

Tara

Seven Up
by Janet Evanovich

Seven Up
Copyright: 2001

Pages: 337

Read: July 15-21, 2016

Rating: 4/5

Source: Used book store

 

 

Blurb: All New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum has to do is bring in semi-retired bail jumper Eddie DeChooch. For an old man he’s still got a knack for slipping out of sight – and raising hell. How else can Stephanie explain the bullet-riddled corpse in Eddie’s garden? Who else would have a clue as to why two of Stephanie’s friends suddenly vanished? For answers Stephanie has the devil to pay: her mentor, Ranger. The deal? He’ll give Stephanie all the help she needs – if she gives him everything he wants…

As if things weren’t complicated enough, Stephanie’s just discovered her Grandma Mazur’s own unmentionable alliance with Eddie. Add a series of unnerving break-ins, not to mention the bombshell revelation leveled by Stephanie’s estranged sister, and Stephanie’s ready for some good news. Unfortunately, a marriage proposal from Joe Morelli, the love of her life, isn’t quite cutting it. And now – murder, a randy paramour, a wily mobster, death threats, extortion, and a triple kidnapping aside – Stephanie’s really got the urge to run for her life…

Review: I picked this one up to fulfill a Goodreads challenge. I have read books 4-7 so far this year and for the most part have really enjoyed them. They are fun, easy reads. I’m constantly surprised by the messes Stephanie finds herself in. I love the humor in these books, it definitely lightens things up.

Overall, I throughly enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading the eighth installment.

AUTHOR, Book Review, E, Fiction, Read in 2009, SERIES, Stephanie Plum

Three to Get Deadly by Janet Evanovich

Tara

Three to Get Deadly
by Janet Evanovich

Copyright: 1997
Pages: 321
Rating: 3.5/5
Read: Feb. 10-12, 2009
Challenge:  2009 100+ Reading Challenge; RYOB 2009
Yearly Count: 11

First Line: It was January in Trenton

Uncle Mo has missed his court appearance and Stephanie Plum is the bounty hunter charged with taking him back into custody. Unfortunately, Uncle Mo is considered a saint around Trenton. However, as the body count begins to add up , Stephanie finds herself involved with drug dealers and people wanting to kill her.

This book was not as funny as the second one in my opinion. However, I did enjoy this one. I usually don’t read books that are of a lighter, more humorous tone, but for some reason I enjoy this series.

3.5/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, E, Fiction, Read in 2008, SERIES, Stephanie Plum

Two for the Dough by Janet Evanovich

Tara
Two for the Dough
by Janet Evanovich
Copyright: 1996
Pages: 312
Rating: 3.5/5
Read: August 1-3, 2008
Challenge: No challenge; personal read

First Line: I knew Ranger was beside my because I could see his earring gleaming in the moonlight.

Stephanie Plum is at it again. This time, the bounty hunter is on the hunt for Kenny Mancuso, a guy who shot his best friend in the knee and has jumped bail. He’s also distantly related to Joe Morelli. So with the help of Joe, her fellow bounty hunter Ranger, and her Grandma Mazur she’s on the hunt and determined to find Kenny before more people are hurt, mutilated or killed.
Okay, this one was just okay. I’m not overly impressed by this series (I read the first one a couple years back and remember not being very impressed), but I’m going to have to admit, that Grandma Mazur is a piece of work!! I found myself jotting down some of her funnier quotes because they were just too good to pass up! The best in the book had to be in the end, where Grandma quotes Clint Eastwood:

“But being that this is a forty-five magnum, the most powerful handgun in
existence, and it could blow your head clean off, you got to ask yourself one
question. Do you feel lucky today? Well, do you, punk?” (p. 305)

I laughed and laughed at that one! It’s definitely an entertaining book, but the plot left a little to be desired in my opinion. I’m probably going to look for the third in the library sometime in the future though, simply because these books are so funny!